How are you on groceries?

We are doing well on $50.00 a week.  This is what is allowed the "average" person on welfare so a long time ago I figured I'd try it to see how it works out for us.  It took me a while to cut the fat out of our diet, keep in the protein, and not allow all the processed foods to creep back in.  It takes time to plan but it is working!  The crock pot is my best friend! 

With only fifty dollars I do well enough to get One Chicken, One piece of Beef, or Pork.  I get Salmon when it is on sale! But I recently found at my most hated store I can get what they call Wild Salmon (it does not stay pink when I cook it!!!!!so it is NOT REALLY wild!  )I get a LARGE piece of Salmon for only $10.00 yep it is enough for him to eat three times a me twice. so 2 dollars a serving! Can't beat that! Or can you? I'm sure there are those out there much better at this than me, but we all have to try. But I would also like to learn from others as well.

I no longer allow myself Coke... my one horrible addiction!   I could drink it more than water if allowed.  But instead I spend 1/2 that amount on Tea.  Green Tea mostly, but when I am trying to sleep it will not do, I switch to a loose tea I get from Asheville that is caffeine free.  Tonight it is rose tea.... most of the time it is lavender, because I grow it and use it to spray the birds and give it to them once a week to drink.  They love it and it has good qualities to it for us all.  Not to forget it makes the closets smell good!  If I can't afford tea's from the grocery, don't put it past me not to use the peelings from oranges, apples, or any fruit I have had in the past few months to flavor my water.

I did just recently loose my fridge and freezer so that means I lost all my frozen berries, stocks, and frozen veggies.  This was a hard blow but I will build it all back up over time.  One chicken can get me 4 more stocks for later. 

I base all my cooking around Soups now.
So a bag of potatoes
A bag of onions
A bag of carrots
one bunch of celery
two heads of garlic
Sweet Potatoes
Rice
Dried Beans of all types... depending on the meat I get!
I get dried chilies when I can
Nuts ... almonds, walnuts
I get what ever fresh fruit I can when they go on sale.
sometimes cuties are cheaper than oranges. (I keep their skins and boil them for different reasons)
Apples are normally decently priced around here.
I still have kale and chard in the garden (yep it's almost April and it lasted all winter) ...so those are free and easy as a side dish.
my most expensive item is my gluten free flours.  I have yet to perfect making/mixing them myself and until I do... well it EATS my budget.... good thing is I ration it out pretty well so I now stick the money back each week for replacement time.

I only purchase a whole Chicken.  Why? because in dishes the dark meat always has more flavor, the white ... well 1/2 of it normally disappears before I can get the chicken out of the crock pot.  The hubby just loves it. (cooked with all the veggies above of course, no salt!) One chicken will make two casseroles and plain eating as well.  A casserole should last the two of us a few days (3) at the least.  And a Chicken Pot pie last a little longer.So over a week on one chicken! Not to forget its incredible stock it makes after I pull all the meat off the bones. 
And don't think those peelings, skins or tops of veggies go directly into the compost pile either!  I slowly boil them all to an incredible stock before I allow their remains to go into the compost pile.  That way there is no hard debate of onions bothering worms as most say they are fine if they are cooked... and by the time they get them, there is little to digest anyway.
I do on occasion purchase cilantro fresh but it too will be popping up in the garden soon.
I pull my herbs from my herb garden and have them stashed everywhere in the kitchen cabinets, still on the drying rack and some in jars kept over from when I did purchase them years before.
Rosemary,
several types of Thyme
Sage
Basil... (harder to keep but there are ways)

So Potato Soup can be made several ways and used to stretch more hardy soups as well.
But my French Onion Soup is one that my friends always think I got somewhere else and brought it in just for them.  Not to mention as I SLOWLY cook these onions I set aside some for sandwiches later in the week. 
Bean Soups are a good staple as well, they vary depending on the meat at hand. 

Life is good and will be even better when fresh food starts to grow at the back door, at the barn and ONLY if I get the old gravely going in the garden section on the estate. 

How well does your kitchen run?
What food is your staple?
How much do you spend on food?
Would you try cutting your bill down to $50.00 a couple?  I didn't think it could be done!