Food budgeting for two

[frugalone]

Hello--

I am sure there have been countless threads on "how much do you spend on food per week/month/etc." We live pretty frugally, but I really believe our food budget is too high.

Here's how it gets complicated. 1. We are vegetarians but not vegans--though we cannot have milk products. We buy soy milk, soy cheese, soy cream cheese etc. I have looked into making my own soy milk and it doesn't seem worth it when you look at time vs. money and all that. We do eat eggs, and I eat canned fish in my sandwiches for work.

2. I am a type 2 diabetic who eats a very low glycemic diet and very low carbs. Therefore, the breads I can eat tend to be a bit more costly (wraps and Ezekiel bread). I also survive on Atkins snack bars and nuts as meals several times a day, since I eat every 2-3 hours and almost never eat a hot meal (due to work schedule etc.)

It seems like food has increased in price extremely these last couple of years. Am I right? How on earth can one cut down on how much $ is spent on food? We rarely buy any kind of snacks, we don't buy expensive stuff like lobster tails, so what am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

EDIT: I have never found couponing to be that helpful. We just don't use enough products that are in the newspaper's coupons to make out well. Unless there is some great, secret coupon web site out there?

[bunnys]

I would say to hit the things you consume the most and try to figure out a way to make those less costly for you.

I get my soymilk from Costco. It's Silk vanilla organic. I don't know if you can drink that but it's 3 half gallons for like $7.50. Pretty cheap. I would never go through the production of making soymilk. I did make bread for awhile in a bread machine but I think it caused me to start gaining weight so I cut it out. I don't care if the loaves I'm buying @ the grocery store are more expensive. Nothing is cheap enough to make it worth compromising my health and appearance.

But back to hitting the things you eat a lot and making substitutions that are cheaper. You say you eat Ezekiel bread and Adkins bars. If I were you, I'd do some searching and analyzing and figure out a way to make those bars and that bread yourself. My guess is that you could at least make the bars for a fraction of the cost of buying them. I'd probably look @ the ingredients on the label, then start looking up high protein energy bar recipes on the internet. With your diabetes, I'm sure you're pretty good at looking at recipes and knowing how well they'd fit into the requirements of your diet--and be able to adjust the recipe accordingly. Granola bars are some of the easiest things to make and you can change up the recipe very easily w/o compromising the final product.

Same with the bread. Look at the ingredients and then look up low carb bread recipes on the internet and see what you can find. Then play around and do a little trial and error. You'll probably end up with a better tasting and healthier product than what you've been buying for both items.

[frugalone]

We do drink Silk soymilk (the no sugar one) but we don't have a Costco here (yet).

Hmmm...Never thought the energy bars could be made at home. I will look into that, and the bread. Thank you!

[awakenedsoul]

Can you make your own bread? I do that, and it saves me so much money. Costco sells organic soy milk and they have the best prices I've found. Do you buy in bulk? I wait for tuna to go on sale at the grocery store and usually stock up on sales that are 10 for $10.00, or .70 cents a can. (I found the cheapest deal at CVS!) My garden helps a lot. Fruit is my biggest food expense, so I buy it in bulk at our local organic co op. I've also planted an orchard and when it's producing it's such a money saver! I've made a lot of changes to my grocery shopping. I freeze the lemon juice from my lemon tree. I use it all year for lemonade and no longer buy juice. I juice my home grown oranges, as well. I buy the sugar in bulk at Costco. I use half a pound of ground beef instead of a whole pound in spaghetti sauce, etc.,.For tacos I put mostly veggies from the garden with less meat. I season it heavily. I buy raw mik and cheese, which is also expensive. I use less now. One cup of milk a day in my coffee, and smaller amounts of cheese on sandwiches. (It's very flavorful.) Soups are cheap. I have soup, salad, and bread quite often. I grow the veggies.
My neighbor said the same thing about food prices. I haven't really noticed, but I've cut other things in my budget. Maybe that's why.

[awakenedsoul]

Sorry, I didn't see the above replies until after I posted. OOps.

[AmeliaJane]

I know a lot of people on here don't coupon, for various reasons, but since you have a few specific products you buy--there are many online resources now that don't involve buying a paper. If you google a bit, you will find searchable coupon databases--also there are a number of blogs focusing on coupons. I subscribe to one that probably once weekly has a round-up of coupons for natural and organic foods. They also usually have match-ups showing when a coupon + sale makes for a particularly good price. I would also get myself put on the email list and "Friend" on Facebook your specific brands--I find the best coupons often come through those rather than the general coupon websites.

If you are lucky enough to be near one, Trader's Joe's seems to have pretty reasonable prices on staples (the problem is not getting seduced by all the fun stuff) and I am pretty sure they sell a range of soy "dairy" products and also either the Ezekial bread or something similar.

[frugalone]

No problem! We do try to buy in bulk when possible. Gardening would be a problem--just no space for it at all. We've got a CSA (I think that is the term) but it is terribly expensive to buy into it. I'm sorry to say we have a very backward area here--no Trader Joe's, no Costco, just waking up to the idea of CSAs.

[frugalone]

AmeliaJane, would you be willing to share the address of that blog you mentioned?
Thanks!

[ToomuchStuff]

Food has increased, between fuel and shipping as well as drought, other weather, and prepackaged food companies, changing both portion size and price to keep their profits about the same, so they stay in business. When you say your in a backwards area, what do you mean? Rural? If so, you may find it worth your time to travel to a bigger city once a month (as well as the other options like internet recipes and trying to make more stuff at home). Don't have a lot of space, could you container garden? (not everything, but stuff does help) Have an unfinished basement? I knew someone who bred snakes and lizards in their basement and the lizards were in tree's (ficus if I remember correctly), under grow lights and he even rigged up a fancy water system. I described it to another person and they modified a version and grew some tomato's in winter one year. (until their wife was tired of tomato's) Other friends of his wanted to see the setup for other growing purposes I don't approve of. I figure I will do that setup someday to start plants for a garden (got rid of a bunch of dying tree's and pruning the neighbors tree's that overgrow my property).

[Rosemary]

It seems like you know the foods that are expensive - the prepared ones (soy milk, soy substitutes for dairy, protein bars, special breads). Have you considered eating other foods in place of them, or trying to make them yourself? There are so many food blogs where people are experimenting to make healthy foods - I think you could find recipes for most of these things.

I mostly eat dairy-free, grain-free, and it's not difficult once you get used to it. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and have very high energy on this diet.

[frugalone]

By backwards I mean we're about 10 years behind the times here! That is intriguing about the basement growing.

I wonder, though: all this is extra work (baking, growing things) and extra time and I wonder who can do it while they are actually working a job and going to school? I'm not knockin' it...but sometimes I wonder if you end up paying more in extra electricity, say, for the gro lights.

Rosemary, I hate to confess this, but I am not a fruit and vegetable person. Yes, I am a vegetarian and it probably sounds odd to hear me say that. I really don't eat fruit, for e.g., because of the sugar content. Some fruit I have given up entirely for that reason.

I will check out some blogs, for certain!

[Rosemary]

My personal experience is that what one eats, one craves. Changes become easier once they are not so new. Since changing my diet substantially over a year ago, I crave leafy greens most of the time. I eat them cooked or in salads 1-2x/day.

Also, cooking can be done while working, etc. It will be more difficult to learn to do things up front, but once you've got the recipes selected and made them a couple of times, it will take a lot less time.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I wonder, though: all this is extra work (baking, growing things) and extra time and I wonder who can do it while they are actually working a job and going to school? I'm not knockin' it...but sometimes I wonder if you end up paying more in extra electricity, say, for the gro lights.

My personal opinion: I very much doubt growing stuff is worth it financially if you don't have the land to do it. Herbs may be the exception as you often just use a pinch here and there, and it's kinda silly to buy a whole bunch at the store for that. But if someone gets enjoyment out of growing things then that is a good reason too (still doubt it would come out ahead financially).

It's really tough constraints your working within there:

No meat, no poultry (I assume), no dairy. Just fish and eggs. Great fish and eggs are very healthy if tolerated. Fish can be costly, eggs aren't too expensive even if you buy organic etc. Make omelets with eggs and veggies. You could also try making stir fries with fish and veggies, fried rice with mostly eggs and veggies and only very small amounts of rice. When buying fish (canned or not), look for sales, use your cupboard and freezer.
No grains? Grains in moderation?
Legumes: ok? I guess so as you eat soy. What about eating more soups? Veggie soups, soups with legumes, there are even some soups with eggs or fish.
No fruit? Fruit in moderation?
No veggies? I agree with Rosemary you need to learn to like veggies, your diet sounds WAY too limited without them. What about fatty veggies like avacodos? Not the cheapest but not always that expensive (good calorie bang for the buck probably :)). Then instead of exotic bread and sandwiches make salad (add whatever, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados etc.), and add the canned fish to it. If you want you could add some carbs (rice or legumes etc.). I have a pretty good salad I often make for lunch with garbanzos and tuna.

Personally I'd ditch the processed food, and save up the money for eggs and fish (I don't think Atkins would have minded :)), and for if there are any more pricey veggies you'd like to add (avocados, artichokes, a lot of veggies are cheap as is). Everything else is cheap anyway (like legumes - why not just eat some legumes instead of soy milk and all the soy products?). Fruit is a bit costly but you say you seldom eat it.

I agree it's definitely possible to work and cook, but other than an occasional class I take here and there (not a degree program) I'm not in school (just working, bad commute). And I definitely don't go around baking my own bread (most of the time I just don't eat bread). I have made my own soups though, much more my style, not that much work.

[Maxamillion]

I do a good bit of grocery shopping at salvage grocery stores (although I avoid canned goods there, I worry about food poisoning with those) and I've been able to find a lot of specialty food products at those places for a whole lot less. For example, one day I stopped at one and they had bottles of organic cooking spray for 99 cents-- the same exact bottles at Kroger were $7. I've found a lot of ethnic food and specialty food, like gluten-free mixes or organic items that I wouldn't have been able to find and/or afford otherwise. With how much grocery prices have gone up, it helps stretch my grocery budget a little further.

I found out something neat recently. If you shop at Kroger, you can go to their website and load electronic coupons directly onto your Kroger card.

You may be able to make your own almond milk or rice milk (though the rice milk might have a lot of carbs). I've seen recipes for those before. Lentils are great as a substitute for ground beef in things like taco filling and I've even made "meatloaf" with them before. They're cheap and don't need to be soaked, unlike other dried beans, and cook up in about 30 minutes.

[SteveinMN]

frugalone, you've got some challenges there!

I noticed that you say you don't eat hot meals out of time constraints. Would it be possible to cook a hot meal and keep it in a Thermos(-type) container until you could eat it? You probably would get several portions out of one recipe. It would open up a variety of foods for you and help cut out the stuff you have to buy in stores.

You do eat soy, so it might be worth looking at soy products like tofu and tempeh. Yes, they're processed, but it's good protein and it's something different. And they'll keep for several weeks in the 'fridge. TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) also is soy (and processed) but it is much less expensive than tofu/tempeh and is shelf-stable. TVP would be useful for chili and other meals which ordinarily would use hamburger. While beans are not as "substitutable" as TVP, they're a good source of vegetarian protein and fiber, too.

Another possibility if you live in the hinterlands is buying through Amazon and getting mail delivery of larger quantities of foods. Pretty much every non-perishable food mentioned in this thread can be ordered through Amazon, sometimes at very good prices. While I'm not that much a fan of Amazon's Walmatization of Web commerce, buying from them (or their affiliates) can be a way to economize.

But I think you'll really need to decide how important all of these restrictions are to you. I certainly understand not eating certain foods because they don't agree with your body or your values. I certainly can understand wanting to live less expensively. But if prices are going up, you have to decide whether it's more important to save the money or honor your body and your values. As my wife says, "Sometimes it costs more to be me."

[AmeliaJane]

Here is the blog I use--but there are a million of them out there.http://www.survivingthestores.com/

[try2bfrugal]

My advice would be to avoid processed foods like the energy bars. They are really expensive if you look at them on a per calorie or per ounce basis. The average person eats about 5 pounds of food or 2,000 calories a day and one of those bars has a few ounces of food and maybe 200 calories for probably $1.50. You could eat a whole pound of bulk dried beans for 60 cents. It you set a limit of $5 a day for food per person and only bought energy bars you would only get about 600 calories and a half a pound of food for that price.

If you want to save money I don't think you have to grow your own food but you could probably save a lot by buying single ingredient whole foods, either on sale, in bulk or warehouse stores, and cooking from scratch. For snacks instead of energy bars you could make up your own bags of trail mix or munchie mix (whatever works with your diet) ahead of time and then have the bags ready to go. Nuts from warehouse stores are actually pretty reasonably priced on a nutrient and per calorie basis.

For meals when I worked I made up big batches of food on the weekends, including a lot of crock pot meals. In fact I decided we need to do a lot more of those to save time even though we work at home. It just isn't worth it to make more labor intensive meals when the kids are just as happy with the crock pot stuff. I just have to get used to making dinner in the morning or assembling the ingredient the night before and putting the crock pot meals on in the morning.

[awakenedsoul]

If you're working full time and going to school, I can see your point. There is a book called The Tassajara Bread Book that has a great recipe for brown rice bread. It uses brown rice, oil, whole wheat flour, and sea salt. If you get into the habit of baking bread, it's a huge money saver. I buy my flour in bulk: 25 lbs. for $5.00. It lasts me all year. I buy the yeast and salt in bulk, too.

I spend a lot of time on food preparation and storage, but I no longer have to work. I treat this like a job now. (Saving money.)

[Tussiemussies]

Frugal one -- there is a great coupon site called:

www.thecouponclippers.com

They have hundreds of coupons that are not available elsewhere. What I do is pull up their site with the weekly store ad next to me. See what I want to buy and instead of browsing through, I just do a search for it. There is no fee to sign up the coupons are usually ten cents a piece but greatly worth it! Christine

PS I have saved lots of money this way by storing up on sale items with the coupon. I buy more than one usually about five... Good luck!

[JaneV2.0]

I shop at a nearby grocery discounter (Grocery Outlet), rely on loss leaders at other stores, find excellent deals at ethnic grocers, buy multiples at Amazon and Cash and Carry, and stock up when I come across particularly good deals. For the most part, I eat whole foods and do the preparation myself--like soup from a carcass.

(I was just thinking today how over cooking I am...If I lived in NYC, I'd eat takeout on a regular basis.)

[frugalone]

@JaneV2.0, the word carcass cracks me up!

These are some great ideas. For e.g. I didn't even know you could get food on Amazon in bulk. I tend to just go there to browse for books and CDs!

We have been using TVP and beans for quite a while, having given up on the "ground beef" substitutes. Also sometimes we make seitan. I think the thermos idea is a good one and I'll investigate it.

I wonder why the only discount place we have here is Sam's Club (which I have never found useful)? No Kroger's, either. Darn...

[Cypress]

I am finding this thread hard to follow. If you could show us a grocery list and average cost maybe I can help. I am a frugal alone and spend probably $50 a week on food. But, I also buy the from local farmer's markets at this time of year adding $10 to $20 a week on the basics. I buy Hannaford brand soy milk. What about Wasa or Ryevita crisp breads instead of Ezekiel. I grow fresh greens, cucumber, tomato and herbs. I am a foodie and do not mind buying higher quality products. I buy the best pasta product, etc... I brown bag my lunch everyday.

The cost of food keeps creeping up and up. I have three cats and one can of Fancy Feast is now at $.60. Two year's ago it was $.35 per can. I love tea, instead of getting two cups out of one bag, its one. Pinch pinch pinch

[frugalone]

I've noticed that not only has the cost of certain food items gone up, but the packages have gotten smaller. What, they didn't think we were going to notice?

I do use Wasa crispbread for certain things, actually. I have found it at a good price at Wegman's. Haven't heard of Hannaford soy milk. I buy Silk, because they have a low-sugar formula (it's the one in the green container).

[SteveinMN]

I've noticed that not only has the cost of certain food items gone up, but the packages have gotten smaller. What, they didn't think we were going to notice?
I've read news stories in which food company executives claim this is done to maintain a certain price point. Personally, I'd like to choose whether I'm buying a 16-ounce can for $1.85 or a 14.341-ounce can for $1.50. It's kind of cynical, I think, to play those kinds of games.

I'm also looking forward to the revolution which will occur when some marketing genius decides to redefine a gallon of gasoline as 100 ounces to keep the price at an attractive point for consumers.

[redfox]

Researching this now, as we budget...found this chart. It's 5 years old, so needs to be adjusted. I found it interesting.

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2007/CostofFoodJun07.pdf

[bunnys]

Frugalone: Hannaford is a store brand. I buy Silk bc it has more calcium in it than the Giant brand that's available at my local store even though Giant brand is much cheaper.

But I do buy the organic Silk @ Costco and it's just as cheap as the Giant brand and it's organic and it's got more calcium so I win with this one.

Cypress: I live alone but I think I spend @ $60-65 per week on groceries but I am vegan so this may account for the higher expense. (Fake meat is expensive, just like regular meat. I don't eat that much of it but I do eat is some.) Do you have any hints for lowering my food bill? I'm a foodie, too.

[thinkgreen]

Redfox, here's the most recent pricing
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJul2012.pdf

[thinkgreen]

The chart I gave a link to above has the July 2012 figures. I think their numbers are very generous. We eat out on a regular basis and treat other family members as well. Even including all spending on eating out with our groceries we fall into the low cost plan.

[redfox]

Thank you! We've been budgeting $170 a week for two, for groceries, gas, and all other incidentals, including goodwill trips, etc. I have frequent business coffees, which are deductible but still cost, and that includes parking fees or transit expense. It adds up for sure.

It's been fine, but we're ratcheting down on the budget, so are reducing that to $125 for an trial run. No more goodwill trips! And much more planning for even incidentals. These figures are helpful context.

[frugalone]

Thanks for those charts. They're very interesting, actually. I am going to really try and tweak the budget and spend less at the store. I am glad my dietary needs are reasonable.

[Paver1951]

Thank you for more tips..

[AndrewD]

These tips are amazing. I am glad I found them now.

[Rosemary]

How do other frugal-livers find their food budgets compare to the tables in the link? We are a family of 3, and I buy organic when I can. We eat a whole foods diet. Our grocery spending is less than the "thrifty" plan for a family of 2 in the 2012 table.

[SteveinMN]

Hmm ... Hadn't looked at the USDA charts before this. We also eat largely-organic and whole foods and our budget (including dining out) is about the "moderate" budget listed for a family of two people "of a certain age" ;). Five years (and significant price increases) after the USDA figures. Seems wrong somehow but I've been tracking those expenses carefully, so ... *shrug* I'll take it. Gives me an impetus to keep on cooking away!

[cattledog]

We are a family of three and average $550/mo. That puts us between low-cost and thrifty. This total includes dog food, vitamins, occasional entertainment costs, household supplies and toiletries. I don't buy a lot of processed food with the exception of a box or two of cold cereal and some crackers. There are things we can cut out though. Sometimes I'll buy fancy cheese and olives, for instance. My DH likes to snack on nuts too. I'll try to stick to peanuts, but I'll also buy almonds, cashews and pistachios. Sometimes he'll request things like deli meat for sandwiches, shrimp or good ice cream. That's not cheap either. We also go through a lot of milk and I like good coffee.

Sometimes I get on a kick of trying to spend less, but I admittedly don't put a sustained effort into it. I guess if we had to, we could live on less. Our pantry and freezer is well-stocked.

[thinkgreen]

Here's the link to the USDA Food Plans Cost of Food index in case anyone would like to follow the monthly updates.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodCost-Home.htm

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks think green for posting the chart. It looks like we are liberal on the chart but I think our prices for food are more expensive and we choose to eat fresh fruits and veggies for we believe these are healthier than eating frozen and canned. I did try making soy milk once or twice but it really is not as good as what you buy in the store. We are going to have to eat more bean dishes . I like to use brown rice. What is the issue with brown rice? I am not clear on that...is it just a one time contamination of brown rice or does it naturally carry arsenic in the hull?

My DH was eating the Atkins bars and still drinks their drink during his morning commute but those items I believe have artificial sweeteners in them so I don't think they are too healthy. DH doesn't seem to care about that though.

Will have to look on Amazon for some items and compare prices, this is where a price book would really come in handy....

[SteveinMN]

What is the issue with brown rice? I am not clear on that...is it just a one time contamination of brown rice or does it naturally carry arsenic in the hull?
Yes and yes. :) The issue is that rice fields in certain areas contain high amounts of arsenic. Some arsenic is naturally present in soil. But arsenic also was permitted in fertilizers and pesticides, until 2009, so that bumped up arsenic levels in some places. And if arsenic is present in manufacturing waste (including factory smokestacks), it can settle on the soil. Arsenic has no "half-life". It is arsenic forever.

Rice just happens to be a better "vacuum" for arsenic than other edible crops. The endosperm, which is the brown part of rice, tends to collect more nutrients and chemicals than the starchy inner part. So brown rice does naturally carry arsenic (and much more) in its hull. Removing the hull, however, still leaves possibly-high levels of arsenic in rice.

As for it being a one-time contamination, I think the answer should be 'yes' because, except for locations that have a high amount of arsenic naturally present in the soil, the arsenic comes from fertilizers and/or manufacturing/processing waste. High levels of arsenic in rice is not univeral. Right now the articles I've seen on the issue note that California rice contains less arsenic than rice grown in the southern U.S., and that imported basmati and jasmine rices contain even lower levels.

[Rosemary]

The reason the rice from the southern U.S. has high arsenic is two-fold: 1) as SteveinMN said, the rice plant naturally absorbs arsenic from the soil, which would not be a problem except that 2) arsenic-based pesticides were used for many years in the southern U.S. and the arsenic remains in the soil.

This is why CA-grown rice is lower in arsenic. Also, organic rice from the southern U.S. is not necessarily immune to this problem, as USDA organic rules require only a few years of no chemical usage for certification. Seek rice grown elsewhere. I think most organic rice is from CA, anyway.

[MaryHu]

Wow! I just looked at the USDA Food Plan Chart for Sept 2012 and we come in way under that amount for our age and # of people. We shop at Winco buying mostly from the bulk bins, we buy very little processed food, cook mostly from scratch and have a big garden. I also keep a price book and stock way up when things I regularly use go on sale. I have a full size freezer full of fruits and veggies from the garden/farmer's market as well as home made pasta sauce, soups, pesto, tomatoes etc. I have a well stocked pantry of both commercially and home canned goods as well as baking supplies. I often bake my own bread though I sometimes bring leftover (locally made) loaves home from the food bank where I volunteer. (The only thing volunteers are allowed to take from the food bank is baked goods on the last day of the week and surplus home grown veggies and fruit from local gardeners when there is way too much for the clients to use up before it goes bad.)

We only dine out once a week, always lunch cause that's usually cheaper, and rarely spend more than $12 for the 2 of us. We know the good cheap places to go and use coupons whenever possible. You can include our dining out and we still come in under the USDA chart.

So far this year we've spent $2394 on groceries and $804 on dining. That works out to $239 a month for groceries and $80 a month for dining (this is higher than the paragraph above would seen to indicate because of splurges when traveling and taking friends out to eat occasionally) So groceries and dining combined come to $320 a month and the USDA thinks we'd be frugal to spend $355 a month just on groceries. My grocery bill does not include non-food items like soap, paper products (which we don't use anyway) dog food, cleaning supplies etc.

In a way this makes me feel good but even so I always think that $239 a month is lavish for 2 people to spend on food and I'm always trying to shave dollars off and find new ways to save. We eat well but really do enjoy simple things. Our real splurges are for Thanksgiving when we have a turkey and all the trimmings (with lots of leftovers going into the freezer for future soups and stews) and New Years when I make a big pot of seafood gumbo which we share with friends and freeze the leftovers for future meals. I try my hardest never to waste food.

We eat very little meat (except as noted above) use tofu, beans, TVP, Boca burgers and soy milk. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and whole grain bread and too much sugar and cheese. We shop at the farmer's market all the months it's open (6). We do not go out of our way to buy organic but if it's competitively priced we'll buy it. We get fruits and veggies from Bountiful Baskets Co-op during the months the farmer's market is closed, usually getting a basket every other week.

I'd have to say that not eating meat is probably our biggest saving strategy: both the cost of buying it and the health aspect as well. Even when I do use meat I use it pretty sparsely: more as a flavoring than a main dish. I work about 3 days a week but volunteer a lot too. I have a stay at home hubby who does most of the housework so that's how I find the time to do all the cooking and baking. It also helps that I enjoy cooking and baking and we don't mind eating leftovers.

[catherine]

Here's Scott Nearing's recipe for "horse chow"--a make-your-own granola--maybe an alternative to the Adkins bars:

4 cups of rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup of raisins
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
Olive oil or vegetable oil to moisten.

I love Helen Nearing's cookbook: Simple Food. It's so... simple!

But to your question, frugalone, do you like lentils, barley, quinoa? I am mostly vegetarian and like to eat simply with minimal processed foods, and I ADORE lentil soups and barley/mushroom soups made in my crockpot. Quinoa is a great source of protein and it's easy to make.

I drink soy milk on rare occasions, but I try to moderate my intake of soy. I really think that anything processed consumed in excess is worth looking at, even if presumed "healthy." I'd rather eat whole, raw foods.

Unless I go crazy one month, I pretty much fall in line with the "thrifty" budget. I have set a budget for the two of us of $367. I think I got that from the monthly SNAP benefit for two people in the NY area, and I found it was very achievable. I do buy meat for DH at Trader Joe's or at the local poultry grower. I buy him soda, but I drink water--seltzer for "special occasions."