I used to live off noodles and pasta, but my body truly started to hate me, it was getting harder to concentrate, and I lacked motivation due to low energy levels. I was starting to struggle with my schooling, work was becoming harder as I had less energy, and even my writing had come to a complete stop for a while there. Even though I felt happy, I knew I could do more for myself, so I decided to take the $40 I was spending a month on food, add a little more to better sustain myself, and take the crappy food out of my diet completely, and I managed to.
I went from spending $40 a month, to $75 a month, and even though I am saving less money now, I feel a million times better. I don't bargain hunt, that's for sure, I know what I want (the list below), and I buy the cheapest alternative to each item in the same supermarket. By only spending $18.75 a week ($13.25 USD), I am still able to buy all of my groceries for an entire month. It is possible.
Here's my list of groceries for the month (in AUD).
90 Taco Shells - $15
2kg Lentils - $10
6 420g Canned Mixed Beans - $9
5kg White Rice - $7
36 Eggs - $6
6L of Milk - $6
6 420g Canned Tomatoes - $5
30 Carrots - $5
2kg Brown Onions - $5
3 Loaves of Bread - $4.50
2kg Oats - $3
For a total of $75.50 (I know, that's a whole 50c more than I said it would cost, but still!)
For breakfast, I have plain oats with a little sugar. For lunch, two pieces of toast with butter and an egg. For dinner, I cook a proper meal. Beyond all that, I tend to have a glass of milk with each meal, drink about half a litre of water before each meal, and eat a carrot when I'm feeling peckish.
Dinner Meal - First, I cook the beans with the tomato and add herbs/spices to taste until it's a nice gravy (adding a little cornflour to thicken it up works wonders (I had some spare in the cupboard). Before, or at the same time, I cook the rice and the lentils. Once that's all done, I mix them together and serve even portions into three taco shells, and that's my dinner. You can have the taco shells unheated, but I warm/cook them in the oven while everything else is cooking. I cook enough for four days at a time, but you can cook however much you want so long as you don't let it spoil.
Tips: Remember, you can spice it up (see what I did there?) by using different herbs and spices each time with your dinner, it really changes a lot and makes it eventful instead of eating the same tasting food over and over again. You can also change the way you cook your rice. Don't buy all your milk at once; it'll go bad before the month is up. Freeze two loaves of bread and use one at a time, so they don't grow mould. Store the leftovers from your meals in sealed bags or containers in the fridge to prevent faster spoilage. Don't eat more than you've set for yourself. You can also buy canned corn, sour cream, etc. if you want your tacos/burritos to have more of a variety of colour, flavour, and texture and you have the funds. And lastly, if you don't have butter, herbs, spices, sugar, etc. then you may need to add that to your shopping list, but they will last quite a while if used right. The rice, by the way, can last you almost two months if eating roughly half a cup with your taco shells/burritos each night.
I will say it now though; I do have an income from a job, it's just that I like to save my money for writing associated costs and unexpected costs. If I were to bargain hunt by visiting multiple stores, going for the cheapest deals in each one, I could probably manage this same grocery list for $50 or $60 a month. The potential savings are especially true when it comes to taco shells, as a Mexican grocer would sell them much cheaper and possibly in more significant quantities, but that takes more time and effort, and I am too lazy for all that.
All in all, this really improved my life and I am doing much better with my schooling, my work, and my writing. If you don't mind this kind of food, I would recommend you try it, or something similar. Some fruit would be great too, if you can afford it.
September 09, 2018 at 03:51AM
