Losing Weight on a budget

allaboutthefood

I have a family of 7. We decided that eating healthier was better for the whole family, not just me. Once we cut out buying preboxed processed foods and starting buying fresh and making a lot of items ourselves like chicken fingers, mac and cheese etc.. the foods kids tend to want. We also starting eating more at home. We found that it really wasn't that much of a difference on our pocket book. We tend to always have food, where before we would run out faster. We are on a very tight budget, I plan out the meals ahead, now that school is in, I also plan how many lunches snack etc we need for the week. The older kids were not happy at first, but they got used to it and are really enjoying the fresh homemade foods. We also buy in bulk and price match and use coupons. We figure out everyone's portion size and stick to it. once everyone is done eating the rule is to wait 20 min and if you are still hungry than you are allowed a snack, usually a fruit, yogurt or some nuts. This works for us.

Kalikel

You've received great advice already. I love that list that got posted. If canned tuna was on it, I missed it, so I'll add that.

Make your own food as much as you can. Save your veggie bits to make veggie stock. Use chicken bones to make stock. This is stuff you're going to toss, but can be used to make something you'd otherwise have to buy. And home-made tastes SO MUCH better. Nothing in the store is even close to as good.

Cut and use coupons. Times are tough and characters decline where money is scarce, so flip through the newspaper to make sure nobody stole them. Coupon theft is becoming a big thing.

They sell bags of chicken breast for WAY less than you buy on the tray.

LOOK AROUND in the store. They often put stuff on sale without advertising it, especially meat. If they are going to have to toss it because of an expiration date, they'll put it on sale. When the pork chops go on sale, I buy a crapload and toss them in the freezer - that sort of thing.

Also, pay attention to the labels. The stores purposely make the labels confusing so that people who cannot do math will be fooled. They price one brand by the ounce and another by the gram or unit. Look at those labels! If you aren't good at math, bring a calculator! Also, if the store brand is priced one way and the name brand is priced another way, the name brand will almost always be cheaper.

Don't assume the generics/store brands are cheaper. That isn't always the case (especially with frozen bags of berries - Dole is frequently cheaper than the generic, but not always.)

Don't assume that bigger quantity packages are cheaper. That is not always true, either.

Pay attention in the store and you'll save more money.

allaboutthefood

yes we always look at the unit price to find what is more affordable.

AndrelleJohnson

Its really easy. You can eat more fruit and vegetables, eat the correct serving sizes, walk around your neighborhood or do videos that's free on YouTube (BeFit Channel is my favorite).