Hi Tiffany,

I've learned some tips about eating more on less $, and they came from an expert on saving money. A big but simple tip is to buy foods and prepare them yourself, because with prepared foods, you're paying for the preparation. So instead of buying chicken fingers, for example, buy a whole chicken and cook it yourself. The easiest, quickest way I've found to do that is to stick it in a crockpot. Just put a few inches of water in the crockpot, some salt, whatever herbs or spices you want (or just salt is fine, too -- you can season it later), put your chicken in there alone, or with cut up carrots, onions and potatoes, turn it on high and let it cook for maybe 6 - 8 hours.

If you don't have a crockpot, look in thrift stores. I bought my crockpot for $3.50 at a thrift store. Yeah! If you have an Aldi grocery store in your area, they have good quality products for cheap! They're a German company and their overhead is low, which is why they can price their food low. I am in Florida and have found frozen whole chickens at Aldi for 85 cents a pound.

Another thing that's easy and full of protein is a grain called Quinoa. Just fill a pan with about an inch or two of water, enough to cover your quinoa (I don't even measure it), then boil it for about 8 minutes or so. You can eat quinoa alone or with veggies, hot or cold. It's more expensive than rice, but full of protein, and is alternative to eggs.

Best of luck, Tiffany! Way to stick in there. I'm rooting for you. KEEP GOING.

Anna