Trying to figure out how to spend money on food

So i'm already bad at saving my money but i'm even worse with buying food and making it at home to save even more money, curious as to how you all shop for food, and like what kind of things do you decide to buy to save money, etc?

Also, is getting a costco membership worth it if trying to save money on food if i'm pre-making meals or something?

 

I'm a very basic guy when it comes to making my own food. My parents are European (Greek/Bulgarian), so you know I eat good. Greek food is one of the best, and I try to say that in a non-bias way. Aside from that though, when I make my own food I make basic meals that you would most likely love to eat, and save money doing so. These are as basic, and simple as you can get, therefore mainly anyone can do this.

Meal #1 - Tuna + Cabbage Salad
Buy a pack of bumble bee solid white tuna, and a whole cabbage from the grocery store, whether it's from BJ's, ShopRite, Giants, Costco, etc. Now I don't eat the nasty tuna sandwich that most people make, but instead I do it differently. Also you will need Lemons / Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil for this.

Clean the cabbage, then cut a chunk of the cabbage off, and shred that into a bowl. Once you've done that, then pour oil, a little bit of salt, and quite a bit of lemon in there, and you'll have a cabbage salad. Also if you like avocado, then you can cut some, and put it in the bowl to add some extra flavor.

For the tuna, open the can with the can opener, and put it into a bowl, but pour oil, and a tiny bit of lemon on it.

This seems weird, but once you try it you'll love it, and it's actually pretty damn cheap.

Meal #2 - Croissant Sandwich and either Cabbage Salad / Cooked Corn

This is so easy, and simple. All you need for this is a grill machine (and you can buy something like this, which is $20, and does the job right), and a small pan for the corn. I love making grilled sandwiches whenever I'm hungry, and honestly they're so easy to make, and don't take long, so why not. Buy like 1 or 2 packs of croissants from BJ's, or Safeway, etc. Also while you're there get some honey ham, smoked turkey, and provolone cheese. Avocado, and tomato is optional if you want to add them. Also a salted butter stick, some garlic, and some pepper for the corn. Don't forget the containers of corn as well. The grilling is pretty self explanatory, but a tip to add is if you have wax paper, and cover your sandwich with it, then the food will never stick, and ultimately leave your grill machine super clean, as well as it won't mess up your sandwich. For the corn, simply open the container, and pour it into the pan. Fill up the pan with water, and then put it on the stove, and cook it at whatever speed you want, but preferably high if you want it done quick. Once you see a lot of bubbles, then turn off the stove, and dump the corn into a drainer, so all the water can be flushed. Once that happens, put the corn back in the stove, and then put a little slice of the salted butter in there, some garlic, and a little bit of pepper, and stir till it's fully cooked/soaked in.

I know this post seems weird, but I just wanted to share that with you in-case you just want a simple meal to make at our house, since this is as basic as it gets. I hope you enjoy either of them, and they're not that expensive, and more importantly healthy.

 

I might try that tuna and cabbage salad sounds good, i love tuna! I usually just put a can of tuna a little mayo and franks red hot into it and put it on toast and got myself a sandwich haha, I really want to get into cooking more meals, and love cooking so I really need to do some searching on the internet!

 

Preferably if you have friends/family that have a Costco membership you should go with them whenever they need to do a Costco run. Otherwise, yeah, getting a Costco membership is worth it in the long-run.

 

Find a girlfriend to make all your food for you, thats what i did

 

Or that lol..... but I don't blame you though. If she's a good cook, then let her do her thing haha.

 

Good cook would be an understatement.

She helped create menus for two of Miamis most prominent restaurants

 

What country do you live in?
Do you have any fitness goals/work out?

 

One of the best way to overcome your money problem is to make yourself a budget and stick to it. It's important to be up to date with your spendings.

As for the food, you can pre-establish your meals that you want to eat for the week. Make yourself a grocery list with everything you need for the coming week. Once you're at the grocery store, always check for week's specials and discounts. I honestly tend to go with the home brand of the grocery as it's not only cheaper, but it also perfectly does the job.

Now, if you want to buy stuff in large quantity, Costco's your friend. It's only about 60$ ish per year and you will obviously make that 60$ back in no time with the savings you'll do there.

 

As far as savings goes, there are a few good phone apps available that can help specifically based on how you spend your money.

As far as meals go, I really feel you there. I'd say figure out where your finances are, how much money you have left after expenses, and use an amount of that remainder as your food budget and build your menu from what you could afford. Find recipes from maybe your past childhood meals and use that for inspiration, or think of some meals that you could try to create off the top of your head. Cooking is an open world, and it's great to explore it through your means.

 

I live in NC, I am not going to the gym yet, but after I get bills sorted and my budget wrote up, I do plan on going to the gym weekly. I have no idea what to do while at the gym, but i'm going to go.

 

A costco membership is worth getting, goodluck man.