I have to feed a family of 3 for 10 days on $65- what would you buy?

[DebLynn]

It's been tough recently with my husband unemployed for over 6 months, but thankfully my paycheck lets us get by. Unfortunately, after paying the bills this month, we have $65 left for groceries for the next two weeks until next payday. I plan to clean out my freezer, that will get us through 4 days. And we have cereal and pancakes- enough for 2 weeks of breakfast. This will leave us needing 10 days of lunch and dinner and $65 in the bank.

What would you buy to stretch the farthest? - I have pasta and rice, thankfully.

 

[jennyema]

Eggs
Dry Beans
Tortillas
Frozen vegetables
Canned tuna

Look for sale proteins. Large packs of chicken thighs are usually very cheap in my store and are very versatile. Sometimes ground turkey is BOGO -- also a versatile protein.

Obviously look for sales on other items

Ramen noodles fortified with frozen veggies isnt the worst thing to eat for lunch.

It's doable!!

 

[CWS4322]

Dried beans. After you soak them and cook them, you can make a vegetarian chili, serve it over rice (you'll need canned tomatoes). You can also grind some and add to ground beef to stretch the beef for hamburgers, meatballs, or meatloaf. If you can afford a whole chicken (or two--it takes just as long to roast 2 as it does one--I noticed Price Chopper has whole chickens on for $1.29/lb, but there might be a better price at another store), roast the chickens, have chicken one night, use the bones to make stock and make a chicken soup/stew from the stock and some of the leftover meat. Chicken pot pie out of the rest of the meat or chicken spaghetti. Buy milk, peanut butter, and eggs. You can always do scrambled eggs for "breakfast for supper." What canned goods do you have?

Check for fresh produce on the discount rack. You can make apples into applesauce.

Good luck. And, if there is a local food bank, see if you can get some of the staples there. That's what food banks are for--to help.

 

[Sprout]

You already have the rice and beans and rice make a complete protein, so you can skip the meat in meals with both. Buy some dried beans and cook them up in a big pot or crock pot with salt, onion & maybe garlic & use them for several dishes. Do you have spices? If you like spicy, serrano chiles are usually pretty cheap. 1 or 2 would add some heat and flavor to a whole pot of beans and probably run you about 50 cents or less. Serve beans and rice once or twice, blend some into refried beans & serve in tortillas with rice & frozen fajita veggies, make some into bean soup. Split pea soup is really cheap. Try to find ham on sale to add, or get a small container of ham base if you like ham in your pea soup. If not use chicken stock/broth/base/boullion. If you get a whole package of chicken thighs or legs like Jennyema suggested, you can cut the meat off the bone, then boil the bones to make the stock for your soup. You can also make chicken and rice soup with the stock. Onions, celery, and carrots are usually pretty cheap and add a lot of flavor when you're limited on ingredients. Things like chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad are easy to make and fairly cheap and tasty lunches. You can go lots of cheap ways with the pasta. Oil and spices (if you have them already), make your own tomato based pasta sauces, minestrone-type soup with chicken broth, frozen veggies, a can of tomatoes, and some pasta.

 

[Sprout]

Oh, and I hope things get better soon. Prayers and positive thoughts coming your way!

 

[Addie]

Ramen noodles fortified with frozen veggies isn't the worst thing to eat for lunch. It's doable!!

You can add to them, left over chicken or even canned chicken, any leftover meat from the previous night, other inexpensive canned meat you can find on the shelves, shirred eggs, add a bullion cube or two and double the broth, if you use canned veggies, make sure you use the broth that comes with them to stretch the broth, and last but not least. Those reliable breakfast standbys. Pancakes and French toast. If you have flour and a good recipe, make your own pancakes. My kids always liked sugar on their pancakes and FT. Saved on buying expensive syrup. They also like to make sandwiches with them by putting PB&J on one and folding it in half. I also have found over the years, by having the butter soft, they tended to use less when they spread the butter than when they cut off a chunk. Eggs, bread and potatoes can be spread to feed a family for at least two meals.

My mother was a child of the Depression and I was born at the tail end of it. So a lot of meals my mother made were the ones that kept her family going during the Depression. Save all trimmings for soup stock. Then toss all leftovers into the pot. Search the market for bruised veggies. All markets have a section for them. If there is no mold, then just cut out the bruised part, cut up and toss into the pot. collect all bones from a previous meal, and as long as they haven't been gnawed on, toss them into the pot. Waste nothing. Keep the pot on a back burner with a low simmer and I guarantee you will have a soup that will wow your family. Happy Cooking!

 

[Alix]

I'd look for marked down turkeys or chickens etc. You can make several meals out of one bird.

1 roasted
2 pot pie
3 hot turkey sandwich
4 enchiladas
5 soup
6 stew

One big birdie can feed you for a LONG time. And the stock will be useful for making other things with lentils, beans, etc. (See above posts for ideas)

I find a large ham is also helpful. Same sorts of things, but you can use it for lunches etc.

Rice rice and more rice. Filling, cheap (usually) and can be combined with so many things to make a filling meal.

In Costa Rica, the staples are corn, rice, beans and coffee and the prices are regulated so everyone can eat. Use that as your guide and you should be able to do just about anything. Good luck and prayers for easier times ahead.

 

[Addie]

And, if there is a local food bank, see if you can get some of the staples there. That's what food banks are for--to help.

I live about two minutes from our local food bank. And in today's economy, you see families going in the door that you never thought would need their services. And they are showing up every week. And there has been a tremendous increase in those needing assistance. The food bank has had to extend their hours. The funny thing is that you see mothers going in the door with kids in tow. Dad is waiting outside to help with the bundles. Each family gets two large bags full of groceries. And if there are more than two children, they get a gallon of milk also.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I am with Alix, look for a turkey!

Also a 10pound bag of chicken leg quarters is usually a good buy, FRESH eggs, a big sack of potatoes. If you are a baker I would also go with a bag of flour and some baking powder, margarine etc...

I also agree on hitting the food pantry. Most of them will give you a three day emergency supply with no questions asked. Some will want to see a utility bill to verify residency. Check with them first and use the cash to fill in the holes.

Check with your children's schools to see about free breakfast and lunch on an emergency basis.

The biggest thing is to make the calls.

If no one knows they can't help!

 

[Steve Kroll]

Most bang for the buck...

1. 1 lb. pasta, a can of diced tomatoes, and a head of lettuce makes pasta with a side salad. You can feed a family of three for under $5 and have enough food left for reheated lunches the next day.

2. It costs 50-75 cents to make a loaf of bread from scratch. Buy an inexpensive roast and make your own deli sandwiches.

3. As stated above, you simply cannot beat beans and rice for nutrition at very little cost. You can also make it many different ways. Some of our family's favorites are Mexican style black beans, pintos with canned pineapple chunks, or Cajun Red Beans & Rice.

4. Eggs and fried potatoes.

 

[DebLynn]

OMG! Thank you for these suggestions and good wishes! We've always donated to food banks, but never went to one. We might call for this situation, though if we have to.

I live in Connecticut where groceries are insanely expensive, but i just saw 12 chicken legs for $2.42 at Stop&Shop! That's 2 meals.

I never made dried beans before. But I love them cooked the way my mom used to make them. I will try your recipes and try a batch over rice on the weekend.

 

[Aunt Bea]

OMG! Thank you for these suggestions and good wishes! We've always donated to food banks, but never went to one. We might call for this situation, though if we have to.

I live in Connecticut where groceries are insanely expensive, but i just saw 12 chicken legs for $2.42 at Stop&Shop! That's 2 meals.

I never made dried beans before. But I love them cooked the way my mom used to make them. I will try your recipes and try a batch over rice on the weekend.

Don't wait on calling the food bank!

Call now while you still have some options.

This is a once in a lifetime situation for you but it's an everyday situation for the folks at the food bank.

Make the call!

 

[betterthanabox]

These are some meals that I make when things are running low in the bank account:

Potato soup: diced potatoes, celery, onion, milk, and butter

Casseroles: Tuna Noodle, Chicken and noodles. They also make a nice lunch the next day.

Pasta dishes: I can get a box of pasta for less than a dollar, and two big cans of whole tomatoes for around $2. I toss the tomatoes in a pot with the juice, add some spices, and let it cook down into a nice sauce. If it isn't thick, I add some of the starch from the pasta water.

Breakfast for dinner

Mac & Cheese

Here is a website that has a lot of ideas to get you going. $45 Emergency Menu for 4 to 6 | Hillbilly Housewife

A church may be another avenue to help you get some more food on the table. Talk with some of your family and close friends, you may find that you get a dinner invitation with leftovers sent home!

Also, I find that praying helps. When things have been the tightest, that is when I have relied on the Lord the most, and I have to say he has always provided.

Good Luck!

 

[lyndalou]

You have a lot of good suggestions. Don't forget the food bank!

We will be thinking of you and your family and pray that things get better for you very soon.

 

[buckytom]

some really great ideas here.

most supermarkets near me have a cart or table just past the produce aisle with packages of marked down produce. it's not the freshest stuff in the world, but if you look carefully you can get some decent things at an unbelievable price. large bunches of grapes, or peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, bananas, root veggies, and so on, with each package under $2.
since i feed my birds a lot of fruit and veggies, i pick up a couple of things every week from that table to save a few bucks. again, not everything is worth it as some is only a day or two away from spoiling, but other packages contain things that may have a few blemishes but are otherwise good to eat.

for actual meal ideas, two of the least expensive things that we cook are linguini in clam sauce, and a chicken and veggie stir fry with rice.

for the linguini, all you'll need is a little butter, garlic, a few cans of inexpensive chopped clams, grated cheese, and linguini. you can easily make enough for 4 large portions for $6 or $7, right around your budget.

hth.

 

[GLC]

I think there's a good reason you keep seeing potatoes on the list. They're the classic filler-upper, along with rice. (It's said that rice is the only food everyone can eat every day and never tire of. I haven't tested the proposition yet.) And I figure that, if you have more time than money, it's worth working out interesting/satisfying meals that don't feel like end-of-the-month menus. One suggestion was home-baking bread. I think that's a good one. For most folks, warm, fresh-baked bread feels like a luxury, and you hear them say things like they could make a whole meal of it. But it's true. Flour is inexpensive and doubly so in larger bags. I think I could live on fresh bread and potato soup for a while.

For that matter, nothing says pizza has to have expensive cheese (or any cheese, for that matter). Flour is cheap. Canned tomatoes are cheap. It doesn't take much cheese to feel like a complete pizza. And some inexpensive ground pork makes it a meat pizza. And digging into about an 18-inch pizza doesn't feel at all like the wolf is at the door.

Sure pasta's cheap. But what's the thrill in buying and cooking pasta? It's just flour and water or eggs. Homemade fresh pasta? Another luxury and cost almost nothing.

And, hey. I know around here it's grits and just corn meal. But it's just as well to call it polenta and cook it long with milk and add a bit of cheese or top it with a mess of that ground pork cooked up and thickened with flour.

That said, do check the food bank, but call (2-1-1 will have the information), because many food banks have particular times or days when they feature perishables, like fruits, fresh meat, and vegetables.

And this may or may not be to your taste and inclination. We have a friend who, by choice, not necessity, regularly haunts the back of a local Whole Foods and picks up tons of good vegetables being thrown out merely because the outer leaves and such are a bit beyond the look they want in the produce bins. What she and her husband don't eat goes to the animals.

But overall, I think that when you fall on these times, it's at least as important to feed your head as your stomach. Make the attitude not "all I can fix for that much is this." Make it, "Look what you can fix for this!" It's really, really important to feel, at least for a while, that things aren't so bad, if we're eating this good. An awful lot of people would be thrilled to have $65 to spend on food. We'd probably all do well, from time to time, to see just how good we can eat on very little.

 

[Zhizara]

I didn't see anyone mention it, but apply for food stamps, your hubby can do this. It's usually easy to do, and in some places, even on-line. They treat you with dignity and are there for just such cases as this.

 

[snickerdoodle]

There really is some wonderful advice on this thread! I've been in your position before and I approched it as a challenge that I was determined to conquer; and I did! I honed a recipe for Southwestern Bean Soup during that time that you might like to try:

1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney or pinto beans
1 c. frozen corn
1 can broth (chicken, veggie or beef)
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1 T. brown sugar

Just combine it all and let it bubble for awhile. If you happen to have cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips, they make a great garnish but it's definitely good as-is.

Bean and cheese quesadillas are cheap if you go light on the cheese and/or get it cheap.

Whole chickens were my friend. I could get 2 meals out of it for our family of 5 (3 small children) and then made soup from the carcass.

Oh, also, you might check out the Hillbilly Housewife website. She has "emergency" menus created to fit very tight budgets.

Hang in there!

 

[CWS4322]

Homemade flour tortillas are easy to do. No special equipment needed. Also, if you don't have time to make bread, homemade biscuits are easy and inexpensive to make. You can "make" buttermilk by adding vinegar or lemon juice or cream of tartar to the milk. Not having $ to spend as one wishes on groceries does usually force a person to become more creative. Our local butcher has "dog bones" (beef) that are inexpensive or free. I roast these and make beef stock.

With Christmas approaching, a lot more people are going to food pantries. Don't delay, they can run out of food as well.

 

[Addie]

I didn't see anyone mention it, but apply for food stamps, your hubby can do this. It's usually easy to do, and in some places, even on-line. They treat you with dignity and are there for just such cases as this.

Absolutely, food stamps. Because I am only one of three residents in the building that have a computer, and I have worked for our state government in the past, I know my way around the system. So I have helped many of the residents apply right on line. You can get the information of what documentation you need, fill out and print the application, and fax everything to their offices. The fax number is there on line with all the other information. If your priinter does not have a fax, you can go to any UPS, FedEx or Copy company and for a small fee they will fax it for you. In this state, they must respond within 30 days. You will probably not even have to go there in person. In fact, they prefer that you don't have a need to do so. I have been on food stamps for more than four years now, and have yet to meet the worker that has my file. I haven't even talk to that person on the phone. In this state, along with your land line phone, they now consider a cell phone a necessity. So you will need proof of a phone, utility bills, (lights, heating, gas, medical, etc.) We (residents of my state) are also allowed to have the cost of an auto included in necessary expenses. (How else can you look for a job.) I receive $168 a month in stamps. And that is for a single person who receives subsidized housing. (Elderly) If you have a home computer, I would suggest you only print out the necessary pages of instructions. Ours is 12 pages long. And you won't need to print out the whole application either. Some of it is for care of an elderly person living in the home, disabled child, disabled veteran, etc. Look the application over carefully. It is usually in Adobe form and you can see the pages before you print them out.

I wish I could be there to help you out with the process. Unfortunately, because you are now the main breadwinner, you will be listed as 'head of household'. "OUCH" Not the thing an unemployed man wants to see or hear. And I do understand.

One more word of advice. All states has the power to check into your bank accounts statewide, any child support payment received from a former spouse, and all other means of income. AND THEY DO CHECK. Every so often my state does some housecleaning, and will run all the names of recipients through their resources and comes up with cheaters. I am not saying that you or your husband would do such a thing. For a lot of people, it is hard to ask for help. I understand. Good luck and I will keep you and your family in my prayers and thoughts. Let us know how you make out.