lunch ideas need help [Archive]

sweetcheeks

09-20-2007, 10:47 AM

Ok guys, who takes their lunch to work everyday???

I need ideas to help me take to work, low calorie-ish, healthy, and cheap. Me and husband have been living off limited funds for quite sometime when it comes to meals, i have resorted to eating out of a box most days at work. not really what i consider healthy and its not balanced...

when i say limited funds i mean limited, we generally have about 60 bucks a week to spend on groceries this includes 20.00 worth of soda/pop/drinks/milk so that leaves me with about 40 dollars of actual groceries. I have to buy things that are cheap and when you eat cheap its not always diabetic friendly.
my sugars are still OK, but im being eat up in calories. I want to continue to lose weight but am not because these box meals are high calorie most of the time.

Heres roughly what i been eating just to give you an idea.

ore ida microwave fries
bagel pizza bites usually supreme
banquet chicken pot pies
baby tony's pizzas
tony's dipping sticks

I usually can get by with one serving or one box of whatever meal i choose that day and eat nothing else. Now that being said this 40 bucks also includes food that we eat at home for the week and his lunch to take as well, he usually gets more for lunch because he works 16 hour shifts sometimes.

Is there any ideas?
or am I screwed?
what do you guys take... im very picky so just throw some ideas at me and ill determine whether i can eat them lol

princesslinda

09-20-2007, 11:13 AM

Hi Stacey: I take my lunch to work most days (except when we have drug rep lunches)...for me, it's a way to "force" myself to have willpower, as if I go to the cafeteria...there's all kinds of bad food options. I pretty much have about the same for dinner as well...creature of habit, I guess.

I eat lots of tuna (.69/can)....I buy the sweet gerkins sweetened with splenda (around 2.29/jar, but lasts awhile) and chop a few on top. I don't eat mayo, but if you do, make a tuna salad...very filling! I'll have this with 4-5 whole wheat crackers (I buy Keebler whole wheat 1.99/box). I'll make the s/f jello pudding at home and put in lidded containers (cheaper than buying ready made), same w/sugar-free jello (again, usually boxes5/$3 ). I'll usually buy a bagged salad with mixed greens ($2.69/bag) and I use the Good seasons Italian dressing envelopes (under $1 each) with oil, vinegar and water (all of which I have on hand at home). You could boil a few eggs and cut on top with some cheese for a heartier salad. I also enjoy soup (chicken noodle (8 carbs/serving,)...you could buy the store brand of these if you prefer. I buy ground round or ground sirloin in the family packs (usually $6-7, but I break these down into patties and have A LOT in the freezer) this is good with green beans or salad for lunch (no bun)..you can find these on sale in large quantities at Sams or even Walmart...same with chicken. Also, on the weekends, i'll make a meatloaf in a bigger pan and we'll have it for later in the week for lunch or supper with some green beans. You can also buy a bag of apples which is quite filling when paired with salad or tuna. Also, you could buy a pack of hot dogs and eat without bread...I like hot dogs and sauerkraut (cheap and filling).

We budget $80/week for groceries, but usually don't spend that much as its just the two of us. I don't buy the "TV dinners" as they are usually high in sodium and the ones I like are high in carbs). I'm a coupon fanatic and also shop where they offer discounts with the store cards (here in town we have Kroger, Food Lion and Food City that have these).

Good luck...your grocery budget is challenging for sure, but it can be done.

RLK

09-20-2007, 11:13 AM

Hmmm....what about things with beans or rice in them? I'm not sure what your carb limits are, but both foods tend to be inexpensive (especially the dried beans), filling, and nutritious. Add some canned tomatoes, onions, and peppers and you can make veggie chili or beans 'n' rice.

I usually wait until Lean Cuisines are 50% off and buy a bunch for those "too busy to pack" mornings. I try to cook extra dinner servings, and pack leftovers most days. PB and J is always an option too...

Good luck- I'm curious to see what others say!

Dawn

09-20-2007, 11:54 AM

Hi Stacey,

Congratulations on your weight loss and your numbers!!!! I've lost 100 pounds and have been able to keep it off for 2 years now. I'm also one of those people who needs to be visually satisfied when I eat...as far as it looking like I've got a lot of food.

I eat a lot of wraps. I've found some low carb tortillas (7 grams carbs - and it would be lower if you deduct the fiber). I use them in place of a bun for a hamburger or in place for bread for sandwiches. I stuff them full of tuna or ham and cheese, and vegs.

Do you eat eggs? I eat devliled eggs, egg salad, quiche. Those would be possibilities to take for lunch.

Is it possilbe for you to take left overs and just add a bit more to your dinners so there would be enough for two lunches the next day?

You've mentioned things that have a lot of carbs...since they are not raising your numbers is it possible that you could do some rice dishes/casseroles that are inexpensive and filling...spanish rice, chicken and rice, etc.

I'll be thinking this week as I eat to see if I have any other suggestions....I basically eat the same things each week so I'm not the one with a lot of variety to share :) but I'll keep thinking

MJB

09-20-2007, 01:43 PM

Frozen stuff from Healthy choice, Lean Cuisine or South Beach. This stuff often goes on sale and I stock up the freezer.

That or leftovers if I grilled out the night before.

I'm usually 30 to 50g of carbs at lunchtime.

I drink water all day at work and coffee in the morning.

grace girl

09-20-2007, 02:52 PM

My husband goes through spells of brown-bagging it...he likes leftovers when it's cool or cold outside. They have both a microwave and a toaster over where he works, and most of the summer he would take French bread, assorted meat and cheese, and broil it in the toaster oven for an open-faced sandwich.

Trinifar

09-20-2007, 04:10 PM

I'm on a tight budget too and substitute labor for money in order to eat well. Can often find large packages of frozen chichen legs or thighs for 99 cents/pound, less often boneless breasts at $2/lb. You can boil chicken on the bone, de-bone it, and make chicken stock out of what's left in the pot. Then you have all this cooked chicken to make chicken salad for sandwiches or to put on a bed of lettuce, or to make any number of other things like chicken soup or a caserole. Take a few hours on a weekend to do this and you'll have plenty of meat for the whole week for about $10.

Canned tuna is another great option. In my area tofu sells for $3/lb and I love all the things you can do with it.

notme

09-20-2007, 04:21 PM

Stacey Congratulations on your weight loss and your desire to eat better. My concern with your diet is the trans fats in your meals. If you read the labels in the store you have to also read the ingredients. If processed flour, trans fats, sugar or palm or any kind of oil is in the first five ingredients, you will most likely end up with high cholesterol, clogged arteries and eventually a stroke or a heart attack. What good is it to be the thinnest girl in the graveyard. I know it sounds harsh, but I say this out of love and not meanness.

I have also been on a strict strict budget and you are absolutely right, it is hard to eat healthy when you have to watch money. I had five kids and supported them while my husband was in school for his second career. We also had to live on about $100.00 or less a week for seven people. Eating healthy was really tough.

Soda is the worst thing in the world to drink. Even if you drink diet, it is terrible for you. You could buy a case of water for one six pack of soda. Diet soda makes you hungry.

Could you possibly make things for dinner and take left overs to work?

Turkey spaghetti is one thing you can make fairly cheaply and eat leftovers for a couple of days.

Linda is right about the tuna. We ate a lot of tuna on whole wheat bread or in a salad.

If you buy a dozen eggs, you could boil them and make egg salad as well as have eggs for your salads.

I love salsa salad. You buy hearts of romain lettuce, tomatoes. Mix a small amount of medium salsa and light sour cream together and toss the salad with it. Add a couple of tortilla strips and it is a delicious salad.

I LOVE Nally's chicken noodle soup. It is fairly new and packed with chicken and I add more veggies to make it hardier. I buy it at Winco for .98. It also makes a great dinner with some sour dough bread. You can cook on piece of chicken and corn or peas to it and it is good for dinner. Probably less than $3.00 for the meal for two.

In the "Whats for dinner thread" I posted my breakfast that I also eat for lunches. Take about six strawberries and squish them up. Add a low fat/low sugar yogurt and mix it. You can also add apple chunks to this also. Sprinkle a layer of your favorite cereal on top or cereal and raw almonds. It is VERY filling and delicious. If you can't tollerate yogurt, buy plain Greek yogurt and mix that in instead with a bit of splenda.

Buy a bag of chicken breasts. It is about $10.00 at Costco or Sam's Club. I cook up four pieces of chicken and make a dinner one night, use another chicken breast to make chicken salad and use the last one for your soup or on top of a salad to make it heartier. You get about 10 chicken breasts in one of the bags. I usually cook the chicken while it is frozen for about an hour with mango soy sauce and a small dab of butter on the top. Cook at 350 for about an hour and twenty minutes.

I have a million other things that I cook in advance and eat throughout the week. My son is living at home again and I make him lunches many days of the week.

Good luck Stacey. I know it is tough.

sweetcheeks

09-20-2007, 10:01 PM

Thanks for the suggestions... but I dont even cook during the week period because me and hubby are both on different schedules.

I will continue to drink diet soda, as I cannot stand water. I can only drink it if its flavored, and a week of flavored crystal light even tho i love it dearly, it gets old. So this is something Im not willing to change.

Im really not into eggs, tuna etc.... never was, the only way i eat eggs is fried and I dont do tuna period, so yeah im really really picky. And this may sound crazy but I refuse to buy meat that I have to debone lol when I make chicken I buy boneless breast =)

The reason i eat out of a box is because they are generally only 1 to 2 dollars a box. Even the lean cuisine meals are too expensive for me to buy at almost 3 to 4 dollars a pop.

Hubby eats WAY more than I do... even if i fix extra in a meal that I do cook at home, its gone before I can bring it to work. I really do not eat much, so the feasible thing for me is something simple in a box that only cost a dollar.

I dont think im going to be able to pull this off and go healthly until we have more money....

So Ill probably just start buying slim fast and drinking it at least ill get my nutrients and eat one good meal a day... not really the right way to go but at least it would help further with weight loss and bit healthier than the box's.

It really sucks to have no money to eat what I really want to eat and thats healthy. Hubby went from working 5 days a week to 4, and this hurt us badly, although he doesnt realize this and he thinks everything is fine. Yeah I was upset about this but doesnt do me any good to be upset, cause it will not change anything.

DeusXM

09-21-2007, 01:48 AM

Why don't you try making your own lunch? Processed foods will never be cheap and never be healthy for you.

Loaf of bread, some margerine and ham - cost, probably about $6. Lunch for a week. Takes five minutes to make, and you can either make them just before you go, or the night before and stick 'em in the fridge. Substitute bread for tortilla wraps if you like - and experiment with the filling. Chicken tikka's always tasty!

Or why not make your own salad. You can get the prepacked stuff, but why not just get some lettuce, peppers, onion and feta - instant sald, probably costs about $4 to make and will last you a few days. If you're not worried about carbs, then why not boil some potatoes and make potato salad? Or cous-cous? Or rice? Or pasta? You can get these things in bags for next to nothing and they taste great?

As for drinks - why bother paying for drinks? Water's free out of the tap and it's good for you!

Or your evening meals - make a little extra, and then put your foot down and tell your husband to leave it alone because it's your lunch.

It is REALLY easy to eat cheaply and healthily, but you will have to put the work in yourself - 5-10 minutes in the evening and a little thought. If you keep buying brand name items and pre-packed, pre-processed foods and drinks then you won't be able to do it. If you put a little thought in, you'll be absolutely fine.

bryan42

09-21-2007, 04:34 AM

Congrats stacey on your weight loss... I take the same thing everyday,no change...2 slices of lean ham rolled up, 4 little 1/2" x 1/2" slices of cheese...about 10 grapes...propel water to drink. :)

kgm0612

09-21-2007, 10:34 AM

I take my lunch every day to work. I pack lunches for everyone in my house (Husband, son (21) daughter (23) and my sister) the night before. This way I am not rushing around in the morning.

I basically eat the same food items M-F while at work. For breakfast, I usually have one or 2 slices of toasted light wheat bread and maybe a small peach or pear. Sometimes I scramble up a couple of eggs the night before and take that in with me.

For lunch, it's usually something leftover from the night before's dinner, or a sandwich (deli meats) on light wheat bread, a lean cuisine meal when they are on sale, or a small salad.

I'm not sure where you live, Stacey, but $20 a week on soda is expensive. My local grocery store always has the 12-pack coke or pepsi on sale..........usually 4 for $10.

Karen

princesslinda

09-21-2007, 10:49 AM

If you have a crock pot, make a Huge pot of chili.....hearty and filling. You and hubby could have it for dinner, you should have enough for lunch AND enough left to eat on hotdogs some other time during week. You could keep it in the fridge and heat up just what you're going to eat...hubby probably wouldn't eat as much that way, as he'd be portioning it out to heat. Dried beans cooked with onion and country ham would also be good for dinner and then to take for your lunch.

Before I'd spend that much on drinks, i'd buy 2 liters...they are usually 4/$5 around here. Buy only the canned drinks you need for your lunch....if he's working 4 days and you're working 5, a 12 pack a week should do you. Drink tea in the evenings or your water with add-ins.

Since you tolerate carbs pretty well, you could microwave a potato for lunch, top with cheese/bacon or broccoli/cheese for lunch. I've made eggs and topped with salsa and wrapped in a low-carb wrap with some cheese and had this for lunch or b/fast.

If you made a couple things on the weekend, you could portion it out into individual plastic containers and mark them and put them in the freezer and tell hubby he gets one a day. If he's still hungry, keep around some fruit (bag of apples or oranges) or a bag of potates so he can microwave a small one to go with whatever you've fixed.

Also, a little off topic, i'd sit down and write out a copy of my weekly budget and let him see the amount alloted for groceries and TOGETHER make up a grocery list and agree to stick to it until things improve financially for you.

Get yourself a small lunch box or bag and after you prepare something BEFORE you serve it, put away the amount needed for your lunch...this way, if he wants seconds, he can have it (if there's any left) and you won't have had to sacrifice your lunch.

ladytaz

09-21-2007, 11:32 AM

Hi Stacey. YaY on more weight loss!! It may be coming off slowly, but it's coming off none the less, and that's what they say is best anyway!! ;)

I totally know what it's like to be financially strapped!! NO FUN and it AIN'T easy to eat healthy ... healthy foods (ie: fresh foods) cost more! I'll never understand that, as long as I live!!

I don't usually cook much either during the week, with hubby usually getting home well after midnight, or out of town, and son works middle shift as well, so I'm not gonna bother with all that just for me! I'm happy with a sandwich for supper! LOL

One easy to make thing I really like is home made grilled chicken salads. I just buy that prepackaged salad, and those bags of frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (walmart or kroger brand usually are the cheapest, that I've found). Just take a breast out of the freezer slap it on a frying pan with a little bit of one of the spray oils. When it's done, slice it up into bite size pieces and plop on top of the salad, add your dressing, mix it all up and there ya go! YuM! You can also fry up a few peices at a time, the cut it all up and part into serving size and put them in little freezer bags, for easy doings later in the week. Just yank it out of the freezer and place in your lunch bag, and it outta be thawed out just right by lunch time! ;) If not, you could always warm it in the microwave at work. You could do the same with the prepackaged salads, part it up into serving size and put in zip lock baggies into the fridge. Easy Peasy! ;)

Another thing I like that's easy is Grilled Chicken sandwiches. Cheap, easy and quick!! Same deal with the cooking ... yank outta the freezer, cook up in the frying pan, slap it on a couple peices of bread and there ya go! I even use the prepackaged salad and find some bigger pieces to put on the sandwich! ;) If I buy a head of lettuce, it'll go bad before I get it all used up! Again, you can fry up a few chicken breasts in advance, pop them in the freezer individually packed in a freezer bag, then just take it out of the freezer, keep it seperate from your bread, and heat the chicken up in the microwave at work, then slap it on your bread! ;)

There's also Chicken salad (like tuna salad, only with chicken) .... same cooking procedure, OR you can boil it, cut it up in to small peices, mix with mayo and whatever else you want in it, put on bread and eat or eat with saltines if ya like. This can be made up in a larger batch to keep in the fridge, to last you for a few days. I wouldn't make up more than you can eat in a 4 day time though. I don't think mayo freezes well. But you could do up a bunch of the chicken and freeze that in serving size, then take out to thaw and make an individual salad.

Just a few suggestions, hope it helps. If I think of anything else, I'll post it for ya! ;)

slipperyelm

09-21-2007, 11:33 AM

At times in the past when you have had more money for groceries, did you still eat all this frozen prepared food? So all you are asking is whether you might be overlooking some other cheap frozen meals? I'm sorry, but I do not think a person, diabetic or not, can really eat healthily on nothing but frozen prepared meals.

I also do not think that $240 a month for two people is only a small budget. If you or your husband could overcome your unwillingness to cook, you could probably have money left over from you grocery budget. Please try to branch out. Please do not sacrifice your health this way. A body needs nutrients.

mho357

09-21-2007, 11:50 AM

Stacey,

I put my lunch together the night before. I used to take leftovers but I didn't have good control that way (and ate too much). Now I take a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, 1/4 c mixed nuts, 6 olives, and an apple. This works out to around 550 calories and 45 carbs. My BG tolerates this just fine.

M

ladytaz

09-21-2007, 11:51 AM

I also do not think that $240 a month for two people is only a small budget.

YES it is a small budget!! I agree about the nutrition, but sometimes, it IS cheaper to eat the prepackaged meals. Ya gotta do what you gotta do, sometimes. I KNOW, I've been there and done that!!

$40 a week is what I used to spend 25 years ago for my ex hubby and I! Though, back then, we could eat VERY well on that much. We also used to live VERY well on $252 a week! Not in this day and age!

Nowadays, just to prepare full meals for 3 of us, it would cost me a good $150 a week, easy. Include all the other needed household items per week and you're talkin $175 to $200 per week.

slipperyelm

09-21-2007, 12:04 PM

I was taking it literally that she meant the $60 a week is for food and drink. I wasn't thinking she was including other household items in that.

jvetter18

09-21-2007, 12:35 PM

$40 a week and staying healthy is nearly impossible, i agree. So rather than trying to solve that problem by giving suggestions...may i suggest that you try moving your money around a little? Are you spending too much on other things? Rent? Pets? Un-needed things? Gas?
I know nothing about your situation but it sounds like a cash flow problem might be solved by improving the choices of where you spend the $$.
Downsize?
Carpool?
Public Trans?
Tell Hubby to not eat so much?

Coupons?
Wholesale Clubs?

Also, get to like water, it's the quick fix to finding some extra pesos that you could be spending on real food.

Good luck...

ladytaz

09-21-2007, 12:56 PM

I was taking it literally that she meant the $60 a week is for food and drink. I wasn't thinking she was including other household items in that.

Even still, that's pushing it, in my opinion. Fresh (healthy) meats and produce alone, are expensive. Especially if you want variety! I mean, sure, you can get by on hamburger and hot dogs as the cheapest way, but that's not very healthy. Chicken is one of the cheaper and healthier meats (when skinless), but that can get boring real quick too. Even with just those three things. But, when times have been real hard, I've done it.

$40 a week and staying healthy is nearly impossible, i agree. So rather than trying to solve that problem by giving suggestions...may i suggest that you try moving your money around a little? Are you spending too much on other things? Rent? Pets? Un-needed things? Gas?
I know nothing about your situation but it sounds like a cash flow problem might be solved by improving the choices of where you spend the $$.
Downsize?
Carpool?
Public Trans?
Tell Hubby to not eat so much?

Coupons?
Wholesale Clubs?

Also, get to like water, it's the quick fix to finding some extra pesos that you could be spending on real food.

Good luck...

Easier said than done. Your bills are your bills. They don't change in most cases. I've just recently been in Stacey's shoes, I know exactly what it's like! VERY difficult. It took me six months to get out of the hole. I did give up (lose) my cell phones and my satellite TV. I couldn't give up anything else. Those were my only extravagances.

Coupons are usually only for name brand items, and you can usually get store brand cheaper than the name brand, even with a coupon. Wholesale Clubs, yea, if you have the extra money at the time, they can save you, but if you don't, they're worthless!

I'm ALL with Stacey on the water thing. I've NEVER liked water, even when I was a baby! Mom tried, but I'd have nothing to do with it! I tolerate flavored waters better, but I get bored with them real quick too, just like Stacey. Soda (Diet Coke, specifically), for some reason, I never get bored with. I don't understand why. But that's how it is! So I completely understand where she's coming from.

I don't think Stacey has pubic trans where she lives and even if she did, that's just not safe these days! Especially for a woman traveling alone, and at night!!

As I said, easier said than done.

Dawn

09-21-2007, 01:00 PM

Are there other resources in your community to receive food? I know that our health department has fresh vegetables (whatever is in season that people donate) and you can just go pick them up - there is no qualification type process. Or, a foodbank that gives out food. Also, local co-ops sometimes give away fruit and vegetables.

A family I work with has 4 children plus 2 adults. This mom is fabulous with finding community resources in order to feed her family on 1 small income. It is often cheaper to prepare a meal that will stretch for leftovers than to buy processed foods.

Also, maybe you could drink soda half of the week and something else the other half. Be willing to explore other alternatives as well. Iced tea and flavored water might be options for part of the week rather than a all or nothing approach.

Dawn :)

KritterMom

09-21-2007, 01:12 PM

This is something I am always struggling with too. I'm on a tight budget and although I would love to eat out every day at lunch at work, there is just no way. There is a bar and grill upstairs from where I work and they even serve down home cooking for very reasonable prices, but I can't afford that all the time.

Sometimes I take sandwiches and some fresh veggies and sometimes I take not very healthy things, so it's always a struggle for me too. You're not alone!

:)

sweetcheeks

09-21-2007, 02:58 PM

Well Melissa has me right on the money....

If everyone must know.... here is the major factor in this...

House payment 350
Car payment 290
Truck payment 353
Car insurance - its extremely high here, like 140.00 bucks a month just for one vehicle
Truck insurance - again 140.00 for just the one
Electric 200
water 25
garbage 15
cell 120 for three phones, i do help my cousin cause she doesnt have income... all on family plan, must have as I do not want to travel without security
home phone/tv/internet in bundle package 130
gas for each vehicle which still does not give us a full tank is 25.00 bucks at least for me, 15.00 for him.

this doesnt even include the yearly car/truck property taxes, house insurance, oil changes, tires and the maintenance on the vehicles that could possibly go wrong.

Actually the 60 bucks is usually including pop, milk, household cleaning supplies, cat litter etc etc... although I dont have to have cleaning supplies every week. But the 20 was including milk not just pop. And yes I have animals, I am not willing to sell my persian cats or my shih tzu dog just because a measly 4 bucks a month for cat litter, and 12 bucks to feed my cats every 2 months, and 8 bucks to feed my dog every two months is horrible, thats a total of 28 bucks every two months... not bad if you ask me... but they do not get extras, if they do hubby's sister buys it.

its the car payments that is killing us... there is no public transportation here... I work 3rd shift and there is only 4 people on that shift but we all come in at different times... no car pool possible... and yes gas! almost 3.00 a gallon has hurt us badly! thank god that hubby only works 3 miles from home...
but telling him to stop eating so much is like telling him he cant have air.... he just wont stop... he once got threw out of a all you can eat buffet after he had been there 8 hours eating non stop.... get my drift...

im just screwed.... problem is we are considered middle class, but live in a poor state, they are not willing to help people who have decent jobs..... my health insurance just went up 20bucks and my medicines also went up, from 24.00 bucks every month to 130.00.... all because husbands insurance kicked me off his plan.... thats why we are so strapped....and we all know we have to have medicines before we eat.

Groceries are going up, gas is going up, everything we depend on today is going up.... its not going to get any better either... I do believe we are in for a depression and families are going to have to move in with one another in order to survive.

patricia52

09-21-2007, 03:19 PM

I hate to cook all the time too. After working a long day the last thing I want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up. We use a lot of paper plates. I also use that dishwasher. It is worth the money. I also love my Crockpot. I can put my meal in the crockpot and come home to a delicious meal. The Microwave is great for heating up those delicious left overs. I also have an electric grill that I use to make meal prep easy. Almost anything you perpare at home is going to save you money. You can get some great recipes off the web and on food packages. You don't have to be a great cook to prepare a nutrious meal.

I am just learning which foods make my bg go too high but these people seem to have it figured out. I will remember their advice.

Good luck

princesslinda

09-21-2007, 03:21 PM

Stacey, sorry you're having such a rough go of things....I know what's it like to have "too much month at the end of the money," and its hard...on your wallet and on your marriage. Hope things will turn around for you soon.

In the meantime, you may just have to do without some of the things you enjoy (diet drinks) and spend that extra $20 on food to make sure you have some of the things you need to eat healthier until things start looking up. You can get used to ANYTHING...I know, I didn't think i'd ever be able to drink predominantly water...but I do for the most part except for my morning DIet Mtn Dew, as I have to watch my caffeine intake.

Also, that's a pretty hefty truck payment....would he be willing to trade down for less of a car payment as he's so close to work? When my husband lost his job a few years back, I cut off satellite TV and internet (which gave us a little extra wiggle-room).

I know i'm "off-topic" a little, but just wanted to share some things that worked for us when we were going through hard times.

Ronin

09-21-2007, 04:55 PM

marcia87

09-21-2007, 08:12 PM

Strange that you dont like water. I have been made fun of all my life because I dont like water. I keep a bottle of lemon juice on hand and a couple of squirts in a glass of cold water isn"t bad!

Marcia

sweetcheeks

09-22-2007, 12:42 AM

Hi Stacey!

Hmmm. Looking at your list of foods

"ore ida microwave fries
bagel pizza bites usually supreme
banquet chicken pot pies
baby tony's pizzas
tony's dipping sticks"

My first reaction is: Yikes! These pre-packaged items are not only expensive but carb-loaded. Low carb lunches can include the following:

Tuna salad (not a sandwich, just the salad in a container)
Egg salad
Chicken salad
Nuts & Cheese
Ham & Cheese rolls
MaPo Tofu (a personal favorite and quite easy to make if you like spicy food)
Chicken/Beef/Turkey meat balls in tomato sauce (whichever is cheaper and make the sauce yourself from ground tomatoes and spices -- don't use the pre-made stuff it is loaded with sugar)
I also make a curried chicken salad with a granny smith apple that is outstanding (see the recipie forum for that one)

The ingedients are cost effective in your budget. Now, be careful of portion sizes as most Americans consider an actual portion of most foods to be "too-small."

I do not care what carb counts is in those foods, and I have looked, they are not BIG by any means unless your an EXTREME LOW CARBER! My BGL's are normal I rarely ever have a high over 120 unless I say maybe eat 2 DONUTS or a big piece of birthday cake with ice cream. My BGL's are not the problem as I said in my first post! And no quite the contrary they are not expensive, 1.00 for the most part for each of those especially when they are on sale and I usually stock up.

I live in kentucky and am used to southern style foods, I wont eat tofu, chicken salad, or egg salad.... and do not even know what curried chicken salad means never heard of it. I am a creature of habit I only eat the same foods that I have ate all my life, the only difference is I have incorporated healthier and cut portions vs cutting out what I love. This was how I lost the weight to begin with.

Stacey, sorry you're having such a rough go of things....I know what's it like to have "too much month at the end of the money," and its hard...on your wallet and on your marriage. Hope things will turn around for you soon.

In the meantime, you may just have to do without some of the things you enjoy (diet drinks) and spend that extra $20 on food to make sure you have some of the things you need to eat healthier until things start looking up. You can get used to ANYTHING...I know, I didn't think i'd ever be able to drink predominantly water...but I do for the most part except for my morning DIet Mtn Dew, as I have to watch my caffeine intake.

Also, that's a pretty hefty truck payment....would he be willing to trade down for less of a car payment as he's so close to work? When my husband lost his job a few years back, I cut off satellite TV and internet (which gave us a little extra wiggle-room).

I know i'm "off-topic" a little, but just wanted to share some things that worked for us when we were going through hard times.

well two years ago when we bought this truck, we had to have it, we went recently to try and refinance but the payment was going to go from 353 to 358... even with a lower interest rate... the truck now is worth less than the loan and he doesnt have any better credit than when he started so getting another car is not an option at this point... the only way is to let the truck go back and that would screw us for sure.... cannot survive with only one vehicle... i tried it for the first 3 years we were married.... pure ****

2nd of all, he dearly loves this truck and I do too, I dont want to see him lose it just because we can barely make ends meet... after these vehicles get paid off, we are free and clear for another 3 to 4 years with no vehicle payment and can possibly buy a home instead of renting.

I really DONT like opening up my finances to the whole freaking world but I had too because people just dont understand that THERE IS NO EXTRA MONEY OR MOVING THINGS AROUND, if there was I would have found a way by now. The problem is this country has gone to the dogs for the past 7 years and its not going to get any better anytime soon.

I have tried everything, i am quite crafty when it comes to making ends meet.

Yes I am getting defensive, not nesseccarily at any one certain person because I know your just trying to help, but talking about my finances other than what I originally asked about should not even have been mentioned.

This is the problem that I run into everytime I ask for suggestions when it comes to "money" I hate it when my mother tries to meddle her way into my money issues, and its no different with anyone else.

Im stressed on top of it all with my marriage going down the drain to begin with, I dont need the rest of the world breathing down my neck over what I eat.

I asked for suggestions and then I could decide what I could do. But putting me down for having to eat what I HAVE to eat to survive isnt going to make my feelings or things any better!

ladytaz

09-22-2007, 05:03 AM

sweetcheeks

09-22-2007, 05:01 PM

*hugz*

I TOTALLY understand where you're coming from Stacey!! Just do the best you can!! It's all you can do!! Hopefully there is some food suggestions here that will help you out. [still rackin my brain for something I think you might enjoy, that's cheap and easy ;)] I'm prayin for ya!!!

Well im souther girl, not much healthy that we eat lol but to give you some ideas of what my favorite things are regardless of health, that I ate before the diagnosis... and some things that I eat after etc... I very rarely try new foods all because they have products/items in them that I dont like such as onions, eggs, tuna. I do try depending on who cooks it and what it looks like and smells like. I just try not to cook it if Ive never ate it before because of wasting food. No sense in spending 10 bucks on something if your not going to eat it.

Fried potatoes and pork chops, soup beans, sour kraut
homeade spagetti - only had it once in over a year.
homeade chili - I still eat this when I cook at home
homeade veggie beef soup - I eat this as often as I can
homemade taco salad or soft shells
fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mash potatoes
meat loaf, mash taters, green beans or corn
baked boneless chicken breast and garlic potatoe pouches
taco pasta salad
bbq pork chops on the grill, potatoe salad, cole slaw

for breakfast

BLT sandwiches on toast w/ cheese
biscuits and gravy with bacon and fried eggs
pancakes
toaster strudles
grilled chicken, mexican scrambled eggs and toast

I have now incorporated salads where as before I hated them, i will eat cucumbers and tomatoes raw now where as before I wouldnt.

Most things on this list i dont have very often, but these are things that I cook at home nothing out of a box/can etc.
And when i do have extra money, i do not eat out of a box. I am a very good cook when I have the means and the time to do so. My husband says im the next best cook to his granny and his mom.

ladytaz

09-22-2007, 05:52 PM

My husband says im the next best cook to his granny and his mom.

That right there is a HUGE compliment! My dad says my fried chicken is better than his mamma's was. And Grandma was an awesome cook!!!! *proud grin*

Everything on your list, minus the saurkraut (eW - my mom loves that stuff *shudders*) I really like too!! And still partake in, tho I still watch my carbs (even tho I am on insulin now ;))

Do ya like chicken and rice with mushroom gravy (or chicken gravy)? That's an easy one you can do in a crock pot if ya have one, and can make up a bunch of it too. Easy for left overs, and easy to take for a heat up lunch too! It's easy to bake in the oven too for that matter. But I think easier in the crock. Lord, you could throw everything in there before you head off to bed, and it'd be ready before you head off to work! ;) But if ya don't like that, then it's a moot point! LOL

I don't make that too often. Hubby ain't so fond of chicken! My son will eat it .... But he's at work, so I've not really bothered with it. I think I need to do up a batch in the crock and then package it up in individual serving sizes into the freezer for ME! LOL

I'm still tryin to think of things. I think my brain is all crowded with other stuff right now, and that's just being blocked! ;)

cheryl

09-22-2007, 06:34 PM

Bread is cheap, so is the Budig turkey packages, get the cheap real mayo, that is 5 bucks or 6 all together there is your lunch.....

Breakfast a big tub of off brand oatmeal....3 bucks there is your breakfast.....buy a bag of apples another 3 bucks there is fruit...Ok so that is 12 dollars...

so that leaves us with 28 dollars to spare.....get some lets see a big bag of potato's 4-5 dollars there is a side dish for dinner for days.........lets see a bag of chicken breast is 6 so that could be dinner for three days....so that is 11 dollars so that leaves us with 17 dollars couple of cans of veggies another 2dollars side dish of veggies.....some cheap bbq sauce and cheap seasoning another 4 dollars....leaves us with 11 dollars find a cheap thin cut stead around 3 bucks....leaves us with 7 dollars.....and find some or cheap pack of hotdogs, 1.50eggs too for egg salad sand whiches.....2 dollars and then tax so there is your 40 dollars and dinner, got some healthy things in there look for sales..........

Go to Walmart, and some store that does buy one get one, but will charge you half price if you buy one, I do that.....soda at a gas station is sometimes cheaper then at Walmart, At this grocery store I go to it is always 4 for 10 or eleven for cokes or pepsi products.....I can get a lot for just two people I hope some of my ideas has helped a bit...

Cheryl

Julielouise

09-22-2007, 06:40 PM

Linda- Where do you get sweet pickles sweetened with splenda? I love sweet pickles.
-Juliw

slipperyelm

09-23-2007, 12:19 PM

I'm from the south and I do think that traditional southern foods are mostly very cheap foods, but you do have to cook them yourself to benefit from their low price. The sweet potatoes we are talking about on another thread are very "southern" plus cheap, healthy, and diabetic friendly even to someone like me who needs a very low carb meal. You can zap one whole in the micro in about four minutes, just as quick as microwaving boxed French fries, I guess.

Have you ever seen the Hillbilly Housewife website? She has a whole month of menus to feed a family of four to six people for only $40 a month! She has a second set in which you get more meat, but spend only $70 for the whole month! The style of cooking is carby, but you seem to be able to handle carbs better than me. The meals would feel familiar to many southern cooks. I grew up poor, spent the first part of my adulthood poor, and ate very much like she proposes for a long time. As a fellow southerner, that is why I think you might like these menus well enough. You can at least get a few ultra-cheap meal ideas from them, even if you don't adopt it all.

Hillbilly Housewife (http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/)

Personally, I am blessed to enjoy a huge variety of food types these days, which is a good thing because I am always on the lookout for low carb new ideas, including from countries on the other side of the globe. I guess I have about a million little taste buds and each one of them is ready to enjoy some new nuance of the good things to eat on this earth. Heck, I am so easily stimulated to eat. The mere mention of some foods on this thread made me want to eat them. I got up in the middle of reading to go get a cucumber (mentioned above!) and sliced it up into some leftover juice from kosher pickles. This will give me a nice salad for later tonight. This will be a free salad, as the pickle juice would otherwise have been thrown away and the cucumber was free from my neighbor's garden---I gave her acorn squash; she gave me cukes.

Another site I found this weekend is SavingAdvice. It has forums set up almost entirely like this one. They seem friendly and approach saving money from all different points of view. I don't think there is so much about saving on food, but certainly some. Anyway, I think it is probably a good alternative to having our diabetes forum get all caught up in that.

Personal Finance Forums (http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/)

Nixo

09-23-2007, 01:17 PM

Hi I generally take a wrap filled with meat and salad,and have a low sugar youghurt.I tend to take the same thing every day,different fillings,but I know it gets me through the afternoon and doesn't spike me too high.

princesslinda

09-24-2007, 06:41 AM

Linda- Where do you get sweet pickles sweetened with splenda? I love sweet pickles.
-Juliw

In Knoxville, we have the "Mt. Olive" brand Splenda sweet gherkins...the are great. I have always liked tuna with sweet pickles (no mayo, just the pickles) and was so excited to find these. They taste like the real thing!

Handybear

10-21-2007, 07:06 PM

I am on a low carb diet (less than 30 a day) I usually prepare lunch for a week at a time on a sunday. I will have italian sausage links, brats, bunless cheeseburgers, and even nitrate free hotdogs. I also take along my condiments, celery, olives, and cucumber slices and for a dessert a few walnuts. I have learned that if you limit the selection you limit your cravings. I try and keep my choices to a minimum. The rule is eat to live, not live to eat.

Staceyy

10-21-2007, 09:50 PM

Hi Stacey, congratulations on your weight loss and control of your A1C levels! I spend $250 per month for food for dh and myself. Dh is a big 6'4", 240 lb truck driver, so I know what its like to feed a big, hungry man. The $250 includes all food, toiletries, paper products and drugstore items. This also includes regular monthly deliveries from Omaha Steaks, Kansas City Steakhouse,Chesapeake Seafood House and my food stockpile. I buy mostly name brand products. It took me a little while to learn to master this and I continue to learn in order to reduce my food bill even further. I am currently working on stockpiling enough food to last us a year due to the state of the economy.

Food is very important to me as I am culinary school trained, so of course I cook from scratch. We regularly eat filet mignon but we also eat things such as chicken livers and neck bones. I bake gourmet diabetic desserts. I was laid off two years ago so I have to watch my budget. Still, we eat much better now than when I was employed and we spend a lot less money.

Some of the things I do besides cook from scratch are, I use coupons, shop once a month, shop sales, get freebies, shop several stores and stretch products.

Some of the specific things I do are, I buy whole milk and mix it with half water as I use it, to make an approximate 2% milk. The taste is indistinguishable from 2% milk. This gives me half the cost and half the carbs which is good for my diabetes.

I buy my bread at Big Lots as the same whole grain bread that I've been paying $3.19 for at my local grocery store, costs me $1.00 at Big Lots. I usually buy 5 loaves at a time and freeze them.

You can get lots of free dog and cat food over the internet. This past year, I received a number of coupons for free 5 lb bags of pet food. Just Google "free dog food" or "free cat food" and fill in the forms.

You can also get all of your drugstore purchases for free. I usually get about $30 worth of free items from the drug stores each month. You can learn to do the drug store rebates at Hot Coupon World - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.hotcouponworld.com). Go to their forums and look for the drug store section. CVS will give you your rebate immediately at the cash register, you don't have to send for your rebates. Last month they were giving away 5 tubes of Colgate toothpaste. This sort of deal is great for adding to your stockpile. I have tons of free hair dye, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant and over the counter meds from doing these deals. When I was doing the Eckerd rebates, I would use my rebate checks to buy bread, eggs and milk. Thousands of people across the US do these rebates to get free products. You just have to take a little time to learn how.www.refundcents.com puts out a magazine each month that shows how to do the rebates to get lots of free groceries and drug store items. The magazine is loaded with photos of people surronded by all the free items they get.

Something else I do is to buy Tide detergent on sale and with a coupon and then use half the recommended amount. Consumer Reports rated Tide the best detergent. It cleans so well, that you don't have to use the full amount. I also buy Bounce dryer sheets and cut them in half before using.

I also wait until things go on sale and then stock up. Most sales rotate every three months or so. If you like Healthy Choice meals for instance, you can wait until they go on sale and buy a bunch until they go on sale again. Or for variety, stock up on the brand thats currently on sale. Next week, another brand will be on sale. Usually there will be a coupon in Sunday's paper for the brand thats on sale that week.

One of my favorite websites is Frugal Village - Home (http://www.frugalvillage.com). You might want to check out their forums. There's lots of help for lowering your expenses there.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Staceyy
The Diabetic Pastry Chef (http://www.diabeticpastrychef.com)

JaxTerri

10-27-2007, 07:28 PM

Stacey - I soooo understand where you are coming from as I've been there too. I lived in Knoxville TN my whole life except the last 3 years and I'm in Florida now (where everything seems to be more expensive). I got my education and raised my kids there and wouldn't have had it any other way. I have other relatives near the TN/KY border (near Harlan -very, very poor area) so I understand poverty. Now that my kids are grown I found a new job in Florida and doubled my salary...doing the same job I did in TN. My standard of living is much, much better these days but I will never forget where I've come from. When I hear you talk I remember those days and you sound sooo much like I did. I used to argue with people that it was so hard to diet as healthy food is expensive....and I still feel that way. I lived off hamburger and tuna helper and there's nothing low carb about that but it was cheap and stretched for my 3 growing boys. I'm telling you all this to let you know all of us are not judging you...I've prayed for you actually. Keep up the great work and take the good suggestions you've gotten here and use them and let go of the ones you feel are judgemental. Only you know what you can or can't do. God bless you!