Hard to get heathy with little money!

jynxbabe

So I'm a week into this and come to find out its hard to eat healthy on a Very tight budget! Not only that but with 2 growing kids it makes it even harder! Looking for a friend or 2 in the same situation... Or some advice. Please help!

snickerscharlie

Can you describe what your family's typical diet has consisted of in the past and what you are trying to switch to? "Healthy" is a very subjective term. And yes, it is possible to to improve your family's nutrition on a limited budget.

Welcome to MFP.

Diatonic12

Ground beef, chicken and eggs are cost friendly. Cans of tuna, seasonal vegetables and fruits. Frozen vegetables are great too because they have a much longer shelf life. Cherry pick from the sales, look online. Whole Foods aka whole paycheck, think about buying bulk if you have a costco, places like that. Now, I'm not sure what kinds of food you and the kids like to eat and I'm going out on a limb here, there are places that help with grocery needs if you get in a bind. Don't hesitate to go there. Farmers market/food banks. Much love to you and the kids.

Fab5353

So I find it less money for me about 70 a week. So vegetables r the least expensive. Then u can always cut up a whole chicken. It's not hard.

GeorgeGCT

I have chickens and eat lots of eggs on my Keto diet. They are very cheap to maintain

eminater

I am feeding a family of 3 kids - 2 of which are teenage boys. I personally find it easier to cook "healthier" meals than to eat junk foods/fast foods. Just even compare the cost of doing baked potatoes in the oven to ordering a few serves of fries at McDonalds - the baked potatoes are cheaper and once you get into the habit, much nicer!

It helps the eldest is full Vegan - as we do mainly eat Legumes, Vegetables and Fruits. These are all relatively cheap where I live. The fruit is the most expensive so I usually buy what ever is in season (so a bit cheaper); but we go through several kilograms of apples and bananas per week, a kilogram of pears, a kilogram of oranges and then whatever else I can manage - the fruits takes care of a lot of the snacking. But I would rather spend my money buying fruit than paying for other things. For baked goods - I also find it cheaper to cook up a batch or biscuits or a cake on the weekend - but I don't do this all the time.

Let's say I am doing a Spaghetti - which is a cheap way to feed the bunch - I will make the sauce out of : Onions, garlic, carrot, celery, capsicum, tomatoes, more tomatoes, and then mushrooms for the "meat" and with fresh herbs and then add some tomato paste. This is a nice cheap meal that gets gobbled down.

Slowly you will find recipes the kids enjoy and which are cost effective to your budget, You need to plan it a bit and persist with it and build up the habit. It will be totally worth it. Not just for you but for your kids.

brightresolve

You may or may not have this type of store where you are, but we would be sad without our local grocery outlet. The food they sell can vary a lot from visit to visit, and it's a bit of an investment of time to learn what they do well and what may be less successful, but we routinely get inexpensive eggs, canned beans, tortillas, household products, and decent veg for much less cost. And special items we use in our diets that are pretty pricey elsewhere, like goat cheese, olive oil, frozen shrimp, protein powder, nutrition bars cost much less than they'd be in a full on grocery store.

Rice, greens like kale or chard or spinach, eggs, and whatever cheese you can afford make a great tasty casserole without much prep. Pasta and tomato sauce, second the notion! Rice with extra veg like carrot, pepper, potato even sweet potato, and some canned chile for flavor is awesome as a main course. Beans are pretty easy to make from dried, and much cheaper that way. You can drop a poached or over easy egg on anything, and it gets better and more nutritious. Frozen vegetables are fine, you don't have to get fresh. Canned tomatoes are fine.

If part of the issue is you have money to feed the kids what they like and eat, OR feed yourself what's healthy and lower cal, but not both ... I totally get it. You could try adjusting recipes for less of the calorie dense stuff. You could try cooking a healthier alternative meal once a week so they have a chance to adjust their palates, or engage them in the cooking so they're a bit invested? Or you can buy a 1 pound tub of healthy robust salad greens, spinach or kale or whatever, and routinely eat your half-portion of mac and cheese or whatever your kids like on a giant handful of greens...

Try meals you can skew both ways, like homemade english muffin pizzas ... the kids get sauce and extra extra cheese, you get sauce and broccoli and a sprinkle of cheese, everyone's happy...

Best of luck, I hope you have great success!

kimny72

Cheaper stuff that I found fit my diet fine - eggs, canned tuna and salmon, lentils, ground turkey, rolled oats, bags of frozen veggies, store brand canned beans and diced tomatoes, Barilla Protein Pasta, cabbage, potatoes, bananas.

There's a lot of media out there that will tell you that you have to eat special food to be healthy. You don't. Batch cooking on the weekend, and prelogging to see what your numbers will look like as you're planning can help.

There's nothing wrong with having a couple of slices of pizza for dinner, or a chicken sandwich at a fast food place. Just log it so you don't overdo it calorie wise.

mandyneedtolose

I have 3 kids still at home, 3 are moved out. And its always a tight budget for many years. I stick to proteins, and veggies. If you stay away from the processed foods ( snack foods - chips, granola bars ect) and stick to the basics it can be done on a tight budget. Once you find your groove it will be a piece of cake! Good luck!

jynxbabe

Thank you everyone!! This was very helpful for me!!

neugebauer52

I walk to and from the shops - on the way there is a small farmer's market; they haven't got much of a selection but the prices are about half of the supermarket. Then they always have some left - over bits and pieces which they sell for very little money. We just adjust our daily meal plan and include that "special vegetables of the day". One supermarket offers a 50 % discount for all vegetables where the sell - by - date expires the next day. And yes, we have cut down on meat which is currently expensive where we live (Cape Town). Since it is winter here right now, we also prepare a big pot of vegetable soup once in a while. I find using spices (Hungarian/Curries/ Chinese/ Far Eastern etc) and lots of fresh herbs gives us a lot of taste variety.

TheMrWobbly

It isn't that easy, you have to change how your children feel about food any they can be pretty stubborn. I'm in the UK and food prices increases have far outstripped wages. If it was 10 pence 5 years ago it seems to be 15 pence now. A salmon fillet under £2 is now good value where it was 2 for £2 not that long ago. Everything on special offer in the stores is pretty much bad for you, processed, high salt, high sugar, added water products where the manufacturer makes the most profit to allow for discounts. The stores know everyone wants 'whole' foods, fresh meat, etc. and they charge you more because they can.

There are only so many days you can get away with feeding your children chicken or eggs before they start a revolt.

I have resorted to shopping everyday, I also walk and carry food back to improve my level of exercise, and shop at the best time for bargains or discounts. I have two grown children still at home and I couldn't feed them without the extra shopping effort. I also have a second freezer so we can bulk cook and freeze and eat the same dish four times over two weeks and bulk buying makes the cost per meal less.

Good luck on MFP, it is a good place for support.

TeaBea

Fab5353 wrote: »

So I find it less money for me about 70 a week. So vegetables r the least expensive. Then u can always cut up a whole chicken. It's not hard.

This^

It's often the convenience we pay for. Dry beans, whole oats, long grain rice.

kristingjertsen

Check the reduced produce rack at your grocery store (most items at my local store are priced at $1.00 for a bag of bananas, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Buy whole grains and beans (if you family doesn't like beans, then buy canned beans--I can get 2 to 3 healthy meals out of one can which costs 89 cents (rinse to reduce sodium).Buy canned tuna, salmon, sardines--my "go to" fish is sardines in water at aldi--already cooked, 120 calories a can, full of healthy fats and calcium, low mercury and very tasty with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes. Buy fresh fruits and veggies in season--right now we are feasting on watermelon, peaches and strawberries, and even "luxury" items like whole red peppers are a dollar or less at the farm stand (I chop them up and use them in salads, stir fry, and pasta dishes to stretch a single pepper and add color and crunch to a meal). Oatmeal is very cheap and is my standard breakfast with flaxseed meal and chia seed, chopped walnuts, a tsp of real maple syrup (with that serving size a bottle lasts for 4 to 6 months), and whatever fruit I have available in the house. Cooking for a family can be tough, especially when family members have very different eating styles (I am a pescetarian married to a red meat loving carnivore). Still, it is cheaper to buy steak, ground beef, rack of ribs or brisket for one or two than to buy it for the entire family. I tend to make inexpensive dishes for breakfast and lunch and then make sure the carnivores are happy at dinnertime (I usually eat a salad, baked potato, and veggies).

cwolfman13

Whole chickens or chicken parts bone in, skin on...vegetables in season or frozen...same for fruit. Bulk beans and rice and oats and other grains. Look for sales on meat...buy less popular cuts like flank steak, pork chops, etc.

motivatedmartha

Several people have mentioned frozen veggies - they are convenient, inexpensive and zero waste. Also, in many instances they are fast frozen soon after picking and can pack in more nutrition than those that have sat on the supermarket lorries, warehouses and then shelves. So don't be afraid to use them instead of fresh - just don't cook them to death. X Your children will thank you in the long run for a reduction in expensive and unnecessary processed treats - a reduction, not total abstinence (before I get jumped on), treats are fine occasionally

Good Luck - lots on here who are on tight budgets and who can support you

missysippy930

It costs less for me as well.
Serving per serving, cooking your own meals is a lot cheaper than either eating out or using pre made convenience foods. Also, you control the sodium and sugar content. Cook big batches and freeze in individual portions for future meals. Bulk foods, rice, beans, oatmeal, wheat berries, farro, etc. are cheaper. Buy fresh fruits and veggies at farmers markets when they are in season. There are a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables you can freeze. Eggs are affordable.

You say eating healthy is expensive, but it really is not. When you compare the cost of serving sizes from eating out, versus what you could cook with the same amount of money, it is way cheaper to feed a family when you cook it yourself. Also, convenience foods and prepackaged items are expensive, and many times they have added sugars and/or sodium. Learn to shop sales and stock up on things, you will quickly realize that you can really save money by cooking for your family.