Is there such a thing as a cheap diet?

tracydr

I must be going for the wrong foods lol I'm a meat lover so I try to trick my body by eating veggie burgers and chicken patties. I'll definitely try cooking and eating more actual veggies though lol XD

Try crock potting a bunch of dried beans. Then, freeze in quart bags. Lots of great veggie burger options using black beans or garbanzo beans. Lots of hummus type dips are very inexpensive to make from dried beans.
I buy bulk dried beans and peas. Use them to pre-make cooked beans for all sorts of meals. Chicken or beef chile, bean soup,etc. I actually can my beans with a pressure cooker but freezing is great,too.
Buy bone-whole chickens and turkeys on sale. You can precook one and use it all week for sandwiches, soups and other great foods. We are having our fourth dinner off a large,baked chicken tonight. I will still have 1/4 left for another meal, plus leftovers from each dinner that I've made with it.
You can grow a whole lot of salad,basil( good in hot weather for pesto) and other herbs in pots. If you learn what time of year different veggies grow best, you can grow a bunch to supplement your groceries. Things like fresh basil, cilantro and parsley I use almost like greens, making pesto and salads. Herbs are extremely nutritious, as are so many other leafy veggies.
I have a flower garden on my front patio that is only 12" wide and about 8 feet long. I've grown chard, amaranth ( tastes like spinach and makes grain like quinoa) and okra in just that tiny space. Asian long beans grown on a trellis and vining plants like cucumbers are also great, small space plants. I grow Armenian cucumbers because the regular cucumbers are harder to grow in the heat. The Armenian cukes never get bitter and stay delicious until they are baseball bat sized! I love them with a bit of rice vinegar.
Also, some big cities, probably most, have places where you can get very inexpensive boxes of food if you're low income. Our daughter has gotten a lot of cheap, healthy food this way.
I could probably feed my husband and I for less than $5.00 a day and eat very healthy food if I was really trying.

Thezestiest

buying dry goods in bulk is a great tip. You can also probably find these things at a local Food Co-op (our local one has bulk rice, beans, etc for a good price).

DCarter1701

I found my food budget went down when I started MFP simply because I was eating less. And eating less candy and junk food. Junk food is expensive for what you get

I base my diet around Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken breasts bought in bulk (for protein), vegetables and fruits (in season--don't buy asparagus in winter or strawberries in January unless they're frozen!), and rice and quinoa and brown rice pasta. I have to eat gluten free, so I buy a few select specialty products and make them last. For instance, Food for Life Brown Rice English Muffins, I buy a box of those and only use a half muffin for a serving.