If you only had $40 to spend this week, or every week, for food, could you do it? How about $20?
I have - and it wasn't that bad! Of course, initially it takes having a few stock items, but you can eat better and cheaper if you are willing to plan.
Without any stock items, this week you could have:
Breakfast purchases:
Cereal - $2.50/box on sale
Muffin mix - $0.75 for 6 muffins
Milk - $3.75 (1 gallon ususally can last 1 person for 2 weeks)
1/2 dozen eggs from Publix - $1.75
Options:
Cereal, Muffins, eggs (leave one for corn muffin mix),
Lunch purchases:
Loaf of bread - $2.80
Mayo - $1.70
Lunchmeat - $2.50
American cheese - $1.70 for Publix / off brand
Soup - $1.50
Lunch options:
Regular sandwich, grilled cheese and soup up to 2 days - can add lunchmeat to grilled cheese for "hot sandwich"
Snacks:
In season fruit - as low as $2 / container
$3.75 pecans / nuts (can put in salad, too)
Corn muffins / muffins if left over
Dinner:
1 lb of ground meat - $4.25
Buns - $2.25
Birdseye frozen veggies - $1.25
Corn muffin mix - $0.75
90 Second Rice - $2.00
Black beans can - $1.75
Can of peas or other veggie - $1.25
Publix bagged salad - $2 on sale
Salad dressing- $2.50
Butter - $1.50
Ice cream carton - $4.50
Dinners:
1. Hamburger on Monday, salad
2. Loose meat sandwich on Tuesday, veggies on the side
3. Ground meat in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, veggies on the side
4. Leftover Meat & Macaroni and Cheese
5. Corn muffins, black beans, and rice, peas
6. Leftover corn muffins, black beans, rice, and peas
7. Salad, toast - can throw in egg or torn lunch meat for protein
Desserts: Ice cream, muffins if left over
Total: $39.95
Now, not many people literally eat out every meal, but even if you come close to it, look at this. If you ate out at fast food restaurants every meal for a week:
Breakfasts averaging $3.50 / meal = $24.5
Lunches averaging $4.50 / meal = $31.5
Dinners averaging $4.75 / meal = $33.25
Snacks averaging $8 / day = $56.00
Total: $145.25
That's a little over 3 and 1/2 times as much money! And that doesn't include drinks!
