Tight food budget - need suggestions what to buy for 2 weeks?

Question

we had problems with our pay check and after the bills have been paid we've only got $80 to spend on food for 2 weeks... I need some help with what I can buy tto get by for a family of 4... my husband and I and 2 children ages 4 and 2.

I'm looking for very cheap meal ideas and groceries that I can just get by with for 2 weeks... i've got basic staples already like rice, pasta, spices, flour and so on.

any help will be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

hamburger helper. ramen. udon. jambalaya. fried rice.

Answer 2

Just get like ramon noodles and stuff like that until you get caught up on bills. Microwavable foods,mac n cheese. Porkchops. Crockpot meals. Fried rice is also cheap too! Chicken fried steak dont cost much. Since you already have spices & flour. Pot roast. Fried or Baked chicken with vegetables.  

Answer 3

firstly youve got the basics like pasta, potactoes rice etc, you can have baked potatoes with beans (cheap and very filling), try and get some mince cheaply you can spag bol, chilli, also the potatoes can be used to make chips, sausage and mash, stir fry, theres lots of cheap simple filling meals, the internets normally a good place to look theres normally loads of websites giving quick cheap receipes

Answer 4

I have a family of 5 and like you food had become very expensive,

I buy chicken with thigh and legs, cut it up into 2  pieces, which doubles the amount of chicken

chucked meat, which I split into 4 portions, I make meatballs out of them, meat sauce for pasta, and then use it in rice and make open tacos( kids love it)

Family pack of italian sauage sweet or hot your choice and serve with potatoes, rice or pasta on sausage per person goes a long way.

frozen veggies are cheaper (store brand) a couple of bags,

Good Luck, it works for us, and these meats go a long way.

Answer 5

I would look at a place like save a lot of similar, where I live they have food markets for struggling people you can usually get stuff extremely cheap.

Answer 6

Luckily your kids are little . I just went through a similar problem , but my kids are teen males (3).

I was able to curb my eating , but they demand food all day. I bought cheap hot dogs , this is not a sub for a meal but rather a quick fix for hunger (snack)

Chili is cheap as well , you can use re fried beans to compliment the meat , and pasta to add to it to make it stretch.

Chicken is cheap as well , dumplings broth(rice) stock etc.

Also , kool aid calms your sweet tooth and is more affordable than soda.

Popcorn is a great snack as well. You really appreciate it when that's all you have.

As others have said rice and pasta are great as a way to bulk up your meals.

Also , before you go to the store , look at their circular (web) and plan out your meals keeping in mind the left overs (beans one day chili the next) (baked chicken one day chicken and dumplings the next.

Pancakes are great on the week ends , just skip breakfast and have them for a late lunch.

Grilled cheese and soup.

I know a lot of these are probably common sense , but when you are at your wits end ,these things elude you.

also consider looking up food pantries and churches in the area.

Pawn shops , cash advance , or credit unions are all resources you can use.

Oh ! also , I've sold my plasma to make ends meet as well.

Answer 7

Pasta is good - make the basic tomato sauce w/ canned tomatoes and dried basil, garlic... Another easy sauce is arrabiatta (it is spicy though) - saute garlic and dried red pepper in olive oil then add tomatoes and simmer until thicker...Hot dogs are a cheap easy way to eat... mashed potatoes are always good and cheap to  make as a side, look for meat that's on 'clearance' at the grocery store and buy that,  

Answer 8

Pasta is great, make some sauce and you can get a few meals out of that easy.  Soup or stew is also good.  Not sure if you eat chicken or not, but purchasing a large chicken can create several meals (chicken salad, chicken soup, just chicken, etc).  Pot Pie is usually a nice leftover mishmosh of whatever is laying around.  Get fancy with some Ramen Noodles (they are the cheapest!).

Veggies are usually pretty cheap as well - can throw them in your soups, get a few salads out of a head, save the leftovers for that potpie.  Tuna is cheap and also goes a long way.

Stay clear of the cereal and heavy meats that'll cost you a bundle.  Good luck!

Answer 9

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40doll...

Take a look at this website.  Ok, yes, it is called Hillbilly Housewife but they have some really good ideas for stretching you dollars far and making pretty balanced meals.  The link I gave you is for an emergency $45 menu.  Hope this helps!

Answer 10

I am terribly sorry. You might want to consider charging food on your credit card or ask for money from your town.

80 dollars is going to get you no where.

milk is close to 4 dollars depending where you live.

milk is needed. also try to get soup, vegatables like beans and salad.

ahh i don't know 80 dollars is REALLY not a lot.

i hope you find help

good luck

Answer 11

I don't know what exactly, but I can say that you should look for cheap foods that have a good source of protein? maybe that helps....Peanut butter on Rice cakes is a good snack...for breakfast I wouldn't choose cereal too expensive now, maybe eggs....for other meals I'm sorry I wouldn't know...I hope this helps.

Answer 12

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu....

check this site out and see if they have one near you...for 30$ you get a lot, and they have other things you can get also...

Only thing is, you need to order now for delivery on the 27 of september.

it may be worth it to you.

Answer 13

i get a lot of ground turkey to make meatloaf and spagetti stuff like that ..... its like 1.89 for a 1# package  ceral or like instant oatmeal ( the flavored stuff) works good for breakfast raman noodles for lunch ( put an egg in it yummy )  

Answer 14

When my husband and I need to stay on a low budget for food we usually get a big package of hamburger. For the main reason that it has many uses such as one night a pound of it for hamburger helper another night homemade tacos, or meatloaf or just regular hamburgers.

Answer 15

Get alot of tomato sauce and plan on a bunch of pasta dishes... very cheap and loaded with energy producing carbs.

Answer 16

In UK frozen  vegetables are the best value at the moment - even cheaper than fresh unless you are lucky enough to live near a farmers market.