So just an update: I am getting a fridge tomorrow. It's going to be a nice addition which opens up a lot of opportunities for saving and balancing my nutrition intake.
I think it will be a $40 very well spent.
Surely there are other areas you can reduce costs without sacrificing your health. Drop Netflix, cancel your cable TV, find a cheaper cell phone plan, stop going to the gym, cancel other subscriptions, walk instead of drive, take public transportation, etc.
Never had Netflix (once had their stocks though), I cut the cable back in 2013. I used to use $10 prepaid Tello for 1.5yrs before I had to refill. I still have the Ooma VoIP phone system which costs zero bill. Now I have monthly plan $14/mo because my employer is paying for it. I walk on local bike path (no gym membership) during weekend mornings. No subscription of any kind except utilities, I have to drive because we do not have good public transportation system and the closest Walmart is about 20min of highway driving distance (not a city environment) in our area.
I have to say you and I are likely located in very different area. Things you find common I never used or haven't used for a long time (I probably visited Starbucks 10 times in my life time and 9 out of them was to meet people there and felt like I had to buy something). Somethings you think I can do easily is not something I see doable in my area.
The easiest way to reduce your grocery costs and maintain good health is to avoid convenience foods. No frozen dinners, no canned spaghetti sauces, no canned meats, no potato chips, etc. Most of that stuff is high in fat, sodium, or sugar and is horrible for you. Also, don't smoke and avoid alcohol, two expensive and unhealthy habits.
I don't smoke or drink. I just read that BPA level in canned food can be a health rick so I have to find some other food source now. Thanks for the advice. I will need to find beans that are not in the can though.
There are plenty of foods you can buy fairly inexpensively that can be combined into numerous meals. Ground beef, potatoes, canned corn or green beans, minute rice, dried pasta, ramen noodles, etc. These aren't necessarily the healthiest options, but they're better than your current diet.
I consider ramen noodles are pretty unhealthy (worse than junk food) so I have moved on to pasta and Chinese noodles as an upgrade after years of getting mummified.
So I just made lunch following my scheme:
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Prep time about 5 minutes including the 1 min of microwave time. I did use a knife because the paste jar was so small a spoon would not fit in it. Note that prep bowl, microwave bowl, serving bowl, eating bowl, and washing bowl are all the same bowl.
That sounds like a super fancy meal to me. Keeping track all the ingredients needed will require some practice.
+1 I did this with my biology class a few decades ago. We had 15 gallon jars to use and about $2 of various seeds. In a few days we had 15 gallons of sprouts.
I will pay more attention on the sprout seeds section in the supermarket.
If you look at the nutrition provided per dollar spent on chicken or pork, versus nutrition provided per dollar spent on ramen noodles or dried pasta, the meat wins every time. Eggs are an even better value, in terms of nutrition per dollar spent.
I do have rotisserie chicken every weekend (part of my "eating out" expense) and each can last me three days.
It seems like it is quite possible to eat very little meat and live to a ripe old age. We're trying to eat more like that, and it isn't too expensive, though I have to shop at the Costco, ethnic markets and outlet stores for fresh produce. It would cost a ton more at the regular supermarkets.
Interesting. I like fish as long as I don't have to pick bones eating them. Too bad I can't think of any easy replacement for canned fish. All the other healthier choices are generally more expensive and require some form of cooking..
A tasty and nutritious soup can be made by cooking up meat bones, vegetables (any veges but celery, onions, carrots, tomato, potato, sweet potato make a nice combination) and grains such as rice, barley, lentils, chickpeas, split dried peas or even pasta or noodles.
It can be just me but I find myself lose half of the appetite soon after seeing the pot in the fridge that I will be eating off for the next few days.. Dumplings are portioned and frozen so it did not bother me too much but I don't know about the soup idea...
Hmm. I'm at 240 a month and I eat a lot heavier. I put a garden in at the apartment complex and started visiting an ag distribution point that has freebies. I can get eggs meat and basic canned goods so I expect my grocery bill will be dropping. Very few restaurants in rural new england so no temptation there.
I know right? During the weekends after I go to the dump I would pass KFC or Five Guys and it is always an internal struggle until my attention changes to something else not food related. Last month my food expense was $150. I am hoping it will be lower than that this month.
