What’s your budget for food during the pandemic? With countless people out of work, so many families are closely watching their money. I consider myself pretty thrifty. It’s a product of being a first-generation refugee. With that in mind, here are some ideas for less expensive meals.
The items we bought are working under the assumption you already have basics, like salt, pepper, and cooking oil. Our budget is $142, which is generally the weekly break down for a family of four under SNAP benefits. You’ll find the meals and groceries we bought for them. The total was $127.57. We didn’t buy sodas, snacks or chips. Most of the items were store brand.
Dinners:
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce:
3 Packs of store brand pasta, 2 Large cans of diced tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste, 1 pound of ground chuck beef. 2 Bunches of fresh garlic (which you can use for other meals)
Egg Fried Rice:
2, five-pound bags of rice (which you’ll use for other meals), we bought three packs of eggs (18 count) that will be used for breakfast and other dinners, 2 large bags of frozen mixed vegetables, Soy Sauce and garlic.
Black Beans, Rice and Fried eggs:
2 cans of Black beans, Rice, 2 cans of diced tomatoes to mix with black beans, garlic. Fry a couple of eggs and place on top of the rice and beans.
Beef Fried Rice:
1 pound of ground chuck beef, 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, garlic and rice (which we already bought for the egg fried rice).
Ramen and Egg
I bought a twelve pack of Ramen noodles. If you’re hungry, go two pack per person for the meal. Cook the Ramen and then crack an egg about 20 seconds before the noodles are cooked, add some of the frozen vegetables or some slices of onion for extra flavor and texture.
Pork Loin and vegetables
I bought a 2.5-pound pork loin. Brine the loin overnight, pan fry the loin and you’ll have plenty of pork for dinner. Stir fry some of the frozen vegetables with some butter, a bit of soy sauce and garlic. Serve with rice.
Shrimp Pasta
I bought a pound of small, frozen shrimp and will use the spaghetti we bought earlier for the meat sauce. Cook the shrimp separately with some butter and garlic. Cook the pasta. In a large pan cook the pasta with olive oil until you get the texture you desire, mix in shrimp and then salt and pepper to taste with more garlic.
Lunches:
I keep this meal pretty simple. I bought three packs of cold cuts, 4 cans of tuna, 2 packs of sliced cheese, and a jar of mayonnaise. That gives a three-day rotation for lunch: Ham sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I like pickles and apples in my tuna salad, but if you want to go less expensive, celery is a good substitute for the tuna salad.
Breakfast:
This I keep simple as well. I bought a large tin of grits, one large tin of oatmeal a box of Crunch Berries (kids always love that) and eggs. Eggs and grits can suffice for breakfast. You can always have oatmeal with some fruit, and a quick fix for the kids can be the Crunch Berries. If you run out of one item, then what’s left is up to bat.
Again, I didn’t buy snacks or soft drinks. If you’re really on a budget, then some stuff will just have to get left off the list. The items that were not listed above were 2 bunches of bananas, one 3-pound bag of apples,
Total Budget: $142. My total: $125.57 I made my groceries at the Rouses on Airline Highway.