Hows my grocery list

You see, atm my mother is out of a job. We are reall struggling and basically im the only source of income.

We are also both on a diet. So I told her Id take responsibility of the grocery list. Im a pescatarian and my mother is trying...so here it is

Grocery List:

Almond milk

Cereal

Peanut butter

Fruits (apples, pears, oranges, bananas)

Veggies (a few bags of frozen veggies, onions, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce)

cans of tuna

whole wheat bread

brown rice

beans

Fish filets

eggs

oatmeal

Any suggestions?

Great start.  If you are on a tight budget, I'd suggest buying real oatmeal, not quick oats or packets.  Real oatmeal is the best nutritionally and it's dirt cheap.  You can flavour it with your fruits or frozen berries etc. and it makes for a cheap, healthy, filling breakfast.  You might also want to fill our your whole grain selection to include millet, quinoa, different kinds of whole grain rices, kasha (buckwheat), wheat berries etc.  There are lots.  On a per serving basis they are all cheap, very nutritious and easy to make.   Flavour them with vegetables, healthy sauces or condiments, olive oil etc.    They also store for days in the fridge once cooked. 

Stick to cereals that aren't full of sugar too.  Sugary cereals have a high glycemic index meaning they go through you fairly quickly, spike your blood sugar, and don't leave you full for long.  Try Kashi brand whole grain cereals, they have a large variety of flavours and I think you'd like most of them. 

Also, to save money, consider buying stuff when it's on sale and freezing it or maybe canning it.  I grow some of my own stuff but also stock up at the farmers markets in the fall.  You can buy a basket of tomatoes for maybe 10 bucks, the jars might cost 15 bucks but of course they last forever.  So for 10 bucks a year or many months anyway, you can have tomatoes to eat for soups, stews etc.   They aren't good for slicing after they are canned but you can can them without the massive amounts of sodium in most canned tomatoes.  Just an example, you can do the same with lots of other foods, and save tons of money.   

Variety is important too.  Each type of food has it's own benefits, so switch things up and don't be afraid to try new things.   And get some garlic!!!...lol...

Your grocery list looks excellent!

Johnny pretty much said everything I might have suggested about the oatmeal nd cereal, but I would like to add that if sodium is a concern, watch the beans (if they're canned) and the PB (is it natural?)

Looks good, although if you are on a tight budget I would skip the cereal. Not worth the price for what you are getting.

UD

From the sounds of things you're looking for both nutritional and monetary advice. So I'll give you a little of both. I think you're looking fairly good in regards to nutrition. I'm not exactly sure what you are able to eat as a pescatarian so it's tough for me to make suggestions in regards to substitutions but I have an idea in regards to your choice of peppers. Have you considered celery or cucumber in place of peppers? The cost for peppers where I am is much higher than the cost of either cucumbers or celery. This might be a nice way to save money.

For fruit you're good staying away from berries if you want to avoid escalating costs. It seems the moment your fruit is in berry form it becomes worth an extra 2 bucks.

I know it's a bit expensive, but if you were to buy some oil in bulk it might help with preparing some food. You can find cheap canola oil in large quantities (cheap in this case is relative to the cost of other oils). Perhaps even cheap generic vegetable oil, but then the health benefits become a bit questionable to me.

My final bit of advice is to search "One Dollar Diet Project" on google. It is about 2 people who spent a month eating on only a dollar a day each. You may find their recipes useful (although they may not be within what you can eat. You can always substitute!).

I hope everything works out for you and that this late night advice was more coherent than it seemed while writing it.

List looks good (and tasty).

If you have a grocery store near you that has bulk bins, these will help out greatly.  Brown rice, beans (dry=cheap!), and oatmeal should all be available in the bins. Possibly the cereal too although I would probably skip it in favor of steel cut oatmeal as it's very inexpensive and will keep you full longer.

Frozen fruit can be a good choice if the fresh is out of season and check manufacturer's websites for coupons on the frozen items. Watch the sales and combine coupons with the sales.

Thank you all for your replies.

Johnnypenso- Yea I never buy quick oats, only real/natural oats. And I dont eat sugary cereal either lol. My mother likes special K but Ill suggest Kashi.

mars_0112- Sodium isnt a concern. But I dont over do it. The PB isnt natural lol, but I rarely eat alot of salty foods.

Decarswell- As a pescatarian I eat basically everything except chicken, beef, pork etc. The only meat is fish. I eat eggs and dairy as well. And where i live I believe cucumbers and celery actually cost MORE than peppers haha. Idk why.

About the oil, my mother doesnt particularly like oil. She swears by I cant believe its not butter. But Ill invest is a large container of vegetable oil.

Bunnybane- I dont know of any grocery store that has bulk bins where I live. (Where I live is not too much like the U.S. I live on a tiny little island lol, but we are developing so soon enough we'll have everything you Americans have :P)But Ill watch out for the frozen fruits.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Much appreciated.

It looks like you're going to have some great (and pretty healthy) staples on-hand. It really helps me to actually come up with a few days worth of actual MEAL plans. Otherwise it seems like I'm running to the store every other day, which isn't a luxury I can really afford... Although that's more the European way of shopping and it does have it's benefits...  Buying fresh produce every few days, etc.

Good luck to you and your Mum!

Lookin' good, except for the peanut butter... unless it is all natural with the only ingredients being peanuts, salt, water... Perhaps you should look into buying almond butter? Almonds are a lot healthier for you! :) Mix things up a bit? 

Also, make sure your whole wheat bread has more than 3 grams of fiber per serving and no partically hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup or other ingredients of that sort. 

Other than that, I think you're pretty good!