[azelismia]

We are in the process of buying a house. S. just sent me a update budget based on our change in living and we have one hundred dollars left over at the end of every month and we don't even have cable as part of the equation.. our food budget is preposterous though. 1300 a month for two people. I've started taking my lunch every day instead of eating out but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

a loaf of bread in this part of the world ( that is relatively preservative free organic and whole grain) is about five or six dollars a loaf and we can't eat the whole thing before it goes bad.. but I am having sandwiches nearly every day. so I am thinking of getting a bread machine and making my own bread. it has to be cheaper. I recently cut all meat out of the grocery expenditures.

But I think we are still pretty wasteful with veggies and things. stuff still goes bad. there are some veges that I am ok with frozen but most I can't eat unless they are fresh and only lightly cooked.

anyone out there have good planning or storage tips to make things go further?

[loosefanbelt]

There are extenders that absorb the ethelyne gas that is released by fruits and veggies. Whole Foods has various models from storage bags to 'eggs" that you put in your produce drawers. I am thinking...

Bread can be frozen with moderate success.

Diet for a Small Planet is a classic tome.


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More With Less Cookbook is a Mennonite cookbook - Mennonites are great at this kind of thing.

Cooking in season - to the extent of even having your recipes organized by seasons - that helps.

The first year you are in your home you will be creating a baseline for your utilities and so on, so keeping a spread sheet will help you. Shadecloth on south facing windows may not look so great (it is not bad... just not great) but can cut utilities in air conditioning. Anything that heats or cools are your large bill drivers, so energy efficiency is important there.

On entertaining, instead of hosting full meals, invite people for progressive dinners or pot lucks or just for dessert.

AZ you have the funnest challenges coming up with gardens and budgets - I envy your phase of life, really.

[runoverazebra]

Have you ever refrigerated the bread? I do that, and it stays fresher longer.

I live by myself, so I have trouble with things going bad, too. I started going to the grocery nearly everyday and just buy what I need for meals for that day and the day after. It works well for me, because the store is right next to the where I go to med school. I know that if the grocery isn't nearby gas would make that more expensive, but shopping every few days has kept food from going bad, and I buy only what I need.

I know those aren't great tips, but they might be able to help.

[Cocoa]

Try to stock up on dried beans, peas and lentils. You can also get canned beans just check they are not preserved in weird substances. I find these to be excellent but they may not be available where you live.

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Perhaps try a grain such as couscous or cooked cracked wheat (aka Bulgur). They are ridiculously easy and fast to cook and you don't waste.

As the person above said: you can refrigerate the bread and you can also freeze it. So you can just divide a loaf in 2 or 3 and freeze the rest.

[Aronnax]

You can freeze bread; I freeze bread a half loaf at a time to avoid mold.

I don't know if you have a farmer's market up your way but that's how I get most of my produce. It's quite a bit cheaper and it tends to last a little longer than what I buy in the grocery store.

[LaoTzu]

Ditto... I do a few trips a week.

You should try freezing the bread. Use a toaster to defrost it, not the microwave (wrap the bread in a paper towel if you must nuke it...)

I freeze cheese as well. It crumbles when its defrosted, but then it makes grating it much easier
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I freeze it, because I will only buy a block (600g) when it's on sale (4.99).

If you know any farmers, buying a side of beef direct is probably cheapest.
Venison is cheap, and a good substitute for beef. I don't hunt, but really... how much cheaper can it get? There are Deer farms out there if you look. (You don't have to hunt it)

You could try buying farm fresh fruits/veggies in bulk, and freezing those. Buy them in-season cheaper than paying a stores out-of-season price.

[azelismia]

Originally Posted by LaoTzu To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Ditto... I do a few trips a week. You should try freezing the bread. Use a toaster to defrost it, not the microwave (wrap the bread in a paper towel if you must nuke it...) I freeze cheese as well. It crumbles when its defrosted, but then it makes grating it much easier To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. I freeze it, because I will only buy a block (600g) when it's on sale (4.99). If you know any farmers, buying a side of beef direct is probably cheapest. Venison is cheap, and a good substitute for beef. I don't hunt, but really... how much cheaper can it get? There are Deer farms out there if you look.

eh, I don't eat red meat anyway. I have tried freezing bread but the problem is I like fresh bread for my cheese or pb and j sandwiches. toasted but cold; cheese or pb&j is inedible and I don't have a toaster at work to eat it still warm. ( I refuse to use microwaves) So I just end up with multiple unused loaves of bread in the freezer.. We eat enough cheese that it isn't really a problem to have it fresh..

although I do buy the 5 lb of shredded cheddar cheese from costco and then break it down into little baggies and freeze it. it works great for baked dishes.

[Aronnax]

	Originally Posted by LaoTzu To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	If you know any farmers, buying a side of beef direct is probably cheapest. Venison is cheap, and a good substitute for beef. I don't hunt, but really... how much cheaper can it get? There are Deer farms out there if you look.

If you were curious a deer tag around here is about $30 and a decent sized buck yields about 65 lbs of meat (not including edible organs like the heart, kidneys and liver). Wild game is cheaper per lb. than produce, much less farmed meat. There's an issue of technical skills, equipment and stomach (not everyone is ok with killing and butchering an animal) so I don't think this option is really on the table.

Edit~ I leave half my bread defrosted in a drawer so it can be eaten whenever I want it. I counter defrost the frozen loaf when I start running out of fresh bread; no microwave or toaster necessary.

[JustMel]

Originally Posted by azelismia To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

We are in the process of buying a house. S. just sent me a update budget based on our change in living and we have one hundred dollars left over at the end of every month and we don't even have cable as part of the equation.. our food budget is preposterous though. 1300 a month for two people. I've started taking my lunch every day instead of eating out but there is still a lot of room for improvement. a loaf of bread in this part of the world ( that is relatively preservative free organic and whole grain) is about five or six dollars a loaf and we can't eat the whole thing before it goes bad.. but I am having sandwiches nearly every day. so I am thinking of getting a bread machine and making my own bread. it has to be cheaper. I recently cut all meat out of the grocery expenditures. But I think we are still pretty wasteful with veggies and things. stuff still goes bad. there are some veges that I am ok with frozen but most I can't eat unless they are fresh and only lightly cooked. anyone out there have good planning or storage tips to make things go further?

On one of my other forums I'm an admin and I have this whole section of saving money and stretching things, etc.

$1300 for two people is beyond comprehension. Once when I was still in school and we were broke I fed a family of 4 on $35 a week. And I cooked meals every night. I don't spend $1300 a month now and there are five of us and money isn't an issue.

You can make your own bread but why not try freezing half the loaf when you bring it home? I do this with certain kinds of bread that we don't eat all the time but on occasion. Make sure the air is out and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Storing half a loaf in the fridge will also extend the life of the loaf. You can also use stale bread to make your own croutons if you eat them. Drizzle with olive oil and spices and lightly toast.

Veggies: put a container in the freezer and put your leftover veggies in the container and then use that container as a base for homemade soups/stews. Generally the veggies in soups/stews are cooked longer than everyday side dish veggies.

I buy meat from the meat market instead of the grocery store.

In our part of the country it's cheaper to buy the blocks of cheese and shred them yourself. It's about half the price of the pre-shredded cheese.

Just saw why you don't freeze bread--- try the fridge option. Also for veggies, have you bought the Green Bags? We did and it does extend the life of fruits and veggies by anywhere from 7-14 days.

[loosefanbelt]

If I have the right impression of you and your SO, you both have demanding careers. That makes food waste more likely because you are busy, tired and have little planning time.

Bento box lunches are a great way to go - there are a lot of online ideas for bento lunches...

[azelismia]

Originally Posted by JustMel To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

On one of my other forums I'm an admin and I have this whole section of saving money and stretching things, etc. $1300 for two people is beyond comprehension. Once when I was still in school and we were broke I fed a family of 4 on $35 a week. And I cooked meals every night. I don't spend $1300 a month now and there are five of us and money isn't an issue. You can make your own bread but why not try freezing half the loaf when you bring it home? I do this with certain kinds of bread that we don't eat all the time but on occasion. Make sure the air is out and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Storing half a loaf in the fridge will also extend the life of the loaf. You can also use stale bread to make your own croutons if you eat them. Drizzle with olive oil and spices and lightly toast. Veggies: put a container in the freezer and put your leftover veggies in the container and then use that container as a base for homemade soups/stews. Generally the veggies in soups/stews are cooked longer than everyday side dish veggies. I buy meat from the meat market instead of the grocery store. In our part of the country it's cheaper to buy the blocks of cheese and shred them yourself. It's about half the price of the pre-shredded cheese. Just saw why you don't freeze bread--- try the fridge option. Also for veggies, have you bought the Green Bags? We did and it does extend the life of fruits and veggies by anywhere from 7-14 days.

I haven't tried the green bags. I'll look for it. we do spend a lot on groceries and it is ridiculous but we are in the Seattle area and cost of living here is ridiculous too. LFB is correct, we are both in high stress time consuming careers and it does tend to make us a bit lazier around the house than we could be and we tend to have expensive tastes in food. Shawn would never ever consider having PB&J for lunch or cheese... I tried to talk him into it once..

that's a road I am not going down again!

We're never going to get to 35 dollars a week unless something truly disasterous happens. our tastes are just too expensive but if I can manage to trim a few hundred off and get rid of some waste I will be pleased.

loaf of bread 6.00 (I do refrigerate it)
a couple tomatoes about six dollars
broccoli 3.99 a pound (crown prices, it's actually cheaper than if you pay the lower price of 2.99 for the full head of broccoli as we don't use the stem)
small dish of raspberries 4.00
one lb of cherries 8.00
one lb of spinach 4.50
Marinara sauce 6.00 3.50 on sale
fake meat products are about 4.5 - 8 dollars a pound
cheese is cheap as I buy it at costco.
I only buy tomatos at costco as they are much cheaper and very high quality. you can get two lbs of vine grown tomatoes for 5.00
So what kills us is the fresh veggies and fruits and that's what I like my diet to mostly consist of.

I don't think we actually spend 1300 that's our budget but we don't really keep track.. that's probably another step to take.
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I go grocery shopping nearly every day though and it does seem like I can't get out of there for less than 40.00 and sometimes much more. Part of the problem may be a back log of exotic spices and sauces that I don't necessarily use. I have a weakness for them.


another problem we have is that we go out to eat too often. or Shawn will grab something on the way home and then I won't feel like cooking for just myself so I'll have a cheese sandwich and then the bigger stuff I've been planning to make goes to waste.

I don't know how I can combat that as he won't eat leftovers unless it's lasagna.


writing this has been useful as it's really clarifying for me as to where the real problem is. I need to grow my own herbs and make my own exotic sauces. they can be 8 or 9 dollars a bottle. the problem is they can be so specialty that the ingredients to make them in the amount that I'd realistically use equals out to the same money, but I do have a lot of stuff that I had to have that I've never touched. I suppose I could be a little more disciplined there.

I probably should also buy from bulk bins when it comes to things not used very often.

we do have some local farmers markets but unfortunately they have no organics and they never seem sanitary and the prices are only about five percent under grocery store prices.

the actual seattle area ( I am in the expensive bellevue/redmond area) has some very nice ones but when you factor in gas and time it's not a savings.



I'll look into the bento lunch box idea.

the costco shredded cheese is much cheaper than we could do it for (Especially when you put our dollar per hour labour cost on it). it's 7.50 for five lbs of tillamook. costco kicks ass when it comes to cheese.

I am leaning towards this bread maker


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anyone else out there have a bread maker that they adore?

I'd also like to cut down on my salt intake and making bread from scratch just seems like the thing.

[JustMel]

I was only at $35 because of necessity at the time. Hopefully to never be there again.

I spend more if I go to the store daily as well. I think most people do. Try making a menu and only buying what you plan on for the menus. Even if you skip a night of cooking you'll have the ingredients on hand for future use.

Buy the whole broccoli and feed the leftover stems to the squirrels. If it's a bottle of sauce I say buy it. You can make a large batch of marinara sauce and freeze it. It's good for six months or so.

What are fake meat products? I know you don't eat red meat but I'm lost on this one.

I have this bread maker:


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I also make most of my own pastas but that's time consuming. I use cooking to relax from work stress.

One of the other things that helped us was taking the money we used for lunch out or eating out from the grocery budget. It makes a big difference.

OMG the price of your tomatoes. I could buy them and ship them to you for less. Seriously.

[azelismia]

Originally Posted by JustMel To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I was only at $35 because of necessity at the time. Hopefully to never be there again. I spend more if I go to the store daily as well. I think most people do. Try making a menu and only buying what you plan on for the menus. Even if you skip a night of cooking you'll have the ingredients on hand for future use. Buy the whole broccoli and feed the leftover stems to the squirrels. If it's a bottle of sauce I say buy it. You can make a large batch of marinara sauce and freeze it. It's good for six months or so. What are fake meat products? I know you don't eat red meat but I'm lost on this one. I have this bread maker: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. I also make most of my own pastas but that's time consuming. I use cooking to relax from work stress. One of the other things that helped us was taking the money we used for lunch out or eating out from the grocery budget. It makes a big difference. OMG the price of your tomatoes. I could buy them and ship them to you for less. Seriously.

Where are you? I think most places are far cheaper than we are food and housing wise. you'd probably have heart failure at the rates of a lot of our food prices. I just checked my bank account because I was going off of shawn's budget but I am the one that buys groceries and my monthly average is 600. we probably spend another 400 at costco a month but we buy stuff there too. it's not just food. we get all sorts of stuff there. So he is going to keep that line at 1300 because he doesn't have a budget line for Stuff. Fake meat products are made from Soy and wheat gluten generally. the chicken ones are terrible but the ones that imitate beef and pork aren't too terrible ( at least I think so after not having touched either real product in over 20 years.. IOW don't trust me) the most common brand is morningstar.


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a few of the companies make meatless ground substitutes. these are my favorites. My only real complaint is the high amount of salt in all of them. I really don't have time to make my own though.

[JustMel]

Originally Posted by azelismia To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Where are you? I think most places are far cheaper than we are food and housing wise. you'd probably have heart failure at the rates of a lot of our food prices. I just checked my bank account because I was going off of shawn's budget but I am the one that buys groceries and my monthly average is 600. we probably spend another 400 at costco a month but we buy stuff there too. it's not just food. we get all sorts of stuff there. So he is going to keep that line at 1300 because he doesn't have a budget line for Stuff. Fake meat products are made from Soy and wheat gluten generally. the chicken ones are terrible but the ones that imitate beef and pork aren't too terrible ( at least I think so after not having touched either real product in over 20 years.. IOW don't trust me) the most common brand is morningstar. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. a few of the companies make meatless ground substitutes. these are my favorites. My only real complaint is the high amount of salt in all of them. I really don't have time to make my own though.

Just outside Memphis. Most people here just grow their own tomatoes. I don't because I don't eat them but my dad does.

When you said fake meat products my first thought was spam. YUCK. The husband and kids eat it but it's gross if you ask me.

Our costco has the green bags. So does Walgreen's.

[azelismia]

	Originally Posted by JustMel To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Just outside Memphis. Most people here just grow their own tomatoes. I don't because I don't eat them but my dad does. When you said fake meat products my first thought was spam. YUCK. The husband and kids eat it but it's gross if you ask me. Our costco has the green bags. So does Walgreen's.

I've had a goal to grow tomatoes successfully for quite a few years now. I got a few tomatoes last year before the rot hit... I am hoping it will go better in the new place.
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but we only can produce them for about 3 months of the year.

memphis is 45% cheaper according the sperlings. I think I'd have reverse sticker shock!

Memphis is 45% cheaper than Newcastle.
Housing is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.
Housing is 80% cheaper in Memphis.

A salary of $170,000 in Newcastle, Washington could decrease to $93,350 in Memphis, Tennessee
Newcastle U.S. Avg. Memphis
Cost of Living Indexes
Newcastle Memphis

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131 vs 72

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110 vs 96

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180 vs 35

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74 vs 84

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109 vs 97

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126 vs 88

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101 vs 93

[JustMel]

It's a trip isn't it? My house that I owned in WY was 3600 sq ft. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, dining room, butler's pantry and a full basement. I paid $80,000 for it. The same house here is $165-$200 depending on the neighborhood. That's without all the characteristics I loved about the house like the telephone nooks, plaster walls etc. that are almost impossible to find now.

your school system is better though. 13% higher HS graduation rate than we have. Well, 20% if you use Memphis. I actually put in our city for the comparison to see the difference as I'm just across the state line in N. MS. Everything else was similar though.

[thod]

I can't believe you spend $1300 a month on food for two. I think of what I can buy for that and just can't see how you could eat it all, unless its caviare. You need to do some looking at what other people do to get some tips.

I buy it, I eat it. My refrigerator contains what I will eat. I know some people that stock it full of stuff and most of it goes rotten. An easy way is to plan your meals and go buy what you will need. Condiments, spices, etc last forever and you can always have a cupboard full of them.

$5-$6 for a loaf of bread? $6 for two tomatoes? They must see you coming and swap the labels.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by azelismia To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

We are in the process of buying a house. S. just sent me a update budget based on our change in living and we have one hundred dollars left over at the end of every month and we don't even have cable as part of the equation.. our food budget is preposterous though. 1300 a month for two people. I've started taking my lunch every day instead of eating out but there is still a lot of room for improvement. a loaf of bread in this part of the world ( that is relatively preservative free organic and whole grain) is about five or six dollars a loaf and we can't eat the whole thing before it goes bad.. but I am having sandwiches nearly every day. so I am thinking of getting a bread machine and making my own bread. it has to be cheaper. I recently cut all meat out of the grocery expenditures. But I think we are still pretty wasteful with veggies and things. stuff still goes bad. there are some veges that I am ok with frozen but most I can't eat unless they are fresh and only lightly cooked. anyone out there have good planning or storage tips to make things go further?

1300 is insane. I'm running a high protein/dairy/veggy diet and am spending 250-300 per month.

Costco is your friend. If your friend lives too far away, your next best option is Walmart.

[Night Runner]

Sweet Verdonne - $1,300 a month on food?!
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That's... that's twice as much as my monthly expenses on, well, everything.

I would never have pegged you for a foodie, azelismia. It must be that weak "j" of yours.
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I mostly view food as a necessary evil and as a fuel for my body, and my groceries budget is about $80 a month - mostly eggs, pasta, apples (or whatever fruits/veggies are on sale), whole grain bread and cheese. *shrug*

I would recommend going completely cold turkey for one month. Just get the most basic, cheapest stuff and see how much money you can save by switching from exotic/organic food to the stuff that we mortals consume.
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Try getting your fresh veggies and fruits from some other source - I'm sure you must have a farmer's market or something like that nearby. Going out is pricey - try to find some 2-for-1 deals, coupons, promotions, and so on. Your local entertainment book might be useful.

Basically, try to recreate the diet you had as a college student... I only graduated a year ago, but I think I've managed to find a nice balance between a fairly okay diet and low spending. I shop for groceries only every 2-3 weeks (that's another thing - try to go shopping less often! you seem to be developing somewhat of a compulsion...), I always buy them at WinCo, and I live in Reno.

[alphawolf]

Originally Posted by azelismia To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

We are in the process of buying a house. S. just sent me a update budget based on our change in living and we have one hundred dollars left over at the end of every month and we don't even have cable as part of the equation.. our food budget is preposterous though. 1300 a month for two people. I've started taking my lunch every day instead of eating out but there is still a lot of room for improvement. a loaf of bread in this part of the world ( that is relatively preservative free organic and whole grain) is about five or six dollars a loaf and we can't eat the whole thing before it goes bad.. but I am having sandwiches nearly every day. so I am thinking of getting a bread machine and making my own bread. it has to be cheaper. I recently cut all meat out of the grocery expenditures. But I think we are still pretty wasteful with veggies and things. stuff still goes bad. there are some veges that I am ok with frozen but most I can't eat unless they are fresh and only lightly cooked. anyone out there have good planning or storage tips to make things go further?

I am not really a nosy person, but I would like to know where on earth a loaf of bread costs five or six dollars. That is incredible to me.


Anyhow, here is my tip for bread not going bad:

Buy a cheap roll of small plastic freezer bags.

When you buy the new loaf, separate it into stacks of 4 slices each. Put each stack in a small plastic bag, suck the air out, tie a knot, and pop it in the freezer. Take it out a day before you need it. Works like a charm.

I had a bread machine before. Major pain in the ass. More work than it's worth.

[xev]

My suggestions would be:

As someone already mentioned, learn to like brown rice, beans and other legumes (purchased dry and cooked), whole grain couscous, bulgur, etc.

The veggies: I know what it is like to want the out of season and expensive stuff, but it sounds like you need some compromise here. Strawberries are generally much cheaper than raspberries and cherries, especially this time of years. Learn to like apples and bananas and oranges more. I can get frozen organic raspberries and cherries at my local Kroger for cheaper than fresh ones because these berries have such a short shelf life. Do you have a farmers market, preferably one that is *not* catering to upper class yuppies?

By chance is any of that 1300/mo. going to fancy espresso drinks purchased daily from a coffee shop? If so invest in a decent espresso maker and start making your own at home. It should pay for itself in a few months ( check out
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). I'm sipping a delicious cappuccino right now made on my Gaggia espresso maker. I can't believe the amounts of money some people shell out to starbucks for their daily fixes. When I do go to a coffee shop, I always order straight up espresso and add cream to it at their condiments counter -- it generally comes out around $1.50.

[Ither]

One can curry almost anything. Crypto-indian or pseudo-thai is inexpensive to boot.

[blossom]

This really just depends on you, your personality and how far you are willing to go. The cheapest way to cut your bill, as Mel mentioned, is to plan inexpensive meals in advance and then buy groceries once a week. This doesn't seem compatible with your personality or needs so I would actually just recommend that you keep doing what you are doing but substitute the majority of your expensive home-made or restaurant meals with cheaper ones. However still keep a few expensive ones in there so you won't feel deprived. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season; I don't know where you shop, but when I was in Seattle 2 months ago, there were some very reasonable prices for veggies--you just have to go there with an open mind to buy whatever is cheap. Voluntary budget changes are just like dieting; any extreme changes are usually not sustainable (unless out of dire necessity). You have to make gradual adjustments to your usual way of doing things. Taking your lunch to work is a great step.

As for the Zojirushi breadmaker, I have a much older version that was given to me. It still works incredibly well and makes better bread than any other brand I've seen. I highly recommend that brand since it is a great long-term investment, even though it is more expensive than most. That being said, making bread that tastes really good and finding decent recipes that fit your nutritional requirements may be very time-consuming. Also, if you are looking to make more complex breads, such as the ones you are buying, you will typically buy really expensive flours/grains/seeds/etc. You will save some money (maybe $2-3?), but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it isn't enough to make your time worthwhile if you are working full-time in a demanding job.

Good luck with your house hunt. My fiancee is from Tacoma, but his father lives in the new developments in Kent--great place to live but very expensive for even a small house.

[Cocoa]

Here are some Freezer Meals from
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I haven't cooked these yet, but I've tried other recipes from the site and they were very good and easy. I know you don't eat meat, but you can either omit the meat, or used beans instead. They also have vegetarian recipes there too.

Turkey Chili with Barley


Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 lb. lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (white pepper, if you have it)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 can chicken stock, undiluted
1 28 oz. (798 mL) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup jarred salsa, hot or mild (optional)
2 19 oz. (598 mL) cans white kidney or navy beans, drained
1/2 cup pot or pearl barley

Low fat sour cream and fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, heavy pot set over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, until softened.
Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink.
Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
Cook for another minute.

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, salsa, beans and barley and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
By then the barley should be cooked through.

If you want to serve it right away, let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasonings.

Otherwise, let it cool and then refrigerate overnight; reheat on the stovetop over medium heat after a day or two.
Add some extra stock or tomatoes if the barley has absorbed too much liquid and it has become too thick.

Ravioli Lasagna


Ingredients:

1 large jar good-quality tomato sauce
2 16-18 oz. bags fresh or frozen large ravioli, preferably cheese-filled, but meat works too
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick spray, and spread about a third of the tomato sauce over the bottom.

Lay half the ravioli in a single layer overtop.

Sprinkle with the spinach and half the cheese, another third of the sauce and then the remaining ravioli, sauce and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Serves 6.

Curried Ham, Lentil and Spinach Soup


Ingredients:

Canola or olive oil, for cooking
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 ham steak (a half inch slice of roast ham), cubed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. curry powder or paste
1 tsp. cumin
pinch dried red pepper (optional)
1 L chicken or vegetable stock
1 L water
2 cups dried lentils
1 bag baby spinach leaves plain yogurt, for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat.
Sauté the onion, celery and carrots for a few minutes, until starting to soften.
Stir in the ham, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and dried red pepper.
Cook for another minute.

Add the stock, water and lentils; bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, about half an hour.

Add spinach; simmer until spinach is wilted, which will take only a minute. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Cool and freeze.

REWARM ON THE STOVETOP, adding more water if necessary.
Ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with spoonful of yogurt.

Sloppy Joe's
Ingredients:


1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey, bison or chicken, or a combination
1 28 oz. can diced, whole, or stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup or half ketchup, half barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
A few shots of Tabasco (optional)
Salt and pepper
6 plain soft buns, cheese buns, plain or cheese biscuits


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic for about 10 minutes, until the onions are starting to turn golden.

Add the meat and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as you cook, until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Split the buns or biscuits in half and ladle the sloppy Joe mixture on top.
Note: you can do more with this mixture than make sloppy Joes; add a can of drained kidney beans, a can of brown beans, chili powder to suit your taste, and a glug of salsa to turn the sloppy Joe mixture into chili.

[acyckowski]

Family of five, living in the greater Richmond area, food costs about 85% here compared to your area.

( Show Spoiler )

Cost of Living Indexes Seattle Richmond
Overall 132 87
Food 111 94
Housing 183 70
Utilities 73 107
Transportation 108 100
Health 127 89
Miscellaneous 100 94

Keeping costs down is only one factor for us. My wife stays home, but I do the cooking, so time and convenience are issues. My wife and son are both picky eaters who demand variety (huh?). The kids and I all brown-bag our lunches. We eat out once a week, not counted against the food budget, but that usually runs around $30-40.

I spend less than $600 per month, including health & beauty and small household purchases like batteries and light bulbs. I do some couponing, although I don't go crazy about it, again because of convenience. I can drop it under $500 without anybody noticing, and under $400 iif I crack down on the coupons and planning.

Here's my basic plan:

Before I go:

• Plan my meals through to my next shopping trip. I don't go crazy, but knowing how many times we're eating chicken breasts tells me a lot about how many chicken breasts I need.
• Inventory my cabinets and fridge.
• Make a list.
• Compare the list to coupons and local sales. Even if I'm not being hardcore about couponing, most chain grocery stores have their weekly ads on-line. If I can get something half-price at the Kroger five minutes up the road from the Food Lion, it might be worth the trip.
• For perishables, understand our storage situation and eating habits, and plan accordingly. My kids go through three gallons of milk in 14 days, but milk hits its expiration date about 10 days in, so I'll need to buy a gallon halfway through the cycle. For bread, we go through about 8-12 loaves in a two-week period, but I only have freezer space for 8. So, I know I have to hold a little cash back to make a bread & milk run next week.

At the store:

• STICK TO THE LIST!!!
• Pay in cash. I used to write a check, but I would overspend my budget about half the time. With cash, I have the psychological pressure of making sure I don't show up at the register with more than I can pay for. Since switching to cash two years ago, I've over spent ONCE, by a whopping $6, and even that was a week I was shopping on a $200 limit.
• Give myself plenty of time. With twenty choices for each of the 50 items on my list, the extra 30 seconds it takes to make sure I'm buying at the lowest per-unit cost adds up.
• If available, I buy meat at a butcher and in-season produce at a stand. They're generally cheaper because they specialize in frequently-used foods. Organics and other health food however, are usually cheaper at the grocery store than in specialty stores.
• By exception, grab good deals if you find them. This means sales and coupons that you find for items you know you'll use before they expire.
• Be careful of buying in bulk. If we can't eat it all before it spoils, we're not getting a deal. Also, especially with coupons and sales, the per-unit cost of the smaller packages might be cheaper. Our family goes through gallons of spaghetti sauce and peanut butter, but it's almost always cheaper for me to buy a bunch of little jars rather than the Value Jug because I either have a coupon or there's a sale.
• Leave brand loyalty at the door, within reason. I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE Hellmann's mayonaisse, but for most prepared foods/condiments, the store brand is made at the same plant as one of the name-brands. I prefer Diet Coke to Food Lion diet cola, but not 80% more.
• For cleaning supplies and paper products, the difference in price is almost entirely driven by marketing costs. I use a napkin to wipe my dirty mouth and then throw it out, why pay twice as much for the name on the package?

Once I get home:

• Pre-cook on weekends, especially because we brown-bag. If we're having chicken marsala on Sunday, and chicken salad sandwiches all week, I'll cook all the chicken at once. I make my chicken salad and put in a storage tub in the fridge.
• Leftovers does not have to mean eating the same thing, reheated. Tuesday's extra pork chop can be cut up into tiny pieces for Friday's fried rice.

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