There is no $$ in weight loss

tistal

That is why I coupon. I always save on Almond Milk and Kashi products, especially cereal. A couple of weeks ago I got 10 boxes of Kashi Go Lean for 1.24 a box! Silk always has coupons. There are even coupons for frozen veggies, yogurt all the time, Silk, eggs, bagged salad, Progresso light soups, I could go on and on. There are always ways to save.

PlunderBunneh

Maybe a sample shopping list would help those of us who try to eat healthy and over spend????

I'll do you one better, I'll give you my dinner list for twelve meals. I shop the sales and go from there, and this entire list cost me $180 bucks and was enough for my family of four, lunches, and three nights where friends stopped by to have dinner with us.

1) spaghetti with chunky ragu sauce with ground turkey and oven roasted summer squash
2) sauteed chicken breast with light seasonings (olive oil, oregano, garlic, whatever I feel like that night that's in my cabinet) and a pasta box, oven roasted broccoli with garlic and mushrooms
3) marinated salmon (costco, $9 for a box of 6 fillets) with steamed rice and steamed broccoli
4) buffalo meatloaf, mashed red potatoes, steamed carrots (my one allowance to husband...he adores meatloaf and I caught the ground buffalo on a great sale)
5) chicken applewood sausage sauteed with fresh peppers and onions
6) grilled chicken breast diced over steamed rice and carrots, zucchini, broccoli medley with a soy/sesame sauce
7) whole chicken roasted over quartered red potatoes and carrots with simply drop biscuits (company night)
8) green peppers stuffed with ground turkey, black beans, rice and tomato/pepper mix (this one fed us lunch all weekend, so much leftover)
9) marinated salmon pt 2 with cauliflower patties
10) crockpot casserole - frozen chicken breast, healthy choice mushroom soup, two cans of green beans, stuffing (beware the sodium in this one though)
11) buffalo sausage links with grilled peppers, zucchini and onion
12) steamed rice, black beans and salsa with any leftover veggies cooked and mixed in

The market I shop had a wonderful sale on fresh peppers, carrots, and potatoes this week, so many of my meals worked with those. The $180 also included cow milk, almond milk, coffee, creamer, hummus, bread, and oatmeal, along with some other kitchen staples that I'm sure I'm forgetting. The heaviest meal on here was the meatloaf, but I just had a smaller portion and loaded up the carrots.
I buy my chicken breasts from costco, it costs about $20 for 8 packs with 1.5 - 2 pounds in each pack. I buy almost all of my veggies fresh, I find they taste so much better and there's much more I can do with them. It's really inexpensive to buy the ingredients for salads and have those for lunch, and as long as you are careful about what you put in them it can be really healthy too.

You can do this, you just have to be prepared to invest the time into finding sales and working your meals around that. Don't give up, using cost as an excuse to eat poorly is giving into the dollar menu theory, and we all know that's no good.

Mirth

If your produce is going bad before you use it, you might be buying too much at once. With fresh produce I've found that it works best to make multiple small trips to the store as non-staples are needed for meals. Only stock up on things that have a somewhat long shelf life (baby carrots are a go-to for me.) Also make sure you're storing your food properly. For example, if you pick up a head of lettuce that has been sitting under the misting display, don't put it in a sealed bag that traps the moisture. Take it home, wash it, pat it dry with some paper towels, and then store it. If you have something like a container of grape tomatoes and you notice one or two are going bad, toss just the bad ones before they infect the others that are still good to eat. Little things like this can make a big difference in how long your produce lasts and help stretch your money for all it's worth.

Keep an eye out for farmer's markets, coupons, etc.

You might also want to take a look at frozen veggies. The variety might not be wide but there is something to say for shelf life and convenience. Read the labels. The fewer ingredients, the better. Avoid pre-seasoned veggie mixes or the kinds that come with sauces. If you live in colder climates like I do, farmer markets are seasonal and with that, fresh produce has to travel further and further to reach you in the winter. The costs skyrocket. Frozen helps eat those costs a bit.

Trophyyf

I agree with some of what you are saying. However in my case I shop for a family of 7. Well I can't buy the "crap" for my kids and the good stuff for myself and my hubs. They need to start learning better food choices too. My grocery bill less then 2 weeks ago was $400.00 yesterday I spend another $430.00. I think I need to invest in more coupons!! LOL

Trophyyf

Hi Friends! Eating yummy, healthy meals does not have to be expensive. I think the biggest thing it requires is planning.

I posted this topic a while ago with some great tips from me and other very creative, frugal people. I hope it hepls you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/391578-eating-well-on-a-budget?hl=eating+well+on+a+budget&page=1#posts-5366010

Thanks!!!

Trophyyf

I just want to thank everyone for their input. Some of you have great ideas and I think as time goes on and this becomes a day to day way of living (lifestyle) that I will find more cost effective ways to have myself and my family eat healthier. I do know I need to use coupons it's just I don't have the patients to look for them and cut them and then I forget them, but I also always had a excuse for being "fat". So no more excuses I will only say I can try that!!!!!