# How do you eat well and on the cheap?



## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

I am a graduate student bachelor. That's synonomous with broke. That said, how do you eat well but not spend much money? Everyone came up with excellent tips on the large family thread. Any suggestions?

(Btw, I almost never eat out, so that's not a problem).


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## Ivan (Oct 29, 2006)

Beans and rice?


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## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

Ivan said:


> Beans and rice?



That's my current situation, give or take.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 29, 2006)

Lots of pasta; sauce is cheap. Ground beef is cheap; Hamburger helper! Dollar stores. You can even get fresh vegetables in some of them.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

Scott Bushey said:


> Lots of pasta; sauce is cheap. Ground beef is cheap; Hamburger helper! Dollar stores. You can even get fresh vegetables in some of them.




Ground beef, you say? My taste buds standards are based on what is hot and "nourishing." I don't really care what it is. Definitely will check out the ground beef.


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## Ivan (Oct 29, 2006)

Draught Horse said:


> That's my current situation, give or take.



Done properly, they can be tasty. Potatoes are cheap too. Not to be too personal, but can you tell us how much you have to spend on food per week?


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## Laura (Oct 29, 2006)

Couscous. It's filling, cheap in bulk, and versatile---if you buy it plain, you can spice (or "herb") it up however you want. Try adding vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms) and/or plain yogurt seasoned with garlic and pepper.


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Oct 29, 2006)

In answering your question - you can't. Eating "well" and cheap is impossible. I've tried the well and cheap route with my wife. Ultimately - it doesn't fly.

It would, at this point, eat what is available and cheap, but then compensate with working out a bit more. In other words, the peanut butter and jelly / sub a the sub shop, etc., may have to do for now, but compensate the possibility of weight gain by working out and drinking lots of water which is free.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

Ivan said:


> Done properly, they can be tasty. Potatoes are cheap too. Not to be too personal, but can you tell us how much you have to spend on food per week?



Hmm...I don't mind you asking. I don't know. I don't allot much on food, though. I can always be assured of a meal. I guess if I sat down and really thought it through I could probably make it go further. I usually buy bulk can goods and other items several times a month.


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## kvanlaan (Oct 29, 2006)

The other thing you might do is take advantage of meals through church. I know that there are quite often meal opportunities for students in many churches which not only are: a) free but b) are a chance to fellowship with others and c) are usually places you can 'tank up' while having a very appreciative audience. When we have people over for dinner, my wife is pleased as pie if someone eats 5 lbs of ribs, especially if they tell her how great they are. Besides, homecooked once a week takes the sting out of Kraft Dinner the rest of the time...


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## sailorswife (Oct 29, 2006)

You can come over for dinner sometime this week if you'd like! Another cheap and fairly healthy item I have found of late is canned salmon, you can find it at Walmart. You can make salmon patties with it.


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## kvanlaan (Oct 29, 2006)

Yep - we'd be happy to have you as well (but the commute might hurt your pocketbook a little...) Still, the door is open; you make the trip, we'll feed you!


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## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

sailorswife said:


> You can come over for dinner sometime this week if you'd like! Another cheap and fairly healthy item I have found of late is canned salmon, you can find it at Walmart. You can make salmon patties with it.



Thanks but Patrick doesn't like me anymore and said never to come over again. Just kidding! Thanks, whenever sounds good. Canned salmon? I'm game. That sounds good.


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## bob (Oct 29, 2006)

Do you mind sharing a mailing address? Perhaps some of us with stocked pantries could help you out by sending you some food items.


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## Scot (Oct 29, 2006)

This is a good article. In fact, I recently printed it out for my wife to take shopping. It's from '95 but still has some useful information. This guy is promoting vegetarianism (which is o.k. if done right) but you can still use some of his suggestions if you're a meat eater (I am). Scroll down to "A Week of Cheap Eating."

http://www.doctoryourself.com/eatwellcheap.html


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## RamistThomist (Oct 29, 2006)

Thanks Dan.

While I am not asking for handouts--trust me, y'all, I am not going hungry. But if any wants my address;

Jacob Aitken
5422 Clinton Blvd.
Jackson, MS 39209


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## polemic_turtle (Oct 30, 2006)

I wonder if Amazon Grocery would be cheaper. It'd save you gas money with free shipping.


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## ReederKidsMom (Oct 30, 2006)

Lentils are very cheap, and they are very healthy. Hey, Esau sold his birth right for some, so they must be good!


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## Puddleglum (Oct 30, 2006)

Don't eat a lot of meat - you can get protein other ways, and meat is rather expensive. When you do eat meat, go for the cheap stuff (ground beef, chicken thighs). If you've got a freezer, buy the family value packs, and freeze some (either before or after you've cooked it). 
Beans and lentils are both tasty and cheap ways to get protein - at least around here you can get a 1lb bag for a dollar. 
(Maybe we could start a thread with recipies for cheap meals?).


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## Puddleglum (Oct 30, 2006)

Oh, and on fruit / veg . . . this tends to require a little bit more shopping around. Sometimes farmer's markets have really good deals - and other times they are super expensive. Go wherever you can find good prices, and get whatever's in season. And if you've got a freezer, pay attention at the grocery stores for when frozen veg goes on sale - you can get some pretty good deals that way, and they're quick to cook up and you can get a bit more variety.


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## jaybird0827 (Oct 30, 2006)

Puddleglum said:


> Don't eat a lot of meat - you can get protein other ways, and meat is rather expensive. When you do eat meat, go for the cheap stuff (ground beef, chicken thighs). If you've got a freezer, buy the family value packs, and freeze some (either before or after you've cooked it).
> Beans and lentils are both tasty and cheap ways to get protein - at least around here you can get a 1lb bag for a dollar.
> (Maybe we could start a thread with recipies for cheap meals?).


 
Make soup with the chicken thighs. The bones will flavor the soup and you can make the meat go further.


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## py3ak (Oct 30, 2006)

Eat millet and amaranth. They are two of the best grains for you, and if you have amaranth leaves as well, you will probably get more nutrition than regular people.


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## tewilder (Oct 30, 2006)

Draught Horse said:


> I am a graduate student bachelor. That's synonomous with broke. That said, how do you eat well but not spend much money? Everyone came up with excellent tips on the large family thread. Any suggestions?
> 
> (Btw, I almost never eat out, so that's not a problem).



Make burritos. Buy a big stack of wheat flower tortillas at one of the cheap places that sells them for about a dollar. They you buy one of those whole cooked chickens they have at the grocery store, a jar of salsa, some cans of pealed tomatoes and some cans of beans (black or pinto according to preference). Take the meat off the chicken throw all the stuff in a blender. 

Then put the stuff from the blender in portions in tortillas. Add cheese if you like. Roll them up and freeze them in sandwich bags. Microwave and eat as desired. This also saves time, as you make them all in one batch, and only have to take a minute or two for microwaving later.

Rice based dishes can be had cheaply if you buy rice in an oriental food store in those 25 pound bags, and get an electric rice cooker than shuts off at just the right time. Rice with a fried egg is surprisingly good, and again, preparation time is very little.


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## crhoades (Oct 30, 2006)

As a general rule of thumb, always buy what's on sale. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter can go a long way.

One of my favorite cheap foods is Hormel Chili - Turkey with Beans.






You can pick them up for a dollar each and coupled with saltine crackers makes a quick, warm, nutritious, cheap meal.

400 calories
34g Protein
52g Carbs
6g Fat

Heating Instructions (15 oz. can) RANGE TOP: Empty chili into saucepan. Heat over medium heat 5 to 8 minutes or until hot, stirring frequently.
MICROWAVE OVEN: Empty chili into microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely. Heat on HIGH (100% power) 2 to 3 minutes or until hot, stirring once. Stir before serving. (All microwave ovens vary. Times given are approximate.)






Nutritional Information (15 oz. can) Nutritional FactsServing Size 247 gServings Per Container 2Amount Per Serving% Daily ValueFat Calories Per Serving: 25 Calories Per Serving: 200 Saturated Fat Per Serving: 15%Total Fat Per Serving: 35%Cholesterol Per Serving: 4515%Sodium Per Serving: 120050%Carbohydrates Per Serving: 269%Fiber Per Serving: 520%Sugar Per Serving: 6 Protein Per Serving: 17 INGREDIENTS: TURKEY BROTH, MECHANICALLY SEPERATED TURKEY, BEANS, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SUGAR, SALT, CHILI POWDER (CHILI PEPPERS, FLAVORING), TOMATO PASTE, OATMEAL, GREEN CHILE PEPPERS, ONIONS, JALAPENO PEPPERS, FLAVORING, SPICES.


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## rmwilliamsjr (Oct 30, 2006)

sailorswife said:


> You can come over for dinner sometime this week if you'd like! Another cheap and fairly healthy item I have found of late is canned salmon, you can find it at Walmart. You can make salmon patties with it.



we raised a medium sized family, 6 kids, on very little cash income. primarily living out of the swapmeet, both selling and buying there. the kids are all grown and on their own, but because of their childhood are really tight. One son basically walked for 5 months through Southern France and arrived in Italy with more cash then he started with. Working harvesting crops and drawing pictures for people along the way. There is always a way to work on the margins of society, to see the things that other people miss or ignore. 

for example, Big lots sold 3 lbs bags of dried strawberries and 5 lbs cans of salmon for the last few weeks for much less than they are worth. independently 3 of my kids and us bought almost all the shelf contents from different stores in town, and then told the others that we had extra to share. one big laugh when we realized what we had done.

a single person ought never to pay for either housing or food, there is just too many opportunties to pay for those with labor. for housing think about an RV and babysitting houses or construction sites or the like, where they need someone to watch for a few weeks. for food, think about working for a family in exchange for a few meals per week. Everyone needs things fixed around the house and setting the table for one more is a very small incremental cost. a win win for both.


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## a mere housewife (Oct 30, 2006)

It is way cheaper to buy whole chickens at Walmart than individual chicken pieces. You can stew them with water in a crock pot overnight-- drain it and store it to tear off and eat from when you're hungry. Enriched rice is cheap and healthy, and you can eat it with the juice from the chicken which is really good (and which you can make better with a little boullion and some thickening).

Canned tomato of any form is usually extremely cheap and is actually something that is supposed to increase in nutrition through the canning process. Most vegetables are better fresh, but you can dump a lot of canned goods in with some tomato or generic v8 juice and some meat of some form, and make really good veggie soup.

Just adding beef boullion to canned green beans makes them taste very good.

You can actually save a ton of money by not buying unhealthy things like coke etc; drink water and spend the money instead on more veggies. If you can't stand water you can flavor it pretty cheaply with lime etc; but water is incredibly healthy and very cheap.

Corn chips are healthier as a snack than potato chips or non wheat crackers.... You can make your own salsa pretty cheaply, and that is very healthy too. 

If you can get a few good casserole recipes (and if you need some, I am sure quite a few people could send some along) and make a huge casserole that will save having to buy so much meat. That can be frozen of course and eaten throughout a month or more.

Amaranth is a whole protein, and is much cheaper than meat. You can make into cereal.

I used to buy turkeys when we were on the lowest budget of all and pick them thoroughly and make soup with them (cream of mushroom, boullion, turkey stock, veggies) for months afterward. But I doubt you're that dedicated....

I disagree that you can't eat healthily on a small budget; but I think generally it requires cutting out the unhealthy food items which are a lot 'faster' to simply open and eat, and spending some time in the kitchen. Of course time to cook is probably just as hard a commodity to get as a seminary student, as money....


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## py3ak (Oct 30, 2006)

Matthew, your avatar makes me feel like I'm flooooaaaating, above a field of weeeeeeeeeeeeed.


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## Don (Oct 30, 2006)

Scot said:


> This is a good article. In fact, I recently printed it out for my wife to take shopping. It's from '95 but still has some useful information. This guy is promoting vegetarianism (which is o.k. if done right) but you can still use some of his suggestions if you're a meat eater (I am). Scroll down to "A Week of Cheap Eating."
> 
> http://www.doctoryourself.com/eatwellcheap.html




I visit this site regularly and typically like what this guy says. 

Besides the above, I recommend Sprouting (Dr. Saul from the above does as well)! I think it's better to grow them yourself. Red clover sprouts give about a 7 fold return after they have grown from the seeds (1 pound of seeds will last quite a while). Plus there are broccoli sprouts (alittle more expensive), mung bean sprouts, soy bean sprouts, raddish sprouts, alfalfa sprouts and several others. There are different ways to prepare them and are supposed to be really healthy. All you need is water and Mason Jars. 

Rainbow Wholefoods has them - it's at the end of lakeland behind St. Dominic's Hospital.


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## Formerly At Enmity (Oct 30, 2006)

Do they have a farmer's market in Clinton/Jackson?


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## Scot (Oct 30, 2006)

> I visit this site regularly and typically like what this guy says.



Me too. I also have one of his books. I've used some of his suggestions with some of my clients and have gotten good results (like massive doses of vitamin c for allergies).


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## RamistThomist (Oct 30, 2006)

Formerly At Enmity said:


> Do they have a farmer's market in Clinton/Jackson?



I don't know. I will check into it.


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## Don (Oct 31, 2006)

Draught Horse said:


> I don't know. I will check into it.



Yes there is. Take the High Street exit from 55 and it's right after the fairground entrance on the left - close to downtown. It's right across the street from Chimneyville (good bbq). 

I think it may only be open on the weekend, though.


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## Hungus (Oct 31, 2006)

if (6) 4 oz. Hamburger Patties
(1) 2 lbs. Sliced Turkey with Gravy
(4) 6 oz. Pork Chops
(1) 3 lbs. Frying Chicken
(1) 7 oz. Armour Brown & Serve Sausage
(1) 3 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
(1) 1 lb. Chicken Nuggets
(1) 8 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
(1) 15 oz. Pork & Beans
(1) 7.5 oz. Mac & Cheese
(1) 24 oz. French Fries
(1) 16 oz. Peas & Carrots
(1) 15 oz. Sliced Pineapple
(1) 8 oz. Biscuit Mix
(1) 10 oz. Peanut Butter
(1) Dozen Eggs
(1) Dessert Item

for 25 bucks doesn't sound bad check out: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu.asp

and if that isn'tenough you can also get 
NOVEMBER SPECIAL #1
Steak Combo Box - $18.00 
(4 8-oz. T Bones, 4 8-oz. New York Strips)

NOVEMBER SPECIAL #2
Bacon Wrapped Beef Filets - $18.00 
(14 4-oz. Filets)

NOVEMBER SPECIAL #3
Chicken Combo Box - $18.00 
(2 lbs. Breast Filets, 2 lbs. Boneless/Skinless Breasts, 6 lbs. Tenders)


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## BJClark (Oct 31, 2006)

I buy the family packs of meat and seperate them into smaller freezer size bags.


Buying family packs are typically cheaper per lb, so you shop less often.

Example, if you buy a family pack of six porkchops you could seperate them down to two per package freeze them and then cook two for dinner.

If you buy hamburger you could make patties w/ half freeze those in seperate packages to cook as needed and freeze the other half to make a hamburger helper meal.

if you buy a roast you could cut in down and freeze those then have two meals and use left overs for lunch time sandwiches, or cut the left overs up into cubes and cook w/ barb-que sauce for bbq sandwiches the next night.

You could do the same w/ Chicken, if you cook four pieces of chicken one night, debone the left overs and cook w/ bbq sauce for bbq chicken sandwiches the next night.

if you buy a family pack of steaks seperate those down into one per freezer bag and just pull out for dinner as needed.


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## Formerly At Enmity (Oct 31, 2006)

Formerly At Enmity said:


> Do they have a farmer's market in Clinton/Jackson?





(imagine me shaking a finger at you....) Jacob, EAT YOUR VEGGIES!!


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## BJClark (Oct 31, 2006)

The only problem I have with buying at the Farmers Market, even with a large family is it's all in bulk.

I remember my parents buying at the farmers market so my mom could can veggies and such. I still remember the 50 lb bag of cabbage they bought one year...we had cabbage for what seemed like FOREVER!! I think they even made up recipes in order to cook the cabbage.


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## Kevin (Oct 31, 2006)

BJClark said:


> The only problem I have with buying at the Farmers Market, even with a large family is it's all in bulk.
> 
> I remember my parents buying at the farmers market so my mom could can veggies and such. I still remember the 50 lb bag of cabbage they bought one year...we had cabbage for what seemed like FOREVER!! I think they even made up recipes in order to cook the cabbage.




What are you calling a farmers market? I am on the board of our local market and have been to many around here, and have never seen a 'bulk' type of sales gimmick.
What you are describing sounds like a bulk food store that uses "Farmers Market" as a trade name. A 'true farmers market' is a place only open a few hours a week where (several) local farmers/producers sell LOCAL produce.

I was going to post earlier that Farmers markets are great places for bargins--especially close to closing time, since the next sale day is 7 days away.

Also I know alot of student who work at our market for the $$ but also for the deals--alot of bartering goes on at the end of the day. Many vendors say one of the best parts of coming to market is the drop in your grocery bill after you get in on the end of day trading.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 31, 2006)

Formerly At Enmity said:


> (imagine me shaking a finger at you....) Jacob, EAT YOUR VEGGIES!!



You sound like my mom!


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## Gregg (Nov 3, 2006)

a
Just adding beef boullion to canned green beans makes them taste very good.
[/QUOTE said:


> Tried that last night, thanks for the tip.


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