First off, let me state the limitations of our budget. The $25 does not include any paper, cleaning or other household products, any eating out, or coffee. The grocery budget is literally only for groceries. Now that the "rules" are clear here's what we do to come out under budget:
- Buy generic. Neither of us has an ounce of brand loyalty and frankly we almost never can taste a difference between generic and name brand. Ok, last week I picked up a big box of generic cheerios for $2 and SO claimed they tasted like cardboard but I bet that would have been true for name brand cheerios too (I thought they tasted like cheerios). This week SO picked the cereal and we have name brand Frosted Flakes that were two for $5 and we bought at CVS to use up extra care bucks and paid nothing out of pocket for. I think they taste like crunchy sugar but it will be my turn again when we run out of cereal.
- Know your basics and stock up when they go on sale. We eat lots of pasta, rice, beans, and canned tomatoes all of which have a long shelf life. The generic prices of these staples are pretty stable so when we see something cheaper we stock up a bit. By having some very basic staples around you can pretty much cook around what other things are on sale in a given week which is especially useful for buying produce.
- Find the best place to shop. We pretty much do all of our shopping for groceries in two places - the cheap grocery store and the weekly produce market. We lucked out that we're about a half mile walk from both. Poke around your neighborhood and compare prices on your staples. Consider coupon policies if you use them (I don't) and the distance you'll have to travel. Check out your local open air markets. We find we can get a great deal showing up just before closing and buying what's left.
- No impulse buys. Impulse buys are a great way to blow your budget. Okay, maybe we have them occaisionally, but they are along the lines of a bizarre 25 cent clearance item than a $6 gallon of ice cream. $6 would completely kill our budget for a week.
- Cook at home and from scratch. We buy almost no processed foods which can be expensive. This also leads us to eat healthier. Our meals basically are some combination of carb, protein and a pile of vegetables. So one night we might have a curry with brown rice, chick peas, onions, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro. Having the basic formula allows us to use up whatever is in the fridge or on the shelf with very little waste.
- Cook nearly vegetarian. Meat is a rare purchase for us and I don't really miss it. We use beans, eggs, tofu, TVP, and other vegetarian options in our meals instead. Beans and a whole grain form a complete protein so don't worry about missing out just because you don't have chicken at every meal. I'd also suggest trying different kinds of beans. Our staples include kidney, black, garbanzo, and cannellini, but neither of us is a big fan of pinto.
- Buy spices at CVS. CVS sells all of your favorite spices for $.99 per jar. My dad claims their recent $.88 sale will be permanent, the new price, but either way it's way cheaper than grocery store prices.
- Reusable bags. Our grocery store gives us $.05 back per reusable bag we bring. CVS will also give you a $1 coupon for every four visits you make with a reusable bag that has their green bag tag on it. So we might get almost a dollar back every two weeks by bringing our own bags. It's about 2% of our budget. It seems silly but the yuppie bags (as we call them) are also a lot easier and more comfortable to carry walking the half mile home from the store. Plus, I like free money.
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$25 a week is pretty ridiculous. I hate cooking and usually end up eating sandwiches and cereal if I have to make something myself. Major props for being able to sustain this habit.
ReplyDeletePaul - Left to my own devices I might have cereal, sandwiches, and ice cream for every meal. My SO is big into cooking (especially breakfast which I found ridiculous at first) and cooking for two really helps make it more fun and worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and links. I've tried to stay within the $20-$25 a week range in the past but I wasn't doing much cooking, mainly eating cereal, deli meats and sandwiches, and fruit.
ReplyDeleteI'm moving to a new city a few weeks and might give this challenge a try, using 30 Bucks a Week as reference to what to cook.
living in Canada and we are more than likley more expensive to live , My son and i live on a budget from 90-100 dolllars a month, and we have good meals, sorry that is pure laziness, I am frugal and any deals i stock up, but a meat plan for under 50 a moth that my son and i split on, and i buy an extra 5-7 prepackeged hamburg, which is split again in half,
DeleteYou mentioned spices at CVS. Depending on where you live (your goegraphic region and the size of your town), look for ethnic markets -- these often sell spices and produce at a nice price.
ReplyDeletePaula - That's a great tip. We've had success with ethnic markets for spices CVS doesn't carry like curry, tumeric, or cumin.
ReplyDeleteSo glad I found this post! I've been struggling with my food budget! Hmm Beans excellent idea, and you really don't miss meat?
ReplyDeleteAlmost Famous - I don't miss meat, but my SO occasionally does. We'll sometimes buy bacon or fish, but just not regularly.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are doing very well on the program. Good luck, it seems you are doing pretty awesome so far! I'll have to check out CVS, I've never shopped there for groceries.
ReplyDeleteMoney Reasons - Thanks! Just to clarify, we don't buy real groceries at CVS most of the time; it's usually just spices.
ReplyDeleteYeah, CVS is generally too expensive for groceries. I'm surprised the spices are that cheap. I'm actually going to start growing my own herbs to save on that. A seed cost less then a quarter and if you care for the plant you'll have herbs for years. (Or at least a year, I'm not sure how long they last but you can always get the seeds, re-plant and grow another one).
DeleteThis is a good idea. With Dollar Tree now selling food, including frozen ones, it is easier to try to do.
ReplyDeleteI graduated with a MBA degree two years ago from a top 100 school (not Top 5), but I only had to borrow my living costs. Food was one thing that was hard to not spend on. Your food budget will be dictated by your social budget sadly.
If you can study on your own as much as possible, you can cook. If you cook for others, you can save money!
Yeah I'm having that problem in school right now. All my friends want to go out for lunch EVERYDAY but they're parents pay for and can afford for them to do that. I'm completely on my own and I feel out casted. But if I eat out with them I can't buy dinner for the rest of the week. In a way I suppose it's good that I'm taking a break and won't be in those awkward situations.
DeleteUnbelievable. Your weekly budget is what some people can blow in a day! I noticed you don't eat much meat. Can we generalize and say veggie eaters are healthier and possibly have healthier wallets, too? Great job!
ReplyDeleteYou made my day. My husband and I have been at $25/week for a while (no debt doctorate is the goal), and sometimes I think we're crazy to try it (I don't know anyone who's even close to that.) It's not fun, exactly, but we eat well. The hardest part is hosting friends and family; there's not a lot of leeway in the budget for that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm totally checking cvs for spices now... never heard that before. (Oh, found you on Get Rich Slowly. Good luck with the MBA!)
anyone can host company, slow cooker or a good pot of home made stew, or a pan of lasagna and garlic bread
DeleteCongrats on setting and fulfilling this goal. I have to admit that Cheerios are the only item we buy non-generic. Other food items and even cereals are fine but Cheerios have a unique flavor that's worth buying the real deal. :)
ReplyDeleteHow can you even get close to the low daily recommendation of 64 grams of protein a day?
ReplyDelete64 is a bare minimum for me, with 90-100g as a preferred "low protein" day. But I lift weights to maintain a modicum of strength, fitness, and health. So, sure, if I want to give up health for a few bucks, this is doable...
6 farmer eggs + 1 can wild caught sardines per day (this provides 45-50g protein) is roughly $25 a week on its own, and that's just for one person. Getting this much protein from beans = waaaay too many carbs & anti-nutrients.
I agree protein is important. Recommendation is .8 grams per kg of body weight. My weight is 140 so I should have 50 g of protein per day. If you work out lifting weights a lot or have a physically labor intensive job, you need extra protein to assist in tissue repair and to sustain your muscle. I try to have at least two eggs (24 g protein), half cup of beans (6 grams of protein), some nuts or seeds as a snack (5 g), and 1 cup of milk (12 g protein). For budget reasons, I only eat meat 2 x per week and only if I can find it for $2.50 or less per lb. When I eat meat, I don't eat the seeds or nuts to keep my daily cost down. Minneapolis is expensive. Meat here is $4.50 a lb, unless you buy in bulk, more than 1 lb bulk quantity. I haven't had enough money left over each week to do that.
DeleteHmmm...I don't see any produce on the list, or frozen vegetables/fruit for that matter.
ReplyDeleteSure you can spend $25/week on groceries, but assuming you sustain yourself on refined crap, you will pay in the long run with diseases such as diabetes .
I agree with gg. I ended up with worse hypoglycemia when eating pasta all the time. And even beans are not good. You will kills yourselves on this budget, no doubt about it. May not show up now, just wait until you're older.
ReplyDeleteI have tried this several times $25 a week and it does work.
ReplyDeletewe lock out on our $1-2-3 sales, my bread comes from either the dollar store or if lucky our bakery has a discount store 50 cents a loaf, hot dog buns and hamburg buns as well. contact our grocers to see what days they mark the meat down, like i just got 10 chicken breast good size for under 10.00. veg even no name 2-1.00.potatoes on sale a toonie, and i live in canada
DeleteI'm sorry, I can't imagine one person eating SIX eggs in one setting. Maybe these are two different diets/budgets. Jeff M., you mentioned lifting weights. There are different ways to exercise and eat. I'm assuming the couple on a budget aren't weight-lifting body builders.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! My husband and I have been trying to budget our weekly groceries now for a while and it is one of the hardest things to do! We have a 9 month old so he is also eating what we eat. What are some meal ideas for 25 a week? I draw blanks when it comes to cheap meals for a whole week!
ReplyDelete, i use my slow cooker alot for more tougher meats, and they come out lovely, I use alot of hamburg, stew, hamburg gravy, shepherds pie, hamburger helper, meat loaf., cihicken many ideas, BBQ sauce, thighs and a can of mushroom soup or cream of chicken,
Deletemy biggest deal is the loin rols you can cut up for pork chops, stews, roast, bbq tenders, i can make that last almost a month not a problem, From canada, lol you would never survive in canada
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Generic canned veggies have corn syrup in it. Please read ingredients you might be surprised.
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I've been living off $10 a week for the past few months, you keep saying we so I'm guessing you live with someone. This sounds about right. I do most of my shopping at Aldi, and have to walk too.
ReplyDeleteWe have just recently started a budget of $25/week for groceries. I am glad to hear that the budget does not include things like toilet paper or laundry detergent, because there is no way we could live off a $25/week budget. As for fresh fruit and veggies, I just went to kroger and bought a bag of carrots for 88 cents and a cucumber for 62 cents. We have frozen strawberries in our freezer that we bought a few cartons when they were $1 each. So, it is possible to live off this sort of budget and still eat healthy. And just to really wow everyone...we are a family of 5. We also have friends (a family of 4) who live off this budget too and have been doing so for a few years. The key to it...buy on sale, only on sale and stock up when you can. Also, plant a garden and visit local churchs with food pantries. That REALLY helps a lot.
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