A little while back, a Facebook friend asked me:
What groceries would you buy each week if you only had $50 to spend and had picky eaters to please?
Honestly, picky eating is not allowed in my house. I am not cruel about it but everyone is served the same food. I might set aside some cooked ingredients before mixing up pasta or casseroles since children are more inclined to eat things when they are not grouped together, but I very rarely make a special meal for my picky ones. If they choose not to eat, then I offer them crackers and water (maybe cheese) if they are hungry before bed. No one goes to bed with a rumbly in their tummy but neither do I reward picky eating.
This might be harder if the picky eater is an adult… especially a MALE adult. Know what I mean? Those meat and potatoes guys? The ones who dislike beans and vegetables and anything remotely healthy. If you have one of those in your home, best of luck. I recommend sitting down for a chat with that person and explaining how difficult it is to stay within your budget while pleasing their peculiar palette. If you cannot come to an agreement, then take the picky eater to the store with you, calculator in hand, and show him (or her) what those picky eating habits are costing.
Now, to focus on the $50 budget…
You can find an abundance of less than healthy options for cheap when using low prices matched with coupons and if really pushed for a solution, this might be an option. Make sure you have polished your couponing skills by taking the Online Coupon Workshop. Then, follow the coupon match-ups listed at Southern Savers.
Because we avoid as many processed foods as possible in our home, here is what I would buy:
- Basic baking supplies (flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter)
- Produce (potatoes, carrots, cabbage, bananas, and other produce in season and on sale)
- Pasta (in bulk or on sale with coupons)
- Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce (when BOGO with coupons)
- Whole chickens, chicken thighs, or chicken breast (in bulk and on sale)
- Chuck roast (in bulk and on sale)
- Dry beans (in bulk)
- Milk, tea bags, coffee (in bulk and on sale)
- Frozen vegetables (in bulk and on sale)
What would you buy with a $50 grocery budget?
I, too, use few processed foods and shop frugal. I’d add: eggs, onions, cheese, Evo or canola oil, OldBay seasoning, or some type of blended spice. From your list as it is, I can think of endless dishes, meals, desserts etc. that could be made.
Definitely onions, Gail! Good point. I really cannot live without onion and bell pepper. Cheese can be expensive so when we are super tight, I skip it unless I can find a really good deal. Thanks so much for your comment. Can’t believe I left off onions. š
Oats,
We were on a $50 budget/week for the longest time, and that was 2 adults and a child, two of those people with special diets. Now we’ve added a fourth person to the mix (child #2) and the budget is still about $60/week, maybe a little more. Definitely lots of in-season and/or on-sale produce, marked down meat, and everything from scratch. Your list is perfect! I also started shopping once a month, and found that it really helped me stick to my budget, take advantage of bulk pricing, and be more effective with my grocery budget. (I’m actually in the process of writing an ebook for tight grocery budgets!)
I’d add eggs & milk but skip the roast š
Eggs and milk would be excellent on this list. Thanks Meg!
I not only have a small budget, a picky eater male, but when he’s on chemo I feel like I need to get him whatever he wants or he won’t eat at all. By the end of the month we are scrambling for money! It’s tough living on a fixed income! I am creative for sure. But sometimes I want to throw my hands up and cry! lol
I’m sorry, Autumn. That does sound like a very difficult situation. I would certainly do the same thing as you are if I were in your shoes. Saying a prayer right now that God would bring healing and financial security to your home.
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Thank you for the wonderful advice. This probably sounds stupid on my part, but I didn’t think that I was “rewarding” my child, the picky eater, but that’s exactly what I am doing. I was just trying to make sure she would eat. Thank you for opening my eyes. She has no medical condition or special dietary requirements. Now I have to break this very bad habit I have created over the past 13 years. Wish me luck.