How would you spend $200?

[friendly]

Hello,

I have unexpectedly received some gift cards for groceries. I want to stock up on low carb non-perishable food items. I've gotten ideas from this site and lc books, but I want to hear from individuals about what are your favorite must haves. I don't have a huge freezer, but my pantry space is large.

I expect to be switching to maintenance in a few months, so the items don't have to be strictly phases 1 and 2. I feed my husband and kids "normally", but I like to give them protein at each meal, and protein snacks.

I'll be back to my strict budget next month, so help me live it up! lol.

[laughingW]

Tuna in oil
Almonds
Canned corned beef (I know, maybe not the best, but I like it!)
Canned green and wax beans for 3 bean salad

basically canned meat and the vegetables we like, canned
nuts if they will last however you mean non-perishable

[maxlharris]

Do you have to spend it all at once? I'd spread it around if I could, and buy fresh things.

[Gaelen]

I've got a very small pantry and only about 3 c.f. of freezer space. And most of the gift cards for local supermarkets are good for a year and one chain's gift cards never expire. If you don't have to use the full amount of the card each time, I think I'd take Max's route and spread them out. 'Work' the expiration dates of the cards if that's an option and splurge a bit each week on out-of-season or specially priced fresh things to make my strict budget a bit easier each week for longer.

OTOH, if you have to use the entire card at one time or lose the balance (I know some cards are set up like that :( ) or if they're due to expire, then I'd stock up on canned goods. I like canned shellfish like oysters and clams because they make great protein boosters for simple cream and vegetable soups, canned salmon and tuna, and smoked fish fillets in oil. I'd probably make sure I had plenty of dried or jarred sund-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers, pesto, marinated mushrooms, marinated artichokes, good balsamic vinegar--the kinds of things that make simpler foods seem like splurges when added to a meal but that keep well and give me a lot of mileage in my cooking.

And I'd set aside $20 or $30 to be COMPLETELY frivolous right now...I'd buy something fresh that would ordinarily be out-of-budget (in these parts at this time of year, that's some lamb or a fresh turkey or a really nice piece of fish, and in the produce depart that would mean fresh berries and just about any vegetable that grows above ground!) And then I'd plan a special weekend dinner.

[friendly]

Thanks, I forgot about nuts. I would like to spend it in the next few weeks so I can get my free ham and gas coupon. I like the splurge idea, too. It would be fun to cook something I've never cooked before like lamb or steaks. I already spend a good portion of my weekly budget on fresh produce--that's how I was raised, and the freshness of fruits and veggies is what keeps me happy on this WOE.

I'd love to make oyster and clam soups--fun ideas, thanks guys.

[Gaelen]

Friendly--one more supermarket aisle to investigate with those gift cards is the condiment aisle. I sort of hit on that with the balsmic vinegar (lotsa mileage, long shelf life even after opening). But there are lots of other condiments that are in that same category, and some of them are way too pricey to have to buy on a regular basis.

- exotic oils like pumpkin seed oil, walnut oil, toasted sesame oil--all will keep well in the fridge.
- good vinegars (herb flavored ones for salads and marinades, as well as a nice apple cider vinegar and a good red wine vinegar are things I don't like to be without--and they all have long shelf lives)
- I love different kinds of hot sauces (Thai garlic chile sauce, Chalupa hot sauce, green chile hot sauce, harissa) and different types of mustards (dijon, horseradish, grainy.) A small container of each will last me until I have the next cash bonanza...I usually set aside $50 from my tax return and/or bonus from work just for those kinds of things. ;)
- canned coconut milk is a wonderful creamy soup base, AND frozen into cubes, it makes a wonderful creamy shake base
- and of course, if you use the standard sauces (Worchestire, teriyaki, etc.,) then now's the time to pick up an extra bottle of the good stuff

[maxlharris]

The spice aisle. Buy the nice stuff. Will last a long time if you keep them closed off from light. Some of them can get pricey. Don't buy premixed blends. Buy yourself a nice set of good spices and make stuff. Make your regular menu and your usual dishes more interesting with allspice, cinnamon, tumeric, cumin, etc, etc, etc.

Another crazy idea: If they are like my super markets, they may sell cookbooks. Cookbooks have ideas, ideas can be fit to low carb, and can give you ideas on how to spend the rest. Bittman's How to Cook Everything or Joy of Cooking are both very good basic books if you don't have a single book. Alton Brown's Food + Heat = Cooking 2.0 is a nice book too.

[friendly]

Thanks for the reminder about spices--sadly, mine fall into two categories: big plastic generic ones purchased at Walmart (you know-garlic salt, soul seasoning-lol) or ones I got with my wedding present spice rack (and I've been married ten years! gross)

I'll hit the baking aisle hard, because I love to bake. It seems that each time I want to do a LC dessert, I'm short one item--like I have the cocoa powder but not the baking squares, etc.

[NewStartNow]

I would probably buy fresh foods that I can freeze like meats and organic butter.

[pelhamga]

I'd buy
coconut flour
almond flour
steelcut oats
nuts
coconut oil
x virgin olive oil
dark choc
salmon and tuna
truvia
that would prob costs $200 :D