CHEAP and Healthy HELP!!!

LizzieBee17

Hello everybody,

I am in need of some serious advice. I am a single mother of 3. I have been putting off my weight loss long enough and one of my biggest issues is my budget. I don't know how to eat healthy and stay in my budget. When I say it needs to be cheap, it really needs to be cheap. I need recipes that are healthy, cheap and kid friendly (let's not forget adult friendly).

My son is 17 and eats non-stop (not that he gains an ounce) so I really need more bang for my buck.


any suggestions?

SandersWifey

Bump!!
Good question!

annie_p

Uhh...yeah. I have no idea! I really need help in this area too. A big thing I've heard is stretching burger by using rice. It's kind of the same texture, lol.

LovelySnugs

one TINY thing that i've been doing the last month or two to save money is buying berries in bulk (they're cheap right now, sometimes as cheap as 18 cents an ounce) and freezing them in 1-cup portions. they make great snacks and smoothie add-ins.

i'm also a big fan of couponing. i make my grocery list, then go through the Sunday inserts, All You Magazine, and even look online. I'm not one of those creepy super-couponers, but on a good trip, i have coupons for about 80% of the items i was gonna buy anyways. i also plan my meals around store circulars, based on what's on sale that week. in a good week, i can feed my family of three for about $75. you see all kinds of crazy deals at local stores - i.e. drumsticks for 50cents/lb or big bags of salad mix for a buck apiece, stuff like that.

ETA: oh, and bulk-buying dry products like rice, beans, nuts, etc. once you've learned how to incorporate things like that into your cooking, you can save a TON of money.

MMAsac

This is a really good question. Here's the things I do. I am not all about this you half to eat this and not that. I also believe it doesnt need to be organic to be good for you. Small decisions can be just as good for you. Just try replacing things like white bread with wheat or rye bread. Get whole grain pastas instead of white. Also, you dont have to eat salads. I eat what I ate before I started this 60 lbs ago. I eat the SAME FOODS! But now I just watch and pay attention to my portion sizes and Dont OVER EAT the way I use to.

syates83

Fruits and Veggies that are in season are healthy and much cheaper than the packaged up versions...summer is awesome for fruit salads...peaches, strawberries, apples, pineapples, cherries, grapes and oranges are all pretty reasonable right now. For veggies, my favorites to make with dinner are carrots, red potatoes, broccoli and I use green bell pepper and onion when I'm grilling. My grocery budget is being spent on formula and diapers...counting down the days until we can switch to regular milk. 2 more months!

Also, instead of buying name brand, try the store brands...we are lucky that we have HEB, some of their store brand items are cheaper and tastier than the real thing. Coupons can help too for the things you have to buy name brand (cleaning products, etc).

Stick to the isles with less processed foods and usually the more convenient the packaging, the more the cost.

Good luck, you can do this...for you and for those 3 kids that want to see their mom become super fit!

chmie662

I'd go the Sam's Club/Costco/BJ's route with non-perishable things. You can get a bunch of chicken and freeze 1lb sections in seporate zip-loc bags. Big box of veggie pasta. Fiber bars (the Kellogs Fiber plus in Dark Choc Almond are amazing). Jello-sugar free pudding. Steamable vegtables. Almond milk (much healthier, tastes great, and lasts longer than regular milk) Stuff like that. Coupon clipping is always good too and I've found that it costs about the same as calorie filled snacks at the store. Organic is the expensive route.

I find that I actually have been saving money eating healthier and planning meals vs eating out. I would just always have something handy so that way you don't resort to grabbing whatever you can find. Lean Cuisine type meals prob aren't the healthiest but they're good to have on hand. You can find them on sale a lot and they make a great lunch. I try not to limit myself either, I just get a healthier version. ie: If I want something sweet I'll get the sugar free pudding or 100 calorie ice cream. if I want bread I'll get whole wheat sandwhich thins. I found I relapsed way too easily when cutting everything delicious out.

ChantalGG

look for the chicken breast and lower calories meats to go on sale ad then buy a few of them to freeze. Bulk packs of cereals, and buying the big bags of brown rice will save you soo much. the other day i made a sidekicks noodle pack, (:s) but what i did was add a cup of raw shredded cabbage to the mix and an extra cup of water and it made more and cut the sodium and calories. I just look for the sales, look for the non processed stuff to go on sale. Oh yah COUPONS are fantastic. there are lots of coupon sites check them out.

katyalaniz

FRUITS and VEGGIES!!!

It amazes me, when shopping for produce, how much cheaper that is than packaged meals or eating out. Now, of course, you can't eat that solely for every meal. But try making this a major part of your diet everyday, and you will see a difference - it's super filling, and relatively cheap. Especially if you have (or know someone who has) a Costco, Sam's Club, etc. membership.....that's where some awesome savings (and stocking up) can happen!

Honestly, for your situation, get a Costco card - when I finally broke down and got one, it paid for itself within 3 visits to the store! Bulk chicken breast, chicken drumsticks, frozen veggies, fresh fruit....we tear it up everytime! lol

You can do this! When the kids get home, it's watermelon time. At dinner, chicken and LOTS of sides (broccoli, green beans, whole grain bread, cheese slices). Good luck!

shonasteele

Good question! It's so frustrating that you can eat a box of mac & cheese for a buck but a plate of fresh veg & some protien costs at least 5 times as much!

Try googling 'eating healthy on a budget' or 'budget gourmet' or something like that and see what you get. I know there are lots of sites to help save money on household stuff & groceries so try doing some digging and see what you can find. Good luck!

YoungGma29

Wish I could be more help, but the truth as I see it is it is VERY difficult to lose weight when you can't afford all of the healthier choices. Been there done that. Try changing little things in your diet. The little changes won't hurt the budget so much and will make a HUGE difference initially in your weight loss. Like the butter you use. Either eliminate it or change to a lower fat or healthier option. I like Brummel & Brown. Use 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk. Don't do fried foods. Do baked or grilled. Cut down on the portion sizes. Measure your portions to make sure you are not really eating 3 portions instead of one. You'd be amazed how easily that hapens. Drink LOTS of water. Believe it or not, water comsumption makes a huge difference also. Watch the amount of salt you are using. Better to eliminate it all together, but that is hard to do. So start eliminating a little at a time. Also, I don't know if you cook fresh meals or if you do the frozen foods options, but fresh cooked sometimes makes a difference in weight loss as opposed to the frozen foods. All of these changes are also healthier for your children and won't hurt them a bit. Better they learn and get used to these things now rather than as adults as we are having to do.

Good Luck and I am sure you will get there :flowerforyou:

dls06

Check out this site.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet9SmartShopping.pdf
It has a lot of really good suggestions.
Also coupons are always great.

LessMe2B

Burritos:

No Fat refried beans (season the heck out of them)
Fat Free sour cream (Tillamook is the best)
Salsa
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes (Roma's most flavorful)
Onions
Cheese (sparingly due to calories and price)
Tortillas (corn have the best numbers for dieting)

Now to make it teenager friendly:
Brown some ground beef so they can have tacos
Thick flour fajita tortillas

I make this at least once a week; healthy burritos for the hubs and I, and yummy tacos for the skinny kids. :bigsmile:

Just thought of another:

Throw frozen chicken breasts and 1/2 a jar of salsa in a slow cooker in the morning. When you get home stir it up so the chicken falls apart and mix in some fat free sour cream (maybe 1 tbsp per 3 chicken breasts). At dinner time that yummy slop can go into tortillas with some vegies, on rice, on bread, or whatever. This is very filling and you can take it to work the next day because it's just as good cold.

NancyAnne1960

Look up a recipe for navy bean and ground beef soup. I made it, it's quite inexpensive for the amount it makes. It only takes a small amount to fill full so it stretches a bit too. I added extra vegis to it to make it even healthier. Basically I found it to fill me up, so I didn't want to eat much more throughout the day, which of course saved on the cost of other groceries. Also, when you buy mutli-grain bread, get those that aren't already sliced. You can slice it into smaller pieces and stretch if further. Broccoli is a less expensive vegi, so add it to everything that you make. I also make a meatloaf filled with shredded vegi's. Frozen vegi's are good too in case you can't eat all of the fresh before they spoil, and again have waste. Just my thoughts. Good luck!!

kimmerroze

There are lots of other posts on the forum boards so definately search for them there is some good advice there.

There is also a recipe message board where lots of people have posted their recipes.

Here is a list of my cheapest recipes I have used

CHILLI- cooked in a crock pot, you can make a TON beans are cheap tomatoes onions and celery are cheap, Buy a whole chicken or use a few chicken breasts and throw in there with a little water or chicken broth, and you are good to go.

RICE- super cheap good for you, make it with steamed veggies on top with seasonings and maybe a little bit of melted cheese and you are good to go.

PASTA- is cheap and easy to make, you can buy a box of spaghetti noodles (whole wheat) on sale for a dollar, and a jar of sauce is usually 2 dollars that is three dollars for a meal, steam some veggies and you are good to go.

FROZEN FOOD- Veggies, fruit chicken and hamburgers are all found in the frozen food section if you have a costco, you should stock up, they are usually cheaper than buying fresh

CLEARANCE MEAT- Stores have clearance meat sections, its meat that is past the time in which they are allowed to keep it on thier shelves, there is NOTHING wrong with it and you can get SCREAMING deals, Stock up when you find them.

BISQUICK- you can make pancakes, biscuits, etc out of this stuff so you don't have to buy a bunch of different mixes, it isn't 100% healthy but if you eat it in moderation is can be

CEREAL- oatmeal and Cream of wheat are easy quick and you get a LOT for your money, Cereal in bulk is cheaper than cereal in the box, unless you can find it on sale, I got 6 boxes of cereal for like 3 dollars one time. I totally stocked up.

DAIRY-Buy block cheese over shredded, buy the tubs of yogurt instead of the individuals unless they are on a sale, buy grade b eggs, buy margarine instead of butter, and buy store brand of milk.

When shopping healthily, shop the outter rim of the store first, that is what is most healthy, wander to the middle isles as little as possible.

Buy produce of the season, (you dont need to buy organic) farmers markets are going to be less expensive than stores. Shop ads before you go that way you know what store is cheaper. Apples are super cheap and so are bananas, onions tomatoes carrots and potatoes are also really cheap.

And remember, your kids will eat what you make them, they may be used to different Unhealhty things because that is what they are used to, make them healthy things and they will soon learn to like them. Your son may be 17 and can eat a whole horse but he certainly doesn't need to. Make sure he isn't eating just cuz he is bored or because of any reason other than actually being hungry.

pa_jorg

What about looking into a CSA farm for fresh, local veggies. I belong to one and get a ton of produce each week!
Use this site to locate one near you: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

luv_lea

I'm still trying to figure this one out as well (just last nights shopping trip I noted how laughing cow low calorie cheese and soy milk are soo expensive!!!) But a few things I've done so far is switching from regular noodles (when making spagetti etc.) to whole grain noodles which are the same price. I have been buying ground turkey burger instead of ground beef to add in spaghetti, taco's, etc. I even buy turkey breasts now instead of pork chops or chicken breasts because they are good and seem healthy. Instead of buying the the already chopped up/packaged fruits and veggies sold at Walmart- I just buy the whole thing for more than half the price and cut it all up myself (for example I used to buy pre-packaged/prepared celery for roughly 3.50, then last night I just got a whole package of celery for 1.50 and cut it up myself and got way more!!)

That's all I've come up with so far.

canela023

I'm a single Mom of 2 young boys (7&9) who need that extra fat to keep growing. I have substituted turkey over meat when making tacos or meatloaf. I have tried to have all of us eat dinner with a salad, of course mine is always bigger
A good idea that i have done before and need to do more often is to use the crockpot for my meals. I can usually get 3 or 4 days worth out of one day of cooking, then it's just reheating mine, while i make their dinner.
Luckily, for me I'm not a big sweet eater because there are always some time of doughnuts, cakes, or something else in the house for them to have for dessert.

Looking forward to hearing what other Moms are doing.

luv_lea

There are lots of other posts on the forum boards so definately search for them there is some good advice there.

There is also a recipe message board where lots of people have posted their recipes.

Here is a list of my cheapest recipes I have used

CHILLI- cooked in a crock pot, you can make a TON beans are cheap tomatoes onions and celery are cheap, Buy a whole chicken or use a few chicken breasts and throw in there with a little water or chicken broth, and you are good to go.

RICE- super cheap good for you, make it with steamed veggies on top with seasonings and maybe a little bit of melted cheese and you are good to go.

PASTA- is cheap and easy to make, you can buy a box of spaghetti noodles (whole wheat) on sale for a dollar, and a jar of sauce is usually 2 dollars that is three dollars for a meal, steam some veggies and you are good to go.

FROZEN FOOD- Veggies, fruit chicken and hamburgers are all found in the frozen food section if you have a costco, you should stock up, they are usually cheaper than buying fresh

CLEARANCE MEAT- Stores have clearance meat sections, its meat that is past the time in which they are allowed to keep it on thier shelves, there is NOTHING wrong with it and you can get SCREAMING deals, Stock up when you find them.

BISQUICK- you can make pancakes, biscuits, etc out of this stuff so you don't have to buy a bunch of different mixes, it isn't 100% healthy but if you eat it in moderation is can be

CEREAL- oatmeal and Cream of wheat are easy quick and you get a LOT for your money, Cereal in bulk is cheaper than cereal in the box, unless you can find it on sale, I got 6 boxes of cereal for like 3 dollars one time. I totally stocked up.

DAIRY-Buy block cheese over shredded, buy the tubs of yogurt instead of the individuals unless they are on a sale, buy grade b eggs, buy margarine instead of butter, and buy store brand of milk.

When shopping healthily, shop the outter rim of the store first, that is what is most healthy, wander to the middle isles as little as possible.

Buy produce of the season, (you dont need to buy organic) farmers markets are going to be less expensive than stores. Shop ads before you go that way you know what store is cheaper. Apples are super cheap and so are bananas, onions tomatoes carrots and potatoes are also really cheap.

And remember, your kids will eat what you make them, they may be used to different Unhealhty things because that is what they are used to, make them healthy things and they will soon learn to like them. Your son may be 17 and can eat a whole horse but he certainly doesn't need to. Make sure he isn't eating just cuz he is bored or because of any reason other than actually being hungry.

Great suggestions!! & especially the last part; I was weary of putting whole wheat noodles and turkey in spaghetti last night....then I hear my son scarfing it down and said "mom I love this!" I was like...ok, cool.

MrBrown72

Making food yourself (as opposed to the box from the freezer) is generally cheaper than buying prepackaged foods and almost always healthier.

For instance a bag of flour and some baking powder can make a dozens of pancakes (not that pancakes will help you loose weight) for less than the box of 5 cakes in the frozen food isle. You can even make your cakes the right size to freeze, and put in the toaster for later in the week. may not be weight conscious for you, but it will do for the eating machine that is a teen-ager.

You can find all sorts of health conscious recipes on the internet. Workout sites, health sites, even just general recipe sites like:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Main.aspx?prop24=PN_2.4.4_SN.Healthy

or if you like to get to the nuts and bolts of cooking:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/


I like to do most of my cooking on the weekend and just have it all ready for the week ahead. I can do all the math on what I'll be eating ahead of time and reduce my cooking time to about 15 to 20 minutes a day for the week days.
Just check the recipe, do the math on calories and content and cook away.

bluellies

Definitely been there--DH was laid off for a year, I was down to 25 bucks a week to feed a family of four. Ended up me not eating, but I did learn a few tricks during that time to save money. Post is very long, but I found that if I saved money in other places I'd have more to spend where I needed it.

For food I totally advocate the use of coupons, price comparing, and price matching. Every Tue when I get the circulars I go through and circle everything that is an awesome price. I then check my coupon stash (and go to a few online couponing sites) and see if I missed anything. Then I head to the store. I'm lucky to have 2 grocery stores, Walmart/Target, ALDI, CVS, and Walgreens all within 2 miles of each other, so I start at one end and work towards the other. I get most of my items from walmart, but if there is an online, unadvertised, or text deal (check your local grocery store websites) I'll stop in at the actual store instead of price matching at WM. You'd be amazed at what you can save money on! I don't spend but pennies on personal care products, big discounts on paper towels/TP/etc...definitely worth looking into couponing. Especially if you're lucky (I"m not) and have double or triple coupon stores. Bonus if your state doesn't charge sales tax on coupons (mine doesn't )

For saving money in other areas (so that you have a bit more to buy healthier foods) there are a ton of little things that you can do that will add up. The more you do the better: unplug everything when not in use, switch to CFL's (or better yet LED's, they don't produce the dirty electricity and last even longer, but pricier), lower wattage in bulbs and use fewer (make sure you dno't use 3 40 watt for a 120 watt, that actually uses more) turn down your water heater and air conditioner (keep curtains closed when sun shining in), stop up your sink with a bit of water to rinse dishes instead of running water, run your dishwasher/washer in the middle of the night (cheaper electricity), air dry dishwasher, shave legs in sink instead of shower, time showers, use rechargable batteries (sam's gets your started with 6 batteries and 15 min charger for 20 bucks), use a LED night light if you have to have one (dollar tree), automatic light timers in closets/bathrooms (again bought at Sam's, if you have little ones who constantly leave lights on they save tremendously on bulbs/electricity), bury soaker hoses in veggie gardens and use rain barrells...these area few things that we do to save on utility bills. You'll notice quite a few have to do with water--when we moved in our water bills were regularly 150 (VERY high water prices here). We've cut that down a third, and are going to install 1/2 flush toilets to cut it down even further.

Another huge money saver is to make some of your cleaning supplies. I use vinegar/water for almost everything in my house. http://www.versatilevinegar.org/researchnews.html This link shares some studies, and if you google the terms vinegar, cleaning, antibacterial, fungus, mold, virus, germs you'll find even more. I clean my windows, floors, toilets, counters, walls, cuttingboards, fresh fruit/veggies, just about everything. I have different bottles (dollar tree) filled with different strengths. I do have Lysol and bleach, but only use these sparingly and for certain instances. This saves a TON of money, and the only drawback is the initial smell. It evaporates away, and when it does it actually helps to clean the air! Really, truly, a miracle.

The other big way I save money is by how I drive. I accelerate and brake slowly, don't drive over 55, and whatdya know...I get 100 more miles to the tank that my husband! He ride shares, and when he has the truck he gets 400 miles to a tank, I get 500. Gas prices are unbelievable, so every little it helps.

There are many other ways of saving money, but I'd be here all day Do a bit of searching online, there are many great resources to help save money.

LizzieBee17

:flowerforyou: Thank you, thank you, thank you.... awesome advice

btor

bump!

thedreamhazer

I just started blogging my recipes, all of which are relatively healthy, filling, and cheap. Mind, the portions on all of them are for two people since that's all I cook for!

Bulk up on healthy staples, is my main advice, and cook A LOT. Don't buy pre-prepared foods whenever possible. I make all of my dough for cooking from scratch --- homemade pie crusts, tortillas, biscuits, dumplings, etc. It barely adds any time to my cooking/prep --- twenty minutes tops, during which time I just catch up on my favorite tv shows!

That's all I can recommend. I'm really into small replacements vs. dietary restrictions. ie -- I buy low fat dairy, use egg whites (yes, even in baking), cut out oil and butter in all my cooking (and everything still tastes good!), use ground turkey instead of ground beef (I don't eat beef anyway, so this one is a bit of a cop out), etc. I also buy a mix of frozen and fresh veggies --- delicate veggies that go bad quickly? Buy them frozen. Longer lasting ones (potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, etc) I buy fresh as needed, since this is a cheaper and healthier option for me most of the time.


Hope this helps!

mandie26

Some suggestions: Frozen veggies (corn, peas, beans), rice & pasta in bulk, canned soup...etc.

To be honest, to lose weight, your best bet is definitely fresh fruits and vegetables...the ones that are in season should be the cheapest .

Good luck!

peacehawk

I was the youngest of 11 kids, with one parent working full time and the other part ime. Here are some of the things my mom did and we did as a family:
Soup, stew & chili are all cheap ad easy
The freezer was our friend
We had a huge garden and we were all responsible to do our part in prepping the soil, planting, weeding, harvesting, canning, freezing and cooking the vegies
Save ham bones and turkey carcasses for soup (they freeze well),
Ground beef (today, ground turkey or sirloin) was frequently seen
We got healthy stuff for a god price through a food co-op
Bean soup, refried beans, chili with beans (we were a musical bunch)
We took turns helping mom in the kitchen, this is a precious memory for most of us. We learned how to cook, we got special and rare one on one time with mom, we got to choose what to make for part of the meal and we got to see where food comes from.
She had special "hands off" food that were hers and hers alone (to this day, I love cottage cheese, probably because it was one of those special treats for her)
We watched movies together at home on Sunday night. That was the only day we got pop or cool aide. We made homemade popcorn so mom couold control how much salt and butter went on it.
Very rarely were premade things or boxed mixes brought in to the house. We learned that overly sweet or overly salty stuff tasted bad and other, better flavors were hidden by too much
If we wanted chips or candy, we used our own money for it
We made our gifts for each other, no buying expected.

Things she did that I do NOT recommend:
Adding soybeans and too much breadding to meatloaf to stretch the money (totally gross. I. Was in my late 20s before I realized I liked meatloaf)
Ditto with hamburger patties (age12)
Use powdered milk to drink (it's gross). It's okay to cook with though (although it may save on your milk bill)

weeze_h

What I've found is I'm an 'almost veggie' ;-) just don't like an awful amount of any kind of meat but my other half does so I'll buy maybe £10 of veg a week, anything on offer but a good mix this week (of both frozen and fresh)was peas, carrots, peppers, brocolli, mushrooms, onions, spinach and tomatoes. also buy butchers chicken in bulk and freeze (20 breasts for £20)
Then one night we may have Chicken stir fry but later in the week we'll have Egg stir fry. We may have chicken fajitas with lots of veg also then later in the week fajitas made with veggies, couscous and canned mixed beans. By not always having meat every night and just watching my portion sizes I have lost 10lbs in about 4 weeks.

Chicken or egg stir fry with all the veggies listed above and 1/2 jar Sharwoods stir fry sauce was 595 cals.
Fajitas with couscous was 523 cals (i only had one wrap though plus the rest of the couscous and veg in a bowl as we ran out of wraps!)

I would recommend couscous its 160 cal for half a pack (I use Tescos own make and im sure its under £1) and added to veggies or stuffed peppers is really nice and i find quite filling although even a whole pack at 320cals if you can manage it, add that to some veggies and theres a low cal, low price meal.

Hope this helps :-)

BattyMama

I add re-fried black beans in to our ground beef and we use a lot of frozen veggies and fruit also we hit the farmers markets in our area on average I send about 100 feeding a family of 5 for a week and no one walks away hungry I also keep home-made fruit salad in the fridge all summer its a great breakfast and snack and if i want something sweet home-made whipped cream. I also plan our meals around the fliers for the stores i shop. Good luck

CraftyGirl4

First things first, you may want to check into your local SNAP (formerly food stamps) program. In your situation, you may qualify for assistance. It's supplemental help when buying food, so it's worth checking into.

Second, all of these other suggestions have been awesome. I think my suggestions would be quite simple as well. Canned beans (dried are even cheaper) are fantastic. Eggs are about 15 cents a piece. Milk or soymilk are cheap. In season veggies (frozen for out of season that you really want and want to taste as good as if they were in season). Canned tuna for lean protein.

dot513

bump:happy:

newbeautifulme

Hillbilly Housewife is an awesome resource for frugal home cooking.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/