How to eat healthy on a budget... HELP!

nonoelmo

JPW1990 wrote: »

The closer it is to scratch, the less it will cost you to prepare per serving. Even things like taco seasoning or soups. The initial up front cost to get all the ingredients the first time around will be higher, so you need to plan carefully. But, once you've paid that initial cost, you'll get multiple meals out of the ingredients instead of just one, and it will end up costing you half or less in the long run.

It's a hard state of mind to get used to, but try to build up a supply of staples so that when you cook you're "shopping" from your kitchen, not the store. Plan your meals around what's already in the house and what's on sale, don't shop to a meal plan. If this week it's pork on sale, plan on only having pork or whatever meat is already in the freezer. Buy a little more than you need, so you have some for next week when chicken is on sale. Slowly, over time, you can begin to build up a base set of ingredients to cook with, shopping only to replace them when they're on sale, and the combinations are endless.

I want a like button!

nonoelmo

jgnatca wrote: »

A single whole chicken can make several meals including a roast, a crock pot, and a soup.

Yes, I always throw the carcass into a pot with water and scraps of veggies (peels, ends of onions, celery etc.) to make the broth, strain the broth and toss the bones/scraps. You can use the broth right away for a soup or freeze it in 1-cup sizes or another convenient size to use in recipes.

nonoelmo

A friend sold me a pressure cooker cheap when he was moving. I use it to cook dried beans fast. I also use it to make mashed potatoes in about 10 - 15 minutes. It is super useful for cooking dried garbanzo beans, those always seem to take forever the "regular" way.

I make brown rice, various beans, I love potatoes and stock up on carrots, celery, potatoes and onions as they can be used in many things. Canned tomato products when on sale I stock up on too, used in many sauces.

Soups, split pea (with carrot/potato and a little ham or no ham), lentil soup (many variations, I like a little tomato and onion in it at minimum), hamburger vegetable soup is cheap and makes a pound of hamburger go several meals. Brown the hamburger, put hamburger, onions, corn, carrots, celery, potato and whatever other veggies you like (sometimes I put hominy, a bit of left over rice, spinach (a pack of frozen spinach) or other veggies in. I usually use broth and water (50/50) and toss in a can of tomato sauce or paste. This never tastes the same twice but is always good. Add spices and salt/pepper to your taste. I don't use much if any salt, but most people like some, rosemary, basil, a bay leaf, oregano - whatever herbs you like and again, I change all the time. Google a recipe for ideas / amounts. I cook "by feel" especially with soups.

nonoelmo

karahm78 wrote: »

Trader Joe's is surprising affordable for some of the "specialty" items. Also, Aldi is your best friend for staples, dairy, frozen fruits/veggies/meats, etc.

We also like to plan our recipes for the week. We frequently use recipes from Skinnytaste, we plan to use recipes where we can share ingredients and minimize waste (i.e. two recipes that use chicken broth which I get at Aldi for a GREAT price, and I don't waste half the container.

Also, I have found that a lot of Asian or Mexican dishes are very cheap to make once you get the sauces/spices. It can be expensive the first time you make something, but then you have enough to make it many more times (just add meat, veggies, rice). Cheap sauces like sriracha give a lot of flavor for super cheap!

I have been on a tight budget many years. Trader Joe's is a good place for dried fruit/nuts. I can go cheap and buy the sunflower seeds, raisins, banana chips, etc. They are also good for non-dairy milks (if that is something you need), peanut butter and some other things.

nonoelmo

amyrebeccah wrote: »

rbiss wrote: »

I would buy rice, beans, and frozen veggies in bulk for main meals.

Are you able to grow any food? That really offsets the budget. When I lived in an apartment, I grew tomatoes and peppers in pots because I eat them the most but you can grow just about anything in a pot.

Those. Plus eggs and potatoes. Not sure where you live but definitely shop the circulars (if you don't get them mailed to you, you can try online or spring for a Sunday newspaper). We have a grocery store that is not as near to us as the others and caters to the local Mexican and Mexican-American population, and the deals on produce, meat, and dry rice and beans are INSANE. Can't get a tub of greek yogurt if you beg, so we didn't think of it for a long time, but now we go there first and then just fill out the rest at the regular store. I'm talking deals like three pounds of dry beans for a dollar, ten pounds of chicken leg quarters for 4.70, ten cucumbers for a dollar, five avocados for a dollar, ten pounds of potatoes for 88 cents, and a 72-count pack of tortillas for two dollars. (This is Food City, for anyone who lives in the Phoenix area, and just random examples I pulled from this week's circular).

So there could be something like that in your area, or an Asian market, an Aldi, WinCo, or a Grocery Outlet. Start looking around and be willing to go more than one place to shop. It's a pain, but it could really make your budget stretch.

If you are in Phoenix or in Tucson check this out.
http://www.borderlandfoodbank.org/POWWOW.html I love that it saves food from landfill and nourishes people. I go, share with neighbors and take some to work.

aztec707

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tomatoey

Ground beef, frozen fish (easy to fry), roasts.

Potatoes are definitely more filling than rice or bread.

Sabine_Stroehm

FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »

aztec707 wrote: »

It may not be popular - but CUT out the veggies/greens. They have low nutrients per cost. I'm the King of low budget... #1 Costco or warehouse club is ur best friend; buy in bulk. #2 Stick to milk, eggs, bread & potatoes (the basics) - they're all rich foods at low cost.

This might be the most ignorant thing I've heard.

Go FF. Agreed. This is absurd.