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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Flyntiggr

Maybe it is just my area, but Trader Joes is waaaay more expensive here...

SaraTonin

My farmer's market is crazy expensive too.

I always say if you think healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food you're not shopping right. I've been unemployed for a year now and I eat healthier than I ever did when I had money to buy "better" food.

emaybe

I have the same problem... My boyfriend and I are on a very strict grocery budget (<$50/week for two adults), and it's made harder by the fact that I can't eat meat and he can't not eat meat...

We've found that making a weekly meal plan makes it much easier to shop, because you know exactly what you need for that week and can spread it out. There are some weeks we've spent less than $30 on groceries for both of us because of it... It may get boring after the week, but then you can pick something new next week.

This is one of my typical plans, if that helps (I'm only including my side for the sake of brevity):

Breakfast: dry cereal, soymilk, banana, orange juice
Lunch: veggie burger w/thin bun or big garbage salad
dinner: fish w/roasted veggies or big garbage salad
snacks: pretzels w/mustard, baby carrots w/lemon, granola bars

Cost breakdown

Bananas (7) - $3 (i buy organic)
Box of cereal - $5 (hippie organic kind)
soymilk (quart) - $2
veggie burgers - $4 (the ones i buy are 4 to a box)
buns - $4 (6 to a package)
head of romaine - $1
frozen fish - $4 (4-8 pieces depending on type)
assorted veggies - $5
nuts for salad (whatever's on sale) - $2
pretzels - $2
carrots - $1
granola bars - $4 (again, hippie organic kind)

That's about $35 total, and the box of cereal, bag of pretzels, nuts, etc will usually last longer than a week so you won't need to buy them the next week.

The hardest thing about shopping healthy within a budget is reminding yourself that if you're ONLY BUYING FOR THIS WEEK, you do not need to buy more -- buy smaller packages, less produce that will go bad by the end of the week, etc... I splurge and buy the premade veggie burgers, but you could totally make them at home for relatively cheap, or substitute them with chicken... if you have a Hispanic grocery near you and eat meat or dairy, check out the deli counter -- they often have ends of the deli cheese for sale, mixed bags of chicken pieces, and some fantastically random seafood on a huge discount (this is how Boyfriend feeds his meat and cheese obsession on the cheap).

Good luck!!

CuteAndCurvy83

#1 Tip plan your meals, or atleast dinners and shop for the week.

I do my shopping once a week to avoid fresh foods going bad, however I also have a list and stick to the list. I plan my meals out and try to mix and match meals that week that share some ingredients, So I may have 2-3 meals that need cream cheese instead of just one, yet they may be totally diff tastes.

riley711

Hi!! If you have Aldi's in your area, your money goes very far there. Also, shop local markets rather than the large chain supermarkets. The smal local market will typically have better/fresher/ fruits, veggies and meats, at much better, less expensive prices.

callipygianchronicle

Maybe it is just my area, but Trader Joes is waaaay more expensive here...

I agree. I would not consider Trader Joe’s affordable. It’s pricing is more like Whole Foods. For quality and pricing you cannot beat Costco, but storage is an issue. We have a deep freezer, which makes storing meat and 5lb bags of frozen vegetables a lot easier.

As for approaching healthy eating on a budget, I strongly suggest homemade soups. It stretches your dollar, are as healthy as you make them, and they freeze and reheat well.

And another second for bulk bins. Start buying all of your staples: flour, sugar, rice, grains (oatmeal, bulgur, quinoa), spices, dried beans, dried fruits, coffee, and popcorn from bulk bins. The product is fresher and you will save about 40% versus buying it packaged in the grocery ailse.

And finally, my major advice—buy bone in chicken breast, never boneless skinless. It’s not worth the premium price. Buying a whole chicken is an even better deal, roast it in the oven and turn that meat into multiple dishes.

MakingAChoice

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!

I have found brown rice, pinto beans, and and fruit/veggies that are on sale to work well within a budget. Add some salsa to the brown rice/beans and chow down. I toss some chicken in most times too. I have actually found it cheaper to buy healthy food than the non-healthy because it goes a lot farther toward me feeling full. So I eat less overall.

Dauntlessness

(I am going to create a new thread with these coupon sights for everyone too)

I buy my meat at Sam's club, separate it into portion size then freeze it. During the off season, I buy my fruit and veggies as Sams too. It is better quality at cheaper prices.
This week at Sams club I got a 2-2.5 quart of strawberries for $5.00 on sale, 3lb container of good looking big grapes for $6.00, 3lbs dole bananas for $1.89 and a fresh pineapple for $2.00 on sale. The boneless chicken breast was $1.99 lb. (6lbs of chicken)

When I buy veg and fruit at regular grocery store, they must be "in season" or on sale or it is not worth my money. For instance, sweet potatoes have been under $1.00 a lb for months now. This week I got it on sale for 79 cents a lb. But your certainly not going to get a great price on zuchinni right now because they have it shipped half way a crossed the world. hehe

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Coupon Websites

The Krazy Coupon Lady-FB updates
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General Mills coupons
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Coupons.com
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Eat Better America
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Pillbury
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Betty Crocker
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Target
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CouponGal -FB updates
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All You
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