healthy eating on a budget.....help!

VeganInTraining

I have noticed that as I get toward the end of the month and money begins to run out, nutrition goes down the drain! This week I have had to live off of what I had in my house rather than purchasing produce and what not. It's not TERRIBLE, because I make a point of not keeping much processed food in my house, but it's been mostly carbs and meat. What do you all do to keep a nutritious diet but not run out of money?
As I am writing this, my thought is that I need to stock up on frozen veggies so that when I DO run out of money I still have veggies, even if they are not fresh but, how can I stretch my money so that I can still eat fresh produce and organic meat at the end of the month?
Another, kind of related, question is how do you shop parishable foods for one or two pleople without wasting half of it. When I buy meat it is easy to set aside what I can eat before the expiration date and freeze the rest but what about veggies? Things like broccoli and asparagus are hard to buy in smaller portions but I rarely want to eat them 2 or 3 days in a row. HELP

veebear

Hi there :-)
I can only agree -I find it gets harder as the month goes on. Pasta is such an easy cheap food that I always end up resorting to, and it's so carb-heavy! I would say try to do BoGOF shoping with a friend, though it's not always on the good food, sometimes you can pick things up and it makes everything cheaper. Soup's always good, I like to pick up reduce veg and create random things, you can freeze that for later in the month as well.

Another tip - if you're craving sweet stuff serach out some mochi from a Japanese or Health Food store, it's satisfying but not bad for you as it's just slightly naturally sweetened rice!

Vx

timidt

I buy fresh produce blanche and freeze as they are.
or cook meals and freeze in portions. that way when i run out of fresh at the end of the month i have always got something in the freezer.

ejmcam

Just an fyi.....frozen veggies are usually every but as healthy as fresh, because they are usually frozen right after picking and that way the nutrients are preserved. They may not taste as good, but nutritionally I think they are good

I also read a tip on one of the fitness sites that said that you can buy the cheaper ground beef (80 or 85% lean) and after you cook it, rinse it under HOT/Boiling water in a colander and that will drain some of the fat, making it leaner. Not sure how accurate it is, but its worth looking in to. Meat can be expensive. I guess that will also only work if you are using the meat and crumbling it, like for meat sauce, taco's sloppy joes, etc....

vaughny

I try not to eat canned but i buy low sodium canned green beans so i can at least get a veggie in if i am running low on $ they are convieant too. Also just canned tuna, peanut butter, sometimes i go to big lots and find these items cheap. Good Luck!

sarahs440

Maybe try some of those green bags that keep produce fresh? I can't remember what they are called but I know they work. That way you won't be throwing anything away. And I know you can use the bags way more than once. I cant give you much advice on how to stretch your money, cuz I have the same problem. lol. I just look for sales and work with what I have the best I can. I will check back later though to see what others have to say! Good luck! I know our gorcery bill has gone up $20-30 a week since I started this journey. Ugh

mapinkerton

Do you have a local farmer's market near you? There is one that I go to from time to time and in the back you can get better deals. The fruits and veggies are slightly older, may be slightly bruised, etc. but the price is definitely worth it. Also buying what is in season will help to keep your costs down.

I also recently found a reduced for quick sale shelf at my local grocery store. I don't know how long it has been there. It is near the back of the produce section on the end of the long bin for onions and potatoes. Example - various apples 5 to a bag and $1 for the bag.

I also have a dehydrator. So when I find a good deal on fruits and veggies I dehydrate, vacuum seal, and either put in the pantry or freezer. I use all sorts of dehydrated fruits and veggies when cooking.

barefootbeauty

I have this same issue - especially now that I am being laid off!

We buy frozen veggies and seasonal produce. I think seasonal is really key for keeping the cost down. But, that also means that you have to be willing to try new things. Another big way we save money is by cutting out dairy - no cheese, no milk, no sour cream, etc. We buy vanilla almond milk for cereal because it last a lot longer than milk and tastes good.

In the Spring I plan on having a container garden on my porch so we can grow our own tomatoes and whatnot, then we can make sauce, salsa, etc and freeze the veggies and herbs.

One last tip.... my girlfriend and I share a membership to one of those big discount stores (Costco/Sams Club) and about once a quarter I go with her to stock up on things like black beans, rice, etc. We split some things (like the 20lb bag of rice) and it keeps forever. They also have really good meat deals and amazing produce specials that work well for people that share.

Hope this helps!

melsinct

Just an fyi.....frozen veggies are usually every but as healthy as fresh, because they are usually frozen right after picking and that way the nutrients are preserved. They may not taste as good, but nutritionally I think they are good

Great advice. I like some things better fresh over frozen, but frozen is perfectly fine for my tastes for things like spinach and frozen stir fry vegetables.

Also, buying whole foods can be cheap. I buy dried beans, cook them, then freeze the cooked beans in container. I get about 10 times more beans for the same price as one can. Big sacks of brown rice are very cheap, especially if you live near an Asian grocery store- it is way cheaper there than at the regular grocery store.

I also plan my meals for the week based on sales. If broccoli is dirt cheap (around here that would be $0.99/lb) I will put cream of broccoli soup on the menu. If bell peppers are cheap, then stuffed peppers will be on the menu. Cabbage is also dirt cheap and one head lasts me forever. I make moo shu chicken, stuffed cabbage, coleslaw, braised cabbage...all of that from one head of cabbage that cost me $2.

Use meat like a side dish, not the star of the show, especially if you are buying more expensive organic meats.

sweetsarahj

First, I shop in the evening and always hit the 'discount' shelf first. I have noticed that at my local 'no frills' store, the employees load up the discount shelf at about 8 pm, so I plan to get there between 8-9. There is usually a great selection of fruit and veggies at about half the price. You might need to do some shopping around to find the store. Look for one with a very big fruit and veggie section-- the greater inventory they have, the more stuff that will be discounted. I used to work in a grocery store and so I know how this works... the evening staff are the ones who pull stuff off the shelves and mark it down.

Also, if it is a full-service store, you will also find meat, fish and bakery items marked down in the evening.

I also will shop at the local Asian grocery store. They have insanely low prices, sometimes a fraction of what the big stores charge. For example, yesterday I bought a huge package of snow peas for $1.50, at the other store it's $2 for about a third of the amount. Or a package of fresh thyme is twice the size and only $1.50. I also bought a case of mangos (about 18 medium size) for $5.99. I'm going to use them to make mango frozen yogurt.

Finnally, if you are having trouble with throwing away produce, then perhaps you need to shop more often, buying less each time. I usually shop twice a week. So far this week I have spent $40 on groceries and my fridge is full. Then again, I will about once a month do a big shop to stock the freezer and pantry. It's easy for me to over spend on food (I used to be a chef) so I try to watch it closely.