Recipes ~ Sorry for the odd request!

I eat pretty healthfully and find I spend a much higher percentage of my budget on food here than I would in the states. But I don't cook much (mostly grilled veggies and fish), so I'm not the authority you're looking for. I will suggest you invest in a cooler to get your perishables all the way out to Concordia. Even the trip from Lily's Market in Coral Bay is long enough that it will reduce the shelf life of your milk, for example, unless you are really cranking your car's AC. Ask the folks running the work exchange program what their workers usually do for food and how expensive that is on average. Without transportation, your shopping options will be limited to what you can carry while hitchhiking or taking the not-so-regular bus.

Actually PB&J is pricey. Eggs, rice, local fruits and veggies.

Thanks guys 🙂

We have a Yeti (really nice cooler) that we plan on using as one of our checked items for our initial move.. so we will be able to shop around easily for food.. neither of us are really that into dairy so that should help reduce cost. How easy is it to get ahold of fresh fish? We plan on fishing alot once we are settled but seeing that we can't eat the reef fish, I can't see that being a main staple :-/

Stir fry's, pasta dishes with veggies, mushrooms, chicken shrimp, meat sauces, salads, fish and fungi (grow your own lettuce green peppers, etc. tho herbs are easier) lots of mangos dropping on the roadsides coming up, so mango relish, chutney, salsa, ice cream, or just plain. Take advantage of local seasonal fruit. I like eggplant dishes, too. Mainly, you'll eat what you like and find ideas when you are here. Don't stress about it. You can always make a big pot of something and turn it into a couple different things by changing up a couple ingredients..

Out of curiosity, what do you typically eat now? Basically, as blu pointed out, any packaged foods cost more here than in the states, and fresh fruits/veg are also about 1/3 more expensive typically.

Staples are much cheaper on STT than on STJ -- rice, pasta, olive oil, etc. Consider, though, that if you are going over to STT for the day by car barge, it's a $40-$50 round trip, so if you're not going to save that much, it's not worth it. You can take the people ferry + safari combo for $14 per person, but again you will be limited to what you can carry. This adventure will also take you most of a day if you are coming from Concordia. The extra $ vs extra time will probably become a factor for you.

Get to know the local fishermen when you settle in, and you will find out how and when to get fresh fish. Or you can buy it at the Fish Trap in town, but that is more expensive.

The groceries are expensive, but the bars and restaurants are far more expensive. We spend 7 times more to eat a meal out than in, although the comparison is somewhat apples and oranges. So your biggest savings might come not so much from finding the right recipes, but from eating out less.

Ground turkey is $1.99 per pound, and I eat it all the time. Dried beans are cheap and so is rice. Prices on everything, though, seems to be going up frequently. Tofu is also cheap. Price just went up to $2.49 for the pound pack.

You guys are great! Thanks for all of the input 🙂 I'm not going to stress about it too much, I was just curious. @fdr: We grill out constantly & live mostly on fruits & veggies.

I like the idea of getting to know the local fisherman.. I much prefer buying from the guy who actually pulled it out of the ocean than from the pricier stores that have had it on ice for a while.

Try adding chopped fresh cilantro and pineapple to rice. If doing canned pineapple, add to rice after its cooked. You can also add some of the juice from the can when you are cooking the rice for added flavor. If using fresh pineapple, I add it (& a teaspoon of sugar) when I start cooking the rice. Mix Cilantro and a splash of olive oil in after the rice is cooked. Season with garlic &/or pepper to taste. Makes a great side dish for fish or chicken. So good!

Shredded cabbage and carrot pre packaged are $6 mix with mayo, coconut oil, can of crushed pineapple, pepper and salt to taste. So good, makes a lot and cheap. I just posted a recipe for home made Cesar in the coconut vine forum. Eating it again right now actually! Also get a garden going.

If you live mostly on fruits and vegetables, you should become a regulations at the farmers' markets. Stuff isn't necessarily cheaper, but better quality. I generally always buy my tomatoes at the markets.

If you live mostly on fruits and vegetables, you should become a regulations at the farmers' markets. Stuff isn't necessarily cheaper, but better quality. I generally always buy my tomatoes at the markets.

We don't have a farmer's market regularly on St John, unfortunately, but when the OP gets settled, check out the Ridge to Reef CSA: http://www.ridge2reef.org/csa.html

Someone else mentioned that eating out is way more expensive -- that depends entirely on what you are eating. A restaurant can buy a nice piece of fish, for example, for much cheaper than I can get the same thing at the market, and then buy all the veggies that go into the side dish, etc.... When I add up what it would cost me to get all the ingredients for a restaurant meal, often I am not paying too much of a premium for the preparation! You can find menu items at certain restaurants (especially for lunch and happy hour) that are a better deal than making the same thing at home.

Many fruits and veg will be pricier than what you are used to. Sometimes frozen is actually "fresher", but often frozen goods here have been at least partially defrosted once or more before you buy them, so check carefully. There are certain stores that have consistently fresher produce but much higher prices, and certain other stores that have lower prices and stock of inconsistent quality.

Keep in mind that flexibility is the key -- there is no store where you can count on getting what you went in for! Yesterday a tourist was looking for bread in a certain market and couldn't believe they were sold out of it. Sometimes when that happens, there won't be any in any store on island for a day or two. STX and STT are large enough to not have this problem quite as often, but it's definitely a fact of St John life.