Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Amberjem]

the dollar store has been carrying seasonings in bulk containers though growing herbs n spices is handy also..I am trying to find a good source for jars for infused oils n such that are resealable and usable and not clear for storing purposes..

 

[nayeli]

It's hard to eat on $2.50 a day. Even harder to do it healthily. 1 lb cheapest ground beef $3.29. 1 can light red kidney beans $.79. 1can diced tomatoes $.70. 1can corn $.79. 1pack chili mix $.75. 1bag tortilla chips $1 to sprinkle in with it. Cheddar cheese $1.79. All this is store brand no name brands allowed. It lasts three days. Only coffee for breakfast and if you ignore your hunger and eat it at 3pm then you won't have to worry about dinner. It should hold you over till the next day.

I will have $2.50 a day but since there is 2 of us that makes it easier... It means $5 a day, which means buying things in "bulk" won't completely destroy the budget!

I'm definately planning a lot of rice, beans, etc to go along with cheap meats, veggies, etc.

 

[Outpost JWB]

Pasta is definitely the cheapest around here. I always check the clearance section at the grocery and buy up any dented boxes or cans. They mark them down 1/2 off. I get a box of spaghetti that will be used in 2 nights dinner for 50cents for 3 people. I know it's not the healthiest, but once in a while doesn't hurt.

I also buy clearance cereal this way. Most of the time the box is dented or it is very close to it's expiration date.

 

[perchie.girl]

Pasta is definitely the cheapest around here. I always check the clearance section at the grocery and buy up any dented boxes or cans. They mark them down 1/2 off. I get a box of spaghetti that will be used in 2 nights dinner for 50cents for 3 people. I know it's not the healthiest, but once in a while doesn't hurt.

I also buy clearance cereal this way. Most of the time the box is dented or it is very close to it's expiration date.

Here the grocery store I go to is called Food 4 Less. they have extensive Mexican food selections I buy the small one meal packages for like fifty cents. And if you can read a little spanish there are other things that can be purchased... Like spices. for half sometimes a quarter of the prices of Name brands. just dump em in your own containers.

for instance I bought a celophane package of cloves for about 2 dollars.... the name brands are three and four bucks.

If you are going to use inexpensive meat and ingredients Its to your advantage to buy lots of seasonings to vary up the flavor.

I do stir fry occasionally ... less often than I would like. but I do it when I can sneak it past Grandma... But I bought a whole hand of ginger about two years ago. popped it in a freezer bag and anytime I need ginger I pull it out of the bag and grate it frozen. till i get enough. then pop it back in the bag and back to the freezer... Portion control... and I havent a clue as to when I will have to buy another ginger hand.

Same goes for lemon. when you use lemon for seasoning freeze that peeling... you never know when you might need lemon peel to season something

deb

 

[nayeli]

Pasta is definitely the cheapest around here. I always check the clearance section at the grocery and buy up any dented boxes or cans. They mark them down 1/2 off. I get a box of spaghetti that will be used in 2 nights dinner for 50cents for 3 people. I know it's not the healthiest, but once in a while doesn't hurt.

I also buy clearance cereal this way. Most of the time the box is dented or it is very close to it's expiration date.

I have never seen clearance pasta at my grocery stores. I will only pay $1 to $1.50 for it though. I get cereal for $2-$2.50 but again it isn't clearance just on sale. I've even seen cereal on sale for $1 for a healthy brand!

 

[wyoDreamer]

A lot of the suggestions are good, I want to try to make my own chili beans and can them up in pint jars. And I am going to look into getting an industrial sized can of tomatoes and recan them into quart jars also.
There is a lot that I will buy lower priced, but not spices. I buy good quality spices because the flavor is so much better and I like the fresh, clean taste I get from them.
$3.65 ground beef is probably 75/25 or even 70/30, which is just too much fat for me. that greasy taste is just not appetizing to me. I no longer buy ground pork because it is way too fatty. I purchase pork loins, portion them out in 1 pound packages, freeze and grind my own pork when I need it. Like right now when I need to make Italian sausage for pizza at halftime. I have Italian sausage seasoning and will make a really lean sausage. I have gotten to the point of using a napkin to soak up some of the grease off the frozen pizzas after baking.

 

[oldrooster]

Quote:
Most chili beans are just red kidney beans with chili powder to the best of my knowledge, so you could just can kidney beans and ad more chili powder to your chili.

 

[donrae]

Arielle, I'm very like minded on the carbs. Was just in the hospital for chemo...and steroids. Of course my sugars went up. They have a carb count on the menu and I kept my carbs low, but that wigged everyone out. The idea seemed to be "eat what you want and we'll cover you with insulin". Uhh....no thank you. My poor abused body has a hard enough time processing sugars correctly. Every time they give me steroids I'm afraid it's going to tip me over into type 2.

My honey has lost 50lbs and dropped his A1C down to a normal level doing low carb.
My mother has controlled adult onset seizure disorder with low carb.
Plus, it makes meals so much easier! Like you said, meat and lots of veggies and good fats, no worry about fixing side dishes.
My teenage boys actually fill up on a lower carb diet. We keep some carbs for them, but they're not at all filling. The same boy who would literally eat almost an entire box of cereal will top out at 2 big bowls of chili.

 

[LindaB220]

Arielle, I'm very like minded on the carbs. Was just in the hospital for chemo...and steroids. Of course my sugars went up. They have a carb count on the menu and I kept my carbs low, but that wigged everyone out. The idea seemed to be "eat what you want and we'll cover you with insulin". Uhh....no thank you. My poor abused body has a hard enough time processing sugars correctly. Every time they give me steroids I'm afraid it's going to tip me over into type 2.

My honey has lost 50lbs and dropped his A1C down to a normal level doing low carb.
My mother has controlled adult onset seizure disorder with low carb.
Plus, it makes meals so much easier! Like you said, meat and lots of veggies and good fats, no worry about fixing side dishes.
My teenage boys actually fill up on a lower carb diet. We keep some carbs for them, but they're not at all filling. The same boy who would literally eat almost an entire box of cereal will top out at 2 big bowls of chili.

Now this is interesting. My youngest daughter has seizures caused by medication taken years ago. Every time she tries to get off the seizure medication, she does fine for about 8 months and BANG, starts up again. This was caused by taking Wellbutrin for depression at least 12 years ago. Some gifts just keep on giving. I wonder if this might help her. Hope you're doing okay.

 

[nayeli]

A lot of the suggestions are good, I want to try to make my own chili beans and can them up in pint jars. And I am going to look into getting an industrial sized can of tomatoes and recan them into quart jars also.
There is a lot that I will buy lower priced, but not spices. I buy good quality spices because the flavor is so much better and I like the fresh, clean taste I get from them.
$3.65 ground beef is probably 75/25 or even 70/30, which is just too much fat for me. that greasy taste is just not appetizing to me. I no longer buy ground pork because it is way too fatty. I purchase pork loins, portion them out in 1 pound packages, freeze and grind my own pork when I need it. Like right now when I need to make Italian sausage for pizza at halftime. I have Italian sausage seasoning and will make a really lean sausage. I have gotten to the point of using a napkin to soak up some of the grease off the frozen pizzas after baking.

I rarely ever pick up ground beef.. I would if I could find it raised locally but it disgusts me that my ground beef contains meat from 100's of cows! No wonder there is meat bourne illness, any of the MANY cows in your ground beef could carry it! Just grosses me out!