The Broke-Ass Basics
The following are items you should stock in your cabinet and fridge. They are reasonably inexpensive and when used wisely can keep you out of the grocery store. For the most part, you probably already have most of these items on the lists in your home already. These aren’t exotic, never heard of it, ingredients. If you’re struggling, it’s pretty difficult to go shopping for a lot of new stuff. Take it a bit at a time. Most of the recipes only require three or four items from the shopping lists. Stock up on what you can and like, leave the rest for another day. This is supposed to be stress-free.
When you go shopping for your staples, choose the store wisely. Aldi is pretty good for most everything on the list. Personally, I do not care for Aldi and shop at Wal-Mart, but that’s just a personal choice. You can save tremendous amounts just by changing stores. The price differences can be quite shocking. I’m not a coupon clipper and typically go for the generic brand simply because in processed food I’ve never experienced a truly noticeable difference between generic and name brand. However, this might not be your experience. I’ve based the recipes on truly cheap, generic ingredients so your experience with the recipes will be the same if you go the same route.
Modify these lists as you wish, I for instance no longer eat cow, so I substitute ground turkey or chicken. These are great options for you as well as they are considerably cheaper per pound than cow meat. They are also a somewhat healthier option than red meat. You can modify the list however you think suits you. Most of the recipes are quite flexible, fun to make and most importantly, taste great. You may not have the coin for caviar, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat food without flavor.