Tips for staying stocked with healthy foods on a budget!

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  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    My roommate and I have a weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) basket. It's packed with local, seasonal, super yummy fresh veggies, we almost always have to have a big feast the day before our next one arrives because it's so much!

    I'm so glad someone mentioned this, because for the life of me, I could not remember what these were called. I think this is a great idea. I like the farmer's market idea as well.
  • becs3578
    becs3578 Posts: 836 Member
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    I shop in 3 places.... SAMS CLUB, local grocery called Rouses and farmers market. I get my meat, fish and chicken in bulk there raw.. cut it up and freeze individually for later use. THEN I buy one of their rotisserie chickens a week (sometimes 2) at $4.85. TOTALLY cooked and ready to be added to anything It is great for my budget. That is the same price as a chicken sandwich at Wendys.

    I can also get there at a decent price.. large bags of veggies (brussel sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli etc) along with my bottled waters and pineapple (which is almost always cheaper there).

    The rest I get at the local store and I buy only what I need. Sometimes I go twice in a week but a tleast I don't buy so much that it goes bad before I can eat it. I find I spend far less now than I use too since I don't get takeout anymore and cook all my own breakfast, lunches and dinner. Exception is going out with friends or family.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    Are there any farmer's markets near you? There are 3 near me and one of them especially is incredibly cheap! I really wish I had a photo to share, but the amount of produce I can get from there for $25 is staggering.

    I wish this were true for my area. It's really, really expensive to buy farmer's market produce here.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    After reading this post, I really which I had an Aldi's or Sam's Club closer. I live 45 minutes+ from the nearest one. Small town. I am not spending less yet because I wasn't buying as much protein before, and have more than doubled that now. So who knows. Maybe it will catch up with me eventually.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    When it comes to produce, sometimes you have to be willing to buy what's in season, and then figure out what to do with it afterward. In the winter here in NY, I end up eating a lot of apples, pears, and spinach. Because they are cheap and plentiful. I had a killer craving for grapes the other day, and clearly it isn't in season anywhere nearby because they were $4.99 a lb. - more expensive than organic strawberries!

    And I agree with the frozen veggies - super affordable, and can be great in a stir fry! And frozen berries in the winter are way cheaper than the out of season fresh stuff.

    We just got an Aldi's here on Long Island, I will have to check it out!

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