Let's play a game. . . . . .

[justmama]

Okay play this game with me. You have $100 to the penny, no more. You are headed to the grocery store. Let's assume you have nothing but spices in your cabinets. You need to feed a family of 4 for the next 2 weeks MINIMUM on what you get on this trip. What do you buy??????

Meg

[loraxc]

I'll be really vague here and not do amounts...just to get the ball rolling. We don't eat red meat or chicken, fyi.

dry chickpeas
dry white beans
dry black beans
dry lentils
eggs
peanut butter
canned salmon
canola oil
margarine
milk
whole wheat flour
whole wheat pasta
oats
bulk yeast
sugar
baking powder
baking soda
canned tomatoes--paste and diced
cornmeal
whatever crackers are cheapest
raisins
peanuts (raw)
onions
garlic
potatoes
apples
bananas
oranges
carrots
celery
cabbage
whatever greens are cheapest (probably collards, where I live)
block cheese
inexpensive coffee or tea (a necessity for DH and I)

Somethin' like that.

[bellini'smama]

A whole chicken (which I would stew in water with pepper and salt, making cooked meat for chicken salad and a casserole and keep chicken broth to add to soups)
Canned tomatoes, my favorite are stewed
dry beans, probably white, black, and kidney
frozen corn
frozen peas
frozen green beans
bananas
frozen berries
flour
sugar
oil
eggs
butter
block cheese (though sometimes shredded is cheaper when on sale, so cheapest)
milk
yogurt
onions
carrots
celery
canned salmon
dry pasta
rice
another fruit that was on sale or in season, usually something citrus-y
I am curious to know if I could, if I was careful about sales, store brands, etc get all of this food for $100,

[HydeParkB]

Well, first thing I would do is check the sales circular! (Can I cheat by going to the farmer's market downtown for the produce part?)

DD is eating solids, but not our food, so we'd probably start with yogurt, fruits, vegetables and a mild cheese for her.

We'd also get some baking supplies - flour, sugar, baking soda, yeast, baking powder.
Oatmeal
Milk (rice for DH, soy for me)
Frozen or fresh spinach, whatever is the better deal
Eggs, lots of eggs
Chicken, probably thighs depending on what's on sale
Maybe some beef
Rice, white and brown if it's in the budget
Dry beans, probably black
Tortillas
Sausage if on sale
Onions
Garlic (is that already with the spices?)

[Starr]

2 whole chickens
onions
brown rice
carrots
celery
pasta noodles
milk
eggs
block of cheese
(Either 2 loaves of wheat bread) or enough to make in bread machine
Tortillas
Beans
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Apple juice
Apples
Oranges
Pancake Mix
Syrup or something similar
Diced and canned tomatoes
2 bags of frozen veggies- Maybe use 1 as a stir fry?
Yogurt
Potatoes
A cheap roast- try to get two meals out of it

Granted I'm used to feeding 2 people so for us I have figured that eggs are really cheap and can either be hard boiled for a snack, scrambled and then topped with cheese in a tortilla for breakfast.

Pancakes are very filling and we often have them for supper with fresh fruit.

Roast the chicken and eat with either potatoes or veggies and then boil to make soup using leftover veggies.

Rice and frozen veggies for stir fry one night.

Pasta with a tomatoe sauce and garlic bread.

Potatoes can be mashed, fried, or anyway you like.

If a roast is cheap throw in some potatoes and carrots in the crockpot. You should have leftovers.

[justmama]

You guys are awesome! I am combining the lists and making them my grocery list. Ideally we will spend less then $100 tonight but that's my max because that's all I've got!

Meg

[bellini'smama]

After posting I went back and read what other posters had listed and was like oh yeah, peanut butter, or oh yeah baking powder. I love this game. It is interesting to see the similarities and the differences in the lists.

[HydeParkB]

After posting I went back and read what other posters had listed and was like oh yeah, peanut butter, or oh yeah baking powder. I love this game.

I can't believe I forgot potatoes!

[Free Thinker]

Hmmm...

Breakfast foods:

Oatmeal
Bananas (lots! for snacks, too!)
Eggs (3 dozen or so, use for lunches and dinners, too)

Lunches:

bread making stuff,
peanut butter
jelly
BBQ sauce (for LO roast below)

Dinners:

Roast
carrots
potatoes
round steak
crackers (or WW flour, wheat germ) for Chicken fried steak
oil
2 Chickens
frozen veggies
dried beans
lettuce
butter or shortening (for baking biscuits or such)
canned tomatoes
corn bread mix (if you don't have the ing.)

Snacks

apples


Meals I would make are:

roast potatoes & carrots (save juice for soup) (LO toast for sandwiches or add BBQ sauce)

Chickrn fried steak (cheap round steak, beaten w/ meat mallet, coated in crushe4d crackers, flour and wheat germ, or any combo, fried til browned, and then slow cooked for an hour or so) w/ homemade buscuits and gravy, green beans.

Soup (beef stock, potatoes, carrots, a package of frozen veggies) biscuits or crackers, and cheese if you can get it.

Sheapards pie (potatoes, chicken broth, mix veggies, top w/ biscuit crust) a salad if you can get the things fairly cheap

Chicken and dumplings

baked chicken (be sure and get stock from this!) potatoes

Chili (vegetarian, no meat!) cornbread

Lunches would primarily be left overs, breakfast would be oatmeal and eggs/omlets/ect and bananas

[captain crunchy]

okay I would get....

oatmeal (BIG can plain quick cooking) 2.50
eggs (organic, free roaming, 2 dozen) 8.00 (for eating and baking)
bananas (lots! you can freeze them or use over ripe for banana bread)
they are about .45 a lb and I would get probably 3 lbs.... so about $1.50
big can of raisins (to use in oatmeal, as a quick snack too) about 2.50


2 loaves whole wheat bread ... 5.00
10 pack of whole wheat flour tortillas 2.50
I pack pita bread 1.29

natural peanut butter ... 2.50
whole fruit jam 2.50


block cheese (or shredded whichever is cheaper) (2) 5.00
gallon of milk.. (we drink organic soy) appx. 4.50

dry black beans 1.50 (big bag!)
dry chick peas 1.50
long cook brown rice (huge bag!) 2.50


canned tomatoes and tomato puree (4-5 cans) 2.50

3 boxes of barilla pasta (different varieties) in the yellow box with omega-3's and protein from egg whites and chick peas...good stuff...a bit more expensive but worth it for the omegas and protein! 6.00

whole wheat flour...2.50
margarine (non gmo)2.00
sugar in the raw 3.00
honey 5.00 (raw, big jar)


spinach (2 bags) 4.00
brocolli (1 head) 1.30
carrots (organic, whole carrots) 2.25
strawberries (organic, they are partof the dirty dozen... you can get them cheaper non organic) 3.50
celery 1.30
onion .50
oranges (about 6) 4.00
sweet potatoes (4) 2.00
regular potatoes (bag) 3.00

olive oil 4.00
vinegar 2.00 (big bottle)

wow, I still have about $8 left and you can buy more stuff with that! We are nearly vegan though so it will vary with meat eaters but I think that would totally feed a family of 4 on that for 2 weeks if you are creative! ... oh yeah, okay yogurt too...


Good luck!

[rabbithorns]

For $100 I can get the following things at Safeway and the neighboring discount store for 2 weeks of breakfasts, lunches and dinners (the lunches are sparse but if I shop more at the discount store than at the Safeway I could also get more to fill in):

BREAKFASTS:
4 french toast and fruit
4 oatmeal and fruit
4 cornmeal mush and cream cheese
2 eggs and toast/jelly and potatoes

LUNCHES:
4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
4 grilled cheese
2 leftover chili
2 leftover quiche
2 leftover chicken pot pie

DINNERS:
4 pasta and red sauce and salad
4 chili and cornbread
2 quiches
2 chicken pot pies
2 burritos

SHOPPING LIST
9 loaves bread
5 dozen eggs
1 box oatmeal
1 bag cornmeal
2 packages cream cheese
5# bag potatoes
large jar peanut butter
jar jelly
2 2# blocks cheese
4 1-pound packages pasta
4 cans Hunt's spaghetti sauce
beans, tomatoes, sweet pepper, onion, etc for one big pot chili ($10 max)
4 cornbread mix
4 pkgs. frozen pie crusts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
various vegies for quiche, pot pies, burritos and salads ($15)
fruit ($15)
tortillas
2 cans refried beans
cooking oil
small package chicken thighs

The reason I bought cornbread mix even though I also bought cornmeal was to prevent having to buy baking powder and flour also. Notice I needed no margarine here and other things we think we need. I "bought" exactly what I needed to make the menu here.

I don't understand how some of the ingredient lists in some of the posts provide 14 dinners as well as 14 lunches.

[wannabeamamma]

rabbit,
Which discount store do you go to? Do you mainly get canned goods there? I'm in the Phx area so I'm sure we have the same stores up here.

[KimberMama]

white wheat berries $3
maple syrup $8
canola oil $2
gluten $2
yeast $2.50

(Used to make bread. Boys have toast each morning and sandwiches each lunch. This is way more than I need for 2 weeks.)

Earth Balance $2.50
Popcorn $2

baby spinach $10
salad greens $10
broccoli slaw $1.50
Arugula $2

4 lbs. pinto beans $5
2 lbs. lentils $2
4 lbs. brown rice $4

frozen mango $2
1 gallon OJ $5
1 gallon soymilk $5.50
vinegar $2
pickles $3
almond butter $5

As much produce as I could afford with my $21 remaining:

onions
garlic
mushrooms
carrots
cabbage
broccoli
bananas
apples
oranges
tomatoes

[rabbithorns]

Since I don't want to use too much gas, I usually just shop the sales and buy one/ get one free at the Safeway 2 miles away, but there's a Family Dollar and Big Lots on the same corner.

I know I can get pasta for about 50 cents at Big Lots and hadn't really tried Family Dollar for foods, but I emailed the Hillbilly Housewife about her $45 emergency menu since I could never find prices like hers and she suggested Family Dollar. I do get some non-food items there, but the one time I bought boxed food there, it smelled so much of detergent smell, I couldn't eat it. Everything in their store smells like that. But I suspect canned goods and such won't have that problem.

Albertson's is about 5 miles away and Target is 4 miles away. I just discovered things like 100 count tea there for $1.49 and english muffins for 79 cents and such. Target has some phenomenal prices if you poke around.
This week Albertson's has eggs on sale - 3 dozen for $1.

I try to shop very locally and have changed my routine from once a week to about every three days. That way I only buy produce I need for a few days and don't have it rotting in the fridge. Also, when I shop more often, I find I buy only what I need to get by, instead of planning for meals that we either don't eat or my family eats some of the ingredients before I get to cook that meal. I spend a few more cents in gas but I spend at least $30 - $50 a week less on foods I don't use. Also because we have only one teenager left in the house, if I know she has plans, I can buy just enough for my husband and me and usually get to enjoy something my daughter won't eat anyway, like curry.

[countrymom]

I'd buy:

olive oil on sale
brown rice

canned pureed tomatoes 2-3 cans
canned crushed tomatoes
whole garlic

3 boxes of pasta -----------pasta meal
wedge of romano cheese
frozen spiniach--or fresh if on sale

pork roast--on sale
limes
OJ -------------for carnitas--yum----2-3 meals
corn tortillas
canned pineapple

low fat milk

1/2 & 1/2
& good coffee

2 loaves whole wheat bread
peanut butter
jelly -----------kid's staples
plain youghurt
5 lb bag organic carrots

big amount of oats

cheerioes or raisin bran

chicken breasts---or whole---whatever on sale

black beans--syore brand canned
canelli beans --store brand canned
chick beans--store brand--canned
red beans & pinto & dark kidney beans --store brand canned

Block of cheddar cheese

lentils dry---split peas dry -------------for soups

kale or brocolli or green beans--depending on price

blue cheese dressing
fresh spiniach ----------------------spiniach salad

apricot nectar

bananas

cabbage
honey---------------coleslaw makings as wella s other snacking
apples

that's it for now---have to calculate $$.........in my mind.....

[AngelBee]

www.hillbillyhousewife.com has a 45.00 a week frugal meal plan and a 70.00 meal plan.

We are doing the frugal plan for the next two weeks as a kick off to our getting out of debt plan.

[celestialdreamer]

:

I need ideas on what to trim off our grocery bill if we are going to continue to buy mostly organic (which I REALLY want to). Going to have a huge tax bill & homebirth costs due all at the same time

[rabbithorns]

I posted this elsewhere, but if you are going to buy organic and you have to be careful financially, then buy organic animal products and fats and oils (like margarine, oil, butter, meat, milk, cheese) instead of organic fruits and vegies.

Organochlorines which are cancer causing are the main culprits in conventional fatty foods and these are stored in fats not water. So fruit and vegies have very little actual residue or remainder of pesticides in them. But animal and oil products have a ton of cancer causing agents in them from a variety of sources. So buy organic animal and oil products if you can't afford both. Also check where your olive oil comes from. Only olive oil from Greece is actually free of pesticides. Spain is the worst and Italy is not much better. And since those poisons are stored in the oil, it's like cooking in arsenic!

[celestialdreamer]

Originally Posted by rabbithorns

I posted this elsewhere, but if you are going to buy organic and you have to be careful financially, then buy organic animal products and fats and oils (like margarine, oil, butter, meat, milk, cheese) instead of organic fruits and vegies.

Organochlorines which are cancer causing are the main culprits in conventional fatty foods and these are stored in fats not water. So fruit and vegies have very little actual residue or remainder of pesticides in them. But animal and oil products have a ton of cancer causing agents in them from a variety of sources. So buy organic animal and oil products if you can't afford both. Also check where your olive oil comes from. Only olive oil from Greece is actually free of pesticides. Spain is the worst and Italy is not much better. And since those poisons are stored in the oil, it's like cooking in arsenic!

I agree that its important to buy animal products organically (we don't really buy anything dairy), but to us its very important to have organic veggies, etc also because of genetic engineering, irradiating, etc. Its not just the pesticides that freak us out. We have found that getting a weekly share through a local organic farm is most cost effective for that in our area, its just hard to afford organic meats. DD numerous food allergies and we do rely on meat based dishes, but I'm trying to incorporate more beans too. Also I'm having to cut back on carb based dishes (even whole grain ones unless they have significant protein in them too) because they seem to be making my blood sugar wacky. So its really hard to stay on track with the budget without sacrificing the quality of food and buy what works with our health needs. I try to stock up on stuff when it goes on sale, but the prices in our area for food in general are higher than average, let alone for organic. I am still trying to find a place to buy bulk grains and beans, but no luck yet.

I really like seeing what everyone else's ideas are...keep 'em coming!