Extremely small food budget and TF

[pampered_mom]

We're, for probably the next few years, going to be on an extremely small food budget (like around $300/mo in the semi-rural Midwest) while we work on paying down some debt. A portion of the $300 will go towards our veggie CSA (only runds through Nov), so it will likely only be around $50-75/week.

I've gone back and forth about going on WIC (we'd certainly qualify), but am hesitant about the commodity foods that we would be eating as a result. We have an entire freezer full of grass-fed beef from when my husband was making more money at his last job and will have lots of nutrient dense veggies from our CSA. I'm also planning on canning some tomato sauce from my tomato plants (if they surrvived the stress of the move ok). I'm a SAHM so I have no problems cooking from scratch (although my bread baking leaves much to be desired) or devoting a fair amount of time to food prep.

So...can it be done or am I dreaming?

[rosewater]

I don't see why not. I think the key is to start slow and plan ahead. That way you'll be able to spread out buying staples. Do you have a co-op in the neighborhood to get whole grains and beans and whatever else you want? Local farms for milk, cream, meats, eggs..... Make your own yogurt and kefir and fermented veggies too. It's easy and cheaper that way.

That's just off the top of my head.

Good luck and have fun!

[quietserena]

Beans make great dinners and are very beneficial as long as you prepare them correctly.

Eggs are, for the price, one of the best sources of protein out there.

I think TF on a small budget is possible. Just focus more on inexpensive sources of quality protein and proper preparation of what you eat.

I know it's hard paying off debt, we did it for some 5 years. (And then bought a house and we're in debt again...)

[westcoastmom]

Some things that help save money is making things from scratch. It is usually cheaper to buy local produce when it is in season. Freeze, pickle etc.

It takes some extra work in the summer, but it is worth it. I bought 4 dozen corn for $20, zipped it off and froze it.

See if you can find a local farmer to get things like milk, eggs, cream meat.

This may be hard to do, but it is much cheaper in the long run to buy meat by a quarter or side. Another option is to look for markdowns. The local store near us marks down grass fed meat that is getting old.

If you ask at a local fish store, you can often get fish scraps for making fish stock for free (since they often just throw it out)

Food buying clubs. Depending on where you are the United Food Buying club can save you up to 50% http://www.unitedbuyingclubs.com/

[harrietsmama]

eating on a small budget

I totally think you can, especially when you can look for recipes online for what ingredients you have. I have a favorite recipe that lends itself to lots of substituting:
I usually double the potatoes in this recipe just because we really
love them around here. Also, I have used half kale and half mustard
greens -- it was delicious! It added a little *zip* to it without being
too spicy for the kids to eat. My kids *love* this recipe! -Tracy-


Kale and Cannellini Bean Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups vegetable stock, or water

2 tablespoons dry white wine (I use apple cider vinegar)

2 large all purpose potatoes, peeled and diced (I don't peel mine)

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 cups chopped Kale (or any other good cooking greens)

3 cups cooked cannellini beans or two 15-ounce cans drained and rinsed (I soak my beans in water with 2 T of whey over night, or you can use sea salt. Rinse and most of the gas will be gone and they will cook up nicely. Quick whey: strain some plain organic yogurt, the yellow liquid is whey, should last about a month in fridge - trust your nose)



Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover,
and cook, stirring a few times until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock,
wine, potatoes, beans, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to
taste. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft,
about 20 minutes.

Add the Kale and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans
and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste to adjust the
seasonings, remove and discard the bay leaves and serve.

Serves 4-6

[krankedyann]

I certainly think it can be done, especially if you've already got a freezer full of beef. I spend $500/month and we're GFCF due to allergies and have a very strict list of which brands I can buy, and they're always the expensive ones. When I look at what I'm limited to, I definitely think that if we didn't have allergies, I could do $300/month.

I think the key is going to be finding other local farmers for meat and eggs, and looking around to see if you can find a co-op for your grocery store items. That can be incredibly helpful for a budget. I get my chicken from the farmer for almost half of what the grocery store charges for organic chicken, and the eggs for about a dollar less a dozen. With the UNFI group, I routinely get 20-40% off of what the local grocery store charges for my grocery store items.

[gardenmommy]

Where in the midwest are you? Can you garden? I often feed our family (newly turned 6 members!) for under $400/month. Here is how I do it:

1. Garden. We garden with my mom, eating out of it while it's in season, canning/freezing everything we don't eat. That gives us a lot of frozen/canned stuff that we don't have to buy during the non-garden months.

2. We do a lot of u-picks: strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, etc. I freeze everything I can. I make all our jams/jellies/apple butter/applesauce, etc. U-picks are a bargain compared to buying it in the store.

3. I belong to a co-op. Through the co-op, I can order coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, bulk foods, etc. at a greatly reduced price. I've been doing this long enough now that I can just order what I need, and not everything all at once (making for a smaller cash output every month). I can also get organic produce during the winter.

4. I have an advantage in the meat/dairy dept., as my family farms. I get beef, milk, cream, butter, etc. free or very low cost, which is a tremendous help. Make friends with a local farmer and see if you can get a deal on this sort of thing. My mom will not charge what she *could* get for her milk, as she just thinks it's outrageously expensive; she wants raw milk to be within people's budget. You might find someone with a similar point of view.

5. My mom and I share a grain mill (I'd buy it myself if we weren't sharing it, though, it's such a nice thing to have). I buy grains in bulk, and grind my own flour for all my baking. I bake everything from scratch most of the time (right now, I'm on vacation with a new baby). That cuts the cost of eating bread, muffins, etc., as well as improves the quality.

6. Don't waste. Use everything for something. Bones for broth, leftovers for pot pie, soup, or shepherd's pie. That sort of thing.

It can be done, but it requires more work than most people are accustomed to doing. It does require planning, but again, this is simply a habit. Think through how you eat now, and try to find cheaper sources, better ways of doing things, etc. My mom fed 6 people on less than $100/month (we grew most of what we ate), so I *know* it's possible!

[SAmama]

It doesn't have to be all or nothing, right? What if you start with the cheap things, like fermenting, pickling, soaking grains? And maybe your butcher would be willing to sell bones to you for cheap. Are chicken feet and heads cheap in the US, because I think that makes pretty good broth. Also, here we can sometimes get produce that is starting to go off (like fruit) for cheap, so we use it to make jam and chutney or cider. We also freeze some and use it in smoothies and baking later. And if you render fat from your meat and use that in cooking. We cannot get coconut oil here and it will be very pricey to have it mailed here, so we use fat instead in cooking and baking.

[harrietsmama]

using animal fats

[QUOTE=SAmama;8763272 And if you render fat from your meat and use that in cooking. We cannot get coconut oil here and it will be very pricey to have it mailed here, so we use fat instead in cooking and baking.[/QUOTE]

I learned from my grandpa's girl friend to use the fat off meat I was cooking to pan fry or brown roasts. It keeps it so moist and tender! And it tastes really good too. We grew up with a grease cup and my grandma always used the bacon grease to cook our eggs and pancakes etc. Yum! I guess her daddy used to use bacon grease on toast for breakfast - that's pushing it a bit for me.

[pampered_mom]

Thanks for all the replies! :0)

krankedyann - I think you're right in that it will be much simpler since we already have a freezer full of meat. That's one thing of the things I'm really happy we decided to do! My mom gets all her meat/milk/eggs directly from a farmer so we'll be looking into those prices. I'm thinking, though, that eggs/milk will have to be a much smaller player in our daily meals since even directly from the farmer they are a bit pricey - well that and my 2 1/2 yr old can go through quite a bit of milk and eggs. Good idea about UNFI. I know where I lived before there wasn't a group, but I haven't looked to see if there is one close to where we live now. At the very least there is a co-op in town that gives a discount every time you shop and then has special member days when you get 20% off.

gardenmommy - I can garden (we're in Wisconsin now) and have wanted to before, but couldn't this year due to the move. Next year my mom's talking about doing a big garden together so that will help some then (although it won't really help in the meantime). Thank you for the rest of your ideas! It certainly gives me hope that we can accomplish this while still maintaining our TF ideals.

Thanks quietserena! We're actually just focusing on credit card/car loan/student loan. According to plan we're hoping to have it all paid for w/in 5yrs. It's definitely going to be tough!

Keep the replies coming if there's anything else to add. I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue. :0)

[harrietsmama]

chickens & eggs

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

My mom gets all her meat/milk/eggs directly from a farmer so we'll be looking into those prices. I'm thinking, though, that eggs/milk will have to be a much smaller player in our daily meals since even directly from the farmer they are a bit pricey - well that and my 2 1/2 yr old can go through quite a bit of milk and eggs.

Can you get chickens? We have chickens and they lay enough eggs for us and we sell some when we get surplus. We love having them, they are free range in our yard but sometimes they go next door either side. They eat all the bugs and they are so fun to watch!!! You don't Have to have a rooster to get eggs, but our rooster only crows a little unless we have baby roosters old enough to crow. He also keeps track of all the hens and protects them.

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by harrietsmama

Can you get chickens?

No...we can't b/c our city has laws on the books making backyard chickens illegal if you are w/in 150 of...(and name just about anything you can find in a city here). At the time you could have chickens in "outlying areas", but the city's gotten big enough at this point that it pretty much means no one can have backyard chickens.

I did read in the paper earlier this year that they were reconsidering it since even Madison, WI has allowed backyard chickens, but they haven't passed anything yet.

[memory maker]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I've gone back and forth about going on WIC (we'd certainly qualify), but am hesitant about the commodity foods that we would be eating as a result.

really wic isnt worth it. Im in Iowa and the only reason I sign up for it is because we get farmers market checks in the summer. the rest of what you get is crap. you get regular cheese, regular milk, regular eggs, boxed cereal, 1 bag of beans or peanut butter and juice

[simplepamom]

I didn't read other responses yet. Here are some of my thoughts- some of the ways I am going to try to make traditional foods more affordable for me and family.

First, I am nursing and I do receive WIC. Ok, Granted the milk is pasturized and so is the cheese etc as are the eggs, but it is food and i do use it to suppliment our food supply. IF I mix 1 organic egg, with 1 regular egg- it is still better than a store bought egg, but also less expensive than 2 organic eggs. I also feel that if I am making say pickled eggs out of them, the benefit is going to be in the fermentation and therefore they could be ok. Likewise, if you make something baked, cooking kills alot of the good stuff anyway- so cut costs and use regular that I get free. IF they weren't free, I would likely reconsider, but with 7 mouths to feed and a limited budget.....
Same with the cheese and milk- if I can use the pasturized cheese for melting and cooked dishes- adn I Get it free- the enzymes would have been killed anyway. (and I haven't tried it, but some companies now offer enzyme enhanced cheese....)

Ok WIC also gives nursing moms carrots and canned tuna. Canned tuna might not be as great as fresh caught flounder etc, but again- free, available,and better than nothing. Tuna still has alot of great stuff. THe carrots aren't organic, but ferment them and it will help with some of it. WIC also gives beans- you don't ever have to get peanut butter, you can get beans every single time. -they aren't organic, but they soak and ferment just fine. (I haven't sprouted any to eat, but I did for kids to see how they grow and it worked just fine). Cereal- well you can choose oatmeal packets and/or cream of wheat- still haven't heard if cream of wheat is considered whole grain? but I don't think these two are extruded etc? so not as bad as the other offerings. you can also get Grits. Granted, they aren't organic, and aren't as good, but if you spend the rest of your budget on organic whole foods, these little things will not be so bad in your diet, and they are free and can help fill in the gaps. Oh the juice can have kefir grains put in it- yeah still not great, but better, and tastey. You don't have to get anything you won't use.

Ok so, stretching your food dollars. I used lentils, chic peas, kidney beans- cookd and mashed to stretch my ground meat. THey mix in wonderfully, are healthy, and extend my meat.

What about growing your own? Do you have anywhere that you can set out a plant or 2? There are definately some very healthy options that can be grown fairly easily. Along the same lines is hunting. IF you can go hunting, you can fill a freezer nicely with a deer- now you are getting organic, free range..... By me I found a local farmer who sells me free range eggs for about the same price as store bought eggs. I am going to start buying raw cream- and I use my store bought (WIC) milk, plus the cream and kefir grains to make butter- not as good, but cheaper....

OTher areas to look at- how much do you spend on toiletries? IS this included in your monthly budget? Can you cut those expenses to have more for food?- Cloth diapers, Cloth mommy pads, the diva cup, cloth napkins, handkerchiefs.... would all save money on the toiletries. yo ucan even go as far as using cloth toilet wipes. Dishes get clean in the dishwasher with about 1/3 dishwashing detergent soap, 1/3 borax and 1/3 baking soda- stretches the dollars. Vinegar and borax works great in steam carpet cleaners. Vinegar (WHITE ONLY) works GREAT as fabric softner! clean the bathroom and kithcne with vinegar and baking soda (lots of uses for both). Use only a fraction of the laundry soap they call for. Consider using baking soda to clean yourself in place of shampoo or soap- or use it one day and soap the next (it really does work nicely) If you can cut your toiletries expense, you can buy higher quality foods. Same can be said for cutting electricity, cable, phone bills etc. Choose your priority, then cut other expenses to make it happen- if you are really dedicated, you can save a lot- solar heating panels that you build yourself to cut heating costs, use solar build it yourself oven to cut electricity, hang clothes out to dry instead of clothes dryer- wash by hand instead of the washing machine (I have heard of peopel using all of these to cut costs) Loose the insurance on 1 car for the winter, loose the cable tv for the summer......

Do you know any hunters? Ask them to bring you bones and antlers- and even organ meats. I don't know many hunters who use these items. Try going on your local yahoo freecycle group- post that you are looking for any excess fruit and veggies. Watch the newspaper and signs around town- last year we found free apples, free pears, free tomatoes- just for the picking.

Brenda

[harrietsmama]

Originally Posted by memory maker

really wic isnt worth it. Im in Iowa and the only reason I sign up for it is because we get farmers market checks in the summer. the rest of what you get is crap. you get regular cheese, regular milk, regular eggs, boxed cereal, 1 bag of beans or peanut butter and juice

And even the size jar of peanutbutter is an issue - All I can find in an 18 oz. jar has transfats in it. I did do wic partly for the farmer's market coupons, but also the beans and I was so totally broke and my kids love cheese. But no one in our house drinks juice, so I always got tomato juice cz I figured I could cook with it. I still have 10 cans of it and it's been a year since I quit!

[harrietsmama]

Originally Posted by simplepamom

I didn't read other responses yet. Here are some of my thoughts- some of the ways I am going to try to make traditional foods more affordable for me and family.

Lots of great ideas!!! Thanks!

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by harrietsmama

But no one in our house drinks juice, so I always got tomato juice cz I figured I could cook with it. I still have 10 cans of it and it's been a year since I quit!

I've actually been a little worried about that part of WIC myself. We're really not juice drinkers...we'll ds would be if I let him, but I've always rathered he ate fruit than drank it.

I have read other moms talk about the same problem...too much juice leftover even after you're done!

[simplepamom]

You can make jello out of juice, (with plain gelatin), make popsicles, use it to mix with kefir for smoothies... and you can sub apple juice concentrate for sweetners in many recipes- even OJ concentrate sometimes.- may not be as good as some of the other sweetners, but it is better than processed sugars. You can also make sorbets out of juice- instead of buying ones with all those chemicals etc.

I used tons of juice to can my pears last year, and will again this year- I Might try drying some, but we really like canned pears and they just don't freeze well- anyway, I used the white grape peach- my favorite, the white grape raspberry, (both by welches) as well as apple juice (all from concentrate, reconstituted)- they worked wonderfully, I needed no processed sugar to make a syrup (everyone kept telling me I would need sugar to prevent browning).

The tomato juice can be made into BBQ sauce, I have used it in baked beans, minestrone, and other tomato based soups. (or almost anywhere that calls for tomato soup)

You can also make juice jelly (which means you could also make a pancake syrup)- and i have found recipes that require no added sugar. I actually used some WIC pineapple juice- fermented with kefir grains 24 hrs, mixed with some kefir grain fermented coconut milk-24 hr ferment- to make a really excellent non alcholoic pina coloda.

I just want to be sure the OP has the facts on how WIC works- you get milk, eggs, cheese, peanut butter OR beans, juice, cereal. IF you are nursing you also get carrots and tuna. Older infants get cereal and juice. YOu do not have to get anything you do not want or cannot use. If you do not drink much milk, they might change some of the milk to cheese for you instead. Not sure if there are any other substitutions they will make.

Brenda

[harrietsmama]

Originally Posted by simplepamom

The tomato juice can be made into BBQ sauce, I have used it in baked beans, minestrone, and other tomato based soups. (or almost anywhere that calls for tomato soup)

I planned to use it that way, but for some reason I can't tolerate tomatoes anymore. I am planning on just donating it the next time my chiro has a food drive.

[Skrimpy]

I haven't read all the other responses yet, but I will go back and do so.

I feed myself and three kiddos on $250-$300 a month, plus around $50 for farm fresh milk.

One thing I do which may not be acceptable to some families is I plan a week's worth of menus and I repeat that menu for four weeks. As a single mother of three small children this is just easier for me. My kids don't complain and I don't care. I think this helps.

Several of our meals each week are beef and I use ground beef. We always have spaghetti once a week, and I use ground beef mixed with a little ground liver. I use rice pasta (cheap in my grocer's international foods section) or spaghetti squash b/c my kids are sensitive to wheat. I buy the ground beef in bulk.

We have Beans and Rice Jamaican style from NT once a week. I love it, the kids love it. It's cheap and easy to make. In fact it's usually my "I have to make dinner soon and I'm exhausted" backup.

We also normally do a chicken meal a couple times a week - usually something in the crockpot.

I normally serve a fermented condiment with my heavy meal of the day - kimchi or sauerkraut, which I can get the "real thing" from a local grocer here - or kvass which I make myself.

I make my chicken stock from scratch using organic chickens from the grocery store. I pay a little more for those. I use lamb bones to make the lamb stock because I can get them from the farm I get my milk from for under a dollar a lb.

We have a stock of some type at least once a day, normally as a cold soup or cooked into rice or something during the summer. I think it helps fill kiddos up.

I do buy butter and use it liberally. I bought a gallon of coconut oil online and use it liberally too. Even using a few tablespoons a day it lasts us forever.

We don't buy many cheeses because real cheese is really expensive. Bacon and cheese on potatoes are treats every couple of weeks. I save bacon grease to flavor hashbrowns.

We have tuna, refried beans, eggs, or chicken salad (made with the stock chicken meat) for our light meal. These foods are really cheap.

Breakfast is almost always oatmeal with a bit of honey, butter, spoonful of yogurt, and some fruit. Sometimes we have hashbrowns from leftover baked potatoes. Sometimes eggs.

Our snack is generally farm milk - I seperate milk from the main meals because I find my kids tolerate it better that way. We will often have popcorn or crispy nuts (from NT) with the milk.

Anyways. I shop once a month for most of the foods for the next four weeks. Go back for fresh veggies and fresh milk every week or other week. This works very well for me and I feel my grocery bills are pretty low. I feel we eat very very well.

HTH! I know it can be done! The thing that made the biggest difference for me was making my main shopping once a month and buying bulk!