What should I eat more of to save money?

Hard to say since I don’t know what you usually eat, but I was wondering if you use coupons? I get the Sunday paper which is $1.50 and the paper has tons of coupons that could save you several dollars a week. You would save on food items, paper items including toilet paper, dish washing soap, laundry detergent, etc.

@chyna I only use coupons for fast food outlets and pizza. I have a rebate membership to my local grocery store, where I stock up on microwave spaghetti Bolognese for $2 each. spend $450 a month on food. I eat summer sausage every day at night with my pills . I eat Malibu beef ribs $9 for a pack of 6 every day. I drink tap water and sometimes watermelon juice. I have an avocado once a day. I have 4 bananas every day. I eat a package of raspberries every day. I eat cauliflower and broccoli with dip every day. Once every two weeks I walk to the local KFC and have one thigh and a orange juice for $5.08 each.

Tap water seems like a safe bet. (Drinking enough water is generally a good thing, sometimes people think they’re hungry when they’re thirsty, and tap water costs almost nothing.) Home cooking generally costs less than factory-packaged foods or eating out.

Porridge is cheap, filling and healthy.
Baked beans, eggs, veggies, rice. All quite cheap and filling. If you make a casserole, you can keep the cost down by cutting down on the meat and bulking up the veg or putting in some rice too.
Make some soup. Often not expensive, easy to make and healthy.

Roman noodles, cheap and tasty.

Juice is crazy expensive. And I would argue that it really isn’t all that good for you since it is packed with sugar.

My mom has type 2 diabetes and whenever she comes over I stash the juice in my room. Left alone she will down a two quart bottle and then her blood sugar gets crazy and she bottoms out and will sleep for 12 hours.

But if your goal is to save cash just write down what you spend on food for a month. Then at the end take another look and see what you could have done without.

I used to love candy and soda and chips. But when I started putting that shit into a spreadsheet I was able to visualize that “HOLY FUCKING SHIT I SPENT 25 Dollars this month on Pringles!!”. I eat less Pringles now.

You need to be eating a healthy, balanced diet. This will save a lifetime.
That said Aldi probably cuts our grocery bill in half. Simply knowing where the deals are makes a huge difference.

I’m glad you asked this question.

I like @johnpowell‘s idea of keeping a notebook for 1 month and writing down every single cent spent on food. If you go to the grocery store, write down how much you spent on each item. If you order pizza, write that down. At the end of the month, you will be able to see where your money is going, and then you can decide how you want to spend your money and make a budget.

Don’t compromise with your health for saving some dollars. It will cost you big if you’re depriving your body from necessary intake. Your diet should be balanced.

More potatoes, rice and vegetables and less meat.

Seems to me like you could save some money by eating less, not just different stuff in the same quantities. That sounds like a lot of food for one person.

@Darth_Algar Actually I used to be hungry most of the day. I just graze for now and I am better.

@RedDeerGuy1, eat more protein. Especially vegetable proteins. This is a list of vegetables that are high in protein. You could also steam your chicken. Eat some seafood -
fish etc. Reduce the processed carbs. You’ll feel fuller for longer if you eat some quality protein with each meal. And try not to snack. You’d be better to eat three or four small meals a day. It’s much harder to track how many calories you’re eating if you graze.

Do you log your food intake? @johnpowell suggested logging your food to track how much you spend, but it’s also a good way to keep an eye on how much you are consuming.

Well, kale is a super food and it grows well under all conditions.
The texture is nasty, but then again, it tastes gross and smells like compost.

^^ I like it.

If there is a lake, or river nearby, you could catch some fish. Protein is usually the most expensive part of a meal.

Or you could set trot lines, or crab traps….

Maybe one of your earlier questions will give you an answer: https://www.fluther.com/192330/is-it-safe-to-eat-random-bugs-in-my-apartment/ ;-)

@Coloma, you forgot pine nuts. They were the staple of the diet of the Mono, Miwok and Paiute, the dominant tribes in your area. The Donner Party was attacked, starved and brutally killed by them because Euro-American pioneers crossing the Sierras two years before had maliciously destroyed the Paiute pine nut winter caches as they went through the pass and caused a famine decimating the tribe.

Pine nuts are delicious and you can make flour and bread from them.

1. Cut back on all meats
2. Frozen vegetables
3. Canned beans
4. Fruits and vegetables in season
5. Make your own soups using your crockpot
6. Grow your own vegetables

Brocolli
Yogurt