Clean and tasty CHEAP food!

[fluteangel]

Going to the grocery store tomorrow and I'm on a mission!: to find clean eats to stock my fridge/freezer for as cheap as possible! Since I quit my Smoothie King job that is a HUGE paycheck that is going to be gone and we have a big bill to pay on Joe's Corvette (maintenance). So, that doesn't leave much over.

I'm all for some suggestions on good, clean, cheap eats! Especially with what's in season, which I"m seeing is yay, peppers, onions, tomatoes, strawberries and sweet potatoes! So far the only thing I've got on my menu (besides chicken, I"m out) is to make beans and rice: never done it and it's cheap and a complete protein. I also have a bag of 15 bean soup that is wonderful, especially with salsa.

Ideas? Anyone? Anca? Bueller?:p

[MichelleS]

Oh 15 bean soup is awesome.


other then that i'm not much help. try a local farmers market? they have cheaper veggies

[Sohee]

Costco all the way :ninja:

[Blondell]

mmmmm beans and rice! :yum:

u can season your water, b/f adding the beans, to flavor them throughout. And, I also like to chop up onions and add those at the start of the cooking process. Soaking the beans overnight will shorten your cook time. :thumb:

[Cindy Day]

You're in PC, right? Which store are you going to? You might find somewhere other than Publix and by store brand things were possible. Eating clean is typically not cheap, but you don't have to get the high end of things either.

-Rice is or at least can be cheap.
-Potatoes aren't outrageous either.
-Consider store brand oats rather than Quaker.
-Perhaps another fruit besides blueberries, as berries can run high.
-Eggs are what they are unless you make a friend up in the country. But you can still store compare and buy when they are on sale.
-You can buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself or buy the chicken breast fresh in the big family packs.
-Usually fresh ground peanut butter is less expensive than the jar kind.

See in what other areas you can save too so that you can have quality food.

[Adam]

-You can buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself or buy the chicken breast fresh in the big family packs.


Even buying chicken breasts with the skin on and skinning them yourself works out cheaper, especially with the amount of chicken most people here eat.

[fluteangel]

mmmmm beans and rice! :yum:

u can season your water, b/f adding the beans, to flavor them throughout. And, I also like to chop up onions and add those at the start of the cooking process. Soaking the beans overnight will shorten your cook time. :thumb:

That's a great idea, thanks!!!


You're in PC, right? Which store are you going to? You might find somewhere other than Publix and by store brand things were possible. Eating clean is typically not cheap, but you don't have to get the high end of things either.

See in what other areas you can save too so that you can have quality food.

Yeah, I live in PC, but I was going out to the Tyndall Commissary to do my shopping. :icon_dance: Most things are cheaper out there. I only go to Winn-Dixie or Publix when I run out of a thing or two, but I always check to see what's on sale. Thanks for the ideas!


Even buying chicken breasts with the skin on and skinning them yourself works out cheaper, especially with the amount of chicken most people here eat.

Oh I like that, good idea. I didn't realize that was cheaper for some reason. :dope: THanks!

[mcv]

Also - when you find chicken on sale - buy lots and FREEZE!

[Anca]

Oh man... I have nothing to contribute here- sorry Angela! I'm so bad about checking prices. I mean, if there are 2 kinds of tomatoes I'll look at the price and buy the cheaper ones but that's about as far as I'll go. I'm too lazy to cut coupons too and I definitely don't shop around at different grocery stores.
I do remember that when I was on 'crazy prep' in 2007 I was going to Costco to buy skinless chicken breast, tilapia (15 lbs/wk!! :blink:) and veggies (you can freeze what you won't eat within a week).

[Neely]

Buy.In.Bulk.

For things like grains and meats (even spices), buying in bulk is the way to go.

If you have anything near you that does that, take full advantage.

I used to shop at a place where there were big bulk bins of things like oats, rices, and spices. I'd get a ton, then not have to replenish stock for 4-6 weeks.

Meats, again, buy in bullk when you can. Freeze what you don't need and pull out to thaw when you do need it.

Costco rocks :D

[MichelleS]

:doh: forgot you can shop at the commissary. CHEAP meat I found that ours has higher prices on chicken sometimes but the top round beef is super cheap and I stock up on that. And if they have any manger deals on veggies thats the best time to stock up.