But now I’m back on vacation, and my pantry is BARE. So I did it, but only by cheating and eating up the pantry. And this is for 2 adults and a toddler in So. Cal.

How do I do it? There’s a few key elements to a low food budget that many people overlook.

1. I buy fresh. I buy local. Shopping for produce at farmers’ markets and international markets often allows you to get better quality produce (even organic produce) at about half the price you’d pay at the grocery store.

2. I’m flexible. If bananas are listed at $1.29lb, I won’t buy them. I’ll go with the kiwis that are listed at $.55lb instead. I love kiwis just as much as bananas, so it’s no big deal to skip the expensive produce until the price comes down. The same goes with pasta, rice, and beans — three staples that should be in every cupboard and used interchangably.

3. I buy staples in bulk. I buy 10lbs of rice at a time, 5lbs of beans at a time, and pasta gets picked up anytime it goes on sale for less than $1/pkg. Also, I buy flour, sugar, and yeast from a local baker that sells to me at bulk prices.

4. I make my own. I realize not everyone has time to make their own goods, but especially in the baked goods arena, I make all my own bread, my own muffins, my own croissants, my own pies and cakes, cookies and popovers. They’re much healthier for you without the preservatives, and they freeze and defrost much better.

5. I make up dishes. The pantry game is one I get an immense amount of joy out of playing. I’ll take three random items (like…zucchini, noodles, and mozzarella cheese) and make dinner from them.

6. Finally, with dairy, I buy three at a time. Three gallons of milk, three blocks of cheese, three packages of butter, three times the amount of yogurt I’ll use. All of these things freeze remarkably well! My freezer is constantly packed with dairy goods and meats.

7. Speaking of meats… Finding a local butcher who will sell you odd cuts and bones is an excellent way to help both yourself and your local community out. Often, the prices are slightly higher, but the quality and quantity is often better. I usually stock up on whatever’s on sale (whole chickens that I cut up myself, really fresh ground beef, fish right off the dock) and use it whenever I need to add a bit to a meal.

8. I use meat as a side to the entree. Meat’s expensive, have you noticed? Because I don’t mind eating veggies and beans and noodles and rice, I usually toss in a small amount of meat as a side dish, instead of the other way around. I still get my protein, my portions are controlled so that I don’t overeat, and everyone gets full and happy.

A little forethought goes a long way : )

If I had a family of four I think I could pull it off non meatless or maybe a little bit of meat. Similar to what above poster said.

Meat/chicken is the most expensive part of my purchases but I need the protein as I work out a lot.

We also try to do two meatless meals a week. So we may have rice a beans for one meal and pancakes and fruit one night.

So, yes I could feed another child on less than $100 a week. It certainly isn’t easy, but it can be done.

And foodstamps can be quite a lot.

That hundred bucks and trying to feed for all at once for a week? Hard. But taking the $500 and buying a whole turkey or two ($30-$40 out of a weeks budget is impossible, but out of the whole it can generate enough meat and meals for a huge stretch of time) is the kind of thing that makes it possible.

Is it hard to manage on foodstamps? Of course. But is it doable AND healthy? It can be. Everyone eating has to be involved and some mindsets have to be changed.