How exactly are you suppost to stay well fed and eat a lot of protein if you’re broke?
Simply put, I cannot afford to eat a whole animal every meal so what are some cheap alternatives?
eggs, cans of tuna, fish, fuck if your really broke milk.
dude im in the same boat 2 teenage boys and a new born , so splashing out on half a cow and chicken breasts galore aint in my budget.
But save up and get yourself a good protein powder and couple it with the above items and you should be sweet.
Dude, in college I’d make some no-frills mac n cheese, throw in a can or two of tuna, and maybe a small container of peas,… tried to get 2 meals outta that. buying in bulk is also a life saver, I go to BJs once a month and drop 100-150 bucks. It may Seem like a lot at once, but it really evens out to be a good deal if you shop wisely.
S
There are some great articles and threads on this.
Eggs are great protein at low price, especially if you can get them from a farmer or Costco. They’re freeze-able; take them out of the shell & pop them in your favorite container/ZipLoc.
Can be done - you might want to search for the articles.
I think that answer is the Anabolic Diet. It’s high in fats, and fats are 9kcals/g compared to 4kcals/g for carbs and protein, so you’ve a head start.
Using UK prices:
Mince, 100g, 30p (I found 500g for £1.50 in ASDA, with all the fat left on.)
6 large eggs. 60p.
2 slices bacon. 50p (expensive compared to the rest but damn tasty in the fry-up.)
2 chipolatas. 35p (12 is about £2.)
20g butter. 10p (to fry eggs, bacon and sausages)
50ml double cream. 25p (add 25ml to scrambled eggs or omelette. rest for tea or coffee.)
25g Mayonaise. 10p
50g mixed nuts, salted and roasted. 40p
Total cost: £2.60
Carbs: less than 10g.
Protein: 110g
Fat: 180g
Kcals: 2100
Protein is a little low so far, so more mince is probably a good idea, or a Metabolic Drive+peanut butter+double cream shake (but shakes more more expensive than mince obv). If you need more calories, smack spades of full fat mayo on anything you can.
I apologise for lack of fish and chicken, but this is more of a luxury when money is tight afaik.
I’ll second Stu - getting a membership to some kind of big-box wholesaler can be a real money saver, especially if you have a big freezer. Keep an eye on the unit prices, though, to make sure you’re saving in bulk, and not just buying MORE at the same price as your regular retailer.
I just went to BJs the other day, picked up the following…
2 bags of Frozen Raw chicken Breasts (approx 12 in each bag, 50g protein each, approx $14 each)
9 cans chunk tuna (approx $6 I think)
2 HUGE Containers of Smuckers Natty PB (approx $6 for both)
Tonight I’ll hit up a Trader Joes for the usual…
4 pack of Bison Burgers (48g protein each, approx $6 for a box)
Cashews (approx $6 for HUGE bag)
Frozen Talapia Filets (cana’t remember the figures, but well worth it to have in your freezer)
add to that my usual case of protein powder, and that’s pretty much my staples for the kitchen (I pick up eggs, and veggies att the corner market though)
S
milk and protein powder, if you don’t have a big stomach.
Some people don’t eat that much anyway so they just need the nutrients. Protein powder may seem expensive but one investment whn you break it down by day is significantly cheaper than food.
If you have big stomach ground beef and whole chicken, and tuna. Learn to cook ground beef and chicken at least. The bigger the containers you buy them in the cheaper. Freeze the meet cook it later, or cook some and refrigerate and eat off the week. You can eat about 10 1lb hamburgers for about 11 dollars in jersey cheaper in some other states, and a real 1lb burger is much bigger than the 1lbs at Mcdonalds.
I got McDonalllldddss
If you can get your hands on a freezer, put in some effort and ignore your taste buds all things are abundantly possible.
Look into my recent posts, there was a similar thread by a kid from the UK recently.
Simply put you would buy cheap sources of protein.
eggs.peanut butter.tuna.sardines.mackeral. all canned fish.
You may actually be broke, but “broke” means different things to different people. For some, it means there’s money for pot and video games but not for this months rent. “Spot me, bra’?” Again, not saying this is you, but examine your spending over a typical week or two. Are you eating lots of food that comes in boxes? That shit’s expensive, and usually less healthy (look, for example, at the cost of a box of cold cereal, vs. the cost of a pound of old-fashioned oatmeal from the bulk bin).
Protein bars vs. peanut butter. $4-a-bottle Naked juices (which, I admit, are tasty) vs. a fruit-and-protein smoothie you make w/comparitively cheap frozen fruit and whey in your blender. Look for Heinekins and frozen pizzas in the fridge and too much dropped at the bar with friends on weekends (and remember, shell-necklaces and tight shirts do not have magical powers to get you laid).
Okay, this may not be you at all, but the point, literally and firguratively, is that there’s almost always something to eat. Not always, and not for everybody – if you are truly going through lean times you have my sympathies and best wishes – but more often than you’d think. My mom used to feed our whole family (Mom, Dad, five kids) on $80 a week, healthily and abundantly.
We were drinking powdered milk and we weren’t eating organic anything, but we got plenty of veggies, fruit, protein, and complex carbs. We even got desert a few times a week. I can’t work my mom’s magic with a cheap cut of meat or a coupon book, and I’m sure I waste a ton of money on unnecessary crap, but I did learn a little, and I can feed myself pretty well on the cheap when I have to.
Random example – a breakfast: 1/4-bag of frozen veggies (about 25 cents), 3 eggs (25 cents to a buck depending on your eggs), bowl of old-fashioned oats (a dime? less?), some PB and maybe some whey (optional) in the oatmeal. Dump veggies on skillet, start oatmeal, go back and crack eggs over veggies and push stuff around. Eggs done. Oatmeal’s done. 5 minutes. You can add walnuts and raisins to the oatmeal, flax, whatever. You can add some fruit (apple w/PB is good), but the basic version has you covered and is cheap.
I buy bulk when I can and watch my local grocery chains for big sales. When it gets bad I eat more cottage cheese, tuna, etc. and save the protein powder for post nutrition.
I also cut back on frivilious(SP?) spending. The only thing I spent money on now are bills, a gym membership and a few supplements.