really tight budget...

lauraj828

i'm a college student, with a part time job, and obviously struggling to pay for everything!
i almost had a breakdown at the grocery store the other day because all of the delicious, healthy foods that i wanted to buy were too expensive for my budget!
sometimes it seems like the only things i can afford are the not so healthy foods with processed ingredients, high sugar, high sodium, lots of fat, etc...
i'm sure many of you can related to this grocery bill frustration, whether you're paying just to feed yourself or cooking for an entire family. does anyone have suggestions of healthy meals and snacks that are more affordable? or even where to find some good coupons to lessen my spending?

lauraj828

i'm a college student, with a part time job, and obviously struggling to pay for everything!
i almost had a breakdown at the grocery store the other day because all of the delicious, healthy foods that i wanted to buy were too expensive for my budget!
sometimes it seems like the only things i can afford are the not so healthy foods with processed ingredients, high sugar, high sodium, lots of fat, etc...
i'm sure many of you can related to this grocery bill frustration, whether you're paying just to feed yourself or cooking for an entire family. does anyone have suggestions of healthy meals and snacks that are more affordable? or even where to find some good coupons to lessen my spending?

michlingle

Hi! I live in Illinois too but closer to Chicago. Do you have an Aldi near you??? It's the best....I've bought everything there...their produce section, although tiny, is fantastic. They often carry zucchini and yellow squash which I love prepared in the microwave with a touch of butter and parm...so good. Their lettuce is always fresh and they even carry those big bags of spinach. Granted, they don't have a ton of low fat low cal brands per se, they do carry the fit n active line of certain items. I can't have dairy so that limits what high fat items I buy anyway(I never look at cheese or ice cream). But I certainly load up on the frozen chicken, fish, and 90% lean beef. Hope this helps...there is also those stores called Food 4 Less, after comparing their prices, I really don't see much of a difference than a regular grocery store. I skip to Aldi instead.

LokiFae

If you can, try to find an Angel Food Ministries location near you. They have great cheap boxes of food. We get one every month. http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Sometimes it's not the best or healthiest food in the world, but everything can be portioned and stretched a little further (not to mention made healthier) by filling it out with frozen vegetables. We eat a LOT of frozen vegetables in the winter (we have a garden in the summer, you can't beat 1,000 green beans for a $0.25 pack of seeds!), because they're very budget-friendly and they are just as good for you as fresh.

We also shop the clearance aisles of grocery stores, where I've gotten fantastic deals on Amy's frozen dinners and things like that. And always check out the newspaper insert for your local grocery store. There is always some kind of special going on, and you can get what you need for a lot cheaper than full price.

Good luck, and you can do it!

sebaseth

I live in Florida and have a family of 4 to feed. I do understand how expensive it is at the grocery store. I have been shopping at Sam's club and I always get a large bag of frozen green beans & brocolli both less that $5 each. And I get a bag of frozen chicken tenders(no breading) for $12.50 and I also buy a couple whole chickens for 78 cents a pound. After that I go to Sweetbay and purchase my red meats that are marked down because they expire the next day. I just put them in the freezer as soon as I get home. I do buy a bag of potatoes for my family and for fruit I buy a bag of apples and sometimes splurge on what evers on sale. This week I bought 2 pineapples for $2.50 each at Sam's Club. I try to stay away from the middle isles at the grocery store and only shop the perimeters.

watch48win

do you have a way to roast a chicken? Because I can roast a chicken and feed my family of 4 for at least 3 days, so you could stretch it out even longer.

I know I can do dinner the first night, make a healthy casserole the next, and the a pot of soup from one chicken on day three.....and toss a couple of sandwiches for lunch ( depending on the side of the chicken).

If you don't have a stove or way to roast......I know that even Walmart sells already roasted chickens...just a thought...not sure how tight the budget is, but you can by a roaster for about 4-5 bucks and you can stretch it for days...

arewethereyet

my friend found an area in her grocery that had bruised fruit, day old bread and such. She asked the manager what they do with the fruit that wasnt so pretty and he pointed her in this direction.

maybe you could check this out? :flowerforyou:

lauraj828

thank you so much for all of your tips! i really appreciate the help and support. great ideas!

songbyrdsweet

I have been in your same boat going on my 4th year now lol, and now my job has made me an assistant manager and eeking my hours up to 30 while I'm doing full-time classes, argh! It can be challenging, especially when you're on the go. I don't order out ever, so I have to prepare all my meals except dinner at work, because I allow a Healthy Choice meal then. I don't watch my sodium closely because when I do my hypotension gets worse and I get really lightheaded, so one frozen dinner 3 times a week isn't doing a ton of harm. When I grocery shop, I buy almost exactly the same stuff every time. I also eat at school a lot, sticking with salad bar w/ chicken breast or fish if they have it. My grocery list (prices rounded up):

Flax/Fiber Bread : 2.50
Oats: 2.00
Eggs (18): 2.50
2 Gal Milk: 6.00
Natural PB: 2.00
Greek Yogurt: 4/$4.00
Steamfresh Veggies: 3/$6.00
Canned Tuna: 5/$4.00
Mayo: 2.00
Fruit: varies, usually a few different pieces $3.00
Bag of Chicken Breast: 11.00
Box of fish fillets: 8.00
Healthy Choice Meals: 4/$10

So for $63, I can feed myself for about a month. The key is looking for sales (Food Lion is great) and to not order out so I save that money to buy stuff for multiple meals instead of just one.

mommared53

For coupons I go to www.coupons.com.

ericarey85

wal mart great great value brand now has a healthier line out called BeneFIT, its similar to Fiber one, but the foods are a LOT cheaper.