Diet and food budget

[0ni0n]

I have been wanting to cut my food budget, about $20 a day, which includes 4 meals and coffee. How much do you guys spend a day on average and what do you eat? What are some cheap and healthy dietary recommendations?

[Jazz Kazuko]

Eat an apple for lunch =D

[SamanosukeShiva]

FIVE DOLLA FOOTLONG!!!

[Penthesilea]

I usually bring granola and a big thing of yogurt to work. That and I pack my lunch for work too. Last year I was dropping 10-20$ for lunch 4/5 days of the week. I finally wised up.

[Elesirdur]

Sardines. Good ones are about $2-3 a tin, provide as much protein as a similar serving of beef and because they are oily fish are a great source of good fats and Omega 3 oils. Unlike tuna, sardines don't have elevated levels of mercury because they are very low on the food chain and therefore aren't storing it in their systems.

Don't buy anything that's pre-packaged or pre-produced.

[Osede]

Best way,

Cook yourself for 3 meals. If you afraid that you have no time to prepare your lunch, just prepare it together with your dinner :D

This is how I did for last summer and fall. But currently I only cook right enough of dinner for both of me and housemate, so we don't have any left over food for next day lunch anymore

[Tristam]

I make a helluva turkey sandwich, those basically are dinners many nights of the week. If you can find a good deli near you you can make really good sandwiches on a budget, and experiment with cheeses and spreads etc. to suit your tastes.

I probably spend about as much as you, but I eat aloooooot during triathlon season.

[_chuchu]

FIVE DOLLA FOOTLONG!!!

This, a thousand times. I get the sub of the day if I need something quick for lunch before going in, and the footlong if it's close to dinner time and I'm still there. You can eat some now and then same some for later if you do not like the sub of the day. I also agree with bringing leftovers from dinner or you can also make chichen, pulled pork, turkey, etc. and make sandwiches for an entire week. If you have a rice cooker (or can make it yourself without one,) use it and cook whatever meat you want for the day. You could even use pitas if you don't like sliced bread. Make your own coffee and make use of the microwave(s) at work. If there is a coffeemaker at work, even better <_<;

[0ni0n]

I make a helluva turkey sandwich, those basically are dinners many nights of the week. If you can find a good deli near you you can make really good sandwiches on a budget, and experiment with cheeses and spreads etc. to suit your tastes.

I probably spend about as much as you, but I eat aloooooot during triathlon season.

I was about to mention that I go to gym 2-3 times a week and run about 15 some miles. I have always wanted to cut down on meals but at the same time I don't want to butcher my diets and deny the nutrient my body needs. I just saw this couple on TV saying they spend about $200 a month on food, I spend 3 times as much just for myself, and honestly the food that I eat are as plain as they can get, comprised of mostly beef, chicken, bread, rice, some vegetable, and fruits. I don't drink any carbonated drinks or eat any deserts. I would definitely look into the sandwiches though, making them myself would probably saves me about $3 a day and $100 a month.

FIVE DOLLA FOOTLONG!!!

Religiously. It's on my lunch menu.

[Meat]

Foreman girl and a rice cooker will do wonders. make your own shit.

make enough rice on sunday for the whole week
Defrost the night before,
eggs\oatmeal for breakfast(if u eat it)
grilled chicken or steak for lunch while u get ready in the morning
almonds\yogurt\protein bar\fruit snacks
look into buying crystal light in bulk for drinks

[Blabj]

4 meals? Are we talking like full on sandwich meals or Breakfast, Lunch, snack and Dinner?

Because I can tell you where you can start if it's the former...

[Cheerios]

Oatmeal, brohan.

[SamanosukeShiva]

if you must go for the piss-poor hobo mode, i suggest buy a bag of all purpose flour. mix water/sugar/salt and have yourself a pancake for a month at the cost of $5. haha

[Nirokun!]

Just Bento | a healthy meal in a box: great bento recipes, tips, and more

good site for inspiration. she has her own happy search bar that she's proud of where you can look up how much you should be eating/packing, and how large of a (bento)box you should carry. saves money cooking your own food, especially cutting down buying food while at work. not everything is asian foods, but most of it is, but you can get inspiration from how she does things. I really like the site, and its one of those "for dummies" guides that you might be interested in~

im working back from the archives, after having looked daily for 6~months? great all-purpose money-saving, diet-conscious, time-conscious site :D

[GeneJackit]

Do what this guy did:

'The Urban Hermit' by Sam MacDonald - Los Angeles Times


great book, fwiw

[Tristam]

I was about to mention that I go to gym 2-3 times a week and run about 15 some miles. I have always wanted to cut down on meals but at the same time I don't want to butcher my diets and deny the nutrient my body needs. I just saw this couple on TV saying they spend about $200 a month on food, I spend 3 times as much just for myself, and honestly the food that I eat are as plain as they can get, comprised of mostly beef, chicken, bread, rice, some vegetable, and fruits. I don't drink any carbonated drinks or eat any deserts. I would definitely look into the sandwiches though, making them myself would probably saves me about $3 a day and $100 a month.

Yeah you're in the same boat that I was in for most of grad school. I don't have much time to cook so anything I make has to be quick (and cheap, my first year I way overextended myself on food), I just can't spend lots of time putting something together at 10pm lol.

If you're worried about nutrients etc. I think you'll be ok so long as you don't get into the sort of habit where you're eating the same thing every day. I still do that when I'm lazy, but ideally I'll switch up what sort of sandwich I make for dinner at least once a week.

For lunch I have good ol' cheap philly street carts, not healthy but the price is right!

[Tyche]

We spend about $250 a month on food. Give or take a few bucks. I eat next to no fried foods, hardly ever eat fast food, and I almost always do all the cooking at my house. I eat quite well and quite a lot.

[_chuchu]

We spend about $250 a month on food. Give or take a few bucks. I eat next to no fried foods, hardly ever eat fast food, and I almost always do all the cooking at my house. I eat quite well and quite a lot.

You shop at SAM's Club, Costco, Walmart, BJ's, etc. right? This is what the Southern Scholarship houses in Florida do. Basically spend 200-350/wk to feed 18+ people and it good for basically 2/3 meals + snacks. It came out to about $12/wk (girls) to $20/wk for (guys) to eat. We would take turns cooking dinner (M-Thurs and in 2-3 person teams) and the other meals you're on your own for. We ate very well, too because the meals had alot of variety and so did the snacks we bought. We made alot of good shit for dinner and offered suggestions for meals that were pretty good most of the time.

[Tyche]

Always grocery shop at wal-mart. Two adults (one pregnant), and a toddler. I just cook cheap food that has low serving costs. After playing this grocery game for several years now, I have a feel for it. If we actually clipped coupons (which we should), we'd save a lot more. We'll do tacos, spaghetti, the big ass bags of cheap cereal, little debbie snacks for night. I eat a lot of fruit too, so I eat that for snacks. Just cheap stuff. I'll get an orange for $.50 and that'll be what I eat between dinner and bed time.

[Kajii]

salads ftw