Here’s a question from Lynn:
I’m trying to feed 2.5 people on $25 per week in groceries, per person – that’s $62.50/week. The group contains a 16-yo girl, a 35 yo man (he’s the .5- he’s gone 50% of the time) and me, a 33-yo woman. I live in Sudbury, ON. We also have 2 other children (11 & 8) to feed about 6 days per month. Any thoughts/comments?
Can you help her out?
First off because you are so far north your prices would be higher due to shipping costs. Making everything from scratch. Just about anything that can be bought as fast food can be made at home. A cookbook is very useful. If possible buy everything you can at markdown prices. Bag, date and freeze and put whether or not it is markdown or fresh before freezing. Markdown needs to be used right away and fresh you have a couple of days. Meals of pasta, chili, stews and soup can stretch into more then one meal. Baked chicken can be supper, lunch and if enough is left soup. Burritos, taco’s, sloppy joes can be very filling. Make your own muffins, cookies, bars and freeze half for future use. When my kids were young i made bread as well but it takes a lot of time. Stay away from dollar stores for food as you can usually pay less at a grocery store for can food or pasta. I used coupons where i could. Save your change for special occasions like pizza or make your own pita pizza’s. Hope this is helpful.
hELLO! I LIVE IN ALBERTA, SO HERE IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO ONTARIO FOR EX….! BUT I REMEMBER MY MOM AND MY HUSBAND REMEMBER HER TOO, ABOUT , HOW GREAT WOMAN SHE WAS, HER BUDGET FOR 2 TEENS AND 2 ADULT….LUNCH AND DINNER IN ARGENTINA…..SHE DID IT FOR 35$ PER WEEK!!!!!
YES , THAT WAS NOT SO LONG TIME AGO, …. SHE WAS A QUEEN! I TRY TO GET HER EXAMPLE…..I DONT BELIEVE IN COUPON ZONE!… IM COOK AND A FEW TIME AROUND THE MONTHS GO TO DINNER OUT…..
Oh, and personally, I’d say be cautious at dollar stores–sometimes they are not the best deal.
Meal planning and knowing your “target” price are the biggest helpers. If you can buy staples you use on a regular basis–canned tomatoes, chicken, ground beef–when they are on sale or when they are the lowest price you know they will go, that can help in the long run. Planning your meals will help from last minute store runs and eating out. It’s probably something you’ve heard time and again, but it will really help. Also, grocery shopping once a week and with cash can help–when you’re out of cash, you’re done shopping. We went cash a while back, and I think we need to re-visit that after the summer. Good luck!
Buy staples in bulk. Make everything you can from scratch rather than packaged. Soups and stews stretch meat farther. Plant a garden.
I would say baking could really help. Everyone already has sugar, flour, salt etc in their hampers. Your local grocer will have a spot where they put over ripe banana’s at half price, you can make a banana bread loaf for a week worth of snacks for next to no $$.
Use bread accompaniment for dinners. Bread is so cheap and easy to make, yet oh so tasty. It really fills up my husband.
Like one person said, beans are awesome. They give you everything you need and are cheap. You could make fajitas one night and use beans, a can of tomatoes and rice, with seasoning’s and viola! one tasty meal.
Make pancakes/waffles from scratch, throw some fruit on top. presto! Cheap breakfast.
Try breakfast for dinner. My husband and I do this sometimes, it’s super tasty and you can save alot of money.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a piece of fruit for a cheap and moderately healthy lunch.
I save all the ends, or misc peices of veggies and such, I put them in a ziplock baggie in the freezer and use them to make soup, add some inexpensive beans and its a hearty meal. Beans are great to bulk up a recipe, use 1/2 ground beef and half beans in a recipe, no one will know the difference. Beans are cheap, super high in protein and fibre. Make your own bread, I have a recipe for english muffin bread, costs less than $2 for 4 loaves! google it and you will find something.
Hi, I have had to do something similar – plan a menu (likes/dislikes including pasta dishes, tacos, salads etc.). I have found that certain items will be marked down due date coming but are still good to use. The Food Basics in my town have meat that has been marked down, reasonably good in one section at the end of the meat counter, No Frills and others will put pink stickers on them. Make the larger bulk dinners like lasagnas, casseroles, soups – these are great type of dishes that can take reduced produce to make. Find the places that carry the cheapest items for the “big” meals. Fruit, I buy fresh, but should strawberries/peaches/apples/bananas go soft, they get baked into something. For breakfasts, pancakes/french toast etc. usually pretty good to stretch (you can even save the ends of bread and put into a breakfast bake, feeds a lot). Maple syrup for kids – one lady shared with me when she couldn’t afford maple syrup, she boiled some brown sugar with a little water down, the kids didn’t taste the difference. Dollerama now carries breads, tomato paste for pizzas is only 50 cents. Planning ahead for the ingredients is really a good thing, if you go and get certain veges for one dish, see if the remainder can be used in another that same week. Hope it is a bit of help.