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Diet on a Budget


bradharry

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I have trained in the past on a healthy income and achieved great results, however I gave decided to go back to Uni therefore chicken breasts and shakes have become somewhat a luxury.

Can anyone please offer any tips, suggestions, or any alternative ideas on how to maintain a healthy low fat and sustainable high protein diet on a student budget.

Cheers

Harry

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^ true to form

i'm a student too, work part time, rent and bills etc to pay, so i understand the issue with the budget. rice is cheap (esp if you buy from an asian supermarket like tai ping). buy chicken in bulk when its cheap ($10/kg in burbs, $13/kg in the city). i would typically spend $300 in a shop (save your money as best you can...), that lasts a while. just don't buy from asian supermarkets, that always turns out to be shit (in my experience)

wouldn't buy broccoli, that shit is expensive, but spinach ain't too bad if you buy from the right places. sweet potato cheap, bulk bags of nuts go on sale every so often and last a while. throw in a multivit (buy from the supermarket, don't buy that shit from supplement companies, way over priced) and you're good

buy the cheap unflavored protein power as captain energy drink above me suggests, mix with cold water and add nesquick or something if you're concerned about the taste, and if you want milk just go with homebrand/whatever paknsave does (milk is milk)

thats all i got

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Dont forget mixed vegges which are cheap to buy depending which brand that you want to buy like Pam's frozen veggies which are cheap to buy plus they sure beat the cost of normal veggies which are more expensive to buy.Best of all frozen veggies can be added to rice or pasta when cooking either or plus they save time chopping up veggies as well.

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":5ojzytdx]what is your weekly food budget rougly, OP?

i personally wouldn't want to be spending under $20/day on food (including shakes), probably actually spend closer to $25-30 when im eating properly..and yeah im student too, just get student loan (no allowance) and gotta pay rent, bills, fuel and shit too. not that hard to save a few grand and it makes a pretty big difference to your quality of life

How much of that goes towards energy drinks and nicotine gum though...

I'm a student, I spend roughly $15/d (not including shakes, I buy bulk when needed) on food and probably eat a lot better than AZIDE. Just buy the best meat that's on special, plenty of eggs, milk, frozen vege, olive oil, bread, peanut butter, rice, potatoes, spices and sauces etc. It would be good to know you're budget, but it's really not that hard to eat well on a budget. Also, why low fat? and how low is low?

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Why buy canned chicken or tuna when you're buying that much fresh meat?

":690t126f]
I'm a student, I spend roughly $15/d (not including shakes, I buy bulk when needed) on food and probably eat a lot better than AZIDE.

define 'better' though? when im eating properly im probably hitting double the protein you are (and yeah i eat veges too, just not much lately)

I made that comment assuming you were still surviving on shakes and energy drinks :lol: I don't define better as just really high protein though, the amount you're eating I'd consider unnecessarily high. I'd define better as focusing mostly on whole food sources with enough protein and complex carbs, and not skimping on fats, with plenty of fruit and vege. Not just simple sugars for carb sources. Why do you have protein so high? You could save a lot of money just eating 250ish grams (which is still really high) and making up the other calories with some complex carbs and fats.

I could come in for a train after nationals, I'm too much of a chalk whore currently :lol: Pretty sure you're stronger than me in all 3 lifts anyway, definitely bench and deads.

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This topic pops up once a month on here, if you search you'll find some good suggestions. Just gotta be smart, buy in bulk and when stuff is on special. Freeze stuff for later. Make stews or bakes with cheaper meats and eat through the week/freeze. At $1/serve for cheap whey I don;t se how that is a luxury where protein is concerned. Not much is cheaaper and certainly wouldn;t me more convenient. Just gotta stump up the cash up front and then you'll be set for a while.

Also, eat at friends/family houses :)

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Also, eat at friends/family houses :)

Im always stealing eggs from home lol. Im a student aswell and find that atm I am not struggling with buying the foods I need for my goals. As long as my protein intake is up where it should be Im not fussed. Protein is my priority and in all honesty that just means eggs, shakes, and chicken.. Not to mention more eggs... You can get a whole tray for pretty cheap if you go to the right places

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Yup, as long as you got your protein you're good, that's what will cost you the most. Carbs and fats can be bought cheap as. A bag of rice, bag of potatoes and a bottle of oil costs bugger all.

Learning how to cook the cheaper meats helps a lot if you don't already know how. Stews, roasts, soups and bakes can be done cheap as and last for ages. Doesn't have to be all fillet steak and blue cod

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I've just brought a cow and I'm getting it home killed at the farm I brought it from shortly. Coach is buying half and a couple of the boys from the gym are going thirds in the other half with me. $800 for the cow, $110 for the home kill service and butchering costs including 10 days hung in the chiller, packaging and labelling are $1.20 a kg (butcher reckons it'll be about 260kg of meat so $312) so it'll work out to about 4.70 a kg. Cheap as and a manageable amount of meat if a few people pitch in :nod:

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I've just brought a cow and I'm getting it home killed at the farm I brought it from shortly. Coach is buying half and a couple of the boys from the gym are going thirds in the other half with me. $800 for the cow, $110 for the home kill service and butchering costs including 10 days hung in the chiller, packaging and labelling are $1.20 a kg (butcher reckons it'll be about 260kg of meat so $312) so it'll work out to about 4.70 a kg. Cheap as and a manageable amount of meat if a few people pitch in :nod:

This sounds like a choice idea, will def look into it, cheers

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Yup, as long as you got your protein you're good, that's what will cost you the most. Carbs and fats can be bought cheap as. A bag of rice, bag of potatoes and a bottle of oil costs bugger all.

Learning how to cook the cheaper meats helps a lot if you don't already know how. Stews, roasts, soups and bakes can be done cheap as and last for ages. Doesn't have to be all fillet steak and blue cod

This is pretty much what I have been trying to do, im trying to make a bag of protein last longer by adding eggs to the shake etc, cheers for ya help

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^ true to form

i'm a student too, work part time, rent and bills etc to pay, so i understand the issue with the budget. rice is cheap (esp if you buy from an asian supermarket like tai ping). buy chicken in bulk when its cheap ($10/kg in burbs, $13/kg in the city). i would typically spend $300 in a shop (save your money as best you can...), that lasts a while. just don't buy from asian supermarkets, that always turns out to be shit (in my experience)

wouldn't buy broccoli, that shit is expensive, but spinach ain't too bad if you buy from the right places. sweet potato cheap, bulk bags of nuts go on sale every so often and last a while. throw in a multivit (buy from the supermarket, don't buy that shit from supplement companies, way over priced) and you're good

buy the cheap unflavored protein power as captain energy drink above me suggests, mix with cold water and add nesquick or something if you're concerned about the taste, and if you want milk just go with homebrand/whatever paknsave does (milk is milk)

thats all i got

Cheers for the great advice, just bought $80 worth of chicken breasts

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im in the same boat. student having had a bit of money previously to buy food. plus the price of food in nz is a joke but stick to mince, make some decent burgers out of them with some herbs and spices..happy days. eggs a plenty, protein shakes, get your rod and reel out and pull in a few fish if your feeling particualy cheap.

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