Eating Well on the Cheap, pt 3

So, the first two posts in this series (Part 1 and Part 2) show how we really eat in our house (for the most part). If we have more money to spend, we often do, but it isn't necessary, just fun. :-) 

But, what if you are hit with an unexpected expense and have to REALLY cut back? This is what I would do. Notice that I don't cut out all the meat, or all the snacks, even cookies! Just because things aren't going your way doesn't mean you should have to do without all the good stuff. As a matter of fact, if things aren't going well, you might need more cookies! There is no reason to feel deprived the whole month (or months), you can still eat delicious food, the only difference is that it might not be as varied as when you have more money. That being said, changing up the spices can make two dishes with the same ingredients seem way different! Whole chicken is by far the most economical meat, especially considering the stock you can easily make that will make the bean dishes feel more "meaty". Ideally, you have been slowly building up your pantry and freezer so that you could absorb a grocery budget cut without much changing at least for a month or so. 

Could you spend less? Yes, but if you are in a situation where you have less than $100 to use for groceries for your family for more than a month or two, then you could, and should seek assistance, that's what it is for.

What if you only have $100?

Thrifty Meals (number of meals--name of meal--times I will make in the month)

2 Chicken pot pie X2

2 Chicken and dumplings

2 Spaghetti

2 Lentil loaf

2 Chili

2 Tomato and bean pasta

2 Chicken alfredo pasta

1 Potato salsa chicken X2

1 Frittata

2 Vegetable bean pasta

2 Chicken and veg pasta

2 White bean curry

2 White bean chili

1 Baked pot with chili

2 Diced pot with chk alfredo

1 scrambled eggs, pancakes

2 Beans and rice

Thrifty snack list:

Tuna

Tortilla chips

Pretzels

Granola

Peanut butter

Bean dip

Cookies

Bread

Raisins

Oatmeal

Saltines

Peanuts

Bananas

Pumpkin muffins

2.00	flour	2.99	frozen mix veg (32 oz)	1.00	carrots (2 lb)
1.50	baking powder	5.00	CA blend veg (60 oz)	0.79	celery (1 stalk)
0.05	salt	1.00	frozen corn	1.40	onions (2 lb)
3.00	shortening	1.00	frozen peas	1.75	potatoes (5 lb)
2.50	milk			2.50	bananas (20)
3.00	eggs (2 dz)	1.88	rice (2 lb)	1.00	green bell pepper (2)
4.58	old fash oats (2)	1.00	lentils (1 lb)	1.00	garlic
1.50	brown sugar	4.00	pasta (4 lb)
5.00	olive oil	1.00	spaghetti (1 lb)	3.00	sand bread (2)
1.35	bouillon cubes	6.50	dried beans (6 lb)	1.50	loaf bread
1.79	sugar
		2.00	peanuts	1.80	can chili beans (3)
15.00	whole chicken (3/4-5 lb)	1.89	peanut butter	0.79	can pumpkin
		1.19	tortilla chips	1.20	can tuna (2)
1.50	tomato sauce (2)	1.69	raisins	0.79	refried beans
0.50	tomato paste	1.49	jar alfredo sauce
2.40	can diced tomatoes (4/14 oz)	2.00	crackers (2 boxes)
2.00	can crushed tomatoes (2/28 oz)
47.67		34.63		18.52	100.82  TOTAL

That's the class, folks, minus the recipes and cooking, obviously, you have to participate for that :-). Thoughts?