How do you plan meals and stay on a budget, I need to feed 2 adults and 2 teens on $200 per week.?!
Answers: Im looking to feed my family on $200 a week. We are wheat free and have a child who drinks soymilk. I have to stay on the $200 target.
This shouldn't be any problem at all. The main thing is to cook from scratch, which I imagine you do plenty of given the dietary restrictions you must follow.
Buy produce at a produce stand, it's usually fresher and more reasonably priced.
Look for specials on meat. I buy marked down meat from one particular grocer because it still has several days left before expiration.
Don't purchase convenience foods and limit eating out, this drains your food budget faster than anything.
I have fed a family of 6 this past year with an average of $650 per month.
That's a tough goal. I buy in bulk especially meat, to get the lowest price per lb. Buying in bulk wherever you can helps. Take advantage of weekly specials from the store's flyer and plan your meals around that. Like I said, tough job. Good luck.
OH! I just remembered...I.R.S. garnished my husbands wages 20 years ago and all we ate was soup and sandwiches for 6 -8 weeks.@*%&*!
This is a joke, right? I know people who have to try and spend $200 per month, not per week! You shouldn't have a problem with that budget. You can pretty much buy whatever you want, as long as you are not too extravagant and don't go to the most expensive stores out there. Watch for sales on the things you use and like, and plan accordingly. I think/plan of my menus after what I see is on sale. Works good for the most part. Good luck.
I would definitely recommend ONLY buying meat that is on sale. ($2.50 or LESS per pound.)
stay simple dont buy expensive foods, make a list ,make a menu to might help.
Stay away from junk foods and sodas. I know the teens are going to scream, but tell them to get part time jobs if they want more foods.
Don't EVER go to the supermarket without a list. Buy ONLY what is on that list.
Hot or cold cereals for breakfast, 4oz juice, one slice of toast and nothing else.
Dinner have one meat/fish/or chicken, one vegetable, one starch such as beans/rice/corn/or potatoes.
Have you tried the Campbell's New England Chowder in a cup? Very good for lunch. A meal in itself.
Soups and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Jimmy Dean pre-cooked sausage patties are VERY good and make excellent sandwiches for lunch.
Tuna; salmon; kippers; sardines; chili; egg sandwiches of all types; peanut butter; cottage cheese with fruit; hot cereals; sloppy joes; hamburgers; Hillshire Farm's DELI SELECT containers of shaved meats of all kinds for sandwiches (you can reuse the containers).
All can be server with sliced tomatoes/onions/lettuce/etc. which gives you a vegetable along with your meat.
Most deli's are now roasting chickens. They are delicious. We have to stand in line at the grocery store to get one. They usually sell them beginning at 10:00 am. Try to buy two and freeze one.
Tyson's fully cooked whole chickens are delicious. I serve them often with S&W canned sweet potatoes, Stove-Top dressing, microwave chicken/turkey gravy, a vegetable, cranberry sauce, and Pillsbury Microwave Biscuits which are better than I can make. A frozen pie defrosted and fully cooked. Keeps the kitchen cool.
Hormel, Armour, Tyson, Smithfield, and other brands have packages of PRE-COOKED beef tips, roast, pot roast, pork roast, chicken, ham, meatload. Most all come with gravy. They are very good. Use these for your meat dish and add vegetables, rice, or potatoes. You will find these packages near the cold meat section, they are not frozen. If you are only cooking for yourself, you can make two or more meals out of one package and freeze them for future dinners or lunches.
Take a look at these recipes:
http://www.campbellsoup.com/Supper_Bakes...
And these categories on the left and on the right hand sides:
http://www.campbellkitchen.com/recipedet...
Use your crock pot more often. Good for tough cheaper cuts of meats:
Crockpot websites to check out:
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Beef Recipes in Crock Pot (see other types of meats at the very bottom of this link):
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/beef-...
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Chicken Recipes in Crock Pot:
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/chick...
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Scroll way down this link for more chicken recipes:
http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/crock-...
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http://southernfood.about.com/library/cr...
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http://www.anniesrecipes.com/Kitchen/cro...