How to grocery shop smart and cheap? cheap meal help also?!
Answers: Ok me and my husband have been having trouble with money and we are tired of eating ramen noodles. How do I grocery shop cheaper and smart and what are some good recipes that are cheap
Okay first as I'm sure you already know don't buy name brand stuff, second buy fresh veggies, fruits etc... Although I do like frozen veggies such as broccoli, spinach, califlower, different mixed ones. A lot of stores put them on sale regularly and you can use what ever you want for dinner then put it back in the frezer with out having to worry about it spoiling before you use it up.
And plain rice and pasta etc... You can make the stuff they have prepackaged, for a lot cheaper and healthier too. Hamburger is cheap, buy a 5 pound roll of it and then cut it into smaller portions and freeze. Look for the family sized pork chops (some of them sell for about 5 or 6 bucks), and once again freeze. Tilapia fish is cheap and you can bake or fry it. Dried beans. Eggs.
Also shopping at smaller stores may help. My store does a reduced produce and meat section. These are still good just as long as you use or freeze within about 2-3 days. For example I just bought 6 avacados for about $1.20. Sometimes I buy a couple of green bell peppers for $.59 or a just under a pound of burger for $.88 I buy these all the time and my fam eats well for cheap.
Also go to kraftfood.com for a free quartly mag. The recipes use a lot of name brand stuff, and premade stuff such as gravies, stuffing etc.. But I buy a lot of store brand stuff and make other stuff from scratch. Great recipes for cheaper, and a lot healthier.
Here is a recipe that I like:
1 pound hamburger cooked and drained
1 16oz can stewed diced tomatoes
Macaroni (about what you would find in a mac and cheese box)
Mix well, and eat you can also have this with corn and some cheese srpinkled on top if you have it.
1 can tuna fish in watre drained
Salsa
Cream cheese
Egg noodles
Mix the tuna, salsa, and chream cheese in a pot. Melt over low heat then mix in the noodles or serve on top of the needles.
Cook a mix of your fav beans such as black, white, kidney, lima, white, small red etc... When they are almost soft enough to eat add some chopped garlic, onions, and cooked bacon or ham hock. Stir well. Also add a little brown sugar And a bay leafe. And any other spices and seasonings that you like. Cook on low until flavors have all blended well and the beans are soft and tender. A good sized bean pot can feed you for a couple of days. Also serve with home made cornbread, there is a recipe for it on the cornmeal container. It is quick and simple and once again pretty cheap.
Marinate the chops or even chicken breasts in b-b-q sauce. Bake or grill, serve with rice or baked potato.
Make an omlet with left over veggies in your fridge. Or do a skillet breakfast. With some broccoli, poataoes fried, onions, mushrooms, zuccini, yelloe crooked neck squash etc... maybe bacon or sliced lunch meat. Fry these ingrediants in a skillets until slightly crispy or tender depending on what it is. Then pour a couple of eggs slightly beaten over the top and reduce heat to low. Stir often. Pour out of the pan onto a plate and sprinkle with cheese if ya got it and enjoy.
I know I said make it your self but really mixes such as krusteaze, bisquick etc... can be bought pretty cheap (look for the cheapest one) and have good recipes on the box. You can make pancakes, waffles, biscuits and more real quick, and they make a good breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Home made burgers on plain old sliced bread, and home made fries. Slightly cook the potatoes first then let them cool well. Maybe do it in the morning before you leave for work or even the night before. Then peel if you want or lave the peel on. Slice into sticks or chop into chunks. Fry, and enjoy.
A good general rule is to buy as few processed foods as possible. Just one example: if you want cookies, you'll get far more for your money if you bake them yourself rather than buying a package of Oreos. Concentrate your shopping around the edges of the store -- fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and so on. Once you get a well-stocked pantry, you'll probably find yourself spending far less on food.
One recipe we love is get one pack of the smoked turkey legs from walmart about $4.00 and 1 bag dried navy beans $.88 cents soak your dried beans overnight. the next morning drain the beans if you have a slow cooker or crock pot put turkey legs in it and the beans. By supper time it is ready and it is great. {the smoked turkey tastes like ham} you can also get smoked turkey wings, the legs have a lot more meat.. This recipe is enough for 2 big meals for both of us.
yahoo has several groups on cheap cooking(or frugal)
or try a wesite called ...cheap cooking.com.
You want to eat as much meat and veggies as you can. Shop for cheap cuts. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs can be as cheap as 2 dollars for a pack of four! That's a meal plus some leftovers maybe! Debone and skin them yourself or cook them as they are :). Tofu and beans are a good source of protien that is still inexpensive.
Also check out markets...good fresh food at lower then supermarket prices!
Eggs are a 2-3 dollars for a dozen. Serve them fried/poached/boiled or in sandwiches/salads. Omelettes are an any time of day food...just stuff them with cheap but yummie veggies!
Give those awful ramen noodles a kick by adding onions to the soup as it boils and an drop in a beaten egg before addign the noodles. Think egg drop soup/hot and sour soup kinda texture.
Buy big cuts of beef if that's not out of your price range. Big roasts can be very reasonably priced. Look out for specials. Cut it into serving portions yourself, or make a roast and save leftovers for other meals.
Your choice for carbs is really wide...potatoes, rice, dried pasta or noodles are all pretty inexpensive.
And of course. I know milk can be pricy so look for dried powdered milk instead and mix it yourself. doing it in a blender works really well.
Always have garlic and onions on hand. They're cheap and add flavour to practically anything you could cook.
A super simple dish I used to make on lazy/broke nights in my dorm room was chopped up tomatoes and onions sauteed with a little salt (and plum sauce if I had any) just served on a bed of rice. Just dont overcook it and its fantastic!
The key is to look for specials when it comes to produce. Fresh stuff is often cheaper and way better for you. Chicken is usually cheaper then beef and both are usually cheaper then seafood. Mussels are the exception. Mussels can be as cheap as 4-8 dollars for 3-5 pounds. Hamburger helper makes a nice change to ramen noodles(and hamburger's not expensive.....on that note try making your own beef burgers).
Ground beef is also good for simple pasta or rice dishes.
Also, dried legumes/peas/beans keep well and are very nutritious. Make a hearty vegetarian chili. Keeps for ages, fills you up and gives you protien.
Try not to spend money on drinks/pop/juice. With the exception of milk(yay calcium) water is better for you and you can put the cash towards better foods.
also avoid junk foods and ready meals. You're paying for convenience nothing else.
I'm sorry this has been so lengthy and unorganized. This is just stuff I've learned over the last couple of years(starving student ;) )....I hope it's helpful.
Oh, one last thing. Consider doing some of your shopping at 'independent' grocery stores. You know...the places that look like half their stuff fell off the back of a truck. Usually it hasn't but they just dont spned their time making things look pretty and hence are often less expensive. They seem to flourish in student areas or in chinatowns.
G'luck!
This site is great for folks on a tight budget. Just spend some time reading her articles about shopping and menu planning. Her recipes generally feed an army, so if you don't have freezer space, make a smaller batch using her recipes.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faqs/improv...