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Special Diet on a budget
We are trying to keep our grocery budget to 400 a month (500 when my teenage daughter is here during the summer) and it's a little tougher than it used to be because my DH is on a special diet.
He is on a diabetic, cardiac, and renal diet which basically means moderate carbs and protein, low sodium and low saturated fats. My DD also makes dinner a few nights a week when she's here because I work late, so meals that are fairly quick and simple are best.
I used to rely heavily on stuff like hot dogs, frozen pizza, canned soup, boxed mac and cheese, pasta with jarred sauce, cold cut sandwiches, and other prepared foods that were on sale really cheap, but these aren't really an option anymore.
Since I am really picky about meat, and DH shouldn't be eating a ton of it anyway, we tend to use it minimally. We buy frozen chicken breast, frozen shrimp, and sometimes the vegetarian "meats" and that is pretty much all the meat I will eat. I also think frozen vegetables are disgusting, but I am willing to eat certain ones occasionally. The other thing that makes it a bit harder than usual is I work at the airport so there are a lot of things food-wise I cannot take through security, so I typically just take sandwiches or protein bars with me. DD will eat basically anything, so that is good.
Sooo, I could use some ideas, especially for dinners that a 13 yr old could make on her own that my DH can eat.
Re: Special Diet on a budget
I can't wrap my head around thinking ALL frozen vegetables are disgusting. I'm thinking you're simply not cooking them correctly. Also, I'm thinking the amount of processed food being consumed is part of the problem, as they are usually quite high in sodium, among other things. Check out Pinterest and get into the kitchen. Utilize the crock pot, and the freezer, as you can make large batches, and freeze and thaw when needed.
I'm always a fan of a veggie stir-fry. You can control the salt (use low-sodium soy sauce) and what goes into it. Use brown rice to keep you fuller for longer. If you don't have the time to chop veggies, buy them already done from the grocery store (mine has a huge selection of already chopped veggies). There are also frozen stir fry starters, but since you aren't a fan I would look for the prepped stuff in the produce section.
In the winter, I like to make a huge pot of soup or stew, then eat it all week. That's great because you can again, control what you put into it (using low-sodium chicken stock, lots of veggies, lentils or other beans, etc.).
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i see how someone could end up on a diet like that after eating mainly hot dogs, etc...
why do you buy frozen chicken breasts? you do know that once they're cut up to size like that they're priciest right? buy a whole chicken ( FAR cheaper and a ton of meat), roast it and then cut the meat off. pork is lean. turkey is lean. bison is lean. there are a ton of lean meats out there.
why isn't your DH cooking dinner too? has he been to the library to check out any special diet cookbooks?
My husband has generally made most of his own meals and didn't eat the same things that my daughter and I did, but we found we were spending way too much on food doing separate meals. Like 1000 a month or more. We can't afford to keep doing that because we have other goals. He is fine with plain chicken and frozen vegetables every night, but I'm not. His health issues are actually genetic. His diet is very good and he lives a very healthy lifestyle. Even his doctors say it doesn't make sense.
We only buy chicken breasts and shrimp because that is the only meat I will eat. I will not eat pork, beef, turkey, or dark meat chicken. I like fish but only a few kinds and it's expensive so we don't buy it often.
DH doesn't make dinner because I don't like what he cooks or how he cooks it, and I won't eat eat so it goes to waste.
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It seems like you're relying on a lot of pre-packaged items to create this very specific niche for you that could be a lot less frustrating if you did more from scratch. Also, I would look to meet with a nutritionist if I were you.
Sorry, I wrote all that and didn't get to the $$ part much. For just my husband and I, we spend $300-350/ month on groceries which also includes toiletries such as toothpaste, hair products, toilet paper, etc. I keep the $350 as cash in an envelope which is to last us the whole month. Once its gone, its gone. We try to make sure we don't waste any food-- its like throwing money in the trash. Eat the foods that spoil more quickly first and if something looks like it might not make it to the next day, that's what's for dinner! You can get pretty creative with pasta...
I love printing coupons too from www.coupons.com, though, those mostly seem to be packaged items. Also, try planning meals around your local store's weekly sales. I also carry in my purse a little notebook where I jot down the prices of items we buy. Then I check out another supermarket's prices and try to shop at the ones with the best deals. I've found that there are little produce stores and stands where I live and they seem to have the best prices on fruits and veggies-- not the big supermarkets. I can pay $3.99 for a bundle of three beets at the supermarket, or $0.79/pound on beets at the produce store! One time, I scored a whole week and a half's worth of vegetables for $8.
I also recommend the book "America's Cheapest Family". It had a lot of great budgeting tips not only for groceries, but the rest of the household expenses. Check out your library (buying the book would defeat the purpose!).