Cheap and Easy (food, that is!) Part 1

Groceries – Meats, Starches, and Fats are things to stock up on. We buy them in bulk and package in manageable sizes on our own. The meats typically last a month to a month and a half. The starches last 3-4 months, and the oils last even longer. Then diary and fruits/veggies are bought weekly to eat fresh.

Meats – Miguel and I buy our meats at Sam’s Club. We pay $30 a year for a membership there, and it saves us a ton of money. When we get our meats home, we divide them into portion sizes that we’ll use to make dinner with and put them into freezer bags. Then, we can freeze the meats until they are needed, and it greatly reduces the cost of meats. The following meats will last a long time.

Must haves:
6 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast – around $10. (approximately 15 chicken breasts)
6 lbs ground beef – around $8
Tuna, Chunk light, 10 6 oz cans -- $5
To eat like a king:
Round steak, 6 pack – $12 – They are really thick, so I only eat half for a meal, then use the other half for lunch the next day.
3 lbs frozen salmon fillets – around $13 – I consider salmon to be the filet mignon of fish. Each bag yields about 12 filets, and they keep for a long time.

Starches – Again with the Sam’s Club. I love Sam’s Club. I hate their ethics, but their prices are hard to beat when you are in college (or just got out of college as Miguel and I did) and are sticking to a budget.

Must haves from Sam’s:
8 lb bag of spaghetti -- $4
6 lb bag of penne rigate -- $3
Buy it, but not at Sam’s:
1 lb bag of brown rice -- $5 (lasts a long time)
1 lb bag of wild rice -- $5
Whole Wheat Tortillas -- $2

Fats –
Canola Oil, 16 oz -- $4
Olive oil, 16 oz -- $5
Heart healthy butter substitute (I like Fleishmens) -- $3.

Fruits and Veggies – We don’t buy these at Sam’s Club, unless we buy canned or frozen. I typically buy whatever I’m in the mood for. Here’s this weeks veggies:
1 red onion
1 lb white onions
3 lbs potatoes
3 yellow squash
2 zucchini
2 red peppers
8 oz mushrooms
1 package of spinach
1 lb snow peas
1 lb green beans
1 lb asparagus
All said, I spend around $20 on veggies at a local supermarket. I can get this much for about $5 less at our local farmer’s market.

Dairy
2 gal milk -- $3
Yogurt – 40 Cents a container
Parmesan Cheese -- $5 (We buy the huge container from Sam’s and it lasts forever)
We don’t eat a lot of other cheese, but you can usually cheeses on sale for around $3-4/pound)
Eggs, 1 doz -- $1

Others –
Spice Rack -- $20 (Look at Big Lots, Family Dollar, Sam’s Club. We found a $20 one with all the containers filled)
Salt/Pepper – $8 (Again, at Sam’s Club they sell huge things of pepper and sea salt in their own grinders for $4. They last forever)
Canned crushed tomatoes -- $1.50/can
Bars -- $5-$8 (At Sam’s they had a 15 pack of Luna bars for $5, or you can get about 30 South Beach Diet High Protein Bars for $8)
Broth -- $2/big can or box
Flour, sweeteners as needed
Vinegar, big bottle -- $2
Dijon mustard -- $2
Salsa -- $2

Okay, so all told, I’ve got around $150 bucks of groceries listed here. But the thing is that most of this food is going to last about a month, sometimes more, then you’re just paying around $20-30 a week on milk, eggs, and fruits/veggies. You can basically make whatever you want with this stuff.

Check back later for my next installment, cooking made easy.

My biggest problem is not being able to take advantage of buying in quantity.  It's just me here, with company maybe once or twice a week, so I can't use up large amounts before they go bad.

It really irks me to see those big sacks of potatoes, so cheap, and know that half would go bad before I could use them up.

But there are plenty of ways to save money, even if you're cooking on a small scale as I am.

clairelaine, I've often found that getting a "club buddy" is really beneficial.  when i go to Sam's Club or Costco i bring my mom or a friend with me.  Then we just split up the big bag of lemons, potatoes, etc.  It takes a little extra work, but it saves a lot of money and you get to chat while shopping!

I think this is an awesome list to keep in mind, even if not necessarily use in it's entirety.

It is the perfect example that a little planning and some staple items are all you need to eat a variety of things that are also healthy.

Thanks, Heather!

Wow, that was, like.... so unhelpful.  Thanks.

I LOVE Sam's Club too!
But the one thing I hate...is those food samples they spread around the entire store! I wind up going to each one and eating all that bad crap they advertise....so tempting

In my experience the problem with buying in bulk like that to save money is that you lose out alot on freshness and your options for the month are set. To save money and still get the best foods with the least amount of packaging, I hit the farmers market every week for great produce and buy my dry goods like beans, popcorn, flour, spices and grains in the bulk bins at the local health food store. That way it is allways organic and dirt cheap. I also wind up with allmost no waste in the house because i'm avoiding comercially packaged foods. (and I allways know what's in it.)

I'm bumping this up.  Thanks to josna for locating it. 

Today's Recipe Blog is - Easy Recipes for all Skill Levels

I have these threads tagged for future reference.