Eating Healthy is so expensive: How do you do it?

PoppyinBoulder

I think to eat healthy and/or lose weight, you have to COOK!!! and it tastes so much better. I live alone and was eating alot of sandwiches, cold cereal, lean cuisines, etc for dinner because I just didn't want to deal with it. Then I was never satisfied and ended up eating until bedtime. I really had to start doing things differently and it's starting to pay off. My grocery bill was higher initially but has now gotten to be less then before. I needed to re-learn grocery shopping (alot of BAD habits, lol).

jumelle

One of our biggest expenses is meat, so we found a local butcher shop with much cheaper prices than Walmart, Kroger, etc. We spend $100 there each time and we can get quality meat that lasts us up to six-seven weeks for our family of six. We make lunch and dinner at home and it still lasts a significantly longer period of time than buying from larger supermarkets.

Another huge expense would be fruits and vegetables. I scour the paper for good deals and only buy what is in season and cheap. A friend of ours joined a co-op and they get fresh fruit often. I'd look into that too to cut food costs since you only pay a low monthly membership fee. And whatever you save on other things you manage to get through co-op can be put toward buying fresh fruits and veggies at the grocery store.

Meal planning will also help you save a lot too. Look for websites that have low calorie recipes and plan accordingly. And you won't get bored if you get to try new recipes from time to time.

butterfly0475

I feed a family of 5 (one growing teenager boy and a boyfriend who thinks he still is but with his metablism he can). We eat 3 meals out of the home and go out to eat about 1x a month. My food bill is about $1000. That might sound like a lot but that is fresh veggies and fruit from bountiful baskets.org (check out if there is one in your area), Costco meat shopping and some produce(I prefer to spend a little more to get quality I am not throwing out) and Fry's (Kroger). I do use coupons but utlizing the competitor coupons they accept more for dollars off. We eat 3 meals a day, very little processed food, with snacks and all. It takes a bit to do but my family is well fed. I also recommend Cooking Light as they have 5 ingrediants or less. Works great with a family and little time so you DO have time to make meals at the house.