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Four weeks of frugality: Eating great, spending less
Posted on August 29th, 2009 13 commentsThis month I have been on my strictest grocery budget ever. In fact I’ve actually gone the last four weeks spending a total of $142 on food and personal care - that’s just over $35 per week. If we subtract personal care items out of there (cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc) I actually spent just under $122 or around $30 a week on food. Admittedly, there were several days when I ate at my parents’ place, so I did not eat at home for every meal. But what I did do was eliminate fast food altogether. Actually, I did splurge once when I was traveling to a wedding, but apart from that one occasion, I did not buy so much as a cup of coffee. So suffice it to say, there were a lot of meals that I prepared and consumed at home.
Although I admit it was difficult, I have been eating very healthy food. I don’t think I’ve ever been so creative with my meal planning in my life. I pushed myself to come up with dishes using the ingredients I had. In this respect, the frugal budget has probably pushed me to eat better and learn to be a better cook. Here are some of the tasty dishes I enjoyed on a strict grocery budget:
Breakfast items:
Plain yogurt with wildflower honey and chopped walnuts
Fruit shake with frozen fruit, yogurt, soymilk, and ground flax seed
Oatmeal
Main courses - Lunches & Dinners
Spinach and lentil soup
Stuffed peppers with rice, kale & spinach
Homemade pizza with summer squash, roasted garlic, goat cheese and olive oil, served with corn on the cob
Similar ingredients, different style - a whole wheat pasta with summer squash, roasted garlic, goat cheese and parsley, with garlic toast
Curried chick peas and tomatoes
Warm spinach and chick pea salad with sundried tomatoes and green onions
Warm mushroom salad on a toasted baguette
Black bean burritos with chopped peppers, green onions, fresh herbs and homemade salsa
Scrumptious lentil walnut veggie burgers
Marinated pork souvlaki kebabs with homemade tzatziki
Spicy pork sandwich spread with parsley and onion on toasted bread
Greek salad w/ homemade vinaigrette
Hamburgers (store bought) w/ caramelized onions and my own secret sauce, served w/ homemade potato chips
Spinach salad with homemade dressing
Rice & bean salad with sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and scallions
Madras root vegetable curry with rutabaga, sweet potato, carrots and potatoes - with freshly ground & toasted spices
Snacks
Sliced apples w/ wildflower honey
Herbed cream cheese using fresh herbs and garlic on rye crisp bread
Fresh salsa and homemade tortilla chips
Homemade chip dip with chips
Fresh spinach dip and rye crisp bread
Silky smooth roasted red pepper hummus topped with roasted red peppers
Drinks
Iced green tea with freshly squeezed lemon and honey
Mojitos with simple syrup using fresh mint
Hot mint tea with fresh mint leaves
Water flavoured with cucumbers or limes
This, of course, is not an exhaustive list, but it provides some examples of meals I’ve made while eating a pretty extreme food budget. I will be supplying some of the recipes to my favourite dishes, but please let me know if there is something in particular you would like the recipe for!
Do you track how many coffees or meals you consume outside the home? What’s the longest you’ve ever gone with eating only home cooked meals and beverages?
13 responses to “Four weeks of frugality: Eating great, spending less”
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Cook for me?
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Catherine August 29th, 2009 at 13:33
Terrific blog! Kudos on your creativity! Not only are your frugal meals mouthwatering and looking delicious here..your photography is pristine and beautiful. So, here’s the deal - I admit it - I can’t wait for the deets. Please tell me your new endeavour is opening your own restaurant,or you have opened up a business to cook for others, or you are doing freelance photography??????
We very seldom eat out, I’m an old-fashioned cook from way back. Hubby may buy a coffee out maybe 2X a month while traveling. We grind our own and enjoy it at home…or take a travel mug with us. We eat out on special occasions…like meeting a friend for lunch ;o)
Keep up the good work SQ…I love your ideas!
Hugs! -
Ok now….you are officially invited to breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks anytime you feel up to creating something from OUR pantry!
These look amazing! -
I like your menu, but how many people are you cooking for? I couldn’t possibly get my budget down to $30 a week with me and hubby and 2 kids to cook for, plus assorted dinner guests! We almost never eat fast food as it is, and eat out at a restaurant maybe a couple times a year for a special occasion, and I haven’t been able to get our food budget below $65 a week! (I also have to buy formula…) I do find your blog a regular encouragement though.
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Saver Queen August 29th, 2009 at 16:03
Sarah, I think $65 a week is amazing with everyone you’re feeding! You ought to be very proud of yourself. I’m sure it’s with your hard work and planning that you are able to eat on such a frugal budget. I’m only feeding one person. I have a different challenge - it’s hard to buy affordable food in small quantities.
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Ohhhh-kay! I understand. I remember the days of cooking for one - my biggest challenge was getting a variety of produce in small enough quantities that it wouldn’t rot before I used it. And for milk and meat, smaller quantities invariably meant higher prices. Oh the joy of being able to buy bulk - and have space to store it!
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Saver Queen August 29th, 2009 at 16:54
Sarah, exactly. Right now I’m trying to make as many meals as possible using a few ingredients, so I can actually eat up the products I purchase in large quantities. Also, I”m learning how to freeze produce and store herbs and veggies so they last as long as possible.
The only person I know who can feed a family of 4 on about $35 a week is Crystal Paine - Money Saving Mom - but she uses all kinds of coupons that unfortunately we do not have here in Canada. (Jealous!) But it sounds like you are doing a GREAT job yourself!
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anostrichnamedsam August 30th, 2009 at 11:46
Love the recipes, and I actually tried to make the granola bar recipe, but it up not quite chewy enough. I’ll try it again but make more liquid mixture next time.
You inspired me to use up the little bits floating in my fridge today. So far I made choc chip muffins, blueberry muffins, granola and I have a pot of chick stock on the stove and all before 12:00. Now to finish the laundry!
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The pictures are great!!! That food looks really awesome
Thanks for sharing and congrats on eating so healthy for so cheap! -
psychsarah August 30th, 2009 at 21:36
Your menus and pics are making me hungry! Props to you for your skills-both frugal and culinary!
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Andrea August 31st, 2009 at 10:37
Great ideas! I have been trying to clean out my freezer and these are great ideas to use up what I have in the freezer and pantry. Also you inspire me to try my hand at veggie burgers. My husband and I are meat lovers but I’m trying to get new veggie recipes that I can try on my husband who is a picky eater.
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Yummy! I’m totally hungry now! My friend brought my home some garam marsala. So I just made my first Indian dish of curried Cauliflower & Chickpeas last night. Sooo good. And making for a great lunch today.
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Loved the mushroom salad and veggie burger. I am going to try soon - Thanks for sharing with us.
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