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Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

November 30, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

Whether it’s nearly the end of the month and you’re out of cash, or you’ve just lost your job or you had a large expense this month, we all have times when we have to nourish our bodies for as little money as possible.  Luckily, there are many cheap foods to buy when you’re broke that are also nutrient power houses.

Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

To get the most nutrition from limited money, you’ll want to first focus on fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables

There are many basic vegetables to choose from:

Carrots

Carrots are so versatile!  You can eat them raw or use them in soups and stir frys.

Cabbage

One head of cabbage can stretch, and stretch, and stretch and be used many ways.  Just recently, our family of five had a head of cabbage to use.  The first night, we made cabbage beef soup; it fed us all, plus there were leftovers.  The second night, we had skillet kielbasa and cabbage, and again, there were leftovers.

You’ll find plenty of recipes for cabbage.  Consider looking for recipes from other countries, too, as cabbage is a staple in the cuisine of many countries.

Fruits

While fruits like grapes, blueberries, and strawberries are delicious, they’re not affordable when they’re not in season.  Instead, focus on fruits that are affordable in any season.

Bananas

Bananas are quite filling and cheap.  You can eat them plain, or blend them up and use them as mock ice cream.

Apples

Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke
Photo by Sarah Gualtieri on Unsplash

Apples are in season for quite a long time and can often be found for less than $1 a pound.  I like these because of their nutritional value and because they can be eaten as a fruit, or used in a meal, or baked for a dessert.

Starches

When you’re on a budget, you need foods that are filling.  After fruits and vegetables, your next priority should be starches.

Potatoes

Potatoes are almost always a reasonably priced food.  Add them to meals to bulk up the content.  (One of our favorite breakfasts is diced, cooked potatoes mixed with a little cheese and scrambled eggs.)

Oatmeal

Oatmeal makes a great, filling breakfast for just pennies.  Stir in some protein powder or jam for a little extra flavor.

Oatmeal can also be used in muffins and ground up in a food processor and used as a substitute or supplement to flour in baked goods.

Flour

The price of flour can’t be beat per pound.  Use it to make homemade breads, rolls, desserts, etc.  You can also use flour as a thickener to homemade sauces and gravies.

Rice

Rice is also versatile and can be used for a side dish, dessert, or breakfast.  When rice is combined with beans, it is the ultimate frugal meal.

Protein

Protein will help satiate you longer, stretching the length of time you feel full, so hopefully you’ll need fewer in between snacks.

Dry Beans

A pound of dry beans costs between $1 and $2 per pound and can likely be used for several meals.  Use beans in soups, casseroles, and dips like hummus.  You can even use beans in desserts like black bean brownies.  (Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.  They’re delicious!)

Chicken

Chicken is a great animal protein that can be frugal if you buy it on sale or on the bone.  We usually try to use our animal protein as a supplement to a meal, not the main focus of the meal.  Try dishes like fried rice with some shredded chicken or chicken pot pie to complement all of the vegetables in the meal.

Don’t forget to take the bones and turn them into a homemade broth to use for future meals.  (We freeze our broth in ice cube trays for future use.)

Final Thoughts

If you’re on a tight grocery budget, remember that if you choose the most frugal food options, you can still eat healthy, nutritious, and filling foods.

Read More

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5 Strategies to Make Food at Home If You Hate Cooking

Save Money on the Grocery Budget by Reducing Food Waste

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: frugal food, frugal groceries, frugal kitchen, frugal produce, groceries, grocery budget, grocery shopping

Why I’ll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now

April 20, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

My husband and I had a feeling the virus would cause a shut down (though we had no idea that things would get as intense as they currently are).   So, starting in early February, we slowly added items to our pantry as we could afford them.  Yet, I remember the sense of panic I felt when I went into a grocery store one Thursday in March and saw empty shelves.  Even though our pantry wasn’t stocked enough for not going to the store, it was likely more stocked than other people’s, but I still panicked.  What if I can’t feed my family!  Thanks to this experience, there are several reasons why I’ll always keep a full pantry now.

Why I'll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now

Our Pantry Experience

Throughout our marriage, my husband and I have tried to keep a fairly decent pantry.  I just find it reassuring to know that if something happens, we have enough food for about two weeks.  However, I never wanted to keep more than that because I felt it was wastefully, and in my mind, I always thought, when would we ever need that much food?  After all, we don’t live in an area prone to any natural disasters.  But I was wrong.

Why I’ll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now

Sure, we are living in unprecedented times, but that just goes to prove that anything can happen.  I have learned this lesson, and I’m confident many other Americans have, too.

Why It’s Important to Keep a Full Pantry

There are several reasons why I’ll always keep a full pantry now.

Emergency Fund Money Can’t Buy

We all know that it’s wise to have at minimum a $1,000 emergency fund, but ideally an emergency fund of three to six months of living expenses.  However, a full pantry can also serve as its own emergency fund.

During the initial days of the virus, even if you went to the grocery store, there wasn’t much food available.  The shelves were empty.  (This is probably the first time for many of us to see the stores like this.)  Even though people had money to buy groceries, there simply weren’t groceries available to buy!

Why I'll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now
Photo by Richard Burlton on Unsplash

Although our pantry wasn’t as stocked as it should be, I was very thankful that we had our own food emergency fund that got us through the first couple of weeks when groceries were in short supply.

Why I'll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now
Photo by Martin Lostak on Unsplash

Stock Up at the Lowest Prices

When we’re not in times of crisis as we are now, having a full pantry allows you to stock up on groceries at the lowest prices.  Since our family has a number of food intolerances, we can’t eat the way typical Americans do.  We have to buy specialized foods that don’t contain a lot of preservatives, chemicals, gluten, or dairy.

I was able to keep our grocery bill lower by stocking up on our favorite items whenever they went on sale.  I would buy enough for the next six to eight weeks, which would be enough to last until the next sale.

Now that the virus is here, I’m no longer going to the grocery store but instead relying on pick up.  I can’t bargain hunt at several different stores for our favorite items now that those foods are running low in our pantry.

I’ve immediately noticed a several hundred dollar a month spike in our grocery bill.  This isn’t because we’re buying so much more but because my pantry is no longer stocked with items I bought on sale.  Instead, I have to buy them at full price.

Easier Meal Planning

A full pantry makes meal planning so much easier!  You can typically make a week or two worth of meals just with items that you already have in your house.  There’s no need to run to the store for an item or two that you’re missing to complete the recipe.  If you really can’t make one particular recipe without a certain ingredient, you have enough food to give you flexibility to choose a different recipe that you do have all the ingredients for.

Likewise, if you live in an area prone to winter storms or other challenging weather, it’s nice to have food available until you can get to the store again.

How to Avoid Waste in Your Pantry

I’ve explained why I’ll always keep a full pantry now, but with a full pantry comes responsibility.  If you don’t carefully build and use your pantry items, you could end up just wasting money by letting items go unused before their expiration dates.  Here’s how to care for your pantry so nothing goes to waste.

Mark and Order by Expiration Dates

Whenever I bring items into my pantry, I take a Sharpie pen and mark the expiration date in large print on the front and side of the item.  Then, I put the items on the shelf based on expiration date.  The oldest items come to the front, and the newest items go to the back.

Every month or so, I routinely check to see if any of the items need to be used up in the next month or two.  If so, I put them in a separate area of my pantry and focus on finding recipes for those items.

Only Buy Food You’ll Actually Eat

Most importantly, when building your pantry, only buy foods that you actually like.  I know a lot of people keep Spam and canned vegetables in their pantry because they both last a long time and are shelf stable.  But there is no Spam or canned veggies in my pantry because no one in my family likes them.

I only buy foods that I know we will like and eat.  That’s the biggest secret to avoiding waste.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know about all Americans, but the virus is one of the major reasons why I’ll always keep a full pantry now.  This situation has proven to me how important a well-stocked pantry is.  You truly never know what the future will bring.

I used to have a pantry challenge once or twice a year and try to completely eat down my pantry before buying new.  However, I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.  Having a well-stocked pantry all the time is much too important.

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: emergency fund, groceries, pantry

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

March 23, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

You’ve cut down on your electricity use, you’ve called all of your credit card companies to reduce your interest rates, you’ve stopped going out with friends.  You’ve cut every where you can cut, but money is still tight.  Next, you take a look at your grocery money.  Luckily, there are many ways to cut corners and still eat good, nutritious food.  Consider these healthy foods to buy when broke:

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

You’ll want to buy food that costs relatively little but packs a nutritional punch and also fills you up.  People tend to go for carbs because they’re the cheapest, but if you’re mostly eating carbs and not rounding out your meal with protein and vegetables, you will feel hungry and you won’t be eating nutritiously. Due to this, it’s great to use a Vitamin C supplement because it is cheap and provides health benefits.

Frugal Protein Sources

There are several inexpensive protein sources.

Eggs

Eggs are cheap, typically running 10 to 20 cents per egg.  In addition, they’re versatile and can be used for many different meals.  Better yet, each egg has 6 grams of protein, helping to satiate you.

Dry Beans

Dry beans typically cost $1 a pound and can be used in a wide variety of ways.  A staple in many cultures, dry beans contain typically 6 to 8 grams of protein per half cup cooked serving.  They also supply potassium and many other vitamins and minerals.

Peanut Butter

Healthy Foods to Eat When Broke
Photo by Olia Nayda on Unsplash

Peanut butter is routinely $2 to $4 per jar, and per 2 tablespoon serving, it has 8 grams of protein.  It’s also packed with potassium and fiber.  Plus, it tastes great!

Cheap, Nutritious Vegetables

Greens

Most greens are cheap.  Usually the cheapest one is kale.  Kale is full of fiber and packed with Vitamin C and K.  You can use it in any recipe as a replacement for spinach.

Spinach is a bit more pricey to buy fresh, but if you buy it frozen, you’re likely to find it for $1 to $2.  Keep in mind, frozen spinach is already cooked, and cooked spinach is much more dense than fresh.  Frozen is the way to go when your budget is tight.

Carrots

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke
Photo by Harshal S. Hirve on Unsplash

Carrots are full of beta-carotene, and you can usually buy them for less than $1 a pound.  Eat them raw, in soups, or spiralize them in place of noodles.

Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the most frugal vegetables in the store, typically selling for .39 to .99 cents a pound.  Like kale, it’s full of Vitamins K and C and fiber.

Healthy Starches

Rice

Brown rice typically costs around $1 to $2 a pound, but one pound can make many servings.  It can be served with almost any meal, and it has a healthy serving of fiber and B vitamins.

Potatoes

Potatoes are typically a frugal choice as they run .50 to $1 a pound.  While Russet potatoes are full of Vitamins B & C (if you eat them with the skin on), sweet potatoes are even more beneficial.  Like carrots, they are packed with beta-carotene and other vitamins, and they are full of fiber.  We love them roasted in the oven.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal contains many vitamins and fiber and tends to fill people up more than other grains.  It makes a perfect hot breakfast, or you can mix one part oats, one part milk, and a dash of maple syrup for a breakfast muesli.  Just refrigerate overnight and seve cold in the morning.

Final Thoughts

If you’re on a tight budget or looking to cut costs, rest assured that these healthy foods to buy when broke are nutritious and will keep you satiated and satisfied.

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food, frugal, groceries

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