Since the comments indicate this is really a food budget challenge, let’s talk about that. What is your monthly budget for food? Do you have any dietary restrictions you want to target?
I target about $400/month for two big kids and two preschool aged kids, and largely manage to hit my target. I shop almost exclusively at Aldi, and our diets are very heavy in dairy, crackers, frozen veggies and involve a weekly taco night and pizza night. Oh and about a dozen or two sandwiches a week.
I often have toast or vanilla yogurt for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. I’ve been trying to reduce sugars over the last couple of years (I’m not actually tracking it, but just watching for high values in any processed foods I eat, and making buying decisions partly based on the sugar content)
My budget at the moment is CAD$250 per month. 750g of cottage cheese a month would run me $225 at $7.49 a package. As others have indicated, it’s an unhealthily low amount of calories despite it meeting my protein requirements. The only dietary restriction that I need to target is getting enough protein for maintenance of muscle mass. The reasons are twofold: firstly, as I’ve indicated elsewhere, I have had issues with ED in the past. I fear that losing muscle mass would cause a relapse and I can’t afford that at present. More importantly, however, is that my current employment is fairly physical, so I can’t afford to get weaker either.
So, to summarize: $250/month, maximizing protein per dollar.
Issues with cottage cheese idea:
Unfulfilling psychologically
Potential for malnutrition/health complications
Extremely low-calorie
Ideas to remedy the situation:
Cheap carbs (potatoes, flour, pasta/ramen)
Making things from raw (e.g. milk -> cottage cheese, flour -> bread)
Cheap meat
I think animal protein needs to be a part of the solution. Tried vegetarianism in the past and I couldn’t function well on it. But all animal protein in Canada is expensive, either due to supply management (eggs and dairy), price gouging, supply and demand (e.g. price of chicken breast is ludicrous), or some other unknown factor(s). So plant based protein should also be part of the solution in spite of its lower quality. Others have suggested dried beans/lentils.
It would be worthwhile to make things from raw. I can save roughly a dollar per kg of cottage cheese if I make the cottage cheese myself from milk. I can also use the byproducts in the making of bread, furthering the value and capturing all protein. There will be a significant time cost in doing this.
At the moment we’re looking at a diet of homemade cottage cheese, bread, and beans. If I can save enough doing this then I could incorporate vegetables as well, but it might be better to just take a multivitamin and eat the psychological cost. This will only be for a month, potentially two, and hopefully not more. I think I can go that long without becoming too miserable. I’d love to hear some feedback if you have any.
I can’t tell if you’re over-thinking, under-thinking, or just plain havent invested time into grocery planning.
an 8kg bag of basmati or jasmine rice can be found for $15 (freshco), if you have one cup (dry, 200g) of rice that will last you 40 meals. It’s about 200 calories per serving and has vitamin B as well as a handful of minerals.
Chicken can be found for $3/lb (food basics) or less if you are patient and shop around and is ~120g protein per lb of meat
Add in some beans $2.97 at walmart for a 900g bag of dry kidney beans, each serving gets you fiber and protein, also 25 servings.
$110 per month and you have staples and 60+g of protein per day. That leaves $35 per week to shop sales/flash food/etc for fruit, veg, and other meat.
Do you have any Asian/Indian/other ethnic grocers? Stores with a butcher counter? Are there farms nearby? you can troll whatever grocery stores you do have near you for last day of sale meats/produce and as long as you cook or freeze them the same day or the next day, they’re perfectly fine. From some of your comments, you live out west, maybe try to find a few friends to split a pig, that can get the price per pound way down.
Since the comments indicate this is really a food budget challenge, let’s talk about that. What is your monthly budget for food? Do you have any dietary restrictions you want to target?
I target about $400/month for two big kids and two preschool aged kids, and largely manage to hit my target. I shop almost exclusively at Aldi, and our diets are very heavy in dairy, crackers, frozen veggies and involve a weekly taco night and pizza night. Oh and about a dozen or two sandwiches a week.
I often have toast or vanilla yogurt for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. I’ve been trying to reduce sugars over the last couple of years (I’m not actually tracking it, but just watching for high values in any processed foods I eat, and making buying decisions partly based on the sugar content)
My budget at the moment is CAD$250 per month. 750g of cottage cheese a month would run me $225 at $7.49 a package. As others have indicated, it’s an unhealthily low amount of calories despite it meeting my protein requirements. The only dietary restriction that I need to target is getting enough protein for maintenance of muscle mass. The reasons are twofold: firstly, as I’ve indicated elsewhere, I have had issues with ED in the past. I fear that losing muscle mass would cause a relapse and I can’t afford that at present. More importantly, however, is that my current employment is fairly physical, so I can’t afford to get weaker either.
So, to summarize: $250/month, maximizing protein per dollar.
Issues with cottage cheese idea:
Ideas to remedy the situation:
I think animal protein needs to be a part of the solution. Tried vegetarianism in the past and I couldn’t function well on it. But all animal protein in Canada is expensive, either due to supply management (eggs and dairy), price gouging, supply and demand (e.g. price of chicken breast is ludicrous), or some other unknown factor(s). So plant based protein should also be part of the solution in spite of its lower quality. Others have suggested dried beans/lentils.
It would be worthwhile to make things from raw. I can save roughly a dollar per kg of cottage cheese if I make the cottage cheese myself from milk. I can also use the byproducts in the making of bread, furthering the value and capturing all protein. There will be a significant time cost in doing this.
At the moment we’re looking at a diet of homemade cottage cheese, bread, and beans. If I can save enough doing this then I could incorporate vegetables as well, but it might be better to just take a multivitamin and eat the psychological cost. This will only be for a month, potentially two, and hopefully not more. I think I can go that long without becoming too miserable. I’d love to hear some feedback if you have any.
(Bonus solution: find a better paying job.)
I can’t tell if you’re over-thinking, under-thinking, or just plain havent invested time into grocery planning.
an 8kg bag of basmati or jasmine rice can be found for $15 (freshco), if you have one cup (dry, 200g) of rice that will last you 40 meals. It’s about 200 calories per serving and has vitamin B as well as a handful of minerals.
Chicken can be found for $3/lb (food basics) or less if you are patient and shop around and is ~120g protein per lb of meat
Add in some beans $2.97 at walmart for a 900g bag of dry kidney beans, each serving gets you fiber and protein, also 25 servings.
$110 per month and you have staples and 60+g of protein per day. That leaves $35 per week to shop sales/flash food/etc for fruit, veg, and other meat.
I have neither of those stores in my area. At Walmart, chicken is $20/kg like every other store.
Do you have any Asian/Indian/other ethnic grocers? Stores with a butcher counter? Are there farms nearby? you can troll whatever grocery stores you do have near you for last day of sale meats/produce and as long as you cook or freeze them the same day or the next day, they’re perfectly fine. From some of your comments, you live out west, maybe try to find a few friends to split a pig, that can get the price per pound way down.