Hey
I know the thread “bulking on a tight budget” but I already eat mostly cheap foods. (turkey,rice,cottage cheese, vegetables and nuts) Still I’m paying about 150 euro /200 dollar a week to maintain my bodyweight by eating 3400 kcal. I wonder whether this is normal because for a lot of people it would be way too much. So how much are you guys paying per week for your food and how much kcal do you eat?
Put it this way.
My food/supplement budget is second only to my mortgage. That food doesn’t include my wife’s and kids’ food.
$200/week just for food seems high but not “way too much”…
I probably come in at about $150/week and weigh 200lb.
EDIT
Your probably going to get a lot of different answers on this depending on food quality, country, goals, lean body mass, etc.
In which country do you live?
[quote]timboo wrote:
@steelyD sorry I don’t understand your post.[/quote]
I spend a lot on food.
Man, it costs a shit load of money to get big. That’s just the truth. I’m dieting right now so I am not spending as much as I have in the past, but your 200 bucks a week wouldn’t even cover the steaks I was eating for two weeks unless they were on sale. That doesn’t include everything else I was eating all week when I was really eating to gain.
The amount you listed doesn’t sound that bad but it does sound a bit much for ONLY 3,000cals. It sounds like you need to make smarter shopping decisions.
I spend much less right now but that is because most of my diet is chicken breasts, broccoli and rice.
I purchase all of my meat in bulk either via a farmer or Sam’s Club! I can get about 5 lbs of boneless chicken thighs for a hair under $10. Get frugal with your money, set a limit, shop around and don’t be one of those suckers that goes to the grociery store every other day (like I used to).
[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
I purchase all of my meat in bulk either via a farmer or Sam’s Club! I can get about 5 lbs of boneless chicken thighs for a hair under $10. Get frugal with your money, set a limit, shop around and don’t be one of those suckers that goes to the grociery store every other day (like I used to).[/quote]
LOL. I used to also. However, it took me a LONG time to find foods that worked with me the best and also weren’t expensive.
For instance, I had no idea how to grill shit outside of a Foreman Grill until about 5 years ago. That changed everything. I grilled up 3 big packages of breast tenderloins yesterday (enough for about 20 different meals) and vacuum sealed them. The whole things probably cost me less than 50 bucks for that, the charcoal, and everything involved.
No one showed me how to do that. It was mostly trial and error.
If someone had told me how to do this shit 10 years ago, I would be farther along.
I now have 20 meals ready to go that just need to be thawed. No more cooking this week outside of minor shit like eggs and heating stuff up.
I eat pretty cheap i guess and i eat a lot of calories but thats only because i hate a lot of the foods people use to get big and my body responds well to what i put into it. I get my whole weeks worth of food for 0 dollars because i live at home 
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
I purchase all of my meat in bulk either via a farmer or Sam’s Club! I can get about 5 lbs of boneless chicken thighs for a hair under $10. Get frugal with your money, set a limit, shop around and don’t be one of those suckers that goes to the grociery store every other day (like I used to).[/quote]
LOL. I used to also. However, it took me a LONG time to find foods that worked with me the best and also weren’t expensive.
For instance, I had no idea how to grill shit outside of a Foreman Grill until about 5 years ago. That changed everything. I grilled up 3 big packages of breast tenderloins yesterday (enough for about 20 different meals) and vacuum sealed them. The whole things probably cost me less than 50 bucks for that, the charcoal, and everything involved.
No one showed me how to do that. It was mostly trial and error.
If someone had told me how to do this shit 10 years ago, I would be farther along.
I now have 20 meals ready to go that just need to be thawed. No more cooking this week outside of minor shit like eggs and heating stuff up.[/quote]
Professor
What do you use to vacuum seal your cooked food?
This sounds the greatest fucking idea ever. I take it lasts longer vacuum sealed and frozen?
[quote]xxrob5xx wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]Davinci.v2 wrote:
I purchase all of my meat in bulk either via a farmer or Sam’s Club! I can get about 5 lbs of boneless chicken thighs for a hair under $10. Get frugal with your money, set a limit, shop around and don’t be one of those suckers that goes to the grociery store every other day (like I used to).[/quote]
LOL. I used to also. However, it took me a LONG time to find foods that worked with me the best and also weren’t expensive.
For instance, I had no idea how to grill shit outside of a Foreman Grill until about 5 years ago. That changed everything. I grilled up 3 big packages of breast tenderloins yesterday (enough for about 20 different meals) and vacuum sealed them. The whole things probably cost me less than 50 bucks for that, the charcoal, and everything involved.
No one showed me how to do that. It was mostly trial and error.
If someone had told me how to do this shit 10 years ago, I would be farther along.
I now have 20 meals ready to go that just need to be thawed. No more cooking this week outside of minor shit like eggs and heating stuff up.[/quote]
Professor
What do you use to vacuum seal your cooked food?
This sounds the greatest fucking idea ever. I take it lasts longer vacuum sealed and frozen?
[/quote]
It can last two years or more stored in a freezer vacuum sealed. Read this:
I use a “seal-a-meal” but will upgrade soon to a bigger model. the one I have now is usually sold for under 50 bucks. I use them so often though that they usually start crapping out on me after about two years.
For people who are consistently eating as much as some of us do, I think it is almost necessary. I would be wasting a shit ton more food without it because if I tried keeping this much chicken in the fridge for a week, it would be sand paper by day 3 and I probably wouldn’t eat it after day four.
I seal these chicken breasts almost right after cooking them (as soon as it cools down a little). They taste great…I would guess seeing as people at my house keep eating my food.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
I spend much less right now but that is because most of my diet is chicken breasts, broccoli and rice.[/quote]
I know it’s anathema to say this in the presence of bodybuilders, but, man, I just can’t stand chicken breasts.
Exceptions are when they are seasoned enough that I can pretend it’s not chicken breast (KFC grilled chicken almost comes close), deep crispy fried, or cooked by an oriental person and accompanied by so much vegetables and sauce that I can pretend it’s not chicken breast.
Chicken breast for me is harder than getting up at the crack of dawn for cardio or lifting heavy weights day in day out.
@PX - Alright, so when are the cooking shows followed by training sessions in between? 
I need a more motivating cooking show than Epicmealtime haha. But seriously, thanks for the vacuum sealer idea. Between my moms coupon shopping and the tips on here you guys are getting me off to a good start right from the beginning.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
I spend much less right now but that is because most of my diet is chicken breasts, broccoli and rice.[/quote]
I know it’s anathema to say this in the presence of bodybuilders, but, man, I just can’t stand chicken breasts.
Exceptions are when they are seasoned enough that I can pretend it’s not chicken breast (KFC grilled chicken almost comes close), deep crispy fried, or cooked by an oriental person and accompanied by so much vegetables and sauce that I can pretend it’s not chicken breast.
Chicken breast for me is harder than getting up at the crack of dawn for cardio or lifting heavy weights day in day out.[/quote]
i hate chicken breast so bad that the only way to eat a grilled one is to blend it which doesnt exactly make that eating but yeah. I had one that was perfectly tender and seasoned at a wedding recently and i still felt sick eating it! The only way i eat chicken now is chicken wings or wendys chicken sandwhiches lol
money becomes much easier when you are on a diet based on chicken and rice.
What the hell are you eating that is costing so much? I’m maintaining my bodyweight eating around 42-4500kcal per day and I spend less than half of what you do.
[quote]bugeishaAD wrote:
What the hell are you eating that is costing so much? I’m maintaining my bodyweight eating around 42-4500kcal per day and I spend less than half of what you do. [/quote]
That’s what I said. For 3,000cals, the only way it is costing that much is if you have no clue how to shop.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]bugeishaAD wrote:
What the hell are you eating that is costing so much? I’m maintaining my bodyweight eating around 42-4500kcal per day and I spend less than half of what you do. [/quote]
That’s what I said. For 3,000cals, the only way it is costing that much is if you have no clue how to shop.[/quote]
Another way would be living on the most expensive continent. I hate the food prices here.
Meat prices in the US are cheaper than most countries.
Ground beef in Germany is almost 2x US price
Chicken is 3x.