Share Your Tips For Staying Healthy on a Budget

Betty
Betty Posts: 8,877 MFP Staff
edited February 2023 in Food and Nutrition
How do you save money and stay healthy? We want to hear from you!

z1jvkrn1936p.jpg


Money doesn’t go as far as it used to—and that’s especially true at the grocery store. But just because prices in store aisles are high doesn’t mean you should stop putting healthy choices in your cart.

Stephanie Nelson, our registered dietitian at MyFitnessPal, wants to make sure that people, no matter their budget, can have a balanced, healthy diet. Some of her tips for keeping nutrition high and costs low include:
  • Purchasing in-season produce. It’s fresher and often costs less than out-of-season produce.
  • Buying in bulk. Stock up on staples like grains and legumes, and see the savings add up.

Read Stephanie’s full list here: 10 Budget-Friendly Ways to Eating Healthy

But what about YOUR tips and tricks? We’d love to hear about what you do!
  • How do you make your money go further at the grocery store?
  • Are there specific resources or tools that help you keep costs low?
  • What else do you want to learn about staying healthy on a budget?
Post your responses below and join the conversation on Instagram to see what else others are sharing and recommending.

We’re looking forward to reading your responses!

Please Note: By commenting or replying in this thread, you acknowledge and agree to the use of your name, comments, replies, and/or entries, whether in whole or in part, by MyFitnessPal, including for the purpose of generating and distributing marketing materials to help inspire others. When posting, please follow our community guidelines. Any off-topic comments and disparaging remarks are subject to deletion.
«13

Replies

  • JayneWingrove
    JayneWingrove Posts: 1 Member
    Buying in bulk where I can. Staple items that I know I am going to eat day after day. Low carb wraps, no sugar added applesauce, oatmeal, etc. Even things like bread I find are cheaper at a wholesale club. Two packs for the price of what I would pay for one in the regular store. Produce can also be a good deal if you have enough people in your household to get through it before it goes bad.
  • julieprayer
    julieprayer Posts: 7 Member
    We are saving money on fresh veggies by planting a garden. We also do not buy food until one day before we need food and we limit going out to restaurants. I stop when people raise prices so high at coffee drive throughs since I can make these drinks myself for pennies.
  • audreyleedean
    audreyleedean Posts: 1 Member
    Things that have worked for our family:

    Shop at the local co-op. Local and in season is usually much cheaper. Also our co-op you get money back each year based on what you spent, so it is like getting a couple weeks free groceries just for doing my normal shopping.

    Cook at home over going out and buying convenience foods. Bonus is you get to control exactly what goes into your food and leftovers make a great quick lunch option the next day.

    Eat less meat. I started cutting the meat in half for a lot of recipes and increasing the veggies.

    Don't be afraid to try store brands.

    Beans/lentils are your friend. Healthy and very cost effective.

    Also one thing that has worked for us is to not try and cook a lot of different dishes each week. We either rotate a few dishes that week and change it up the next or we plan different dishes that use a lot of the same main ingredients that week so we don't have to buy a huge variety each week.

    Get to know the meat/seafood department staff and know when they mark down their products. Our co-op has a discounted section and I try to go when it is freshly stocked with newly marked down options. So, for example, the same chicken I would have bought yesterday I can get today at 25% to 50% off. Freeze what you can't eat in the next couple of days and thaw it as you need it.

    Be flexible with your meal plans. If something is on sale that fits in your goals then be willing to switch up your plan for that week to save yourself some money.

    Eat simple. It really doesn't take a multitude of options to eat healthy. Switch up simple meals as often as you need but always keep them simple so you don't have to invest in a ton of ingredients.

  • siberiantarragon
    siberiantarragon Posts: 265 Member
    When you go out, always have emergency snacks and water on you to avoid having to buy something more expensive and unhealthy.

    Check to see if your supermarket has an app for digital coupons.

    Buy fresh produce when it's in season, and supplement with frozen produce and dried fruit in the winter. Produce in the winter is not only more expensive but also goes bad a lot faster in my experience, so it's not even worth it most of the time.

    Buy regular (plain) yogurt instead of Greek yogurt because it's about half the price and just as healthy. Also buy whole-milk yogurt instead of nonfat or low-fat because it has more calories for the same price, and the fats will help you to feel full for longer.

    Potatoes are considered to be a budget friendly food but they're really not worth it. A 5-pound bag of potatoes is anywhere between $1 and $3 and only contains around 1800 calories. Then there's always a few in the bag that are rotten. And on top of that, potatoes are high on the glycemic index. Just don't buy them and get a box of whole-wheat pasta instead (1440-1600 calories for $0.75-$1).

    Organic, wild-caught, grass-fed, cage-free, etc. are mostly marketing tactics and usually don't make the food any healthier, more sustainable, or ethical.

    All the hype about canned foods being bad is just hype. You can substitute canned fish for fresh or frozen fish, and canned beans are also good.

    Staple foods that are cheap, fast and easy to prepare, and nutritious: dried lentils, canned beans, peanut butter, whole-wheat pasta, old-fashioned oats, canned fish (especially sardines), blocks of cheddar cheese, kale, bananas.

    Healthy food is an investment in your future. If you can, cut spending from other areas so you have more to spend on food.

  • lizmvr
    lizmvr Posts: 2 Member
    I'm lucky that I live within walking distance of a grocery store that has many daily and weekly deals. I get exercise by walking there and carrying my groceries home, and by going more frequently I can get the deals on items while they last. I do stock up on sale items and keep my freezer full. I've started using a closet in my basement office room as a pantry since my kitchen space is actually fairly small.

    I do try to scan the local store ads weekly on Wednesdays and make a list for all the stores, while comparing prices. Then I keep the list handy throughout the week and try to make stops at stores near other places I need to go in an attempt to avoid additional car trips.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,906 Member
    edited July 2022
    Never plan your meals for the week before checking what's on sale. Buy the groceries that are on sale and then plan your meals based on that.

    Or better yet, look at grocery shopping differently. Instead of shopping for each meal, shop to re-stock your supplies. For example, if chicken is on sale, stock up on it. If flour is on sale, buy three bags. Certain things go on sale pretty regularly so you start to know how much you'll need to buy to last you till the next time it goes on sale.

    My local Walmart has a place in the produce section where big bags of nearly expired veggies and salads sell for $2. I made a huge pot of broccoli soup yesterday in my slow cooker using my homemade chicken broth, onion, some milk, and $2 worth of broccoli. That will be my lunches for the week with a little protein on the side. I buy nearly all my fresh veggies in that discounted section.

    Bake your own muffins and freeze them individually so you just have to grab one on your way out the door. Things like protein powders, protein bars, and sports drinks are gimmicks to separate you from your hard earned cash. Unless you're an elite athlete, or doing a physical job outdoors all day, you probably don't need them. The average person (like me) who works out for an hour a day does not NEED high priced protein bars, protein powders, or sports drinks. Add some Greek yoghurt to your muffin recipe for some extra protein. Make your smoothies using tofu or Greek yoghurt instead of adding protein powder.

    Even though there's just my husband and me, I make family sized amounts of things like lasagna or chili. I freeze the extra in meal size portions for those days when neither of us feel like cooking and might be tempted to order pizza or whatever.

    Understand that the goal of food companies is to get you to buy their products. In order to do that, they tell you that you absolutely need what they're selling and that it will make your life amazingly better. You have to see through that and decide for yourself what works best for you.
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,098 Member
    What a coincidence - my last blog entry was about saving money on sports nutrition. I'm going to link it because it's an MFP blog, so not a link to an outside site.

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sand_TIger/view?id=sports-nutrition-on-a-dime-1008816

    Meal prepping helps me set my portions and also plan better so I don't waste food.

    When there is a massive sale on produce I find new ways to use it - such as pizza topped squash or blended up watermelon in my muffins. Or I freeze it for later when that food is more expensive.

    Same with meat. There was a huge sale on whole brisket so I bought one and made my own beef bacon and corned beef - to be eaten in portion so as not to go over my calories. I roasted a bunch of split chicken breast that was a dollar a pound then made broth from the bones, which I then cooked beans in.

    Having certain tools such as a decent blender/food processor, or a small crock pot, has helped me use more kinds of food than I otherwise would. It's a lot cheaper to cook dried beans than to buy canned, and my crock pot makes that really easy.
  • azuki84
    azuki84 Posts: 212 Member
    walmart
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    I'm loving my garden right now. I've been picking lettuce(I have 4 kinds planted) every day for salads instead of buying the lettuce mixes. Got our first cucumber yesterday which is so much better than store bought. Green beans are almost ripe. Getting cherry tomatoes. My sister and I exchange veggies with each other. We got tons of strawberries this year and have a lot put away in the freezer.
    This time of year I always wish we'd planted more varieties of vegetables.

    I don't buy a lot of meat but when I do, it's usually the reduced ground beef. It's $2 a pound cheaper. It either gets cooked right away or portioned into the freezer. I used to buy chicken breasts all the time but that's when it was 1.99#, not so much now that it's 3.99#. Eggs are still a good deal for protein but wow, they've gone up too. :(

    I do go for store brands, depending on what. Paper products yes. Canned soups yes. Or I stock up when things are on sale.

    We still end up spending way too much. :( DH and I eat very differently and he doesn't think about cost very much.
  • wickedqueenbee
    wickedqueenbee Posts: 1 Member
    I shop at Aldi's alot. Cannot beat the prices on alot of things especially produce! I buy whole chickens and roast it for a Sunday dinner. Monday I boil whats left carcass with what meat is left and make chicken soup with vegetables. You can get a few meals with 1 whole chicken.

  • StefMB88
    StefMB88 Posts: 13 Member
    Meal planning all the way. I will normally write out a meal plan for 2 weeks and buy everything except for my produce at once. I worry about my produce going bad before I get to it so I normally buy it for one week at a time.
  • foreverhealthy3
    foreverhealthy3 Posts: 111 Member
    we are retired and need smaller meals. I buy a rotisserie chicken and make it for 3 meals. Cesar salad and cubed chicken, chicken salad, chicken soup. The same with roast beef. roast beef dinner, homemade soup, and beef commercials. Egg meals. we flash freeze vegetables from our garden or farmers' market.
  • rumtussle
    rumtussle Posts: 8 Member
    1. I prep all my veggies for cooking and eating when I get them home from the store. Very little food waste that way, and saves duplicate buying.
    2. I base my meals around what’s on hand rather than what sounds good.
    3. I’m creative in my cooking and combine foods that often sound like they shouldn’t go together, but do.
    4. I don’t buy really great coffee. Or rather, it’s rare when I get a cup out or grind my own beans. Not an every day thing.
    5. I seldom eat meat.