Someone want to make me a budget?

[Anonymous]

I have $1,900 to make it from now until December. I would like to spend as LITTLE as possible.

If you figure $50 in gas every two weeks, how much do I have per week for groceries?

I ONLY have groceries and gas as expenses.

In December I will be working for 2-3 weeks and I then will have January- May to budget for before I go back to work again.

I'm a college student. I'm trying to keep it low costs.

Also, anyone know any cheap meal ideas that hopefully last a long time?

Things to consider for meal ideas

*Gluten intolerant
*Won't eat cheese

[cheeseysouffle]

Try going rice. Rice have about half of the stuff you need for a complete protein. Beans will have the other half so it will get you the rest of your needed protein. Cabbage is also dirt cheap and you can mix it with the rice and some ground meat. Add some water and you suddenly have a stew.

I would also suggest getting some dried spices that are just standard. Garlic and oregano are always my go to. It may seem expensive up front, but a little can add a cheap burst of flavor. Also, if you like parm cheese on your food, the fresh block is actually cheaper then the powder.

Also look at the discounted produce because sometimes it's a steal how cheap it is, sometimes it's just sort of okay. However it will get you cheap vegetables and fruits. You also need to buy in season. You know how it's in season? It's cheap. The more in season something is, the cheaper it gets. This is true especially with stuff like bell peppers and corn.

[cheeseysouffle]

Also, rammen is dirt cheap even though it gets old. Cosco or Sams club /sometimes/ are better but other times not. You need to compare prices.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

What are your goals, aside from surviving? Maintaining weight, gaining, losing, are you exercising regularly (need protein)?

Three months.. subtract gas (300)... you got 1600 to last you 3 months? You don't really need to budget. You got $18 a day to spend on food.. You can go to subway, get a 12 inch cold cut combo for $5.40 or whatever their current $6 select is for the month.. say you eat 2 12 inch subs a day.. that's only 12$ + drinks and every 3-4 days you do that you save enough to buy less budget-friendly foods like beef jerky or Applebees.

But if you want to live miserable for the next 3 months for the sake of saving as much as possible... just eat grains and pastas (rice, ramen noodles, speghetti, etc..)-- since those are generally cheap per calorie.

[Asker]

I do exercise. But I can't eat Subway. I can't eat gluten. It makes me very sick.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

My subway has gluten free bread-- I'm not sure if all subways have it? There's still a plethora of options for those who need protein on a budget--- chicken, tuna, eggs, nuts, beans, and there are plenty of self made sandwich options if you buy gluten free bread (from PBJS to any number of your favorite sandwich meats). Chicken and tuna are perhaps your best options.

[BertMacklinFBI]

well if you have a Costco membership I highly recommend picking up food from Costco. you can buy 4 decent slabs of ground turkey for under $20, and buy a sack of sweet potatoes and some green veggies, all will cost you about $50 or less and will last you a good 2 weeks, depending on your eating habits. and you'll get a llot of the nutrition that you need from said food.

[Asker]

There's a costco in my hometown (an hour away) and my mom has a membership. There's a Meijer, and an ALDI's and a Wal-Mart by me.

[madhatters4]

well not including this last few days of August you'll need about $450 if you fill your tank every 2 weeks.

that leaves you $1,450 for groceries. I think you should be able to get by on about $300 a month assuming you are only feeding yourself which would take you to $1,200 per through December.

cheap meal ideas. grocery shop, do as little eating out as possible. ramen is always cheap but obviously gets boring. pasta is cheap and can be stored. buying a bunch of chicken and then separating it to put in your freezer is a great way to have meat for long periods of time

in college I would look for sales on steak and grab them (but that was special kind of stuff). I also ate a lot of pasta (which you can fancy up with some ground beef or sausage). Ramen, hot dogs, mac n cheese (homemade is cheapest), cereal and celeste pizzas were my go to's during those lean financial college years

[Maazin]

Well, Its not that difficult making one. Note down all the expenses and savings in an excel file starting from the most important to least important. After that i will help you with your finances.
Include everything from food , health to shopping etc the more the items the easier it is to understand the budget !!!

[Anonymous]

Find the nearest synagogue