How do you lower your grocery bill eating healthy..

Makoce

At the moment theres four people in our household.
Before I started losing weight, we were spending anywhere from $100 - $140 a week in groceries.

Now that Im cooking healthy meals from scratch, and buying fresh produce, fish, meat and such it's getting ridiculous.

My bill is up to 200$ or more a week now and my family is about to stop and go back to processed foods.
Not eating those foods has totally changed my health and gastrointestinal problems ( sugars and wheats and processed stuff really bothers me ), but they dont care because we cant afford such a jump in cost.

How do you guys eat so well on a budget?

wildrosegeo

A big part of this is where you live! My family is me, my partner and our toddler, and we spend $500-$600/month on groceries. Things are just expensive here.

I buy a lot of frozen produce, particularly in the winter when fresh is either hard to find or prohibitively expensive. Usually I stock up when things are on sale, I think I got 2 bags of a stir fry mix (President's Choice brand) for $5 last week? Fresh would be ideal, but I really don't mind frozen as an alternative.

The same goes for meat - I buy what is on sale, and then at home pack everything into meal sized bags and freeze it. That means the value packs of ground beef, or a tray of pork chops, etc.

Thirdly, I dedicate usually Sunday afternoons to baking for the upcoming week. We always have a big roast meat meal on Sunday nights (beef, chicken, turkey, etc) and that turns into lunches for a few days, and then the carcass (if there is one) gets roasted and turned into a soup for a supper or lunch. As well, I will bake a week's worth of muffins (last week's used frozen blueberries, yoghurt and stuff), maybe some cookies for DH/DD, possibly a dozen buns and/or a loaf of bread. That sort of thing. Then it gets stored in the fridge for a week.

It is definitely more time intensive to eat healthy for a lower cost, but to me it's worth it. Plus I love baking/cooking, so I enjoy it all.

I strongly recommend looking into meal planning. You don't have to become a crazy couponer, but planning meals around your typical store's flyers can also really reduce your food budget. It takes a bit of getting used to and definitely requires prep work, but in the end it saves money.

Makoce

i already stock up like crazy on large bags of frozen vegetables.
I find it hard to figure out / split up meal sized bags of frozen bulk meat because I never know how much were going to use in a meal and then they complain i buy too many freezer bags LOL!

MelRC117

SInce having my son and turning our family of 3 to 4 we definitely had to tighten the purse strings. I do the grocery shopping and I've turned into a sale fiend. I frequent 3 different grocery stores and watch their sales. I'll buy meat only when it's on sale...and I mean like $1.99 a pound for ground beef compared to $3.88 a pound or whatever regular price. Whatever is on sale I try to stock up as much as I have room for. Veggies and fruit I will only buy what is on sale and more "in season". Spaghetti squash was as low as $.38 a pound back in November...now I saw it as high as $1.18 so I don't buy it at all.

So I guess my suggestion is buy in bulk when it's on sale and watch the flyers. Buy what is "in season" and tailor your eating to it. There's also nothing wrong with buying processed foods if they're cheaper. You may have to find a balance so the budget is stuck to. I couldn't imagining doubling my food budget right now... and I think most people would feel the same way. I've been really paying attention the past year or so and kind of know in my head what is a decent price, where something is the cheapest at regular price, and what sale price is worth to buy in bulk or to hold out a few weeks for an even lower sale price.

In the summer there are multiple farmer markets a week at different places and those can be even cheaper. This year I plan to grow a couple vegetables....I have never done that before so it'll only be like 2 different things just to see if it's worth my time to save a bit.

When planning a meal...I've found we can use about 1 lb of chicken, 1 lb of pork chops or so, and atleast 1.25 lbs of beef. That's for my family of 4 which is me, my husband, a 12 year old and an almost 2 year old. (The 12 year old can sometimes eat more than my husband so he evens out the 2 year old). So when I buy a 10 lb package of meat I divide it up right away into approx 1.25 sections. If I'm making chili or something that requires more meat, I might put aside some browned meat to save for a lunch to throw on a salad or what not.

JoRocka

buy frozen stuff- and price shop.

Seasonal stuff will be cheaper fresh- but off season- frozen stuff is winning- it's not any less healthy than the fresh.

use your coupons- read the papers- obviously driving all over the place isn't great- but if you are buying a lot of produce and one store generally has cheaper produce than meats- and you need that much- I'd take two trips.

rockmama72

A few things that worked for us:

If you live in a decent-sized city, hit the smaller ethnic markets for produce. The big chains here have super-expensive for produce UNLESS they're running a good sale.

If you can, grow some of your own stuff. Even if you only have a balcony, you can get a couple of pots going--a cherry tomato plant will give and give and give for a while. Do as much as you can, and even if you're not a gardener it's really not that hard.

We buy whatever meat is on sale and buy double of the best deals so we have some freezer stock.

We also eat meatless 2-3 nights a week. (I realize this is a hard one for some; trust me, it took us time to get to this point :-)

mccindy72

buy frozen stuff- and price shop.

Seasonal stuff will be cheaper fresh- but off season- frozen stuff is winning- it's not any less healthy than the fresh.

use your coupons- read the papers- obviously driving all over the place isn't great- but if you are buying a lot of produce and one store generally has cheaper produce than meats- and you need that much- I'd take two trips.

This. Frozen stuff, depending on where you live, is usually about a buck a bag, much cheaper than buying fresh and wil last longer.

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eganita

Per a friend's recommendation, I started shopping at Aldi... they don't have everything a regular grocery store carries, but I am able to buy most/all of my weekly items there. I was spending about $110 or so per week at a local grocery store and cut that to about $70 or so at Aldi. It may be worth checking out if you have one nearby!

ETA: I generally buy fresh food and not a lot of frozen items. At Aldi I have been buying produce, dairy, as well as meat. I really like their produce and dairy and have been mostly happy with their meat. I've heard of others not loving their meat though.

TeeJayInc

I second the Aldi's suggestion. And it may take more of your time, but clipping a coupon here and there helps a lot too.

kcrxgirl

Try being strict about portion control. Sometimes I know my hubby wants to go back for more but I remind him that if he gets more there won't be enough for us to each have leftovers for lunch the next day. Stretching the food further does help!

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

At the moment theres four people in our household.
Before I started losing weight, we were spending anywhere from $100 - $140 a week in groceries.

Now that Im cooking healthy meals from scratch, and buying fresh produce, fish, meat and such it's getting ridiculous.

My bill is up to 200$ or more a week now and my family is about to stop and go back to processed foods.
Not eating those foods has totally changed my health and gastrointestinal problems ( sugars and wheats and processed stuff really bothers me ), but they dont care because we cant afford such a jump in cost.

How do you guys eat so well on a budget?

There are several different produce stores in our valley - one is significantly less expensive because most of their produce is already ripe - like you better eat it soon or its gonna go bad, ripe - I get a lot of my fruits there and cut them up and freeze them to use for smoothies, it's also on my way home from work so I can stop there and get a few things for dinner and use them right away if need be.

Also, if I am going to the meat section in the grocery store - I buy stuff on "Manager's special" and freeze it imediately for later use. I also just discovered that if you go to the actual meat counter at any grocery store - it ends up being cheaper than buying the stuff they've already butchered and packaged - I had absolutely no idea - I had always thought of the meat counter as "fancy" lol but I did significant comparisons and it really is cheaper...

Also, look for the specials at your grocery stores in the papers. This works for me but I am only buying for one - I understand it is probably more difficult for a family of 4.

sarahbrown1015

I second the Aldi's comment! I buy all of my produce, eggs, yogurt, almond milk, and tons of other stuff. Check it out. It is not the same as when I was growing up. Much nicer now.

sigsby

I'm not being snarky. I don't understand these posts. eating fresh is so much cheaper than eating premade crap food. A whole chicken is less than $5. After you eat it, you cook it and make soup and add left over, and almost spoiled veggies and stuff. You have a few more meals.

It's so cheap to eat better, but I think there's a learning curve because everyone does it wrong for a while. It takes a while to figure out what healthy really means. And, then, it takes even longer to figure how that translates into savings.

Edited to add that frozen veggies are extremely expensive. I go to buy them and cringe, and then go buy fresh. I'm not paying in excess of $8 a bag. It's crazy expensive where I live, or where I shop, I don't know.

Where do you get a whole chicken for less than $5?

lporter229

The best investment I made was a vacuum sealer for the freezer. Stock up on meats when they are on sale and portion them out into individual servings. Make large pots of soups and stews and freeze the leftovers in single servings for quick meals or lunches. As somebody else recommended, buy a whole chicken, use the meat then make stock with the bones. Also canned tuna, rice and dried beans are very inexpensive per serving. I make things like chili, curries, beef stew, etc. Healthy doesn't have to mean fresh, organic vegetables or overpriced " all natural health foods".

climbing_trees

Aldi! It is owned by the same people that own Trader Joe's~ Very nice.
Also check out international food stores. They sometimes have really great deals.

Shopping in bulk can also be smart. There's a store near me that is similar to whole foods and they have a huge bulk section. Things are almost always cheaper than pre-packaged. (Flour, grains, dry beans, spices, pantry staples, etc) And if you sign up for their free member program, you get 10% off bulk stuff once a week.

In the summer months, look into a CSA. (Community supported agriculture) You buy produce/eggs/etc directly from the farms. It can be a great deal, and also helps support local farmers!

Capt_Inzane

Go into the store with a list!

I hate going to the store without a list and typically spend 50 dollars more on impulse buys.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

oh also! buying pre-frozen bags of chicken is WAY more expensive than buying fresh and breaking the package up and freezing dinner sized portions for your family.

lporter229

Edited to add that frozen veggies are extremely expensive. I go to buy them and cringe, and then go buy fresh. I'm not paying in excess of $8 a bag. It's crazy expensive where I live, or where I shop, I don't know.

$8 a bag???? Where in the world do you live? Most frozen veggies are $1 for a 12-16 oz bag at my grocery store. Some veggies such as carrots and sweet potatoes are cheaper fresh though.

wildrosegeo

Unless I find an amazing sale, the cheapest whole chickens here are $12. Food, eating and prices are so highly dependant upon where you live!

techgal128

THE DOLLAR STORE! I swear by that place.

Believe it or not, you can get things like whole grain pasta, dried beans, tomato sauce, wheat bread, soymilk, nuts, juice, even frozen veggies (avoid the broccoli though since it's mostly stems). I reduce my monthly grocery bill by half by going there.

kuderstadt

We're a family of 6 and I'm able to stay home, so all of our meals are cooked from scratch. It's just a habit of getting into, to bake everyday, use beans and lentils in ways you never thought possible, and do all the prep work at home. Buying healthy foods is cheap, if you don't buy it all pre-cut up and pre-washed and if you stick to what's in season in your area. Shop the flyers, plan your meals and try new recipes… bake your own bread, make things that you can take with you, mini quiches to go for breakfasts and summer oats are great to grab and go, wash cut and chop everything yourself. Buy frozen fish and veg they're just as good as fresh and usually way cheaper. We buy all our pork and beef from our neighbour, and raise our own chickens for meat and eggs. It's doable, and even raising 4 boys our grocery bills are around $150 a week.

sammniamii

When I buy bulk meat, i cut it all up (trim the fat/skin/bones) and then measure all of it and try to split it into meal sized portions, in my case 7-10oz per person, then vacu-seal it & freeze it. I tend to like fresh veggies over frozen, but will stock on sales. (I've purchased a 7.5cft deep freezer just so I can stock up).

Best I can offer - coupons, sales and the such. I use an App called "Out of Milk" which gives me the weekly sales @ the local supermarkets. It helps even if I have to hit a couple different stores.

And just to suit the "it's not more pricey" people, in some areas across the globe, food stuffs cost more, specially if it's not local or in season. Case in point a whole fryer chicken DOESN'T cost $5.00 in my area, even the "cheap" off brand fresh chicken will run me 7-8 dollars. The bulk pack of chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)I get comes in 6-7 pounds for 11-13 dollars, cheaper than the "club stores" bulk pricing or buying them frozen.

Fresh veggies can be horrible in the winter here. 8oz of mushrooms - 3.99, 8oz baby carrots 2.15, cabbage (if you can find it) .69-.99 a pound, even onions run 3.99 for 3 lbs. In the summer, the prices drop but winter increases prices. Hell one store even had a sign out explaining the current run of nasty winter weather has reduced the stock of certain veggies.

Makoce

I second the Aldi's suggestion. And it may take more of your time, but clipping a coupon here and there helps a lot too.

Closest one is pretty far, but I might make a trip to check it out if its worth it


Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

wildrosegeo

We're a family of 6 and I'm able to stay home, so all of our meals are cooked from scratch. It's just a habit of getting into, to bake everyday, use beans and lentils in ways you never thought possible, and do all the prep work at home. Buying healthy foods is cheap, if you don't buy it all pre-cut up and pre-washed and if you stick to what's in season in your area. Shop the flyers, plan your meals and try new recipes… bake your own bread, make things that you can take with you, mini quiches to go for breakfasts and summer oats are great to grab and go, wash cut and chop everything yourself. Buy frozen fish and veg they're just as good as fresh and usually way cheaper. We buy all our pork and beef from our neighbour, and raise our own chickens for meat and eggs. It's doable, and even raising 4 boys our grocery bills are around $150 a week.

^^ I do want to point out that it's very easy and entirely doable to make all your meals from scratch even if you (and your partner if applicable) work full time. I'm back working now after being a SAHM for a few years, and my from-scratch cooking hasn't changed one bit. My grocery bill, however, has gone down because I am forced to meal plan to save time. All it takes is a bit of planning and organization, and from scratch fresh meals are easy.

cuinboston2014

I never buy anything full price unless it's something we actually need. Otherwise I send my husband (who is amazing for doing the grocery shopping that I hate so much) to the store with a list of various options like :Buy strawberries, blueberries, or grapes - whichever is on sale. And I will do that for fruits and veggies. i've also learned that some veggies, like celery and carrots, always seem to be ridiculously cheap.

We never buy meat full price. Our grocery store sometimes has specials on fihs buy one get one free - plus we have coupons. I ALWAYS use coupons. Some grocery stores have double daze where they double the price of your coupon certain days. Does yours?

Sometimes, we just eat breakfast for dinner - like a bowl of cereal and toast. My daughter likes it, my husband likes it, and after we get home from the gym at 7pm, we only have so much time. I don't get a lot of opportunities to cook during the week so I only make 2-3 meals per week. We then eat leftovers or "whatever we have" the rest of hte time. We have nutritious food on hand at all times, and value eating as a family - it doesn't have to be chicken and veggies for dinner.

I started my garden last year and was able to get fresh tomatoes and cucumbers all year. It took me a day to dig up the sod, get the seeds, plant etc and after that all I needed to do was water it here and there. Oh so easy! I am going to do it this year again and bigger. So cheap to grow your own stuff!!

We have a family of 3 and average 80 a week for groceries, if that. We don't spend more than $5 a week on "treats" like quaker granola bars or goldfish.

ETA: I also eat WAY less when I eat more nutrition dense foods.... so there's a cost saver there

YorriaRaine

I make a list of what I'm gonna eat that week, then go to the grocery with that list. This helps me not buy things I don't need.

I take my local grocer's weekly "on sale" list, and if something sparks my interest I make sure to make a run for the grocery that day.

Buying healthier foods is actually more expensive if you do not plan around sales where I'm from, the crap food is substantially less expensive. However, with cupped with sales, the healthy food is no more expensive. I unfortunately don't have many other places to go shopping for better deals. The next nearest grocery or other store to buy food (Walmart), is 20 minutes away.

I go out of my way to places like Sam's club and GFS to buy things like 5 gallon bags of frozen fruit. This saves me a lot in the long run because I take advantage of frozen fruit daily either in smoothies or by making homemade sorbet.

priv8dan

Aquaponics

Capt_Apollo

eating healthier lowered my grocery bill.

ItsCasey

I don't know where y'all are shopping, but unless you are insisting on organic everything, fresh produce is not expensive, especially the in-season stuff that doesn't have to be shipped from a foreign country. See if there's a farmer's market or any "pick your own" farms in your area. It's usually even cheaper there.

Meat, okay. But become friends with the meat guys, ask them when things go on sale, and then go buy a bunch of stuff and freeze it.

Cook in bulk, eat leftovers, etc.

If you truly can't eat wheat products, well, rice and beans are way cheap.

If push comes to shove, look for other areas in your life where you could cut back. If you seriously have medical conditions that force you to be more picky about your diet, then you are going to have to prioritize that over some other things. You are not forced to eat stuff that makes you sick because it's allegedly cheaper.

workout_ninja

we eat the same as we have always ate, we just eat less of it which means it lasts longer so we don't buy as much.