Low Budget Nutrition

smaltowngurl

Sometimes it seems more expensive but eating real serving sizes and actually measuring it out really helps. Also durring the right seasons if you have local produce stands they are usually much cheaper than the store . Stop at them on the way to the store so you only have to pick up the veggies they don't have at the stand.The other thing is to cook a bunch of things ahead and freeze them by servings that also helps.

LJSmith1989

Hi all.

Do you think healthier food is more costly in comparison to other less healthy foods or is this an excuse/illusion?

What are your favorite low-cost, high-nutritious foods?

Depends if you do it with thought and planning you can do it cheaply.
But its the best investment you can make

fuzzieme

I make everything from scratch, it's incredibly cheap, I have complete control. But it is time consuming. Even my dog gets homemade buscuits

hummingbird71

I think they can more expensive but I try not to think of that because I want to be healthier inside as well. However there have been times that I have NOT gotten those strawberries because they were going out of season and they were asking TOO much for them so I opted for something else. Apples or grapefruits. But I do find that making our own potatos is cheeper then buying them. I mean a 3lb bag of potatos is only $2.49 and that can a long way in our house. I think sometimes it is a matter of convenience to get the 'junk' stuff. Quicker to pop something in the microwave then prepare food and cook it. One of my favorite cheep meals is breakfast!
Eggs - 0.50 dozen
toast- $1.99 for a loaf of bread
turkey bacon - $2.79 for a package
So for a family of 4 we can eat this for under $6 bucks... ok throw in the milk too... $1.45 a gallon but not all of the bread gets eaten nor all of the milk get drank so... We don't buy 'red meat' like steak or anything... we eat turkey meat, turkey bacon, pork stew meat and chicken.

mrmagee3

I think they can more expensive but I try not to think of that because I want to be healthier inside as well. However there have been times that I have NOT gotten those strawberries because they were going out of season and they were asking TOO much for them so I opted for something else. Apples or grapefruits. But I do find that making our own potatos is cheeper then buying them. I mean a 3lb bag of potatos is only $2.49 and that can a long way in our house. I think sometimes it is a matter of convenience to get the 'junk' stuff. Quicker to pop something in the microwave then prepare food and cook it. One of my favorite cheep meals is breakfast!
Eggs - 0.50 dozen
toast- $1.99 for a loaf of bread
turkey bacon - $2.79 for a package
So for a family of 4 we can eat this for under $6 bucks... ok throw in the milk too... $1.45 a gallon but not all of the bread gets eaten nor all of the milk get drank so... We don't buy 'red meat' like steak or anything... we eat turkey meat, turkey bacon, pork stew meat and chicken.

Where do you live that eggs are only .50 a dozen? I want to move there.

wendle81

I agree.

wendle81

No doubt. They make fast food so accessible. Homemade food is so much more satisfying though.

KAS0917

Yes and no. It is dependent on a variety of factors such as access to a variety of stores, willingness / able to shop at multiple locations, willing to devote the time to studying sales flyers, meal planning, etc. It also depends on your version of 'healthy.' Some people think that has to be all organic and/or whole grain. For others it's just food cooked at home vs. fast food. Depends on what you're comfortable with.

To eat healthy is definitely more expensive. $1 will get you 2 tacos a Jack N Box, value hambuger at McDonalds, even a burrito or griller at Taco Bell. Take that same $1 to the grocery store. You come out with a banana or if you are lucky, a large orange. It sucks.

Yes, but that $1 doesn't really fill you for long. I could get 2 pounds of bananas for .89 cents at Aldis, which would fill me for longer than a McD's hamburger if I ate them all at once. But I do agree, at times, that fast food CAN be a cheaper option.

But let's take $20. That would buy you 4-5 combo meals at McDonalds's (on average - maybe 6 if you go for the $2.99 meal if they still have that?). So 4-6 meals out of a standard 21 in a week. It might get you 20 hamburgers, but at 250 calories each, that would be 750/day, so you'd likely be VERY hungry if that's all you were getting.

For $20 I could get the following at Aldi (based on sale ad and my receipt from today):
- 2 pounds of bananas (.88) (which is a count of 8 in the bag I bought)
- 1 pound of seedless red grapes (.89)
- 1 head of lettuce (.79)
- 3 tomatoes $1.69
- 18 oz. bag of whole wheat mini bagels $1.79
- Jar of peanut butter $1.79
- 2.5 pounds of chicken breasts - $5.99
- 3 pounds of (white) rice - $1.59
- Can of black beans .55
- 10 flour tortillas $.99
- Frozen corn (16 oz) .99
- Tomato sauce .29
- Crushed tomatoes .99
- box of wheat pasta .79
Total: $20.01

I could make 7 breakfasts (banana, bagel with peanut butter), 7 dinners, and 7 lunches (chicken with rice, chicken tacos, spaghetti with sauce, salad, etc), and a few snacks (grapes) So that would be 21 meals to 6 meals, for the same price, with some to carry over to the next week (rice, pasta, a few bagels, etc). If you already had some things at home in the pantry (like rice) you could buy a block of cheese for some flavor for your dishes instead. If you wanted fewer carbs and more protein, swap out the bagels for a big container of cottage cheese. Just examples, of course!

marilou0511

Hello from Chicago. This article has a basic list of nutritious foods: :flowerforyou:
http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-eat-healthy-foods-on-a-budget/

GingerLolita

Cooking is cheaper than eating out and it's easy to make healthy food because you have control over it. My boyfriend and I spend about $30/day on food for both of us and, unless you're eating the cheapest possible fast food for every meal and you're not snacking or drinking anything but water, I don't consider that expensive. I usually cook dinner 5 times per week, make breakfast 6 times per week, and make lunch every day, maybe getting coffee out once per week as well.

Less processed/prepared food will always be cheaper. The rice that cooks in one minute will cost more than the rice that takes an hour to make. The pre-chopped produce will be more expensive than the whole forms. This is obviously up to every person based on their needs: time vs. money. Know where to look for deals and compare foods every time you shop. I used to be very brand-loyal at the grocery store, but unless there is a major taste difference that I am aware of, I compare the price and nutrition info to see which is the better option. (My priorities do vary from week to week based on budget...)