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Efficient food shopping thread!

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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499

Hey guys so I am assuming that a lot or most of you are in my same situation. Out of the parents house and completely clueless when it comes to grocery shopping. I wanted to make a thread about ideas to shave pennies, and perhaps some great food advice. this is where you can post shopping lists, what to buy, what not to buy, what goes bad, what lasts, and even budgeting ideas.

Budgeting is key for this. I realize I could search google, but it doesn't say anything about the 18-25 range (i.e. pbj, soups, etc.) Anywho post away, and happy shopping

Apr 22 2011 11:28AM
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Lick
Posts: 1927 - Karma: 518
Ramen Noodles, Nutella, Turey and bread. Thats all you need.
Apr 22 2011 11:31AM
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skiskate
Posts: 787 - Karma: 823
Buy bones from the butcher, carrots, onion, celery and you got a dope ass soup. Or buy a whole chicken, make a roast chicken for dinner, chicken sandwich for lunches and then use bones for soup. Super cheap for some good food.
Apr 22 2011 11:31AM
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AWALLRUS.
Posts: 5762 - Karma: 223
1. get baked
2. write down a list of everything you want at the grocerystore while youre high
3. wait till youre not baked anymore, then go to the grocery store and buy those things.
Apr 22 2011 11:34AM
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Cufe.
Posts: 1950 - Karma: 262
I usually go with:
-Spaghetti (cheap, filling) I get a sauce (medium size, as they do go bad)
-Instant oatmeal (buy no name, its 2$ cheaper than Quaker and tastes almost the same)
-Pitas and dip (tatziki or hummus) (Keep pitas in the fridge, the cooler environment keeps them fresher, longer)
-Apples
-Granola bars
-KD
I can usually get all this stuff for around 25-35$ depending on brand choices and store choice. One thing I do recommend is putting out some money for a good multi-vitamin. for me it is about 25$ every two months (for Sisu Multi vitamin + Iron) With my experience, you just feel better with the added vitamins you dont really get from a university diet.

Well, I hope someone finds some of this helpful. I look forward to seeing other good ideas in this thread.
Apr 22 2011 11:41AM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
threads. you guys seen that show extreme couponing?
Apr 22 2011 12:02PM
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Conker
Posts: 1379 - Karma: 6
potatoes and cabbage
Apr 22 2011 12:33PM
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KellyK
Posts: 1782 - Karma: 715
hahaha such a bad idea.. you spend so much more money..
Apr 22 2011 12:36PM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499
solid
Apr 22 2011 12:40PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

Just buy this stuff, the combos are endless and the shit is just soooooo cheap especially if you shop at Savers or some other ghetto store where shit is somehow 1/10th the price of stop & shop. 

pasta + sauce

bread

PB&J

couple cans of tuna

cheese slices

Quaker style old fashioned oats (big tub)

Generic Granola

Pancake mix 

eggs

Totino's 99 cent pizzas.  LIke 10 of em. 

Bag o potatoes

Frozen veggies

fresh fruit (usually bananas)

A bunch of weed to make your terrible cooking taste better

I'm probably forgetting something, but given these ingredients you can get maximum enjoyment out of all three meals and still have enough money left over to go out every once in a while.  Good luck dood.   

Apr 22 2011 1:02PM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499
bump!
Apr 29 2011 9:30AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
almost every leftover tastes great between a cheese sandwich ....
Apr 29 2011 9:35AM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,631
You were never taught how to shop for yourself? Hmmm...

It all depends on your diet. Mine is different from others though, but you get the general idea.

Fish
Prawns (only when on sale for about 2 bags for $9)
Brown Rice
Pasta
Pasta sauces
Bread
Bananas
Apples
Celery
Green Peppers (Known to be cheaper than other peppers)
Broccoli
Cereal
Soy Milk
Peanut Butter.


On any given day, I can get %75 of that list at a grocery store for >$30. It'll last me a week and a bit.

If you buy condiments such as peanut butter or margarine or anything like that, the bigger the better. The price might seem like a little bit more than the cheapest, but you usually end up getting double the quantity.

Best thing to make.
Rice
Celery
Peppers
Prawns

Cook and fry all that stuff up, add seasoning and spices and you have yourself a mean stir fry that can last a couple nights.
Apr 29 2011 9:38AM
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PASKIINGSUCKS
Posts: 9097 - Karma: 777
Get a membership to your local grocery store. it's usually a club card or something, it's like a discount for locals basically. Saves ya a little here and a little there, it adds up for sure, I usually save about 15% every time I go.

Hunt down buy one get one free, even if it's not your favorite brand.

Buy a crock pot. Seriously, learn how to use it, it's easy anyway. You can get a roast for like 10 bucks and have dinner and sandwiches for a week.

get a local paper and clip coupons, with that and a club card you will easily save 25% on food shopping.
Apr 29 2011 9:43AM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499

i've gotten this far, so i must have done something right..

I was more looking for some more ideas to shake things up, perhaps help out other people in the same situation. Nice answer though, we have similar shopping ideals.

Apr 29 2011 9:52AM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499
great call on the crock pot. to the thrift store!
Apr 29 2011 9:54AM
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TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
something i like to do is get a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, or a large container of store made chicken salad. then i get a thing of lettuce, and some dressing, and tortillas.

you can make healthy wraps that way and you can always change it up by adding veggies or whatever you're into. Plus you can eat it cold which is nice since it's easy and fast.
Apr 29 2011 10:16AM
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bangarangmules
Posts: 5065 - Karma: 84
This, Sam's Club is awesome for getting some great deals. And also just buy a lot of the knock-off brands, most are the same exact thing made in the same factory just mad cheap.
Apr 29 2011 10:39AM
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freestyle_kyle
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 164
Good suggestions as to what to buy so far to survive on the cheap.I've been working at a grocery store for the last couple months, and have picked up a couple tips that may help. I buy most my bread in the mornings when the day-old stock is getting cleared out, loaves of good bread for 99cents, or like 6 baguettes for $2. Also look in clearance sections. At our store, if dairy/deli items are nearing the best before date, we put them at 1/2 price. The product is usually good for about a week after the best before date, thats when we have to sell it. Get cheap eggs, milk, soy milk, yogurt, cheese and shit this way. Just be sure to use it in time. I also never payed any attention to flyers before, but I now keep my eye out for weekly specials, and stock up when theres good deals to be had. Look on the ends of the shelves, as thats where the specials usually go
Apr 29 2011 11:00AM
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Scott0_robot0
Posts: 3291 - Karma: 212
i think its a must to have a slow cooker/crock pot those things are amazing.

put your delicious food in-go skiing-come back to a awesome meal.
Apr 29 2011 11:03AM
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midwestpowhunter
Posts: 2198 - Karma: 189
these all sound great but you all forgot to take advantage of your unemployement status and get the bridge card first and if ur not into that watch extreme couponing and try it.
Apr 29 2011 2:06PM
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Dan.
Posts: 7201 - Karma: 1,126
food stamps ruin your credit score..


and crock pot + pork shoulder = pulled pork for days.

Apr 29 2011 2:25PM
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-ROY-
Posts: 3633 - Karma: 1,503
solid info mang
Apr 29 2011 2:36PM
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sack
Posts: 4881 - Karma: 147
you can make your own tzatziki super cheap, just buy some plain yogourt and add grated cucumber, dried herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and whatever else tastes good. you don't even need a blender.
same with hummus but you need a blender for that obviously. chick peas lemon juice paprika olive oil garlic.
don't get pasta sauce, get crushed canned tomatoes and add whatever you want, olive oil, cheese, spinach, garlic, cream cheese, herbs, meat, tomato paste etc. you can use the leftover canned tomatoes for other things too.
buy store brands.
I keep some easy to make frozen things/boxed stuff on hand as well, like perogies or mac and cheese. that way if you're too tired/lazy to cook you don't have to order out
oh and dried herbs/spices are expensive to buy at first but they make so much difference and a little goes a long way, so it's worth it. three good ones are dried parsley, oregano and basil. or cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon is good for making pumpkin soup or if you like middle eastern/south asian flavours.
Apr 29 2011 2:47PM
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egg.
Posts: 3231 - Karma: 3,477
beans and cornbread, beans and cornbread...
Apr 29 2011 2:48PM
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I_liketobutter
Posts: 2664 - Karma: 997
1. buy whole wheat pasta on sale or in bulk. don't buy white pasta, it fills you up for an hour at most and gives you an energy crash. whole wheat is better in millions of ways. its twice as expensive but you can only eat 2/3's the amount

2. buy really good whole wheat bread. costco has a 3lb loaf that is awesome. 1 whole wheat pb&j = 3 white bread pb&j's. and again, itll stay with you for longer.

3. don't buy chips

4. buy bulk raw walnuts, almonds, and peanuts. key word is RAW. then buy some m&m's, raisins, and craisins. you now how ingredients for a dope trail mix that is awesome for the mtn and snacks in general.

The key is to buy stuff that will stay with you. The cheap shit is cheap because it fills u up for an hour at best and u get a huge energy crash after.

get a costco membership if you can. you'll save money on all sorts of stuff (tp, paper towel, soap, socks, batteries)

over the past 5 years of living on my own, ive never spent more than $250 a month on food. I get bulk stuff at costco and then produce/eggs/milk at the local reg store. thats buying 80% organic/real food as well. you may spend a little more right away just to get your stock going, but then its nice to have a choice.
Apr 29 2011 3:04PM
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midwestpowhunter
Posts: 2198 - Karma: 189

actually food stamps cannot affect your credit score. I was a loan officer for a number of years and can personally say that this has never been a reason for a client's bad credit. it is actually illegal for them to post this information to the credit bureaus. I could care less if anyone gets food stamps I personally wouldnt however I know a lot of people in college who do it because they meet the financial requirements for food assistance.

Apr 29 2011 3:05PM
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Dan.
Posts: 7201 - Karma: 1,126
I was misinformed by someone then. I was under the impression that section 8 housing and food stamps could lower your credit score. just researched myself and found out they don't. awesome.
Apr 29 2011 3:26PM
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midwestpowhunter
Posts: 2198 - Karma: 189
ya it is awesome! too many people that arent going anywhere in life....(im being PC) take advantage of the system. why cant people trying to better themselves get the same benies?
Apr 29 2011 3:38PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
get a big bag of potatoes. i used to get 10lb bags for 1.99, and had them with cheese/eggs/meat...anything. they are calorically dense and very cheap. i also bought them in Idaho, sooooo they should be cheap there right?
Apr 29 2011 3:43PM
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Dan.
Posts: 7201 - Karma: 1,126
yeah, the whole welfare system is kind of weird. a guy I met recently works auditing colorado welfare, and said he's discovered multiple people who make well over 100k a year and try to collect welfare. meanwhile my mom couldn't collect unemployment after being laid off because of some clerical technicality.
Apr 29 2011 3:46PM
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Mr.Luke
Posts: 2441 - Karma: 166
Yeah, this'll save you some money
Apr 29 2011 3:55PM
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ESAND
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 744
Amex+costco
Apr 29 2011 3:56PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51781 - Karma: 163,940
Watch extreme couponers. That shit will blow your mind.


On tlc i think
Apr 29 2011 3:59PM
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tuna.
Posts: 2627 - Karma: 111
buy all off brand foods, that alone knocks off a significant amount of money:

-frozen chicken breasts in bulk
-spinach in bulk
-ask your grocer for "stew meat." it's steak at a discounted price, doesnt taste funky, goes with everything
-dont buy anything pre-cut or pre-mixed. so like no sliced cheeses or mixed nuts or anything like that, they charge out the butt for anything extra they have to do for you.
-protein powder.like 30 bucks for 78 servings of 28 grams of protein with 140 calories, put a scoop of that shit in some yogurt (buy in bulk, not individual sizes), and it'll fill you up well.
-chili. hella chili.
Apr 29 2011 4:04PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
haha this. i would eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner when struggling to make ends meet. 700 calories, and 40+grams of protein per can...yes please. especially for $1.

chili and potatoes. you can live off that shit for super cheap.
Apr 29 2011 4:06PM
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