How to stretch your grocery budget

I’ve got a family of 6, and in these trying economic times, with relative income going down and food prices going up, I though that I’d share some good, cheap foods with everyone.  Be warned though, many of these will require cooking!

 Pasta (any type).  This one is a lifesaver.  It’s cheap, quick, and everyone likes it.  I can make spaghetti feed a family of 6 for less than $3, and likely have enough leftovers to pack for my lunch the next day.  Look for recipes that don’t call for too much cheese.  Lasagna and macaroni and cheese will be expensive, spaghetti and goulash will not be.

 Soup (all kinds):  Buy it tinned, packaged, or make it from scratch.  It’s cheap, easy and also very low calorie.  Make sure to add vegetables to increase it’s nutritional punch.  Example: ramen noodles with frozen mixed vegetables added.  Chicken noodle soup with frozen corn added.  Watch the salt intake though, most have WAY too much salt.

 Ground beef:  The most versatile of meats.  I wait until the lean goes on sale and then stock up my freezer.  Stretch it with breadcrumbs.

 Tinned Tuna: Don’t serve more than 2 or 3 times a week due to mercury concerns.  Tinned tuna cooked with milk and some onions or chives makes a great base for pasta dishes or a seafood chowder.

 Rice:  I’m talking the 20 minute type, not Minute Rice.  20 minute rice (parboiled, long-grain, basmati, etc) is a lot cheaper and it’s surprisingly more versatile than most people think.  Boil it in orange juice and a bit of ginger instead of water, or chicken broth with a touch of garlic.  Add a tin of stewed tomatoes, a tin of black beans and some smoked sausage to make a nice main dish.  One cup of dry rice is enough to feed 6 people.

 Frozen Pizza:  So much cheaper than delivery.

 Spices:  Okay they’re not cheap, but they do add flavor and variety and you don’t use very much at a time.  You can get them cheaper in bulk instead of in bottles.

 Grow your own veggies:  You don’t need a lot of space either.  Lettuce will grow in an ice cream bucket filled with dirt, and you just rip off a few leaves as needed.  Chives, rosemary, thyme and cilantro look great in a flower garden.  Tomato plants can be grown in hanging baskets.

Any others that I have missed?

Not much to add, except if you haven't already found this, you might enjoy....Hillbilly Housewife.  She has menus and recipes to feed a family of 4 for $70 or less a week.

We are a family of 9 and I think the one thing that has the biggest impact on our grocery budget is me baking our bread from flour that I grind myself.  It is very healthy and costs under $1 a loaf.  I make all of our baked goods (breads, rolls, buns, cookies, cake) from scratch.  I also make our yogurt and it costs about half of store bought yogurt.  It does take time to cook this way, but I enjoy it.

Have you made gluten free bread?  And with the internet out there, I haven't checked yet, but is there a site you recommend for an Ezekiel type of bread?  I have buying a bit for myself, but would love to transition my whole family into it and make it at home, so it's more cost effective.  Can you share where you found your yogurt recipe as well?  Is there one for Greek Yogurt?  (I don't have a flour grinder, wonder if my vita-mix would do that I'm thinking yes).

I haven't made gluten-free bread.  There is an excellent Ezekiel bread recipe on the pleasanthill grain website but it contains wheat so wouldn't be gluten free.  My yogurt recipe came with my "yogourmet" yogurt maker that I  treated myself to a couple of years ago, but you can make yogurt without a yogurt maker.  In fact, the hillbilly housewife website mentioned above has excellent directions.  I have used many of the hillbilly housewife recipes from her healthy section and all have been cheap, simple, and good!  You should be able to grind small amounts of flour in your vita-mix, I have an older model and the manual says you can...I've never tried it, though. 

I WISH WISH WISH I could "Save" money when grocery shopping - but I always tend to shell out the big bucks! I need to go to grocery shopping REHAB or something! ah ha! Why does SALMON have to be so damn expensive!!!!!

Original Post by giasbash6260:

I WISH WISH WISH I could "Save" money when grocery shopping - but I always tend to shell out the big bucks! I need to go to grocery shopping REHAB or something! ah ha! Why does SALMON have to be so damn expensive!!!!!

There are other fish besides salmon, just saying.... I go to Asian markets for seafood produce. It's much cheaper and fresher then supermarkets, grocery stores or WholeFoods (own category for organic blah blah blah).

Original Post by knowan

 Rice:  I’m talking the 20 minute type, not Minute Rice. 

I would go with regular dry rice, unless that is what you meant. You can get a huge bag from Costco or any Asian Market.

 Frozen Pizza:  So much cheaper than delivery.

Or you could just skip it all together or make your own...

Any others that I have missed?

Dried beans, takes longer to cook but per weight they are dirt cheap and very nutritious. Plus you can cook a huge batch and freeze portions that are not used immediately.

I second the dried beans/lentils idea.  Also oatmeal can make a tasty savory meal, while still being cheap.=]