4 ms·

I am envious of your food budget. A mere pound of chicken breast at my local grocery store costs ~$10/lb, though they range from about ~$5-10lb. However, at the

I am envious of your food budget. A mere pound of chicken breast at my local grocery store costs ~$10/lb, though they range from about ~$5-10lb. However, at the cheaper end, the meat is a demonstrably lower quality, with odd texture issues due to chickens growing so fast (the condition is called 'woody chicken'). Your budget would get me 15 lbs of protein. That's just not enough food for 2 people (my household size). I spend about $400/month grocery shopping (like you, nearly all meals eaten at home).

jeffreyrogers 6y ago
My grocery expenses are similar to yours for two people, and we do most of our cooking at home as well. I have the same problem with meat that you do. It's hard to buy good meat cheaply.
- soVeryTired 6y ago
  Vegetarian meals don't have to be sad. Indian cuisine is often veggie and exceptionally good. Meera Sodha's book Fresh India [0] is a goldmine for cheap veggie recipies that you wouldn't miss meat from (I say this as someone who likes meat!) [0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-India-Delicious-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0241200423 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-India-Delicious-Vegetarian-Re...
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phonypc 6y ago
If budget is a pressing concern maybe don't get chicken breast? It's far from the most affordable source of protein.
cweagans 6y ago
Depending on where you live, you might be able to buy live chickens and have them butchered for cheaper than $10/lb. If you get really lucky, you might also be able to find a farmer that raises, butchers, packages, and sells chicken directly. We've got a place like that here (Idaho), but it's really out of the way. When we shop there, it's usually 3-4 hours to get out there, buy a bunch of meat, and drive back. Really high quality stuff though -- it's a night and day difference from the stuff you buy at the grocery store. Same applies to beef, especially if you've got freezer space for large quantities. Occasionally, we'll split half a cow with one or two other families. It's a few hundred dollars of expense up front, but in return, you can be really picky about how the cows were raised, know exactly where the meat came from, get specific cuts of meat, etc. If meat is important to you in your diet, I highly recommend looking around for something like that! It's a bit of work but I've found it to be extremely worthwhile.

jeffreyrogers 6y ago

My grocery expenses are similar to yours for two people, and we do most of our cooking at home as well. I have the same problem with meat that you do. It's hard to buy good meat cheaply.

soVeryTired 6y ago
Vegetarian meals don't have to be sad. Indian cuisine is often veggie and exceptionally good. Meera Sodha's book Fresh India [0] is a goldmine for cheap veggie recipies that you wouldn't miss meat from (I say this as someone who likes meat!) [0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-India-Delicious-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0241200423 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-India-Delicious-Vegetarian-Re...

deleted 6y ago

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phonypc 6y ago

If budget is a pressing concern maybe don't get chicken breast? It's far from the most affordable source of protein.

cweagans 6y ago

Depending on where you live, you might be able to buy live chickens and have them butchered for cheaper than $10/lb. If you get really lucky, you might also be able to find a farmer that raises, butchers, packages, and sells chicken directly. We've got a place like that here (Idaho), but it's really out of the way. When we shop there, it's usually 3-4 hours to get out there, buy a bunch of meat, and drive back. Really high quality stuff though -- it's a night and day difference from the stuff you buy at the grocery store. Same applies to beef, especially if you've got freezer space for large quantities. Occasionally, we'll split half a cow with one or two other families. It's a few hundred dollars of expense up front, but in return, you can be really picky about how the cows were raised, know exactly where the meat came from, get specific cuts of meat, etc. If meat is important to you in your diet, I highly recommend looking around for something like that! It's a bit of work but I've found it to be extremely worthwhile.