help! healthy food on a budget?

_rocketcity

OK everyone, I need your help.
One of my biggest problems is that I really have to stick to a somewhat limited budget when it comes to food shopping. This tends to push me towards food that isn't really the greatest to be buying for constant eating. I buy pastas and stuff like that mostly because it's cheaper and goes farther (if you know what I mean). I'm sure many people are in the same boat.

This being said, can anyone help by recomending healthy, somewhat affordable foods that won't make me cringe when I check out??

Thanks so much, any advice is welcome!

sauza

decent healthy food being the most expensive is my huge problem too. unfortunately the only advice I have is that if you can't get fresh fruits and veggies, frozen are the next best thing. I suppose the same goes for fish. I mean we want fresh, but.... I am on a budget too.

t_rog

I struggle with this, too. My only advice is to shop at Trader Joe's(hopefully there's one in your area). Healthy/organic food and really not expensive!

deannar417

I am in the same boat. I cant afford to eat everything healthy. I still havent found how to eat like that unless I rob a bank LOL And I dont wanna go to jail so that's out LOL Well if anyone knows what to do....HELP

Flyntiggr

Coupons to start! And then watch for sales. Fruits bogo, I find a lot of the frozen steamer veggies bogo, find a friend with a membership to a club such as Costco. Buy chicken breast in bulk. Find the local farmers market and get all your fruits and veggies way cheaper! Sometimes you can get meat there too..

ms_erica

try a local farmers market...if one is not available shop fruits and veggies that are in season..they tend to be much more cheaper.

Lizzy_Sunflower

www.brokeandhealthy.com

Fantastic gourmet food on budget.

SaraTonin

I stick to things that don't go bad because of the food waste. Try to avoid buying anything in the processed aisled (stick to the outside aisles). Also buy pastas, rice, and anything that goes a long way. Buy meat frozen in bulk.

I also make a lot of vegetarian dishes because of the cost of meat.

Stick to cheaper fruits and veggies - apples and bananas instead of expensive berries. Root veggies are super cheap too!

http://www.brokeandhealthy.com is a great site too.

_rocketcity

I know... it's so tough. I see things I want but can't justify spending money I need for rent on something that will last me for a meal and a half. I will stick to the frozen veggies too. One day we'll get those fresh ones! haha

And there's a trader joes about an hour away from me, i think... maybe i'll head over and just stock up. i've heard a lot of good things about that place!

Athena413

I've found that here in Joplin, MO, some of the smaller grocery stores actually have cheaper and better quality produce and meat than a bigger store like Wal-Mart does. If you have an Aldi or a Food 4 Less in your area...definitely check them out!! I also plan ahead...we get paid every 2 weeks so we make a 2-week menu and buy groceries according to that menu and nothing else. You'll find that you have plenty of food to last the whole 2 weeks and you save a TON of money because you're not just buying what looks good at the time. And as far as meat goes...a piece of meat from the grocery store is usually twice as much as you actually need in a serving, so try cutting it in half....that will save calories and money!

alliecore

Do you have a bulk food store close? I stock up on healthy things like beans, steel cut oats, almonds, even whey protein powder; and all for much cheaper than grocery stores.

HoopFire5602

I highly recommend emealz. they give you an entire meal plan for a week (dinner) and for my choice, walmart low fat, it is under 50 dollars. You pay 5 bucks a month, but I save about $200 every month of groceries now. They also have low carb, gluten free, veggie, and meal plans for 4 or more people. Just Google e-mealz and take a look at their sample menus.

Athena413

Check to see if you have a local farmer's market, too. They're usually way cheaper on produce and it's fresh from the farm and tastes super yummy!

pandafoo

i'd recommend finding someone with a costco or sam's club membership, and tagging along with them next time. there are lots of healthy offerings - tho most of them are frozen - but at least they will keep well. when i used to have a costco membership, my favorite frozen things to stock up were: 5lb bag of strawberries (great for smoothies), skinless and boneless chicken breast fillets, and raw peeled shrimp. as for fresh food, they're definitely a great deal as well, and you can freeze any unused portions.

trader joe's is an inexpensive option too, especially for cheeses and nuts. ok, cheese is rather high-fat, but they're a source of diary!

Athena413

Oh...and if you like oatmeal...you can get a pretty decent sized canister of old-fashioned oats for less than $2 and then just get some frozen berries to mix in with it...pretty cheap and lasts a while and the oats will fill you up.

extreme1der

My local super market is a monster when it comes to buying fresh fruit--so I go to Sam's Club! Lots of fresh fruit and you get 3 times as much as in a store!

TracieJ65

Rice cakes are not to expensive for snacks!

Chicken breasts can be used for a ton of things! You can rub different Mrs. dash seasonings on them, cook them in a pan, cool, chop up and use for tacos, salads, sandwiches, in a quick chili, with some pasta, and many other things! 1 package is 3-4 dollars and can easily get 3-4 meals.

A package of tilapia fillets are a couple of dollars and usually come four in a package. A box of brown rice is not a lot of money and you can cook rice with chicken broth, instead of water, add some seasonings and have that with tilapia and chicken.

Packages of dry beans are only a dollar, or two, and you can cook those in a crock pot all day and use those for several different meals throughout a week.

That's all I can think of right off of the top of my head! I will add as I think of some more.

_rocketcity

Thanks everyone! Luckily I do have a local farmers market,,, I'll go there and check it out, for some reason I just assumed they'd be more expensive- which is silly. I don't have any bulk stores nearby but there is one about an hour away so I'll take a trip and stock up. I'll also check out all those sites, you guys are so helpful!

jcb2kds

I hate that unhealthy stuff is always cheaper than healthy stuff. Flea markets usually have a huge variety of fruits and veggies really cheap. I also shop at Costco for milk, bread, fish, etc. because bulk is cheaper and freeze most of it so it lasts.

adurk

I'm dealing with the same problems being a broke college student. Besides a lot of fruits and veggies I love things like progresso soup which is cheap and filling and low in calories, frozen veggie steamers because they are cheap as well and won't go bad like fresh veggies, and sometimes I get lean cuisines because they're super cheap and not too bad calorie wise even though I don't suggest eating them too often.

sarahsmom1

OK everyone, I need your help.
One of my biggest problems is that I really have to stick to a somewhat limited budget when it comes to food shopping. This tends to push me towards food that isn't really the greatest to be buying for constant eating. I buy pastas and stuff like that mostly because it's cheaper and goes farther (if you know what I mean). I'm sure many people are in the same boat.

This being said, can anyone help by recomending healthy, somewhat affordable foods that won't make me cringe when I check out??

Thanks so much, any advice is welcome!

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