Does spending $20 per week for a family of five sounds unbelievable to you? In today’s cost of living, a twenty may sound too small to buy the basic necessities for a typical small American family. Not many people know just how much they are actually overspending on groceries that they do not need. But if you learn the trick of lowering your grocery bill, this budget can actually be stretched while making your family eat healthy food. At Safeway, there are a number of ways for you to keep a $20 a week budget. Here are some meal ideas to begin with.
A King’s Breakfast Is Not Necessary
Start your family’s day with a dose of protein. If there is no known allergy to egg and dairy in the family, make sure to infuse eggs for at least three times a week to your breaky. Scramble it with cheese or add thinly sliced vegetables, herbs and spices to it to give it some boost. Some days, go for heart-healthy oatmeal or toast as these are known stomach fillers.
Just an Ordinary Lunch
Lunch is often a debacle. Wise mommies out there, however, knows precisely how to make it less messy yet filled with the necessary vitamins and minerals for their kids. Try peanut butter sandwich or egg salad sandwich. Veggie stuffed baked potato and tuna sandwich are good options, too. Serve these with fresh fruits and garden greens to make it a fuller healthier meal.
Dinner Thunder
Stock up on beans and vegetables. Stir fry veggies over pasta or create a salsa for a veggie quesadilla. Roasted vegetables over cheesy beans will also make a fuller tummy. Spaghetti and crock pot soup are also great choices. You can have leftovers heated for breakfast. This will save you money as well as time.
Preparation is the Key
Carefully manage your weekly menu. From there, create your shopping list carefully taking into consideration the “healthy” value of each meal. If you can, do choose to shop at discount grocery stores like Safeway where coupons and weekly sales will give more value to your money. The key is to shopping and cooking on a budget as low as $20 is to go for no-fuss meals. If you have kids, this could mean infusing veggies and fruits to their usually sugar and fats filled diet. Here are some food items on every Safeway weekly deals for you to start with:
Spaghetti noodles (boxed) – S0.89
Rolled Oats – $1.99
Sliced bread (loaves of 2) – $1.19
Bell peppers (3 per pack) – $1.99
Brocolli (2 heads per pack) – $1.19
Apples (1 bag) – $1.49
Bananas (2 bunches) – $1.50
Cauliflower – $2.39
Onions (3lbs) – $1.39
Carrots (2lbs) – $1.19
peeled tomatoes (1 big can) – $1.50
Peanut butter – $1.69
Tuna (2 cans per pack) – $2.30
Low fat yogurt (2 tubs) – $4
Cheese (2 blocks)- $4
Eggs (2 dozen per pack) – $1.55