eating healthy is expensive

sunanmoon75

I'm sure this has been talked about, but I'm a newbie here. I have a family of 9 to feed and we go from 2 paychecks to 1 (mine) frequently. It's the nature of my husbands job but those time we have to live lean and feeding all the kids gets pretty pricey so I admit I don't or can't buy fresh veggies. Carbs are a lot cheaper and my kids like to eat. I do buy frozen and canned veggies but fresh fruit and veggies are beyond the budget. Luckily I'm learning that exercise is pretty much free and counting calories with MFP is really easy so far but I sometimes feel like lack of funds could make or break the whole thing. Anyone have ideas on incorporating fresh foods on a limited budget?

Moonblood

Do you have a farmers market? I've noticed you can get a lot of fresh fruits & veggies cheaper than the stores at my local one.

MikeSEA

Honestly, there are a few things that I prefer fresh (peppers, for example) but frozen works just as well almost all the time for me. Protein can be pricey if you're buying for that many, but lentils and beans are relatively cheap. If you can sneak some tofu in there, it's not bad either.

fbmandy55

I agree. Many people will argue this but my grocery bill has doubled since I started eating healthy. The price of fresh veggies is more than a can of them. The price of fesh meat is more than processed. The price of whole grains is more than processed and so on...

erickirb

buy fresh fruit and veggies that are in season, they are dirt cheap. It is out of town and out of season produce that costs a lot. On top of that you may want to look into getting dried beans and lentils (way cheaper then canned and way less sodium)

ctkennedy

Try farmer's markets and produce outlets (if there are any near you). Also eat what's in season; if the fruit or vegetable is in season the price will be lower. Buy beans and grains in bulk when you can. The beans require a little more work but they are cheaper and fill you up. Another suggestion is to make your own garden if it's possible.

gr3g08

although fresh fruit and veg are really good, they can be so expensive, i know iv just finished uni with no job so i understand not being able to afford it. However, frozen fruit and veg is just as good as eating the fresh stuff. Canned veggies that are in water are also just as nutritious. I think when budget is a problem, frozen veggies are great. PArticularly is you use supermarket 'own brand' things. I do, and i manage to save quite a lot of money. Also, iv found that greengrocers often have quite cheap fruit and veggies. If i go fresh, i go for whatevers on offer at the time

_GlaDOS_

Farmer's Markets are a good choice-- a lot of times you can find fresh produce for cheaper than at a grocery store, especially when it's near the end of the season for certain items.

I would also recommend produce delivery (do an internet search for produce delivery in your area). These farms will usually provide a box of produce to your door either weekly or bi-weekly, and you can usually choose a specific box size based on how much you want. I find the price to be reasonable for a huge box of groceries.

killerqueen17

OP, you're on the right track-- frozen and canned veggies are good (depending on the veggie) because you avoid wasting money on spoilage. For shelf-stable items, like oats, dry beans, and dry rice, try buying in bulk or at "ethnic" supermarkets (the Chinese supermarket near my house has THE BEST price on rice!!). As far as meat, don't just buy on a whim. Wait for a good sale and then buy extra to freeze.

It's tough being on one paycheck (we're doing it too), so I feel your pain... If you're in the US, have you looked into food stamps? It's really a great help if you are able to qualify.

EDIT: I was going to refer you to a great organization called Angel Food Ministries (http://www.angelfoodministries.com/) that my husband and I have used before, but it looks like they are out of funds!! How sad... so many people are struggling to get by that the charities cannot keep up with the demand...

kim_mc

Since our family has gone to eating healthier foods, we have almost doubled our grocery bill. Sad to think that it's cheaper to buy a bag of chips or pkg of cookies than it is to buy apples for the week....

amyellis5

Hi Donna, I'm new to this too and I feel your pain. I also have 9 mouths to feed in my house so I totally understand your situation. Fresh fruits and veggies are easy to find (and cheaper) in the summer but now that we're heading in to cooler weather, it's not so easy. I really watch the ads from my local grocery stores as they will run great sales on produce periodically. That's when I'll stock up and freeze or can some of to use later. There are lots of easy tips on Google on how to freeze fruits and veggies. I've also found that comparison shopping goes a long way. If I take a competitor's ad in to the store my grocer will usually match it. Good luck!

exacerbe

buy fresh fruit and veggies that are in season, they are dirt cheap. It is out of town and out of season produce that costs a lot. On top of that you may want to look into getting dried beans and lentils (way cheaper then canned and way less sodium)

This!

I find it cheaper to eat healthy, fresh/frozen fruits and veggies as long as I don't eat at restaurants or grab fast food. Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh ones... same with fruit. Find farmer markets... buy bulk! Your health is more important and your body will thank you.

jellybean1971

It doesn't help for right now but next year if you have the space put in a garden and if you don't have room for one, its amazing how many things you can grow in pots and planters. Or check to see if your area has a community garden then you get your exercise and your produce. Good luck.

For the moment try buying in season vegetables and fruit. My grocery store has an area that they sell bruised things for next to nothing you might have to cut a little bit of it out but its worth looking at.

You can stretch your budget with homemade soups and other things.

puggleperson

Do you have a walmart? The groceries there are very afforable and they have a low cal fat free version for almost everything. I suggest cheap healthy casseroles.. I make what I call "ghetto" casserols all the time with low fat healthy ingredients. Frozen Veggies are super cheap and extremely healthy... Frozen meals have a lot of sodium but they will still help you slim down... and I get mine at walmart for like under two bucks! Yogurts are also cheap at walmart, and there are always coupons for name brand yogurt..I couldn't even imagine what I would do with 7 kids!!!!!! Do you cut coupons? You should..even if you don't cut coupons for food (because it's usually processed crap) the money you save on other things like t.p, paper towel, shampoo, tooth brushes, tooth pastes can be saved and put towards food.. I always get those things for free when I cut coupons!!! Also huge pots of spaghetti witwhole wheat pasta and ground turkey (again at walmart, only like 4 bucks a pound) .. Whole Chickens brown rice.. The sky is the limit.. you must sit down and take it seriously at least once every week even if it does take time... Good luck

bcattoes

Eating healthy can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to cost much more than eating unhealthy.

Dried beans and brown rice are very inexpensive and super healthy. There's nothing wrong with frozen vegetables or fruit. The nutritional content is about the same as fresh. And, there is nothing wrong with using whole grain carbs to add bulk to a meal. Whole grains are good for us. Eggs, white fish such as pollock, haddock, or tilapia are usually good inexpensive protein sources. And peanut butter!

SeasideOasis

First, a wholesale club membership can go a LONG way.

For example, I can play 6.49 for several LBS of strawberries. Half the time, one third of that amount cost 5.99 in my local grocery. Greatest part, I can take the stem off right away and toss them in the freezer. They work great for a lot of thing.

My boyfriend and I, even though there is only two of us, have found we have SO much money on buying a lot of things frozen first, but that heat very well.

However, if that idea is not even slightly in your mind set...

Do to your local farmers market. Those are incredibly popular this time a year since gardens are in full bloom. You ca get produce at the LOWEST prices. Canned food isn't all as bad as it once ones. Just ready the labels very closely. I really enjoy Green Giant steamer veggies and their sodium isn't too bad. Its as close as I've ever had to fresh veggies without it being actually frozen.

erickirb

Since our family has gone to eating healthier foods, we have almost doubled our grocery bill. Sad to think that it's cheaper to buy a bag of chips or pkg of cookies than it is to buy apples for the week....

What? I am sorry but I don't know how much you pay for apples but here one apple is a lot cheaper than a bag of chips or a chocolate bar. A bag of apples might cost more, but you get so much more that per apple it is like 25-50% the price of a chocolate bar.

SeasideOasis

Eating healthy can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to cost much more than eating unhealthy.

Dried beans and brown rice are very inexpensive and super healthy. There's nothing wrong with frozen vegetables or fruit. The nutritional content is about the same as fresh. And, there is nothing wrong with using whole grain carbs to add bulk to a meal. Whole grains are good for us. Eggs, white fish such as pollock, haddock, or tilapia are usually good inexpensive protein sources. And peanut butter!

I agree with pretty much everything this person said...

Brown rice
Whole wheat (pasta, bread....etc)
GREAT ways ti bulk up without being unhealthy

pf3855

Grow your own and can them for the winter? May sound old fashioned but it's so easy to can tomatoes, corn, etc. The kids can and should help out with this. Do you have room for chickens? Free eggs?? I have friends that have chickens and I love fresh eggs!

erickirb

Do you have a walmart? The groceries there are very afforable and they have a low cal fat free version for almost everything.

Low cal and fat free versions of foods are usually less healthy then the full fat/calorie versions. stick with the real thing and just use less of it.

angeleyes4643

I find that frozen veggies are better for you than canned and taste better. Of course they aren't quite as good as fresh but you can find them alot of times where the ingredients are just the veggie no salt etc. I buy them during the 10 for 10 sales or when they are about a dollar a bag. Even the larger bags aren't that expensive (as you would probably need the large bag for 9 people).

Buy a couple of heads of lettuce or the bag salad on sale, add parmesan cheese and dressing. Our local grocery has 'manager's sales" once a week and I get bags of salad 1/2 off. If you have a store like Food4less or Aldi's you can get veggies there cheap.

At Walmart you can buy huge bags of California blend veggies and Normandy blend veggies for about $6. We add these to rice and make stir fry.

Hope these ideas help.

lil_kitty151

If there are 9 of you living on one paycheck at times you probably qualify for some type of government assistance. Not that it's the most exciting thing to think about, but that's one avenue to explore. There is assistance for utilities and housing too, not just food. So if you don't qualify for food the others stiff may be options. There is also medication assistance you might qualify for.

As everyone else has said, farmer's markets, in season produce, and canned/frozen in natural juices or water with no sugar/salt added are the way to go.

chevy88grl

Is it possible for you to really stock up when you have 2 paychecks so when you're down to one you have some stuff available to you?

Do you have an Aldi near you? They are a lower cost food store that could really help you out with the basics (like fruits, veggies, and bread).

You could also try a place like Sam's Club or Costco - you have to pay for the membership but you could really stock up on meat and stuff.

I buy frozen fruits and veggies a lot because I don't want to spend money on stuff that MAY go bad in my fridge. So, I buy a big bag of them and then I'm set for awhile.

Shop the sale ads. Look through the ads and see what is on sale. Places like Wal Mart will let you price match, so you don't have to run to a bunch of stores. Also, when shopping for meat - look for ones with an orange sticker. They are reduced for quick sale because their sell by date is either that day or the next. As long as you either a) take it home and cook it that day OR b) take it home and freeze it, it'll be fine!

laurad1406

Do you cut coupons? You should..even if you don't cut coupons for food (because it's usually processed crap) the money you save on other things like t.p, paper towel, shampoo, tooth brushes, tooth pastes can be saved and put towards food.. I always get those things for free when I cut coupons!!!

this! I have been able to "up" my food budget by saving on toiletries and such...see if your grocery store has double or triple coupon events, wait for an item to go on sale and you can always get it for VERY cheap or even free. I haven't had to buy body wash, razors or lotion in months, and I think I maybe spent $5 total on my stash of it all.

sunanmoon75

Thank you for your tips and responses! I always forget about tofu although I love it, I'll definately pick some of that up next time I'm at the market. And as a matter of fact I do have a farmers market close by 2x a week usually I'm running off the el to get to daycare so I don't stop, but I think I'll look at it next time its there.

As far as 7 kids, I have 4 step children who live with us 50/50, not that I feel I have to justify. I had my oldest at 15 and have worked very hard to raise him right and when I got married 4 years ago my oldest was 16 and I figured I had done ok by him and the step kids so why not have one more? I will admit #7 was a surprise! But the best surprise I ever had. So yes, we have 7 kids ages 1-20 and i will apologize to no one for that personally I'm having the time of my life.

bcattoes

Since our family has gone to eating healthier foods, we have almost doubled our grocery bill. Sad to think that it's cheaper to buy a bag of chips or pkg of cookies than it is to buy apples for the week....

Really?? I could get 2 bags of apples where I live for the price of a bag of Cheetoes. Apples grow here though so may be cheaper.

Spongebaberoundpants

If you don't have room for a garden, you can always plant veggies in a flower pot and either hang them or set them outside. I did that when I moved from TX to ND (brrrr) and I couldn't grow much up there but snow lol

chevy88grl

Thank you for your tips and responses! I always forget about tofu although I love it, I'll definately pick some of that up next time I'm at the market. And as a matter of fact I do have a farmers market close by 2x a week usually I'm running off the el to get to daycare so I don't stop, but I think I'll look at it next time its there.

As far as 7 kids, I have 4 step children who live with us 50/50, not that I feel I have to justify. I had my oldest at 15 and have worked very hard to raise him right and when I got married 4 years ago my oldest was 16 and I figured I had done ok by him and the step kids so why not have one more? I will admit #7 was a surprise! But the best surprise I ever had. So yes, we have 7 kids ages 1-20 and i will apologize to no one for that personally I'm having the time of my life.

And you shouldn't have to apologize, defend nor explain yourself!

Leola2011

OP, (dry) beans and rice. Casseroles that make veggies stretch. Buying seasonally and locally. And the biggest change of all for my family was changing our notion of what the "main course" is. Many Eastern countries use meat for flavor rather than as the main dish. This makes nutritional and economic sense. Also, there are many things that you can make at home from scratch that are marked up in the grocery store just for convenience's sake. The biggest example? Bisquik! Make your own and store it for casseroles, pancakes, etc.

stahleyaz1

Of course fresh is always better, but the frozen veggies now come in the steam packs, which actually keep the nutrients in the veggie so they are a good alternative. I watch for big sales and then stock up on them so that I have them when we need to spend less. Also, we buy a lot of our lean meats in bulk, the break it down to meal sizes and use a Food Saver to preserve them in the freezer. I have to admit that I only have a family of 4, but I have found eating healthy to be less expensive because the junk is pretty pricy...

flausa

Check to see if your local supermarket has a "seconds" section. This is produce that is either not pretty enough to go on the regular shelf and gets sold off dirt cheap! I just picked up a kilo of cherry tomatoes for 25p and 1 kilo of purple sprouting broccoli (which is usually extortionate) for 29p. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the quality/taste of the items, and I don't mind eating an "ugly" peach if it costs me a quarter of the price! If you don't spot a seconds section, find someone who works in the produce department and ask what they do with the castoffs (they might be happy for you to help take them off your hands). Most shops here also mark down items on their sell by date. This is an excellent time to buy meats on the cheap and freeze them.