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

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  • price101110
    price101110 Posts: 25 Member
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    if you shop at Aldi's, their frozen vegetables are $0.95 a bag and you can find bags of apples or oranges or anything really all for under $2.00 or $3.00! I can fill my entire fridge for $50 there! Amazing place.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    edited December 2016
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    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    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 :D $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!

    We eat very much like DebSozo in terms of stretching things like meats for more then one meal, etc. But @crzycatlady1 you just sent me over the edge. :o I am impressed beyond measure. I spend $1200 a month for our family of 5 (that also includes everything - animals, household stuff, etc). I realize it's because of how and where I buy my stuff from, but it still impresses the socks off of me! Woman, you are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Are you feeding teens yet?????

    *sorry. didn't mean to derail..*
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    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 :D $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!

    We eat very much like DebSozo in terms of stretching things like meats for more then one meal, etc. But @crzycatlady1 you just sent me over the edge. :o I am impressed beyond measure. I spend $1200 a month for our family of 5 (that also includes everything - animals, household stuff, etc). I realize it's because of how and where I buy my stuff from, but it still impresses the socks off of me! Woman, you are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Are you feeding teens yet?????

    *sorry. didn't mean to derail..*

    Kids are 8, 10 and 12, and my 12 year old girl eats like a bird lol-no big eaters yet :) I get 95% of my groceries at Aldi and then a few things they don't have like Lean Cuisines (and my Progresso Light soup habit :D ), at Meijer. The $100 does NOT include alcohol and the diet soda that my husband and I drink, that's probably an extra $100 or so a month.

    Like Price said above-I can walk out with a cart overflowing at Aldi for my grocery budget and that includes almost everything we need. They've also recently started getting a wider variety in, like organic items and 'fancy' stuff (imported cheese etc). I'm actually putting this week's list/menu plan together right now for my trip there on Friday. I already went to Meijer today and the only thing I bought there was diet soda and then my Swiss Miss light cocoa. Everything else is coming from Aldi this week!
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
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    Couple things not mentioned :

    * Don't just read prices, read price per unit. Most times buying larger volume and less packaging is cheaper per serving, but not always
    * I agree with shopping sales but also keep track of what you've paid. That way you can use the information to decide in the future what the highest price you will pay for an item, and what is really a bargain

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