# Can you eat healthy and yummy on 20 bucks a week?



## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

Ok so I got a big reality check last week I need to bunker down and need to be able to live off my part time job for a while to prove I can continue to live on my own and go to college! My budget is 20-25 a week for food ideally I want to spend 20 on weekly food and budget 5 bucks a a bank to build up and buy sale items from time to time. I have never really been successful with budgeting but I gotta now.


Here is what I have been thinking so far I already have a rice cooker, dehydrator, and just bought a cheap crockpot on closeout price. I do like a can of soup poured over a few cups of white rice which makes a great cheap meal, Rawmen noodles are a option from time to time but not to much! Also frozen veggies (dollar a bag for 16oz) with some spices is great lunch and breakfast oatmeal with milk and dried cranberries I just love (although I might have to get rid of the honey because that adds to much money) Oh and I always put cheese and sour cream in my rice and soup might have to cut down on that too but I think Aldis sells cheap blocks of cheese might be able to continue there.

I will venture out on making stews in my crockpot in the comming weeks any good recipes??? I can't buy canned beans they have more sodium plus they are not as cheap as the bagged ones. Besides that I get cheap bannanas at Kwip trip 38cents a lb which I can dehydrate to make them more like a chip snack for work. Also I can get eggs for about 1.50 per dozen I like scrambled eggs with rice too. I am addicted to Red's Hot sause but I will have to look for a cheaper option aka generic or dollar store style. 

I do tend to try to avoid wheat and flour and more unhealthy foods as much as I can but it still gotta taste good. Any tips recipies would be great! Also I am thinking all meat is out of the option on my budget but any ideas on what meat options I can get for under a dollar a lb? Hot dogs might have to be my only option lol.

Either way thanks for taking the time to read and if you can give advice that would be great! thanks!


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

I get chicken hindquarters for 50-70cents a pound. Pretty hard to live well on that food budget unless you have enough land to garden, and even then it would be tight.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

I'd love to hear how this goes for you. Food is a HUGE expense in our family. We eat mostly organic though and do eat meat. We spend $800/mo or so for a family of 5. 

This time of year you can't do this, but hit up farmer's markets at the end of the day and see if you can get discounts on the stuff that didn't sell. Talk to the grocery stores and ask for discounts on produce that is getting too bad to sell. Cut out the bad parts and use up or dehydrate the rest. If you see unpicked fruit trees, ask the owner if you can pick some.

Lentils are high in protein and very cheap. Bonus points for not having to soak them like beans. They cook at a boil for 30 minutes, just rinse them first. If you're getting cheap produce and drying it, throw in dried celery, onions, carrots, whatever. If you can swing it, throw in a can of tomato sauce and add some herbs. Speaking of herbs, get a couple pots and grow your own seasonings on the windowsill for pennies.

Buy an extra bag of veggies each trip and dehydrate it, then you'll have preps and stuff for soups.

If you like oatmeal, check the bulk bins or save up for a 25-50# bag from places like Costco or Azure or whatever is in your area.

Since your title also says healthy, avoid hot dogs. They are not healthy. Not even remotely. Just saw a statistic, not exactly sure of the numbers now but kids who eat x # of hotdogs are at an extremely higher risk of leukemia. Go to the butcher and ask for bones instead and boil them up into broth for your soup bases. Homemade broth made from bones, on the other hand, is extremely healthy and full of nutrients that are excellent for restoring digestive health and believed to help with bone/tooth issues.

In my opinion, given the dangerous chemicals in many processed foods these days, skimping on the food budget is not the way to go. Garbage in, garbage out. Healthy food is a lifelong investment because you're building better health rather than breaking your body down.

Keep us posted!


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

I was in the same boat. $40 a week and still having to pay bills. Left me with $10 a week for groceries. 

Avoid ramen noodles. If you have to eat ramen noodles, avoid the packets. VERY high sodium, little nutrition. I used to mix in mayonnaise And turn it into a kind of angel hair pasta. 

Avoid hot dogs. If you HAVE to, get all beef. But that's if you HAVE to. 

Check out grocery store discount racks. There's an albertsons out here. They have a discount meat section. Can pick up a New York steak for $2-$3 bucks. They also have a dry good discount section. The Ralph's out here has a huge dry good discount rack. I usually cash in my recyclables and use the voucher to pay for groceries. There's a store here called fresh and easy. They have an ok refrigerated discount section. Can find fruits, veggies, pre made salads, soups, sandwiches and the like. Stater brothers has a dry discount rack. I once found a gallon of Coleman lamp fuel for I think $3? Or $4? 

Basically shop in the discount section of healthy stores. You won't get exactly what you want, but a can of organic corn will do your body better than a stomach full of hot dogs. It's not quantity, its quality. Also practice practice portion control. I've lost about 30 or so pounds (scale is wonky) mainly by eating less but healthier food. I'm still overweight, but not like before. 

Watch for sales. When a sale comes up, buy one extra. Buy fruits and veggies on sale, and can/preserve them if possible. 

It's tough, but its doable. I'm at $25 a week and still do without. 

Oh. And garden. Even if its a few containers on a balcony or deck. When I first got this place, I spent 2 years tearing out yuccas to make a garden space. It hasn't produced much because of animal interference, but its better than nothing. 

You can do it. It's tough, but doable


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

You may be able to live healthy on 20 dollars a week but not yummy. At least not yummy after a month of eating the same things. If you are are cutting out wheat and flower you are probably cutting out one of the cheapest meals that actually taste good and that is spaghetti and sause.


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Here is an issue for you, how often must you shop and travel to and from the stores? If you can spend $80 at one time you can get a few bulk items and make your money last much longer then $20 per week. Are you driving to the store? Account for transport cost? Is hunting, fishing, or natural berries available? It's bird season out here. Geese I take with a 22 LR at 100-150 yards and get them on the ground not out of the air.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

You can eat for $20/week but it may get a little boring. No need to avoid wheat. Buy the same stuff (mostly) that you would store, brown rice, beans, oats, raisins, sugar, flour, lard, pasta, chicken leg quarters, canned vegetables (low salt), peanut butter. Eat what is on sale.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

rickkyw1720pf said:


> You may be able to live healthy on 20 dollars a week but not yummy. *At least not yummy after a month of eating the same things.* If you are are cutting out wheat and flower you are probably cutting out one of the cheapest meals that actually taste good and that is spaghetti and sause.


Amen, I did the Atkins diet a while back where you can eat all the meat you want because it has no carbs (it works!). After about three weeks the idea of eating steak prepared anyway imaginable was less appealing than going hungry. Had you told me I'd _EVER SAY THAT_ before that three weeks I'd have slapped you across the face! I_ looooove_ red meat. Proves even to much ambrosia gets to be a bad thing after a while.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

Ripon said:


> Here is an issue for you, how often must you shop and travel to and from the stores? If you can spend $80 at one time you can get a few bulk items and make your money last much longer then $20 per week. Are you driving to the store? Account for transport cost? Is hunting, fishing, or natural berries available? It's bird season out here. Geese I take with a 22 LR at 100-150 yards and get them on the ground not out of the air.


Dang! Good shootin! I believe I could pull it off, but not without more than one walking away _for sure_. Hunting is the best bet there is at living on $20 a week imo to (squirrel, rabbit, duck, geese, grouse, turkey, etc, etc) Dare I say. Wild pig roast!?! YUM!!! And FISHING!


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

Ripon said:


> Here is an issue for you, how often must you shop and travel to and from the stores? If you can spend $80 at one time you can get a few bulk items and make your money last much longer then $20 per week. Are you driving to the store? Account for transport cost? Is hunting, fishing, or natural berries available? It's bird season out here. Geese I take with a 22 LR at 100-150 yards and get them on the ground not out of the air.


Well I live in a urban part of a suburb and I am able to bike/walk to several stores so weekly trips are best so I can ensure I stick to my budget! That's why I allow a $25 dollar budget but will only spend 20 a week allowing that 5 dollars a week to build up so I can stock up on a few sale items aka 20bucks worth a month! I live by myself so I don't need tons of food plus I am currently over weight that's why I went wheat free because it's addicting and is what caused me to gain weight fast because it harder to quit eating when eating wheat products.

I think you guys hit the nail on the head portion control! I have been eating pretty much the same diet for the last 6mo. and I havn't gotten to tired of it as I change it up a bit but it's mostly white rice with eggs or ground trukey. I do get 4lbs of good quality turkey for 12 bucks $1 = 1/3 a lb which if I ration it out to 6 patties a week that could fit into my budget (less in other weeks too) Mainly portion control is what I will have to work on now. Plus I do have some money already set aside I wonder If I should invest in a 25lb bag of rice right now? I did go out and guy the crockpot to help add some variety to my diet I'm no chef but I think it was a good investment. I will keep you guys all informed on how it goes the first few weeks will kinda be cheating as I got a fridge stocked with some stuff already paid for. I will have to try to get a few healthier items into my diet but Bannanas are good enough fruit and at 38 cents a lb I'll be just depositing my extra quarters from savings in the bank! hahah!

Frozen veggies for about dollar a lb also seems like a great healthy veg (peas, corn, carrots, green beans) so I don't understand how I can't do it so "healthy and yummy" or are these foods not that healthy?

Also hunting is not an option for me I don't own any arms mostly because at this point in my life I don't think I can handle the responsibility enough and I am not experienced enough to be an educated adult able to ensure proper safety. Down the road that may change years and years from now but for now that's not an option. I rather not go into to much more detail I do support everyone's right to bear arms as it's purpose is to prevent an oppressive government. It's just sometimes in life you have to support others from the sidelines that's all.

Oh I did forget to point out that Aldi's store is about 25 miles round trip away. I will have to try to bulk up when I shop there I think I will go there today. I guess I should just record all my food spending and then figure it out each month and try to shoot for the 20/25 budget a month? I never really budgeted before in my life lol I can go cheap but having a budget is new to me I will post more tonight on my food haul thanks for the advice so far everyone! I guess I won't buy more rawmen noodles but I still might eat my stock pile of them still from time to time as a nice soup.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

If you're trying to lose weight, I'd avoid white rice too. I lost 48 pounds by going low carb. Breakfast under 20 carbs, lunch under 30 and dinner under 45. 1-2 snacks under 25 carbs. Low carb is not cheap though, since you will be cutting out the grains and starches. I found that counting carbs helped me to be more aware of portion control and I eat a fraction of what I used to at a meal. 

Here's a typical day for me:

2-3 scrambled eggs w/1 slice of toast for breakfast
3 slices of cheese with one piece of buttered bread
small portion of meat with steamed veggies for dinner
apple and a couple cookies after dinner

It's really hard to combine healthy + weight loss + frugal, but it can be done if you're very careful about how you shop.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

Coupons, Coupons and more Coupons. If you are on a serious budget, thekrazycouponlady.com


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## Infidel (Dec 22, 2012)

lancestar2 said:


> Also hunting is not an option for me I don't own any arms mostly because at this point in my life I don't think I can handle the responsibility enough and I am not experienced enough to be an educated adult able to ensure proper safety. Down the road that may change years and years from now but for now that's not an option. I rather not go into to much more detail I do support everyone's right to bear arms as it's purpose is to prevent an oppressive government. It's just sometimes in life you have to support others from the sidelines that's all.


If you're not ready for the commitment to safely own a firearm you might consider an air rifle. You may be able to hunt with one of these (check with you local En Con), they will easily take squirrel and rabbit and they are cheap to shoot. I would look into a .22 cal pellet rifle which would allow you to keep some meat in the freezer. A single shot .22 rifle would be a good choice also but if you don't feel you're ready for that then don't do it. The last few years our budget has been stretched a bit too thin and hunting has allowed me to keep meat in the freezer without going any deeper in debt, if anyone in my house cared for fish you can bet we'd be doing that to supplement our food supply all summer. Guess we're just not hungry enough yet to eat fish.

-Infidel


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

No shortage of pigeons and they are good to eat. You don't need a firearm to get 'em and you will be doin' the world a favor.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

roy said:


> No shortage of pigeons and they are good to eat. You don't need a firearm to get 'em and you will be doin' the world a favor.


LMAO! And AMEN!

Squab Recipes : Food Network


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Seems you are serious, so its doable...Peanut butter is great. Nobody mentioned potatoes, they are probably next to beans and rice in price per serving.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Yep, potatoes both the real ones and instant.


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

Fill a crockpot with raw peanuts and a cup of salt then fill with water. Cook 8 hours. Best boiled peanuts you will ever eat and completely unhealthy.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch/Dinner: ham 'n bean soup, potatoes, Rice

You can eat more than your fill (for an individual) of those for probably 10 a week. Then the other 10 you can add in change-ups and what not to keep your food fatigue at bay.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

Don't forget physical exercise. I saw that you're able to bike/walk to your store. That's a good place to start. Healthy eating is just providing the fuel your body needs to keep going. Use that fuel to get fit and your body will use the fuel more efficiently which could mean you don't have to buy as much and thus start saving money on your food. Goes without saying the more healthy you are physically the less you'll spend on healthcare too.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

lancestar2 said:


> Ok so I got a big reality check last week I need to bunker down and need to be able to live off my part time job for a while to prove I can continue to live on my own and go to college! My budget is 20-25 a week for food ideally I want to spend 20 on weekly food and budget 5 bucks a a bank to build up and buy sale items from time to time. I have never really been successful with budgeting but I gotta now.
> 
> Here is what I have been thinking so far I already have a rice cooker, dehydrator, and just bought a cheap crockpot on closeout price. I do like a can of soup poured over a few cups of white rice which makes a great cheap meal, Rawmen noodles are a option from time to time but not to much! Also frozen veggies (dollar a bag for 16oz) with some spices is great lunch and breakfast oatmeal with milk and dried cranberries I just love (although I might have to get rid of the honey because that adds to much money) Oh and I always put cheese and sour cream in my rice and soup might have to cut down on that too but I think Aldis sells cheap blocks of cheese might be able to continue there.
> 
> ...


I sauté either ground beef or ground pork in onions and garlic (and red peppers, and diced carrots, optional), add water, lemon juice, and soya sauce and let it simmer for a while. I like it saucy so I put quite a bit of water. Then I add frozen cut green beans and let it cook till beans are done the way you like. You can thicken with corn starch. I love this over rice. Sometimes I buy the fresh produce at the reduced-price section - these are the fresh fruits/vegetables that are bruised or/and not so fresh-looking anymore that the store wants to get rid of. I use them for stew-type cooking. This recipe gives me several meals.
Also, google the recipe for Poor Boy Stew, I think it's also ground beef. Hamburger soup is another one. Ground beef is great for extending the budget. Check out frugal sites for tips and recipes.

Just recently I got pork roast at a sale price. First I browned onions and garlic in little oil. I added some red pepper strips and can of tomato sauce, and bring to boil. Set it aside. Put the pork roast in the crockpot, and pour the tomato mixture over it. Add bay leaf, and spices that you like. Slow-cook for about 6 8 hours. That roast will last you several days, and you can recycle it different ways. As a sandwich, or with ramen noodles, or stir fry etc.,

*On top of that, you don't throw away that nice sauce.* That is chockfull of flavor. Let the sauce cool in fridge and skim off the fat. That nice sauce is good for pasta or rice, or anything that calls for tomato-based sauce.

*If your pork has a bone, keep it (freeze it). *You can use it when you're making something that has liquid to add flavor, and after you can just fish it out.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

I've lived alone for years (love it) which means I can eat WHAT i want and WHEN i want, and it's amazing just how little food I need!
Basically I eat according to when my stomach tells me it wants something sent down, NOT according to the clock, and it works fine.. 
I rarely need to cook big meals and feel quite full up with something smaller, for example today all I had were 4 small fried taters, a chopped fried onion, and a quarter tin of baked beans.
For supper I'll do myself a veg salad sandwich..


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

*MUNG BEANS *Soup! They're little green pellet-looking beans. This dish is excellent for those with arthritis pain too. And great if you're constipated. This cleans up all the pipes, and that includes arteries! It is low-fat to boot!

You can buy this in bulk store or pre-packaged. I got it for .99 cents a pack and it gave me meals for a week. Here's the recipe. Freezes well, too.

Google and check out the health benefits of all the ingredients used in this dish! You get a lot for your buck.

Boil 1 cup mung beans and some salt in enough water (adding more if needed) in a large pot until they are soft. I put a few cloves of garlic in there too (optional). Puree them with an immersion stick or blender.

In another pot, sauté onions and garlic. (I use a lot of onions in cooking since it prevents infection, inflammation and strengthen your immunity). Add a large can of diced tomatoes and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. I love it lots of tomatoes so sometimes I double the amount. Add this to your pureed beans, and voila....I pour this over steamed rice, or sometimes just eat it as it is. This will go a long way.
You'll probably spend less than 5 bucks for this dish.

For extra protein, put a fried egg on top. This will keep you full for most of the day, and it's really healthy and it's using super-foods. I imagine you can probably use different beans for this type of cooking. You can add meats in it too. I add spinach when I stop the heat (enough to wilt the spinach).

Later, the beans will suck up all the water - just add more when re-heating (if you want it really wet) but you can still eat it as it is.

If there is something that should be canned or bottled, this kind of power dish should be it!


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

Ok I have changed my strategy a bit I am going to be tracking my weekly spending for food and start from there. In time I can try to decrease the cost. Today I spent about 70 bucks stocking up on things and alot of it will go into my stockpile too. I did take advantage of some good deals and at the same time wanted to stick to healthier options. I bought some rice (while rice is not good for loosing weight I will be cutting my portions sizes down) beans, onion, tomato and spices in a can, chicken stock and I have my frozen ground turkey that I will try to throw in a crock pot and cook that up and see how it tastes! I was going to get a beef shank but it was almost 3 dollars for .8lbs I just didn't see it as a good deal plus turkey is healther and I get very high quality with low fat because I get it in bulk.

I will post more on how it all turns out maybe even a few pixs lol and will post my numbers too. I think the phrase "it's about quality not quantity" hit to home! I have been buying some healthy snack bars for my work when they are on sale for a dollar! I bought 10 of them today. I mean In the past I have justified splurging on some junk at the gas station for a few bucks I should be able to take better care of my body and spend money on good healthy food now! Which when I reflect on my level of knowledge from when I was 18 (just 9 years ago) to what I know now the amount of education on how to live was far below what it should have been. I have had such a great lack of education in such an important area I just wonder how in the 18 years of my childhood have I been able to not get that education!


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Another tip, look for the WIC label in the grocery store. You will find it on such stuff as cheese and peanut butter. It is usually the lowest cost option and generally a healthy food. 

You lose weight by burning more calories than you take in. Folks have done it eating Big Macs and Gummie Bears. The limiting factor in a cheap diet will probably be protein.

You discovered that stuff that used to be cheap like shanks, tails and tongues ain't no more. About the cheapest meat you can buy is chicken leg quarters.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

When we were young we would shoot about seven deer a year, an average deer is 50 lbs of meet. Venison, and fried potatoes is cheap and yummy. If there is not a place to hang a dee in your dorm, this may be difficult.

You could go for squirrels that run around the campus.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

I don't think there are really any "healthy snack bars" around...because they're all loaded with sugar. What healthy benefits they've got is defeated by the amount of sugar you're forced to eat.
Of course I could be mistaken since I base my opinion on the type of snack bars I see at the regular grocery stores. 

I find that I really lose weight fast when I do a high-protein-low-carb diet, and about 15 to 20 minutes of brisk walking at least 4 times a week. Mind you, my job involves physical activities to, by that I mean it's not a desk job.

Instead of snack bars, try going to the bulk store and get some whole almonds and peanuts and raisins. For the price you pay for those snack bars, you get more bang for your buck by buying nuts instead because you're truly eating healthy. Just 1/3 cup of that mix for snack will give you the energy and stave off hunger....plus it's loaded with minerals and nutrients. Almond is a power nut. Recommended amount is 11 whole pieces - but I say even if you only eat half of that amount, that's still good! 

If you've got a sweet tooth like I do, you could mix in some breakfast cereals called, General Mills Oat Crisps (Almond). I looked at the nutritional label on the box and it's decent. Always read the nutritional label to see what you're really getting for how much.
Make your own "trail mix." Pre-portion them so you don't end up eating a lot - I do.

You could also make your own granola bars. Oats is really cheap, and if you load it up with nuts, peanuts and dried fruit, you're way ahead. And you can control the amount of sugar you put in it. 
I've seen a good recipe somewhere that calls for toasting the oats for that nice toasty flavor.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

In 1993 I had a Fraternity Brother (TKE) that was on a budget. Once a week I took him to Sams Club and he would get a box of sausage, a sack of potato's, and a bag of assorted fruit (usually apples, pears, and oranges). Sometimes he'd get some bananas too. That was $20 and it would last him a week - in 1993.

Then the rest of his money went to a carton of cigs and a 12 pack of the cheapest beer he could find.

He'd eat the food over the week.
He's smoke half the carton from Monday through Friday.
The second half of the carton he smokes on the weekend along with the 12 pack.

I think all in, food, smokes, beer he spent like $60 a week. Maybe $70. But the food part was the least expensive. He had no car and walked everywhere he went and his job was way on the other side of town (small East Texas town).


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

charito said:


> I don't think there are really any "healthy snack bars" around...because they're all loaded with sugar. What healthy benefits they've got is defeated by the amount of sugar you're forced to eat.
> Of course I could be mistaken since I base my opinion on the type of snack bars I see at the regular grocery stores.
> 
> I find that I really lose weight fast when I do a high-protein-low-carb diet, and about 15 to 20 minutes of brisk walking at least 4 times a week. Mind you, my job involves physical activities to, by that I mean it's not a desk job.
> ...


Thanks for the suggestions. I got them from the organic/natural section of the store so they are not the typical garbage you find on the namebrand shelf but I will have to check for the sugar content. They are mostly nuts and yogurt but for now they will do I might not buy them again though.

I cooked up a 16 bean mix from a dry bag chopped a onion, a can of tomatoes large, low sodium chicken stock and some spices. I wanted to add some frozen carrots and my ground turkey but I ran out of space in my crockpot!!! It cooked up wonderfully though took a bit longer it smelled so heavenly but saddly I had to eat a can of soup with rice because it took to long to cook. The soup I think I will be removing from my diet ASAP! it's loaded with salt and processed junk and even on sale it's still way way to expensive compared to my 16 bean soup dish! (I get 12 eggs for $1.50 same as 1 can of soup on sale The eggs I cook up 3 at a time with milk & cheese and serve them on top of white rice with TONS of hot sauce) I am amazed at how much I got!!

I think I will be serving it over rice (granted the carbs be high) but Im not sure if there is any other way to ration out my soup more!!! I could eat it just as is but I think it be to rich and I'd rather add something cheap to it to help ration it out. any ideals or suggestions???

Also I am going to be dehydrating some bannans this week to for a nice snack. Plus I did pick up some of the wafer vanilla cookie crisps for a dollar and they are a nice sweet snack for now and then! Plus I get some large chocolate bars from the grocrey store Herserys band which is a pretty good price per oz. I am trying to eat less candy but every once in a while is fine I guess.

Also I had my Oatmeal for lunch and besides that I really didn't eat that much today!

Also thanks for sharing too GTGallop I quit smoking about 2 years ago which is when I started putting on most of my weight. Also I don't drink much anymore. I might have to start splurging on coffee again my old guilty pleasure which I think should help control my protion sizes too. Potato and sausage sure does sound goood! I think once I graduate from college and settle down for a while I sure as hell am gonna go out and buy a big chest freezer and actually track down a local farmer and get 1/2 or 1/4 of a cow through some type of "cowshare". I actually watched an online video tonight about how you can make your own sour cream which will taste much better than any of the crap they sell in the store!! Being that I have access to cheap pasteurized milk at $1.30ish per 1/2 gallon bag I think it's gonna save me some money in the long run as I do eat a lot of sour cream.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

On eating healthy? My great-grandfather ate red meat nearly every day of his life. He lived to be 105. His doctor once put him on a diet. My grandmother cooked up a healthy plate of beans, greens and cornbread. My great-grandfather came in from tending the animals. One look at his plate, he put his raincoat back on on and said, "Mabel, you call me when my steak is ready.". So much for that diet.

One of the advantages of having preps is that when financial lean times come upon us, we have our stores to supplement our groceries. I helps us get by. I've lived pretty frugal, and I've done the dieting. The important thing for me is to not feel hungry so I look for more filling things. Flavored instant oatmeal is a great one for me. Very inexpensive, filling and easy to make.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Instant oat meal you are payin' mostly for packaging and convenience. If you are on a budget eat regular or quick oats and add your own sugar and flavoring. For a buck you can get enough oats to last a month.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

roy said:


> Instant oat meal you are payin' mostly for packaging and convenience. If you are on a budget eat regular or quick oats and add your own sugar and flavoring. For a buck you can get enough oats to last a month.


The Quaker Oatmeal in the big tubs tastes 1,000 times better to! Less processed or something, but the two are barely comparable.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

scavenge. If you have parks or other lands available you may be able to procure food. There were lots of wild edibles on my last campus. Public parks often have tons of weeds that are edible and go great in rice dishes.

Buy 8kg or 10kg bags of parboiled rice.. don't buy white rice it isn't nutritious.


flour has protein in it and carbs.

You will need to buy some form of oils if you don't hunt.

if you had land to grow on it would be easier.

You can also try to find a local farm to volunteer at for some food rather than wages.

$80 a month is easy

$20 on rice for the month
$40 on protein powder
$10 on oil
$10 on moral boosters such as sugar, and flour.

get your greens from nature
lots and lots of wild edibles.


if you were mad serious you could scavenge.. there are lots of food sources.. there are some manuals out there. If you were serious you could barter for food waste from restraunts. You could also seek to buy up cooking fat from grillers. Lots of uses for the stuff but most of it is disposed of. Lots and lots of calories in that stuff. people general don't have mind to put aside social pride. In shtf all that means nothing. That is good practice for what it could be like for the zombies. In a bet case scenario it is fed to pigs.

if you hike you may run into animals also and if you hike a regular area, you know when it is fresh kill. you need to learn a little about animal pathology though and forensic diagnostics for animal cause of death.


Volunteer on a dairy farm for some milk, most dairy farmers can't actually bring all their milk to market. atleast up here in canada.

People keep hens and pigeons in urban settings. There are lots of little tricks. you could even invest in hydroponics. dorm rules may appply.

None the less I woulnd't say I want to cut down my food budget. You want to increase your food supply without having to rely on other sources. 
Chances are you can increase your food supply if you are thrifty.

oh lentils another great thing you can cook them or grow them from their seed by soaking them and the sprouts are great, and a type of brain food.

also consider getting a big bird during a holiday sale. or just after holidays.

I found depending on your locality protein source will differ. it may be powder, it may be calamari, it may be a filette. It depends where you are and what local supply is like.
Often local produce is cheap during harvest such as squashes, and pumpkins are really cheap around holloween. great food source one of the three sisters rice, corn beans squash.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

lancestar2 said:


> I think I will be serving it over rice (granted the carbs be high) but Im not sure if there is any other way to ration out my soup more!!! I could eat it just as is but I think it be to rich and I'd rather add something cheap to it to help ration it out. any ideals or suggestions???


You mean your bean soup - I could only think of rice right now. A few weeks ago I made quinoa-bean chili and my husband said he thinks it might be good for burrito. I wonder if you can try yours for burritos? Since the bean soup will tend to dry up - instead of adding more liquid, just spice it up with chili and green peppers? Green peppers is nutritious - especially red peppers but they tend to be priced higher than the green peppers.


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

BigCheeseStick said:


> The Quaker Oatmeal in the big tubs tastes 1,000 times better to! Less processed or something, but the two are barely comparable.


I do agree I make my own Oatmeal 1cup oats, 1 cup milk or almond milk, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and cimimon and honey on top! It's amazing! I will admit when I was "detoxing" or comming off all the toxic chemicals and processed foods a few years ago I started of hating actual oatmeal and went for the already sugar added with freeze dried strawberries. It tasted better at the time only because I was used to the over processed and way to much sugary style of food. People who say that the prepacked stuff tastes better only says that because there so used to eating high level of processed and sugar added foods there taste buds are not used to what "normal" food tastes like anymore.

Also Will thanks for the comment I will admit I am pretty much at a loss for words. You really view the world differently than I do, must be a cultural difference too, but I just don't see see myself going to pick weeds in my area. I live in Minnesota and it a rather urban setting either farm fields or city houses there is very little "public forest spaces" Realistically your much more prepared than I am of course, luckily I have family that have large plots of land I could stay with in a SHTF situation. I visited family recently as they live in a much warmer climate and rural setting that concept of scavenging would work well. In this day and age if your picking weeds on the side of a road a cop will eventually stop you and ID ya and make a big deal of it lol. This is urban Minnesota were talking about here that might work in your area but not for me. regardless of what you hear Fox News saying about how MN is a "swing state" hahaha it's as blue as you can get! last time MN voted for a republican president was 1972!! and that was just a fluke because before that it was 1956!! :lol:

But yea I did cook up my 2/3 of a lb ground turkey and added it into my bean soup and it was wonderful! I served it over some rice and it was really good with some hot sauce cheese and sour cream! I will have to try to look for a healther rice but I just don't like the taste of brown rice and I heard that brown rice is not all that healthier. Either way you gotta eat food you enjoy I may be able to downsize my meat portions but when it comes to a rice I just can't bear the taste of brown rice. Might have to try a different varation of white such as long grain or something or jasmine. Either way for now I really have stepped up my meal options and made it much more healther and cheaper at the SAME TIME!!! Instead of just turkey and rice I now have the beans and tomatos from a can (low sodium) ...I have embarked on my journey to eat healthier about 2 years ago I started off quiting smoking, cutting out pop and junk food and slowly progressed to where I am now. Sure what I may eat is not the most healthiest thing I know but I am progressing slowly and steadily and I do enjoy the feedback here a lot as it helps me improve upon what I already have established.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

One thing I forgot to mention, when I buy groundbeef on sale, I have the meat department wrap it for me, and then I take it home, divide it onto about 1.5 pound ziplocks, and squeeze all the air of it. It makes the gallong size bag almost full, but Its only about 1/2 thick. They stack better in the freezer, and they thaw much quicker. I also package my green chile in the same fashion. 
Love the turkey suggestion, We always have a bird in the freezer, but read the fine print at the grocery store, some will offer promotions like "16 pound turkey free with 80 dollar purchase", we usually try to wait until they go sale. 
Good luck, keep at it, and DAMN good job on giving up the cigs....My next challenge.


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## Titan6 (May 19, 2013)

Hey there this might sound funny but i like to go to big lots and Buy the 33 cent a piece Cup of Romen noodles they have like 5 different flavors and they are like 300 calories per cup... and they actually dont take much prep time 3 min in the microwave for the water to bubble and 10 min sitting in the cup with the boiling water... Food for thought..Pun Intended


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

Deebo said:


> One thing I forgot to mention, when I buy groundbeef on sale, I have the meat department wrap it for me, and then I take it home, divide it onto about 1.5 pound ziplocks, and squeeze all the air of it. It makes the gallong size bag almost full, but Its only about 1/2 thick. They stack better in the freezer, and they thaw much quicker. I also package my green chile in the same fashion.
> Love the turkey suggestion, We always have a bird in the freezer, but read the fine print at the grocery store, some will offer promotions like "16 pound turkey free with 80 dollar purchase", we usually try to wait until they go sale.
> Good luck, keep at it, and DAMN good job on giving up the cigs....My next challenge.


yea thanks for suggesting that! I have such limited space in my apartment freezer but I have family who can pick things up for me and store them there for a while (I just don't want to be bringing stuff there for them to store) I will have to keep an eye out for good deals. I know a family member of mine cooks a whole turkey or bird and will then freeze it cut up so it takes up less space. I know not the best thing to refreeze it but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

Also if you really are ready to quit smoking then I would recommend taking a week off or two loading up on endless movies (Netflix trial account offers 1 month free!) and go through the process of withdraws while taking commit mints, tons of gum and tea ( I noticed that smoking is very social breaks during the day to relax and take a "time out" so taking a time out to have a beer or a pop or tea or coffee is a great substitute for a while such as a week or two then you can move to something more manageable (drinking beer 10 times a day is not the best option for a 9-5 haha) I would say honestly the first step and most important step is the planning! Know your triggers and how to avoid them and how to deal with it. For me I used to have ONE cig in a carton that I used as a sort of "safety blanket" to prevent me from going out and buying an entire pack. I also avoided gas stations (only pay at pump with a prepaid card ONLY Avoid any register that sells smokes means avoiding CVS and Walgreen's too!)

best way to start planning is sitting down with a pack of smokes hahah! that way every time you smoke you are starting to think about your planning! Plan your attempt to quit smoking to death!!! plan for 2months if that is what you need. Also once you realize the so called benefits of smoking are actually negatives it only helps further your reasons to quit. Such as smoking helps you relax FALSE it makes your body depend on the Nicotine substance and make your body on edge more often! you only feel relaxed when you have the drug Nicotine in your system!!! The idea of smoking being a way to socialize is again FALSE the smell of smoke is a deturent and people tend to avoid you besides other smokers. and so on... If your friends do smoke well maybe you have to avoid them for a while or be blunt with them and tell them you can't be around them when they are smoking if they are good friends they will be supportive my friends suddenly started going outside to smoke so I didn't have to be around them.

I have a MILLION suggestions and tips I could go on and on and on! It took me 2 years to actually quit because when I first started to try to quit I only half assed it! I wish you all the sucess in the world and you know your body best so use your judgement but like I said commit mints worked the best for me go out and buy the 3-4mo. supply ALL AT ONCE so that way you can't change your mind (tear up the receipt too once you decide your ALL IN TO QUIT!) Also if you have a doctor ask him/her for advice support lines ect ect. It's nice to just sit down and bitch to somebody about how flipping hard it is!! sure was nice for me!!! Also clean out your apartment a week before hand and car too! and start smoking outside only!!! and the first few days make sure you wash the crap out of your clothes (might have toss some jackets or just bring them out to the gradage to air out for a few weeks!) ALL ash trays, lighters, and matches need to be GONE day 1! You need to make sure you cleaned EVERYTHING so you don't suddenly happen to come across a 1/2 pack of smokes cause that is enough to ruin your entire attempt. Also it's normal to get depressed the first few weeks I experienced being very depressed for a solid month even while I was still on my nicotine commit mints!!! you could also try a E-cig with the NO NICOTINE! to help get you the physical part of your addiction though it will only be water vapors it may help. It did help me a little bit.

I wish you all the success in your attempt to quit smoking and if your do start a thread here so you can keep us updated and heck you might inspire others too!! ...Sorry for the long rant but I am very passionate about the topic I smoked for 5 years and all my friends said I was the heaviest smoker they ever seen lol I was so bad that I started to avoid indoor shopping malls (Mall of America at least!) because it was so god dang hard to get my so many needed smoke breaks in! Work was also tough because there was never enough breaks to smoke all the cigs I needed to smoke! It crippled my life for so long I spent so much time thinking about my next smoke and how the hell I was gonna sneak out or get out of what I was doing to get a smoke! Dealing with the cold and rain and deep snow just to smoke... ugh... It really decreases your productivity in life well for me at least it was just god awful!

Final note if you quit you should quit all niciotine! no cigars too! everyone I know who tried to substitue cigars and quit smoking eventually started smoking again lol... but yea...


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Thank you, and I will add your recomendations to the things I have planned, and so as not to jack a thread, I will start another one later..


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

I think the good news from all of the different suggestions here is that, while it may be difficult to eat for $20.00 over one week, it isn't impossible - AND you can get a little variety. Oats, Ramen, Rice, Beans, etc... I think $20 is very do-able. The part I question is how long? Month? Two months? Five years?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

You need a certain amount of complete proteins, a small amount of fat, a lot of green leafy veggies and some fruit.
To get the same amount of complete proteins as you get from a six ounce steak you will have to eat something like sixty ounces of the correct veggies. The problem with that is that you are consuming more carbs that way and you will gain weight unless you are really active and you burn them off.


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

PaulS said:


> You need a certain amount of complete proteins, a small amount of fat, a lot of green leafy veggies and some fruit.
> To get the same amount of complete proteins as you get from a six ounce steak you will have to eat something like sixty ounces of the correct veggies. The problem with that is that you are consuming more carbs that way and you will gain weight unless you are really active and you burn them off.


are you saying there are carbs in veggies or fruit? As far as I know it's humanly impossible to gain weight eating just fruit and veggies lol according to the people who do that on YouTube they eat endless fruit and veggies and don't eat weight.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Yes, there are carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables. Most fruits have sugar in them - big carbohydrates! Some veggies are high in starches - big carbohydrates!
They also contain a lot of things you need but if you eat enough veggies and fruits to give you the same amounts of protein that are in the meat you should eat you will get fat because you need to eat about six times the weight in veggies to get the same amount of protein in meat.

At the same time you can die from a lack of fats in your diet if you only eat venison. There is so little fat in the meat that it may as well be fat free. 

Too much of anything and not enough of the others will be unhealthy.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Sorta related - Sorta not...


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

If you change the flour and pasta to hard red winter wheat I would go along with that list but you will have to add a flour mill and extra stones to the list.


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

PaulS said:


> Yes, there are carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables. Most fruits have sugar in them - big carbohydrates! Some veggies are high in starches - big carbohydrates!
> They also contain a lot of things you need but if you eat enough veggies and fruits to give you the same amounts of protein that are in the meat you should eat you will get fat because you need to eat about six times the weight in veggies to get the same amount of protein in meat.
> 
> At the same time you can die from a lack of fats in your diet if you only eat venison. There is so little fat in the meat that it may as well be fat free.
> ...


eh I don't know where your getting your information from. Yes Peas, carrots, potatoes, and a few other veggies are high in starch but I'm thinking if you eat healthy veggies and fruits you won't get fat! Of course french fries according to the FDA is a veggie :shock: (thanks big food corporations trying to change the classification to ensure they can sell more "veggies" that are subsidized aka Tax Payers pay money to the big factory farmers and they can sell more product)

So I guess my thinking is wrong depending on how you look at it I guess... But veggies that you grow in a garden and a diet of RAW veggies is what you can't gain weight from mostly because the majority of veggies contain water!


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Here is how some vegetables rate for starch content
per (100 g) of veggie, Starch Content (g) (basically it is the percent of starch content)

Pigeon peas - whole, dried, raw 54.8
Split peas - dried, raw 54.7
Peas - dried, raw 47.6
Mung beans - whole, dried, raw 40.9
Yam - boiled 32.3
Plantain - boiled 23.0
Split peas - dried, boiled (without salt) 21.0
Pigeon peas - dried, boiled (in unsalted water) 20.3
Potatoes - white, flesh and skin, baked 18.0
Potatoes - baked, flesh and skin (with or without salt) 17.3
Potatoes (Pentland Crown) - raw 17.1
Potatoes (Maris Piper) - raw 16.7
Potatoes (King Edward) - raw 16.4
Potatoes (Desiree) - raw 16.1
Potatoes - flesh and skin, raw 15.4
Processed peas - canned, re-heated, drained 14.7
Garlic - raw 14.7
Mung beans - dried, boiled (without salt) 14.1
Marrowfat peas - canned, re-heated, drained 13.9
Mushy peas - canned, re-heated 10.7

There are more with 10% or more starch content and there are some that contain sugar above 10%. Like sweet potatoes and beets.
Celery actually takes more calories to process than it contains - but it has virtually no nutritional value other than its fiber content.
If you are using beans and grain to get your complete protein you are going to gain a lot of weight because of the carb to protein ratio.


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## lancestar2 (Jul 8, 2013)

PaulS said:


> Here is how some vegetables rate for starch content
> per (100 g) of veggie, Starch Content (g) (basically it is the percent of starch content)
> 
> Pigeon peas - whole, dried, raw 54.8
> ...


Thanks, Beans don't seem to have to many carbs but this week I have decided to try to replace my white rice with frozen peas!!!

I love cooking up 3 eggs with milk mix in some cheese and serve that over rice but I will try the frozen peas a 1lb bag should be a great substitute at 1 dollar a bag its super cheap!! I been skiping breakfast so often now I will have to try to add it back into my diet (the oatmeal with cranberries) I have gotten about a 5lb bag of cranberries at cost co for about 6 bucks or so very cheap! Also I have my ground turkey that I will try to serve over my peas and see how it tastes too!

I still want to find a few more good meals that are pretty cheap too. I will have to look up recipes for Bananas I am about to dehydrate another big batch and I was thinking at 38cents a lb that is one heck of a deal! it would be silly not to try to add them into my diet as a meal. I have tried Banana ice cream (frozen then mixed in blender with just a bit of milk) and Banana pancakes (banana mixed with egg and cooked up like a pancake!) but I'm not sure what else yet.

I will start tracking my spending Nov. 1st I been busy but I still want to try to obtain some type of budget.

If anybody else does track there food costs feel free to share  as long as your ok with the Gov getting a CC :lol:


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