most healthy food options are very expensive, and I'm on a very poor budget. what to do?

Evamutt

Where I live a few of the 99cent only stores has fresh produce. I go there to get 3-4 big zucchinis for $1 & similar fruits, veggies. We make smoothies in our nutribullit so I get frozen topical fruit for $10 but i use 1/2 cup a day & lasts us quite a while. I also volunteer at the food bank at my church & get food there twice a month.

pebble4321

Another great resource - and an interesting, though sometimes confronting read:
https://cookingonabootstrap.com/category/recipes-food/ (used to be A girl called Jack)
They have lots of great recipes, usually with lots of variations to allow for what fits into your diet, pantry, budget etc.

kommodevaran

"Health food" is expensive, but you don't need that. It's a myth, or lack of knowledge, that healthy food is expensive. And "healthy food" isn't even a useful term. Eating healthily is about getting in all the nutrition you need, but not too much of anything. Follow the advice already given in this thread, they are gold.

Spend your food money wisely. Look at what you get for your money. Some options can seem more expensive, but they will last longer. If you don't have enough money for food, you need to find/get more, but if you didn't have any worries about funds before, you shouldn't have to worry now.

DebSozo

Hamsibian wrote: »

I can't stress enough for looking at the sale ads. I try really hard to buy all or at least the majority of my groceries on sale. Stock up on meats/seafood on sale, and check to see if you save buying a whole chicken vs. Chicken breasts. Save the bones to make broth/soup. Get frozen or seasonal fruits and veggies...

^I agree. We save up to 30% off of our food bill by shopping sale ads. We buy featured sale items and use manufacturer coupons as well as store coupons.

Years ago when the kids were little we used to be a part of a food coop each month.

I buy frozen bagged vegetables and have saved a lot that way. Just measure out portion and drop into about an inch or two of boiling water. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes and it's done! Fresh vegetables go bad in the fridge because they wilt. Frozen are picked at peak and retain most of their nutrients.

I buy large packages of meat and cook in bulk. Then I will use the leftovers to make other things and measure and freeze portions for later-- for example chili, chicken, etc.

If I get turkey on sale I'll roast it and serve warm for the first meal. Then I slice pieces to make sandwiches for the next day. I'll also save some in ziploc bags and freeze. Precooked and frozen, it keeps for a very long time. I will simmer the bones to release the final bits of meat and make a broth. Then I'll make a soup with carrots, celery, onions, frozen vegetables, spices/seasoning and/or onion soup mix.

Plus we get gas points for shopping and buying at our local Stop and Shop grocery store which saves us about 50 cents a gallon on average for gasoline. OP, saving money in other areas of your life will allow you to spend a bit more on food allowance.

doittoitgirl

We have alot of the same staples as you, rice beans, potatoes, canned tomatoes, salad, frozen veg, etc. We plan or meals in advance and spice up our week by picking a couple of different cuisines. We'll make curry with potatoes & frozen veg, mac n cheese with frozen veg, stir fry, thai noodles, beans and rice, potato burritos, etc. When we plan out before we shop we make sure whatever we buy we can use the same ingredients all week a couple different ways and alternate the leftoversl. We found stores that sell spices in bulk by the scoop so instead of buying a whole bottle we can just eyeball out however much we need and it's pocket change for just a tablespoon instead of $399 for a bottle.
Our bill each week is seldom more than $25 (but we don't eat meat so that keeps the bill down). We also check the short dated clearance sections of our local grocery stores. If yours doesn't have a specific section you can always try to ask and cut a deal, it never hurts. It takes some planning and a willing to read some recipe books. But we've never been totally tired/bored of dinner!

trigden1991

"Healthy" foods aren't a thing. Focus on what you can eat to hit your calorie and macronutrient goals.

klarolinelover16

Thank you everyone who made the effort to reply, it was of great help and I'll make sure to follow all of your advices, and focus on making it work with what I have.

jgnatca

I wish you the very best. Sometimes the very poor end up spending more on food because when the pantry is bare they have to stock up. Which means buying the staples at premium price.

How you slowly break out of this cycle is to buy on sale one item, and put away the savings for the next sale. At the next sale buy in bulk. Pocket the savings for the next trip. Repeat.

Pretty soon you are getting all your food at a lower dollar.

If I have a bag of flour I can make dozens of foods, which prevents boredom. Biscuits, bread, noodles, pastry, dumplings, cake, tortillas, pancakes, muffins.

Eggs are also supremely versatile.

CattOfTheGarage

If you can team up someone you can buy food in bulk, which can save a lot of money.

ronjsteele1

One of my best friends has 12 kids. She's a SAHM and they run a tight budget. They eat what we would call a whole food diet. Mostly nothing processed. They can't afford processed foods. I was asking her how she fed everyone so well on a tight budget and she told me she only buys what's on sale and then plans her menus around what she bought. I was always the opposite. I would make my menu and then buy what I needed. Not sure why I never thought to do it the other way around but I thought that was very clever and thrifty. So you might try doing the same thing. Buy what's on sale (and use coupons, etc. when you can) that you like and then when you get home, plan your menus around that.

newheavensearth

Aldis and Trader Joes are great. Also shop with a list, plan weekly meals, and buy only what you know you and your family will eat. Finicky eaters can blow a food budget out of the water.

charlenekapf

I agree with the frozen vegetables, fruits and beans. You can get a lot more.

WinoGelato

OP it's interesting that you framed the question in the form of listing staples that you believe you can afford, rather than saying my budget is XX and I'm looking for suggestions of what to buy with that. For example, you mention whole wheat flour - is that really something you buy every week? You also mention eggs - are you eating those for breakfast? I don't actually consider eggs to be very cheap, and can go weeks at a time without eating any eggs. Do you eat meat? You also mentioned pasta - which is a fairly inexpensive pantry staple but so is rice. What about canned or frozen vegetables? I'm just curious if the 6 things you listed are something you buy and use week in and week out, or was this a one time thing?

You've gotten good suggestions already about how to shop on a very restricted budget, but it also might be helpful if you gave some more info as to what types of food you are eating, are you only cooking for yourself or for a family, are there certain foods you don't eat, what is a rough estimate of your weekly budget, what sorts of stores/markets do you have access to, etc.

SueSueDio

Plenty of good advice here! I wish you luck with getting a bit more variety in your diet.

Download the "Good and Cheap" PDF cookbook from this website - it's free, and you may find some recipes in there that you like.

cwolfman13

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Staples when I was poor...most of them are still staples...

- lentils
- beans
- potatoes
- in season fruit and veg or frozen
- cabbage (it's pretty cheap year around and has more nutritional value than lettuce)
- eggs
- whole chickens or chicken parts
- other on sale meat
- ground beef

And cabbage is so much more versatile than lettuce. You can eat it raw (salad, cole slaw, shredded to top tacos...),, in a stir fry, in soup, in a casserole (I'm drawing a blank on the name of the eastern European ground meat and cabbage dish), steamed, roasted/baked, boiled with potatoes and whatever cheap cut of meat you can get (I like vinegar on this), sauerkraut, kimchi ...

Exactly...I grew up pretty poor, at least in my early childhood...my mom always had cabbage on hand for this very reason...we ate a lot of cabbage in a variety of ways. That carried over into my college days when I didn't have any money...

lilithsrose

See if you have a Grange or even a food pantry in your area. Both can help supplement your limited food resources to make better meals. Granges are especially good for fresh produce.

I'd suggest looking into canned tuna, canned chicken breasts and frozen tilapia. All of those proteins are fairly cheap and can used in a variety of ways. I'd also suggest purchasing brown rice, frozen veggies and sweet potatoes. Those few things can really help create more variety in your meals. And remember, seasonings are your friends. Most seasonings have very little calories and can help your food taste great.

As far as suggestions for what you said you already have...

1: Grind up cooked/canned black beans with some breadcrumbs, plus an egg or two. Add seasonings if you'd like. Form patties and fry for healthy homemade black bean burgers

2: Eggs are super versatile and filling. Try making homemade quiches or pickled eggs.

3: If you're going to make pasta, try making homemade sauces for less calories than pre-made sauce.

not_my_first_rodeo

• Look for sales and coupons.
• Chicken with the skin on and the bone in will be a lot cheaper than skinless, boneless. You can always remove the skin yourself.
• A whole chicken is a lot cheaper than breasts, thighs, or legs. There are videos that will show you how to break it down.
• If you're some place that's warm right now, look for farmers markets.
• You can buy cheap spices in places like Indian grocery stores or in a lot of bulk departments.
• Vegetables that have not been prepped or chopped will be a lot cheaper than those that have (e.g. spinach).
• A lot of the less popular vegetables are comparatively inexpensive (e.g. cabbage, cauliflower).
• There's nothing wrong with frozen vegetables and they are often on sale.

Lastly, have you seen this? It's a free cookbook for people on a budget.

ScratchyAnderson

One of the toughest facts about healthy eating and/or food insecurity is that people can be overweight (or obese) and still struggle to keep the pantry full. For a lot of folks, the two biggest challenges are 1) having a good, affordable place to shop that you can get to without too much effort (e.g., do you have a car? Is the store reachable by public transit if that's what you use?); and 2) knowing how to make the most of your food dollars once you get there. A lot of research has gone into the fact that the center aisles of the store--where the most heavily processed goods are--may offer the most calories for your dollar, but generally for the least nutrient density. One good rule of thumb is to try to do most of your shopping in the perimeter of the store and the frozen section for fruits and veg, where you'll find the most nutrient dense foods. Of course, at the end of the day, calories in vs calories out trumps all, but keeping your self full longer makes a difference, too.

I work in public health and have spent a lot of time with folks who work on food security and nutrition, and would be happy to help find resources for you where you live. If you use SNAP/EBT, for example, some communities allow you to use it at farmers markets. Others will offer "double bucks" programs for fruits and vegetables, dairy, or lean meat. People have have suggested some great resources in terms of stores and items that are generally available for less. Happy to help offer other ideas tailored to where you live if you want to share.

vingogly

If you look for "eating healthy on a budget recipes", there are a lot of sites out there with ideas for cooking and eating well on a budget. Store brands tend to be cheaper than name brands; bulk frozen vegetables and fruits can be pretty inexpensive if you get the store brands. If you don't have a dietary proscription against them, you can get a ham hock pretty cheap at your local meat counter - that, a bag of red beans, a bag of brown rice, an onion, a green pepper, a can of store brand tomatoes, plus some red pepper flakes from the pantry make for an inexpensive meal that's tasty and nutritious (this freezes well, too).

I make a Portuguese soup, caldo verde, with some potatoes, kale or collards, whatever sausage is on sale, an onion, a can of white beans and a few herbs from the pantry that's very good. You can find recipes for it online and modify based on what's available and cheap.

Eating on a budget doesn't have to be boring.

crzycatlady1

DebSozo wrote: »

Hamsibian wrote: »

I can't stress enough for looking at the sale ads. I try really hard to buy all or at least the majority of my groceries on sale. Stock up on meats/seafood on sale, and check to see if you save buying a whole chicken vs. Chicken breasts. Save the bones to make broth/soup. Get frozen or seasonal fruits and veggies...

^I agree. We save up to 30% off of our food bill by shopping sale ads. We buy featured sale items and use manufacturer coupons as well as store coupons.

Years ago when the kids were little we used to be a part of a food coop each month.

I buy frozen bagged vegetables and have saved a lot that way. Just measure out portion and drop into about an inch or two of boiling water. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes and it's done! Fresh vegetables go bad in the fridge because they wilt. Frozen are picked at peak and retain most of their nutrients.

I buy large packages of meat and cook in bulk. Then I will use the leftovers to make other things and measure and freeze portions for later-- for example chili, chicken, etc.

If I get turkey on sale I'll roast it and serve warm for the first meal. Then I slice pieces to make sandwiches for the next day. I'll also save some in ziploc bags and freeze. Precooked and frozen, it keeps for a very long time. I will simmer the bones to release the final bits of meat and make a broth. Then I'll make a soup with carrots, celery, onions, frozen vegetables, spices/seasoning and/or onion soup mix.

Plus we get gas points for shopping and buying at our local Stop and Shop grocery store which saves us about 50 cents a gallon on average for gasoline. OP, saving money in other areas of your life will allow you to spend a bit more on food allowance.

I eat frozen veggies every day, but I just nuke them $1 per bag and I usually eat a bag a day (which is 3-4 servings). So cheap and easy! I also recently discovered bags of frozen veggies with rice mixed in, also $1, and I nuke a whole bag (240 calories), and then add a can of chicken ($1). Large, filling meal with decent nutrional value, for $2

eta: My family of 5 has a weekly grocery budget of $100, which also includes pet supplies, paper goods, cleaning supplies etc. Eating well on a budget is possible, just get a bit creative!