On A Budget

[Karli]

I am trying to stay gluten free on a budget... One of my biggest expenses is travel... I can buy Rice Chex at one local market and gluten free pancake mix at 4x the normal cost at another local market... Then I must travel 120 miles round trip to find other products.... I frankly do not like ordering food on line.... I find most the the items on this site... out of my budget range. (especially when I do not know whether I will like the item or not.) ... I am getting tired of rice chex and brown rice and a bread I make with gluten pancake flour... Breakfast ... I really like cooked quinoa ... however it is 5x the expense of oatmeal.

[ShayFL]

If you are just looking for inexpensive carbs then you can choose: beans, sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin (think produce section)

[GlutenGalAZ]

Are you looking for just all around food in general or certain items in particular?

There is a cookbook that I got last year but just started to use recently called The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg. I forgot I had this book till someone mentioned it to me in another post. It is really neat there are no gluten free flours used mainly just potato starch, cornstarch, baking soda/powder and couple other ingredients that you find in your normal grocery store. It does use Xantham gum but the package you would buy goes a long way. I made pizza crust last week and it was really good there are pancakes, muffins, breads etc.

I go to our local health food store off and on during the month to get a few things/snacks but my husband and I mainly shop at the grocery store. We get ground beef, chicken, different types of steaks, deli meat...

Some ex's of dinners we do: spaghetti (ground beef and classico sauce), Tacos (ground beef, mc cormick chili powder, pepper, tomato sauce), chicken with misc stuff, Mrs. Leepers (like hamburger helper), steak with misc stuff.

Lunch Ideas: gluten-free pasta salad (plain or sometype of meat/ can tuna & misc things), salad (chicken, cut up taqitos, cut up deli meat or plain), wraps (deli meat maybe a slice of bacon with mustard and lettuce), Sanwiches (I like Gluten Free Pantry sandwich bread mix but am trying other recipies soon), spaghetti noodles (with evoo and a little cheese and seasoning), rice with vegetables.

Breakfast: I get rice chex or some of the disney general mills (winnie the pooh, dora the exlorer, mickey) and some gluten free cereals I get at the health food store or Smith's (same as Kroger and Ralphs), gluten-free waffles (Van's makes good ones a lot of grocery stores carry them). I make pancakes and freeze them (chocolate chip or plain) and use Knott's Berry Farm syrup.

Other food ideas: instant mash potatoes, uncle ben's instant/natural brown rice, dinty moore beef stew, green giant has some good frozen vegetables with sauce, mixed nuts, fruit -- there are a lot of natural gluten free foods that you can get at the grocery store then a lot of other things that you just have to read labels.

If you have a local health food store (even a mom and pop one) a lot of the time they will special order you stuff. I have one that I go to and if I order a case then I get a discount. Somethings they can get one box in for me and other things I have to order a case or they stock what I don't want. I order spaghetti noodles by the case and bread mix.

I know what it is like to drive a distance if you want to get certain things. The closest BIG health food store by me is about 1.5hrs away (only been there once this past year).

Good Luck with the food search.

[Juliebove]

I guess I am lucky. My health food store gets most of what I need. I can get some other things at the local grocery stores and I don't mind and don't have a problem with the prices I pay online. We really have no choice given all of our food allergies.

I do find I save some money by shopping at Costco. I can get meat, fruit and vegetables there. I could get rice, but the bags are just too big for us. Can get some chips and other gluten-free things. That really saves me a lot of money.

[sickchick]

I eat a lot of rice & beans and corn tortillas!

[Nancym]

You can really cut back your food budget if you stop buying processed foods. It can mean reeducating your palate and learning how to cook, if you don't know how, but the end result is more $$ and a healthier you. I like to think my foods came from a farm versus a factory.

[WW340]

I eat very little of the gluten free specialty items. We do 99% of our grocery shopping at either walmart or sam's club. I live in the boondocks, population 2500, and have no large gluten-free shops less than 2.5 hours away.

Sam's and walmart are quite a distance from us, so we plan our shopping a head and buy a lot at one time and freeze it.

I primarily eat chicken, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggs, corn chips, corn tortillas, ground beef, lots of veggies and fruit. I second the instant mashed potatoes mentioned by GlutenGalAZ (I buy the big box at sam's). Also, walmart brand of scalloped potatoes in the blue box are gluten free (marked on the box).

I cook one whole chicken every week (so simple to bake), I make chicken soup out of the leftovers, adding celery, onions and either potatoes or rice.

I cook a pot of beans at least once a month. I freeze the left overs.

Chili, goulash, spaghetti, ham, pork chops, taco salad, regular salads, chef salads, all kinds of soups.

If you can have eggs, I find them very easy and quick to make. I learned how to make an omlet off the internet. It is so easy, and makes a very nice meal in about 5 minutes.

The only bread I ever eat, is what I bake myself. I make my own hot dog buns, hamburger buns etc, all from the same recipe. I don't eat bread products that often. I do buy my flour in bulk from the internet. I make my own pizza dough out of basically the same ingredients as the bread. I use basically the same flours for any baking that I do.

I also order my gluten-free pasta from the internet in bulk. Amazon is my favorite gluten-free shopping spot. Good prices and free shipping on most items I buy.

We actually spend less money on eating than we used to, because we don't eat out anymore. Yet my husband says we have lots better meals than we used to. I hate to cook, so I make very simple meals, but my whole family loves what I cook. I really just cook normal food. If it requires flour, I use my flour mix, or cornstarch. It is not hard, it just takes some practice.

Deserts are usually ice cream, fruit, yogurt, pudding cups, pamelas chocolate cake mix, or cookies or cakes I make from scratch.

My husband's 19 y/o nephew stayed with us for 2 weeks recently. He told my husband he thought he was so lucky to have married such a good cook, lol.

If you can afford a stand mixer, it will make your life much easier. I use that much more than my bread machine.

[Karli]

I am trying to stay gluten free on a budget... One of my biggest expenses is travel... I can buy Rice Chex at one local market and gluten free pancake mix at 4x the normal cost at another local market... Then I must travel 120 miles round trip to find other products.... I frankly do not like ordering food on line.... I find most the the items on this site... out of my budget range. (especially when I do not know whether I will like the item or not.) ... I am getting tired of rice chex and brown rice and a bread I make with gluten pancake flour... Breakfast ... I really like cooked quinoa ... however it is 5x the expense of oatmeal.

Thanks for all of the responses.... I was managing pretty well until the weather got so hot.... I can not tolerate the swamp cooler and AC is so expensive.... I usually cut down my cooking in the summer.... Cook early in the wee hours to eat later.... 18 months ago we revamped all of our recipes to fit my husbands LOW Sodium low fat eating regimen.... now we are going gluten free.... too.... Processed foods have never been part of our eating plan.... I am NOT pleased with rice pasta... I have found I like the quinoa pasta much better... my local mom and pop health food store is 90 miles away.... There is a super market in Flagstaff that is a little closer in mileage... In the past we have lived on salads... usually made with whole wheat pasta... as a base... and low fat homemade salad dressing... We made pancakes for breakfast with extra for me to use as bread for several days.... I had to run the AC for an hour in order for the house to be bearable... I am retired and both my husband and I cook.... He has a drawer now with wheat bread and crackers cuting board and knife... (he also has full use of the toaster) otherwise out kitches is gluten free. We just want to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible during this hot weather. I seem to be hungry more than usual ... I have a large bowl of pearl tapioca soaking... I will make my pineapple version... in the morning .... may I can snack on that and not feel starved.... .... I am not trusting labels ... on regular food. Thanks again

[Aleshia]

I am trying to stay gluten free on a budget... One of my biggest expenses is travel... I can buy Rice Chex at one local market and gluten free pancake mix at 4x the normal cost at another local market... Then I must travel 120 miles round trip to find other products.... I frankly do not like ordering food on line.... I find most the the items on this site... out of my budget range. (especially when I do not know whether I will like the item or not.) ... I am getting tired of rice chex and brown rice and a bread I make with gluten pancake flour... Breakfast ... I really like cooked quinoa ... however it is 5x the expense of oatmeal.

corn tortillas have become our new "bread" the kids love them as quesadillas with melted cheese between 2 or sometimes as a hotdog bun. they also love "sweet quesadillas" made with peanut butter and honey or jam.

corn chips are also another good inexpensive snack. you can have them with cheese dip, 7 layer dip or just salsa.

[Karli]

Are you looking for just all around food in general or certain items in particular?

There is a cookbook that I got last year but just started to use recently called The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg. I forgot I had this book till someone mentioned it to me in another post. It is really neat there are no gluten free flours used mainly just potato starch, cornstarch, baking soda/powder and couple other ingredients that you find in your normal grocery store. It does use Xantham gum but the package you would buy goes a long way. I made pizza crust last week and it was really good there are pancakes, muffins, breads etc.

I go to our local health food store off and on during the month to get a few things/snacks but my husband and I mainly shop at the grocery store. We get ground beef, chicken, different types of steaks, deli meat...

Some ex's of dinners we do: spaghetti (ground beef and classico sauce), Tacos (ground beef, mc cormick chili powder, pepper, tomato sauce), chicken with misc stuff, Mrs. Leepers (like hamburger helper), steak with misc stuff.

Lunch Ideas: gluten-free pasta salad (plain or sometype of meat/ can tuna & misc things), salad (chicken, cut up taqitos, cut up deli meat or plain), wraps (deli meat maybe a slice of bacon with mustard and lettuce), Sanwiches (I like Gluten Free Pantry sandwich bread mix but am trying other recipies soon), spaghetti noodles (with evoo and a little cheese and seasoning), rice with vegetables.

Breakfast: I get rice chex or some of the disney general mills (winnie the pooh, dora the exlorer, mickey) and some gluten free cereals I get at the health food store or Smith's (same as Kroger and Ralphs), gluten-free waffles (Van's makes good ones a lot of grocery stores carry them). I make pancakes and freeze them (chocolate chip or plain) and use Knott's Berry Farm syrup.

Other food ideas: instant mash potatoes, uncle ben's instant/natural brown rice, dinty moore beef stew, green giant has some good frozen vegetables with sauce, mixed nuts, fruit -- there are a lot of natural gluten free foods that you can get at the grocery store then a lot of other things that you just have to read labels.

If you have a local health food store (even a mom and pop one) a lot of the time they will special order you stuff. I have one that I go to and if I order a case then I get a discount. Somethings they can get one box in for me and other things I have to order a case or they stock what I don't want. I order spaghetti noodles by the case and bread mix.

I know what it is like to drive a distance if you want to get certain things. The closest BIG health food store by me is about 1.5hrs away (only been there once this past year).

Good Luck with the food search.

Thanks for your lengthy answer,GalAZ, I have only Safeway and Basha's available locally (that mega store is has put the moms and pops out of business... even impacted the variety of fresh produce I can get in the regular markets) ... Rice chex is now one of my staples.... A whole foods store and Frys in Flagstaff.... 65 miles is the nearest places that has I can pick up quinoa and gluten free pasta... I am used to reading labels... looking for low salt/sodium and garlic free.... I have special shopping glasses to read the fine... print.... my grand daughter knows I am serious about shopping when I put those in my handbag... I am making a quinoa salad this morning... very similar to my "old pasta salad' but the cost will be at least double... probably a little more... although a little quinoa goes a long way. And,of course, my standard tapioca custard is gluten free.... I guess I should be thankful that there are so many foods that I can eat... I do not think I could take it ... if I had to give up milk or chocolate...

[slmprofesseur]

I eat a lot of rice & beans and corn tortillas!

Amen! That's been a life saver for our family. I also visit the produce section for sweet potatoes, and what ever is on sale at Kroger. We even eat chili in the summer cause its affordable. Utz chips are gluten free (it says so on the package:)

You can make stir fry, various gluten free casseroles. I make my own "hamburger" helper using Gluten-free mac n cheese.

It is overwhelming in the beginning. Just experiment! No all of my results have been positive (i.e. gluten free, egg free coffee cake) but...I have learned a lot from my mistakes.

[gfpaperdoll]

If your husband is eating low sodium & low fat because of blood pressure, cholesteral, heart disease, if he will cut out grains that will get a lot better... re "good calories bad caloies" by Gary Taubes.

I am also in the South, & an electric skillet & a crockpot are your friends in the summer.

I bake my sweet potatoes in the microwave.

I cook a pork roast & veggies in the electric skillet in about an hour & the kitchen stays cool.

my food bills stay very reasonable. I do not eat any replacement grain foods, except for the occasional white corn tortilla, & a little rice. I also do not waste anything. A stalk of celery gets all used up immediately, some gets chopped for salads, a few stalks cleaned & trimmed for filling with nut butters, egg salad, etc, & the rest - leaves & all is chopped up for the soup pot.

If you keep a bowl in the freezer & add any leftover cooked meats, & veggies (even that bit of pasta sauce that is leftover) - you have an instant soup mix that you can add to a pot of homemade chicken stock.

I find that I even like soup in the summer now, it is just a nice hot meal - when I am eating a lot of cold meals because of all the fresh salad ingredients.

I also shop at the local farmers market. That is a great way to keep costs down.

[purple]

Hey, I just drove 120 or so miles round trip yesterday to stock up on flours too! I don't like ordering over the internet either but with gas prices, etc. I think I will have to.