Food Budgeting...$130 in 18 days

[Gibson486]

what's the best method of defrosting meat? if i'm not in a hurry, i'll put it in the frdige, but that can take 2 days.

when i'm in a hurry, i'll bath it in cool water in the sink - i'm just not sure how smart that is...

leave it out for an hour or two?

 

[rcpratt]

what's the best method of defrosting meat? if i'm not in a hurry, i'll put it in the frdige, but that can take 2 days.

when i'm in a hurry, i'll bath it in cool water in the sink - i'm just not sure how smart that is...

Move what you're going to use from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Take it out of the fridge 3-5 hours before you're going to use it.

Or, put it in the fridge two days before, then you can probably get by with only an hour out of the fridge you can't get it out 3-5 hours before.

 

[JTsyo]

I usually leave it in water to defrost. But I like to cut it while it still a bit frozen, otherwise it gets really slick.

 

[Modelworks]

what's the best method of defrosting meat? if i'm not in a hurry, i'll put it in the frdige, but that can take 2 days.

when i'm in a hurry, i'll bath it in cool water in the sink - i'm just not sure how smart that is...

Microwave.
There is no such thing as low, med, high temperatures on a microwave oven , they are either on or off. It is just based on how long they stay on before turning off then back on so you have to find what is right for your oven.
For me on something like ground beef , 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off works well.

 

[rcpratt]

Microwave.
There is no such thing as low, med, high temperatures on a microwave oven , they are either on or off. It is just based on how long they stay on before turning off then back on so you have to find what is right for your oven.
For me on something like ground beef , 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off works well.

Ugh, microwave defrosted meat is disgusting. Ten times better if you just let it thaw.

 

[Slew Foot]

Oh I know... hence my "shens"
I mean fresh fruit and veggies are off the charts expensive.
We don't even buy many "luxury" items when it comes to groceries and we are $120+ per week.

Fruits and veggies are dirt cheap at Asian grocery stores.

 

[Modelworks]

Ugh, microwave defrosted meat is disgusting. Ten times better if you just let it thaw.

You cannot tell the difference if it is done correctly. I've tested it with people. The problem is people letting the auto defrost crap do it .

 

[Homerboy]

You cannot tell the difference if it is done correctly. I've tested it with people. The problem is people letting the auto defrost crap do it .

often though the edges of the meat will end up getting cooked a bit, while the center is still nearly rock hard.

 

[xanis]

If you get the right stuff, yes.

Ground turkey/beef + chicken + pasta + rice will serve as a good base for LOADS of meals.

 

[rcpratt]

You cannot tell the difference if it is done correctly. I've tested it with people. The problem is people letting the auto defrost crap do it .

Maybe. But it takes far less work and is impossible to screw up if you just let it thaw.

 

[ivan2]

Buy Ramen, lots of them.

And eggs.

 

[wheresmybacon]

shens
You cook for 3 people for $90 every 2+ weeks?
Shit. My family of 4 spends $20 in MILK that often.

Yeah there's no way, at least not in America. Maybe if you live in a developing country or something...

 

[preCRT]

Check out the slickdeals grocery forum, you are missing out on tons of food that is free or cheap after coupon [either internet printed or from Sunday inserts].

i.e. Stop & Shop, Giant & Shaws all have Bumble Bee pouch tuna for 99¢ or $1.00 currently. Last week's Sunday papers had coupons for 55¢ off one pouch, those above mentioned stores double coupons = free tuna. You can always find extra insert coupons in recycle piles or buy them in bulk from online sources.

 

[ahenkel]

I have a 200 a month food budget, and I eat low carb it's possible for sure.

 

[shopbruin]

Check out the slickdeals grocery forum, you are missing out on tons of food that is free or cheap after coupon [either internet printed or from Sunday inserts].

i.e. Stop & Shop, Giant & Shaws all have Bumble Bee pouch tuna for 99¢ or $1.00 currently. Last week's Sunday papers had coupons for 55¢ off one pouch, those above mentioned stores double coupons = free tuna. You can always find extra insert coupons in recycle piles or buy them in bulk from online sources.

Sigh, I miss double coupons. None of the grocery stores around here double. I had it down to a frickin science in LA, before Ralphs started locking down their double coupon policies.

"Why did you buy Pizza rolls?"
"THEY WERE FREE AFTER COUPON!!!"

 

[guyver01]

shens
You cook for 3 people for $90 every 2+ weeks?
Shit. My family of 4 spends $20 in MILK that often.

Less.

2 days ago went food shopping... $70.. that will last 2 weeks

 

[ElFenix]

I agree with guyver. Buy meat in bulk, freeze it. Thaw and cook when you want, saving leftovers.

My typical week:
Cook 3 lbs of ground beef - Monday. Cook 1 lb into taco meat. Eat burritos
Tuesday - Fajitas with taco meat
Wednesday - Meat sauce pasta
Thursday - Hamburger helper
Friday - something else with ground beef in it.

You want to use a few main ingredients and add to them to make them more interesting.

Tips:
Frozen chicken breasts
Ground beef
Rice
Beans
Potatoes
Pasta (of any kind)

I've gone a month on 150 dollars, its pretty easy to do 2 weeks.

the 3 lb tube is about alternator size, isn't it?

Less.

2 days ago went food shopping... $70.. that will last 2 weeks

iirc there was an ATOT or maybe P&N challenge to spend less than $50 a month in food. seems you're spending ~$45 a person. you win.

 

[Mo0o]

Um... this doesnt seem very difficult, especially with all the snacks you have on hand. Get ramen, a bag of rice, frozen vegetables, canned tuna, eggs and hamburger helper.

 

[bfdd]

If you need more than 5 dollars a day to feed yourself you're doing something wrong. Yesterday I fed myself, 3 meals, cost me less than 5 dollars.

 

[guyver01]

iirc there was an ATOT or maybe P&N challenge to spend less than $50 a month in food. seems you're spending ~$45 a person. you win.

It really isn't all that difficult. You need to comparison shop and plan your meals in advance.

The local King Soopers had boneless chicken thighs on sale .. $1.29/lb... bought three packs... $10... and that is meals for 6 nights... each pack comes with 12 thighs... 3 people... 6 thighs each night... so each pack is 2 nights worth of meals... marinate in BBQ sauce for one night.... marinate in a pineapple terayaki sauce the next night...

then make homemade mashed potatoes.... 10lbs of potatoes for $4... 4-6 whole potatoes diced & boiled till fork tender... mash and mix with butter, salt, garlic...

 

[rh71]

if you have a freezer, buy those $10 bags of meatballs from Costco/BJs. Microwave, pasta sauce, bread... done.

 

[sandorski]

Learn to Cook. Not easy just leaving home, at least it may seem that way, but once you start getting the Basics down you're set. Meat sauce for Pasta, Chilli, Chicken Cacciatore, Beef Stroganoff, and even Curried beef are all simple to make. One thing to consider about them though is that you need Spices/Herbs which are somewhat Costly. So pick some basic spices/herbs with the best bang for buck then add 1 or 2/month according to your Budgetary needs.

Basic spices/herbs to start with: Salt, Black Pepper, Oregano, Garlic Powder. With just those you can make good Meat Sauce and Chicken Cacciatore. Chilli requires Chilli Powder, with optional Cumin and Crushed Red Pepper or some kind of Hot Pepper like Cayenne, as well as some of the aforementioned Basic Spices. Curried Beef requires Curry powder, some of the Basic Spices/Herbs and the spices used in Chilli. This paragraph is mostly an example of how you can Progress your Menu by accumulating Spices gradually. One other thing that makes a big difference is Bullion, in Cube, Powder, or even Paste form. I prefer Vegetable over Beef or Poultry.

I live alone and though I like to Cook, I don't particularly like to go through the whole Process everyday. So what I usually do is make one of the previously mentioned dishes in large enough quantities to last 3-4 days and that's my main meal(supper) for the next 3 or 4 days. You can change it up daily by adding Cheese, Garlic Bread, a different vegetable, or something else.

Buy things in Bulk(ish...often called Family Size or Packs) or large sizes. Chicken Thighs, Ground Beef, Pork Chops, Rice, Potatoes. A certain amount of Patience is required to both acquiring a good selection of Spices/Herbs and other Ingredients, especially at your age, but it pays off and is worth the effort.

 

[Terzo]

It really isn't all that difficult. You need to comparison shop and plan your meals in advance.

The local King Soopers had boneless chicken thighs on sale .. $1.29/lb... bought three packs... $10... and that is meals for 6 nights... each pack comes with 12 thighs... 3 people... 6 thighs each night... so each pack is 2 nights worth of meals... marinate in BBQ sauce for one night.... marinate in a pineapple terayaki sauce the next night...

then make homemade mashed potatoes.... 10lbs of potatoes for $4... 4-6 whole potatoes diced & boiled till fork tender... mash and mix with butter, salt, garlic...

That's a damn good price! I think the lowest I've ever seen boneless chicken thighs is $1.70/lb, usually goes on sale around $1.99/lb. Bone-in skin-on thighs I've seen on sale for 99 cents, but I've long ago decided it's worth the extra money to save time on boning and skinning them.

 

[ponyo]

You can eat cheap but can you eat good?

 

[ElFenix]

That's a damn good price! I think the lowest I've ever seen boneless chicken thighs is $1.70/lb, usually goes on sale around $1.99/lb. Bone-in skin-on thighs I've seen on sale for 99 cents, but I've long ago decided it's worth the extra money to save time on boning and skinning them.

the bone is where all the flavor is