Food for Single Male?

Question

I am 27, live alone, and work about 65 hours a week. My food budget is enormous. Any ideas for meals, how much I should spend, or general ideas to get my food budget down? What do others do?

I have tried cooking meals at home, and using leftovers, and wow - work just really kills me and there is so little time. And it seems when I go food shopping I buy too much.

Any thoughts by those in my situation would be helpful!

Answer 1

Get yourself a george foreman grill. It's quick easy and good for you. Buy what you want to eat on your way home. Prepping, cooking eating and cleaning up will take less then an hour all together. Here is a cool recipe that I like and my family likes too.

Boneless chicked breasts, rinsed and pat dry
Onion cut up (I like to pull the skin off, cut off the edges, then cut it half way and then cut that into slices)
Garlic chopped
Any spices you like including salt and pepper
Olive Oil

Turn the grill on and let it heat up a bit.
Add oil and let that heat for a minute then add onion and garlic till its soft and slightly browned.
Add chicken pieces on top sprinkling the herbs and spices on top.
Close cover
Cook 4 minutes, turn over, add herbs and spices, close cover.
Cook 4 more minutes.

You can make some instant potatoes or you can cook up a pound of pasta on a sunday and keep it in the fridge. You can do that with rice, noodle, potatoes. Anything you like.

You should also check out the book stores for 30 minute recipe cook books.

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Please do yourself a favor and stay away from the Ramen noodles. They are so full of sodium. You can have a heart attack by the time you turn 35. Spending a couple extra bucks on fresh food is worth your health.

Answer 2

I am 20 and a single female that lives alone, I generally spend b/t $50 and $100 a week. Usually closer to $50. I just make sure I have frozen meals in the freezer that are easy to grab when I am tired or need something easy to take to work. The Lean Cuisine and such are always going on sale from 30-50% off. Aside from that I keep alot of oatmeal and cereal that have a longer life span so the only things that need to be replenished are the produce and meat. That usually is apples, carrots, and whatever produce might be on sale at the time. As for meat, just keep your eyes open for a good sale. I can usually give it more life span by keeping it in the freezer and thawing it the night before if I know I will be having it for dinner tomarrow night.

Answer 3

Have you tried freezing?
You have a good idea about the leftovers- just buy those plastic segmented plates and freeze them. Make whole meals.

Good meals to freeze: lasagna, meatloaf/potatoes/corn,enchaladas.

Freeze the spegetti sauce (not the noodles) the cooked taco meat.

How about crock-pot meals? You can buy the ready to cook crockpot meals, but only use part of the bag- but cook it in the stove top pot.

What you can do is create the meals in pans that can go from freezer to oven.
In the morning, you take dinner out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. When you get home, it should be thawed a bit (but not too much) and you just pop it in the oven/microwave.

Answer 4

if you have to provide your own lunch at work, try making something on the weekend- buy veggies and fruit that you can cut up and store, like carrots or cucumbers, but get a variety. the idea is to have a few side dishes and an entree. so prepackage your own food! get baggies and gladware containers and put them in separate baggies- then each morning or each night before bed, pick one prepackaged entree (chicken breast, sandwich, pasta, etc), pick two veggies/side dishes, and a desert like a pudding cup. that way you arent spending money during the day, but you dont feel like you are eating the same meal all the time. do the same for breakfast- on sunday, make your own waffles (add mini chocolate chips or blueberries) then freeze them- you can toast them or eat them frozen which makes a really great snack in the summer! and grab a piece of fruit like an apple or prepeel oranges. basically, take time on the weekend (thought you have little- but you can even do this on your coffee table infront of the tv!) you can also by precut food but its a little more expensive- go to Costco or Sam's Club, etc. Buy some bulk food that you can eat often. this way, everything is already done and all you have to do is pick! as for dinner, buy some lean cuisine for late nights and some different soups or frozen chicken breast for earlier nights. point is, the fresher the food, the more filling and healthy! that way you can make it though the 65 hour week!- Hope i helped!

Answer 5

Options:

1. http://www.angryman.ca/monkey.html

"Imagine going to the grocery store only once every 6 months. Imagine paying less than a dollar per meal. Imagine never washing dishes, chopping vegetables or setting the table ever again. It sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

But can a human subsist on a constant diet of pelletized, nutritionally complete food like puppies and monkeys do? For the good of human kind, I'm about to find out. On June 3, 2006, I began my week of eating nothing but monkey chow: "a complete and balanced diet for the nutrition of primates, including the great apes."..."

2. Get a girlfriend.

3. Do you like shopping for food? I'm less prone to over-shopping when I know I'll be doing it again in two days. If you have the time and energy to make it a fun pastime, do it that way; pick up just what you need for the next day or two, planning meals as you go, based on what's on sale and what looks good in the shops.

4. Cheap frozen entrées. Or, the expensive kind, if time and wasted food are particularly big problems.

5. Freeze stuff. When you overbuy, make several meals; throw most in the freezer.

6. Stock up on those little semi-disposable plastic food storage containers.

Answer 6

You could make larger meals such as spaghetti or even hamburger helper meals and what you don't eat put the leftovers into single serving size containers and then when you get home just pop one in the microwave, and whatever you do DON"T GO Grocery shopping when your hungry!!!!! Look for the weekly ad for the store where you do most of your shopping and write down the things you like to eat that are on sale and stock up if it is a really good buy! And always make a grocery list and STICK to it!

Answer 7

Babycakes made a really good point - plan ahead. Think about a week's menu - main dish and sides. Take a look in your local stores to see who has better prices on what items so you can shop better. Take advantage of sales.

There are two of us here, and we buy most of our meats at price clubs like BJ's. We tend to buy produce at supermarkets. Weenight dinners are real simple - steaks, a london broil, chicken cutlets or pork chops that are breaded and fried, pan-seared or broiled. We buy Romaine lettuce in packages of three heads and one head is good for a salad big enough for two to serve on the side, or we'll do baked potatoes or rice.

Prepared foods tend to cost more and are not as healthy. Keep it simple and easy. Check out the Food Network online and / or other sources for creative recipes to keep it somewhat interesting. If you learn how to cook, you'll be able to do more with less.

Answer 8

I am a terrible chef. I have the same problem that you have on spending too much with food, because I eat out most of the time.
Recently, I decided to cut some of my expenses and realized I have to improve my cooking skills...
For someone like us, pasta it's a great choice because we can always re-heat in the microwave.
I cook about 2 types of sauces (to leave in the refrigerator) to eat with the pasta ( Bolognese, 3 Cheese) and Alfredo or Olive Oil that need to be done on the serving's time. I also leave a prepared mix of Crepe in the refrigerator. I love cheese and ham crepe! Plus, It's fast too! The other thing I do, is to buy in the grocery those already prepared chicken, potatoes and soups. Salads, I usually have during the day, while I am away from home because of my work.
I always keep in my refrigerator, bread, eggs, milk, butter and tomatoes.

PS: I keep hot dogs bread and hot dogs sausages just on case of emergency! lol.
Pizza its a good choice too, for those whom don't mind of eating it re heated...Unfortunately I do.

Answer 9

look for coupons in the paper and magazines. Don't be afraid of the frozen tv dinners that cost less than a dollar, they have meat and vegetables. Try to stay away from the breaded stuff because you don't know what it is. Eat subway sandwiches, the special that is $2.50, and get all the vegetables on it. Wendy's junior cheeseburgers at 99c is a good meal. you don't need any more than that or you will become a fatty. Or eat an apple, orange, or grapes every day. Buy what is in season, and watch for specials.

Answer 10

buyonly fresh foods, like fresh chickens and fish, fresh veggies... fresh fruits to start... just for your sake to keep your body healthy from working overtime... make simple meals, plan everything ahead of time... if you really are two busy, sit down and make a two week schedule of meals,. and keep it at the same day every other weekk, that way you are ensured you not over buying at the store since you already have your meals planned. i cant help you out with what to cook, because i just throw together whatever i have laying around, throw in some spices add some sides, and walla.. good luck though.. try getting married then you wont ever have to worry about it , or at least have alot of help ♥