Healthy eating on a budget

RodaRose

From what I understand, grocery food prices in Canada are higher than they are in the U.S.

nvmomketo

RodaRose wrote: »

From what I understand, grocery food prices in Canada are higher than they are in the U.S.

Bah. Are they ever. I spend about $250 per week for my family of 5, which includes toiletries.... And this is less than I used to spend when hubby was working and I bought higher quality foods (some organic, or grass fed, and not no-name brand stuff). I buy very little pre-prepared foods beyond ketchup. It's pricey up here.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

JoRocka

JeffBrown3 wrote: »

Psst, Geometry is Math... You're thinking about Geography. Not being an *kitten* like some on here, just letting you know.

wow- passive aggressive much?!?!?!- if you don't like the rest of the a%%holes on here- you aren't being forced to stay.

dutchandkiwi

Melmo1988 wrote: »

I'm having trouble staying in my weekly budget of 75 for myself and 5 year old. It seems impossible to buy enough for 3 meals and snacks and to eat enough fruit and get enough calcium.
Tips?

My tip to all on a low budget is Jack Monroe. She's lived the very low budget with her child and knows how to stretch the budget http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/jack-monroe-low-cost-recipes and http://agirlcalledjack.com/
Not only low cost but very very tasty food to boot.
Jamie Oliver is also not bad, but he has not been there http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/save-with-jamie/#2V76I0lkGi1KVU8L.97

unrelentingminx

Plan out your meals and snacks and make a list of what food you need for those meals before you go shopping. Do not impulse buy.
Buy meats and fish in bulk and freeze what you don't need immediately as it normally works out cheaper.
Buy whole joints and portion them yourself (whole chicken, gammon joint etc) rather than buy the smaller (more expensive per kg) packs.
Stock up on ingredients that can be used in multiple recipes such as chopped tomatoes, beans, pasta and rice.
Buy cheap cuts of meat and slow cook them.
Buy tinned fruit in juice (not syrup) for a longer shelf life.
Some vegetables can work out cheaper if bought frozen due to the longer shelf life, such as broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, cauliflower, carrots, and spinach. Some like butternut squash freeze really well at home and most herbs can be frozen too. Frozen diced onion and sliced peppers are a waste of time and money though.

Graceious1

Buying more ingredients where you can cook them yourself will save you a ton of money. It is just me and my 10 year old son and I will spend around £60-70 per month on shopping (not sure how much that is in dollars). I don't buy processed foods any more and cook my own food. I buy veg and chop them up, put them in containers and refrigerate or freeze them. I also make my own lime/lemonade, which is very refreshing and my boy helps with this, which makes him want to drink it, so there is no need to buy fruit juices. I have a juicer so will juice my own fruit.

I think if you change the food you buy for healthier and less processed things and cook for yourself it will make such a difference on your budget. All the best and I hope you take some of the good advice that is one here.

Leslierussell4134

Where do you live? Do you have a 99 cent store there? The one here where I live always has awesome fresh fruit and veggies for 99 cents. Also, you may want to check out your local grocery store and see if they have a produce drive. A store local to me offers produce that is expiring to the public rather than throwing it away. There are really good things that can be eaten than evening or the next day and it's free.

Melmo1988

This is what I bought today (2 weeks worth)

Peanut butter 3.97 (normally $6-7)
Ragu sauce 1.50
3lb onions 2.27
3 bell peppers 3.97
3 cans tomatoes 3.00
2 cans tomato sauce 2.00
2 packages pasta noodles 2.50
Tostitos scoops 3.17
Pizza kit 3.77 (makes 2)
Bread 2.22
Jam 2.27
Salsa 3.67
Chicken broth 1.87
Milk 1.00
Garlic .67
Organic peaches 3.47 (8 peaches)
Chicken breasts 10.00
Dill pickles 2.47
Tomato paste .94
Yoplait drink 1.00
Baby wipes 5.53
Mustard 1.79
Block cheese (2) 10.00
3lb apples 4.97 (8 apples)
1lb ground chicken (2) 8.66 (25% off)
Baby shampoo 2.94

I've spent 90.26
Plus a few items I bought yesterday at the dollar store

Still have to buy :

Marjoram
Breadcrumbs
Pizza sauce
Eggs (18)
Bananas
Oranges
Watermelon


I'm planning on making

Cheeseburger casserole
Stuffed pepper soup
Pizza (makes 2)
Nachos
Spaghetti and meatballs
PB&J sandwiches for my daughter
Tuna sandwiches for me

Snacks are fruit and I'm making muffins, all I needed were bananas to make since I have everything else

Surprisingly I'm a bit under budget

kommodevaran

Melmo1988 wrote: »

This is what I bought today (2 weeks worth)

Peanut butter 3.97 (normally $6-7)
Ragu sauce 1.50
3lb onions 2.27
3 bell peppers 3.97
3 cans tomatoes 3.00
2 cans tomato sauce 2.00
2 packages pasta noodles 2.50
Tostitos scoops 3.17
Pizza kit 3.77 (makes 2)
Bread 2.22
Jam 2.27
Salsa 3.67
Chicken broth 1.87
Milk 1.00
Garlic .67
Organic peaches 3.47 (8 peaches)
Chicken breasts 10.00
Dill pickles 2.47
Tomato paste .94
Yoplait drink 1.00
Baby wipes 5.53
Mustard 1.79
Block cheese (2) 10.00
3lb apples 4.97 (8 apples)
1lb ground chicken (2) 8.66 (25% off)
Baby shampoo 2.94

I've spent 90.26
Plus a few items I bought yesterday at the dollar store

Still have to buy :

Marjoram
Breadcrumbs
Pizza sauce
Eggs (18)
Bananas
Oranges
Watermelon


I'm planning on making

Cheeseburger casserole
Stuffed pepper soup
Pizza (makes 2)
Nachos
Spaghetti and meatballs
PB&J sandwiches for my daughter
Tuna sandwiches for me

Snacks are fruit and I'm making muffins, all I needed were bananas to make since I have everything else

Surprisingly I'm a bit under budget

Being mindful can have that effect

Not every item lists amounts, and I'm not familiar with Canadian items, but I have a few comments:
Baby wipes and baby shampoo - are washable cotton cloths and a mild generic "adult" shampoo out of the question?
Pizza kit, pizza sauce, tomato sauce - you already have canned tomatos, cheese, garlic and onion - all you need is flour and yeast, that will be cheaper, and it's more versatile. You can also consider baking your own bread when you have flour and yeast.
Tostitos scoops - I've read about them and they sound expensive for what you get.
Organic peaches - the "organic" label usually drives prices (the peaches are cheaper than the apples in your list, so this will vary).
Pasta noodles - they should be made from just flour and water, and thus dirt cheap.
Breadcrumbs - don't pay more for old bread. Oven dry and crumble your own leftovers.
Yoplait drink - all these kinds of things will be more expensive and less nutritious than what you can make yourself from for instance plain yogurt and jam, or you can make your own cocoa from milk, cocoa powder and sugar.

Your menu sounds delicious, by the way.

Melmo1988

kommodevaran wrote: »

Melmo1988 wrote: »

This is what I bought today (2 weeks worth)

Peanut butter 3.97 (normally $6-7)
Ragu sauce 1.50
3lb onions 2.27
3 bell peppers 3.97
3 cans tomatoes 3.00
2 cans tomato sauce 2.00
2 packages pasta noodles 2.50
Tostitos scoops 3.17
Pizza kit 3.77 (makes 2)
Bread 2.22
Jam 2.27
Salsa 3.67
Chicken broth 1.87
Milk 1.00
Garlic .67
Organic peaches 3.47 (8 peaches)
Chicken breasts 10.00
Dill pickles 2.47
Tomato paste .94
Yoplait drink 1.00
Baby wipes 5.53
Mustard 1.79
Block cheese (2) 10.00
3lb apples 4.97 (8 apples)
1lb ground chicken (2) 8.66 (25% off)
Baby shampoo 2.94

I've spent 90.26
Plus a few items I bought yesterday at the dollar store

Still have to buy :

Marjoram
Breadcrumbs
Pizza sauce
Eggs (18)
Bananas
Oranges
Watermelon


I'm planning on making

Cheeseburger casserole
Stuffed pepper soup
Pizza (makes 2)
Nachos
Spaghetti and meatballs
PB&J sandwiches for my daughter
Tuna sandwiches for me

Snacks are fruit and I'm making muffins, all I needed were bananas to make since I have everything else

Surprisingly I'm a bit under budget

Being mindful can have that effect

Not every item lists amounts, and I'm not familiar with Canadian items, but I have a few comments:
Baby wipes and baby shampoo - are washable cotton cloths and a mild generic "adult" shampoo out of the question?
Pizza kit, pizza sauce, tomato sauce - you already have canned tomatos, cheese, garlic and onion - all you need is flour and yeast, that will be cheaper, and it's more versatile. You can also consider baking your own bread when you have flour and yeast.
Tostitos scoops - I've read about them and they sound expensive for what you get.
Organic peaches - the "organic" label usually drives prices (the peaches are cheaper than the apples in your list, so this will vary).
Pasta noodles - they should be made from just flour and water, and thus dirt cheap.
Breadcrumbs - don't pay more for old bread. Oven dry and crumble your own leftovers.
Yoplait drink - all these kinds of things will be more expensive and less nutritious than what you can make yourself from for instance plain yogurt and jam, or you can make your own cocoa from milk, cocoa powder and sugar.

Your menu sounds delicious, by the way.

The baby wash is for my 3 month old an the last bottle lasted me til now so I'd say it's worth the price
I'd rather but baby wipes, the last pack I bought for 16 dollars also lasted 3 months so they're not too costly
The canned tomatoes and paste and sauce are for my other recipes
I only but organic if it's cheap and in this case it was cheaper than regular peaches for some reason
I also consider 1.25 for a package of noodles to be "dirt cheap"
We don't have bread leftovers lol, we always use it
And the to plait drink was for my daughter to try, and I wouldn't be able to make my own for less than a at with yogurt prices the way they are, te drink was on sale

Lizzy622

Stock up on frozen veggies when they go on sale. I have actually cut my food bill after starting to eat healthier because I realized (when I used the food scale) that the meat portion I was usually eating was almost 2 servings. I also love cottage cheese which is cheaper than meat and loaded with calcium. I go meatless one or two days a week which can save.