You only have $20 for the week....what do you buy?

[Heather150]

Originally Posted by batlou

I am not seeing many vegetables in most list, you do know you need to eat vegetables right?

.

I use alot of frozen veggies during the winter, mostly those steam fresh broccoli and green beans. They had some wicked sales this summer and I had alot of great internet coupons for them so half my freezer is devoted to them.

I use my $20 budget for lettuce, tomatoes, cukes etc when they look good. I had left over lettuce from last week so I am good this week. I know alot of people don't eat their veggies, but I LOVE my veggies. That is what is so expensive (besides the meat). Sometimes I have to forgo the salads for a week if I need to purchase other items for the week. Then I just eat more frozen veggies for dinner

[missymagoo12]

well i did not buy much low carb this week. - i am going to get back in the plan after the holidays are over and -my bill would be bacon/2.50
eggs/1.29
sour cream/1.00 per little container
lettuce /green pepper ?
hamburger- given to us
green beans- canned out of a freinds garden from this past summer.

the other things like different sugar subs with be later other things to help with a sugar fix.

i am going to start with just basic foods. sue

[Heather150]

bump

[snooks86]

2 dozen eggs =3.00
2 bags of romaine lettuce =3.00
cabbage =2.00
tomatoes= 1.50
bag of apples= 2.50
2.5 lb bag of chicken breasts =8.00

[TigerlilyCA]

Fun challenge! I would buy:

Ground turkey, 2 lbs - $3.98
Navy beans, 16 oz bag - $1.00
Tomato sauce, 15 oz can - $.8
Garlic, 1 head - $.5
Onions, 2 - $1.00
Jalepeno, 1 - $.15
Brown rice, 2lb bag - $1.79
Chicken thighs, 4 lbs - $3.96
Broccoli - 3lbs - $2.97
Frozen green beans 3 x 16 oz - $2.97
Bananas, 3 - $.87
$19.99 (whew!)

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by LJR

How cute is this!!

[Darkginger]

$20 is €14.19 today, so here's mine:

2 big pieces of fresh whiting - €3.50
2 mackerel - €2
4 lbs minced beef - €5 (on offer)
12 eggs - €2.50
A huge cabbage - €2 (which puts me 31c over, but I'd find that down the back of the sofa)

I'd also go out and get some mussels from the rocks on the beach, and look for wild samphire to go with them. Later in the year, the mackerel would be free 'cos my husband would have caught them (hopefully), plus sundry other fish and cast-offs (spider crabs, whelks) from local fishing boats. Salad veg from my veggie garden, eggs from our own hens (only have one at the moment, more in the spring)! I know it's not possible for everyone, but collecting wild food or growing your own can cut down on food bills tremendously. You get the added benefit of exercise, too

[MarcyDarcy]

Bump

[chiody]

Recent shopping included:

10 lbs of chicken quarters $4.00
3 lbs. of rib eye steaks $7.50
2 dozen eggs $1.60
1 lb. of Chinese Brocolli .79
1 lb. of peapods $1.00
2 lbs. of zuchini $2.00
2 lbs. of Shanghai Bok Tow $1.18
2 lbs. of Tofu $1.79

Total: $19.86

However usually the steaks are twice as much as is the chicken.....

[MarcyDarcy]

Originally Posted by chiody

Recent shopping included:

10 lbs of chicken quarters $4.00
3 lbs. of rib eye steaks $7.50
2 dozen eggs $1.60
1 lb. of Chinese Brocolli .79
1 lb. of peapods $1.00
2 lbs. of zuchini $2.00
2 lbs. of Shanghai Bok Tow $1.18
2 lbs. of Tofu $1.79

Total: $19.86


However usually the steaks are twice as much as is the chicken.....

Mastah!!!

[SecondTimeAround]

Those are some great meat prices, Chiody!

[chiody]

To be fair, those meat prices only appear every 3 months or so...but I'll enjoy it for now.

Have to admit though, the grade of meat is NOT Choice but Select, and the chicken pieces vary in size but taste the same.

[miss sparky]

well I've got £20 for the week, which works out about the same....was just thinking what to buy and I saw this thread!
Anyway I'll be shopping at Aldi this week and I'll be buying mostly eggs, chicken, and broccolli, and a bag of flax seed from the whole food shop. I just hope it all comes in under 20!

[24Fan]

Originally Posted by chiody

Recent shopping included:

10 lbs of chicken quarters $4.00
3 lbs. of rib eye steaks $7.50
2 dozen eggs $1.60
1 lb. of Chinese Brocolli .79
1 lb. of peapods $1.00
2 lbs. of zuchini $2.00
2 lbs. of Shanghai Bok Tow $1.18
2 lbs. of Tofu $1.79

Total: $19.86

However usually the steaks are twice as much as is the chicken.....

Wow, Chiody! I'm more impressed with the pricees of your veggies than the meats! Those are excellent prices.

[KaylasGram]

Value Bag O' Chicken Thigh's = $6.95
5 Pounds Ground Beef @ $1.50 Pound = $7.50
2~18 Count pks Large Eggs @ $1.59ea = $3.18
1 pound Butter $1.50
__________________________________________
Weekly Total $19.13

~Cindi~

[Lillianna]

Assuming I have butter and salad dressing at home:

3 doz eggs $5.07
3 lbs ground pork $5.37
cream cheese .99 cents
salsa 1.50
Romaine 2.00
Block mozzarella 2.50
3 cans tuna 2.40

$19.83

[MsWoods]

If I had to buy based on what I have in my house now, which includes cheese, condiments, frozen cauli, I would buy:

Large family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breast: $10.50
36 eggs-$4.50
Cabbage-$2.00
Chicken stock (2 boxes) @1.50 each=3.00

Total-$20

I can't get much food for my money here. I can easily spend $100 a week at the grocery store, but I like stocking up so I have food if a rainy week ever comes. I also like to cook a lot and experiment with recipes so It's easy for me to go overboard. I should try $20 a week for a while and see how I do.

[chiody]

Originally Posted by 24Fan

Wow, Chiody! I'm more impressed with the pricees of your veggies than the meats! Those are excellent prices.

With the recent change in policy, where we can post location of food purchased. All my veggies / tofu / fresh soy bean milk / and some of the meats and fish are bought at H Market, a nationwide chain in several States. They have flyers every week for each State too on their websites.

[Inglorious]

I haven't seen ground beef at $0.99 a lb around here in so long I can't even remember it being that low. Every once in a while, when a local grocery runs a big sale I can find it at maybe around $1.50 but never any lower.

[daisyHair]

I love this thread!

I am afraid I would end up with all veggies and maybe 3 good free range chickens. I can do allot with one chicken. But this would only be for me for the week.

It's very hard to shop in Orlando (unfortunately we live 3 miles from the main gate so everything is crazy expensive) for $20 a week - even for one person.. I CAN feed us both fairly well for $75/week.

[Houston Heather]

I recently got:
Chinese cabbage: $1.20 (3 pounds)
1 pound fresh green beans: $.99
1 large bunch fresh spinach: $1.50
Bunch celery: $1.29
1 pound block cheese: $3
2 pounds bulk sausage: $5
30 large eggs: $4.19
1 can tomato sauce (no junk, just tomatoes and spices): $.75
$17.92 - enough to get a pound of meat with the change (many cuts run around $2 a pound at Foodtown)

[peachy]

Vodka and Fresca

[SecondTimeAround]

Originally Posted by peachy

Vodka and Fresca

Breakfast of champions!

Hey, BTW, you didn't give us a cost break-down for the items.

[wcwendy]

Originally Posted by daisyHair

I am afraid I would end up with all veggies and maybe 3 good free range chickens.

The least expensive organic, free-range chickens around here cost around $13 each! Wow, yours sound like they're a good price.

[ravenrose]

I didn't read everyone's lists, but I think we are going to have a group of snarling caffeine-deprived low carbers here! LOL

This is $20 for you or for your whole family? For one, it's a no brainer.

The first thing I put on my list was coffee, and the second was the Calorie Countdown milk for it. The other things would always depend on the bargains that day. I think the biggest stumbling block to super cheap groceries is having a list in your head before you get there. Better to know you need proteins for 21 meals, and like that. Put tic marks down on your list as you get things you will eat for the different meals if you have a hard time keeping it all in your head.

I have a hard time not overbuying food. I forget just how little I eat these day.

I added up everything for this week and got $18.32; it includes the ingredients for almond meal crackers, Brie, a cilantro salsa/pesto with fish, and ingredients for a big batch of cauliflower/mushroom bisque. Eggs for breakfast. It's pretty repetitive. I will probably use some things from the freezer too, rather than having fish with cilantro salsa/pesto 6 nights in a row... I mean, I like it, but there's a limit! But that would leave the fish for another week, so I don't think it would change the $ much.

I prorated the cost of mayonnaise, almond meal, flax meal, heavy cream, olive oil, vinegar, and the coffee and chocolate milk, since one unit bought lasts for more than one week.

Of course, I like bargain shopping... the bunch of organic asparagus was 50 cents, a lovely large avocado 50 cents, a pound of mushrooms for 99 cents, a cauliflower for 99 cents... bless that market and their cart of marked down produce bags!

[24Fan]

Originally Posted by peachy

Vodka and Fresca

haha Peachy! and ice is FREE!

[24Fan]

Originally Posted by chiody

With the recent change in policy, where we can post location of food purchased. All my veggies / tofu / fresh soy bean milk / and some of the meats and fish are bought at H Market, a nationwide chain in several States. They have flyers every week for each State too on their websites.

Thanks, Chiody. Doesn't look like they're in Maine but good to know it's a national chain.

[sfachillesgirl]

I see some of you with 10 dozen eggs in your cart for the week?!!! OMG, how do you DO it? I have never been a fan of eggs. It's taken me a little over a week to go through just one dozen.

[wcwendy]

Originally Posted by sfachillesgirl

I see some of you with 10 dozen eggs in your cart for the week?!!! OMG, how do you DO it? I have never been a fan of eggs. It's taken me a little over a week to go through just one dozen.

I'm not alone in the world! I do have an allergy to eggs, but even before I found that out, I didn't like them.

[sassy_red]

Originally Posted by sfachillesgirl

I see some of you with 10 dozen eggs in your cart for the week?!!! OMG, how do you DO it? I have never been a fan of eggs. It's taken me a little over a week to go through just one dozen.

I tend to use 2-3 hard boiled eggs daily just for my snacks at work, 6 days a week. I also like scrambled eggs with spinach in the morning, the majority of my daily veggies some days. Otherwise they (eggs) are good fillers or garnishes on salads, or as egg salad to combat the monotony of tuna salad.

I find them very versatile but then again, I haven't been doing this long and may soon get sick of them - then I'll have to get creative!