Any suggestions of 'cheap' healthy foods?

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  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions! I always like stocking up on beans & pulses, it's just trying to think of exciting things to do with them ha!
    I only have a tiny freezer which makes it hard to buy a lot of frozen veg, but i'll have a scour round and see if theres any smaller bags kicking about :)
    What about meat etc? My boyfriends one of those people who doesn't think its a decent meal unless it has meat in it haha. Been buying a lot of turkey but getting slightly fed up of it!


    Maybe boyfriend can buy his own meat? Just an fyi, people spend, on average, 4000.00 per year on meat. Going veg is way cheaper than people think it is. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of tomato sauce and some cooked lentils makes a very yummy soup, that can last you all week long. I will put a couple of cups of chopped cabbage and hot sauce in mine. And meat can also be added to the soup as well. :)

    Good luck to you. It may seem like eating healthy is expensive, but if we stop buying stuff that is bad, then we see it is not as expensive as we once thought.
  • katmix
    katmix Posts: 296 Member
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    I'm a big fan of stores (we have at least several close by) that sell many goods in "bulk"...a great way to try things (especially if children are picky eaters) and an even better way to save money. One store offers a variety of rices, and I purchase and make my own healthy and inexpensive mix at home. Beans, peas, pastas and seasonings can also be purchased this way for cheap... As can baking supplies for healthy baked goods and breakfast items.

    Warehouse stores can be a great way to stock up on things you use continually...but if you have limited room and/or you don't use it enough, can be difficult to justify the cost to belong. It might be better to tag along with a friend who has a membership... And ask yourself just how many bottles of balsamic vinegar you really need/will go through in the next 6 months! :laugh:

    Someone mentioned knowing when your store put their meat on "mark-down". (Everyone should know this info!) However, I find that my local Fred Meyer meat that is $11.99 a pound, marked down to $8.99 due to expiration, still isn't an affordable choice for me. Check your prices! Often, their special of the week includes bargains...which of course if you have a freezer - I recommend stocking up on the items you really like. A for-instance is Fred's ham has consistently been $2.99-5.99 depending on brand. Recently they had a spiral-sliced ham special for $1.29 (and yes, I bought the last two!) which gave our family a great ham breakfast (for dinner) ham sandwiches, and finished it off at the end of the week with split pea soup (believe I paid .98 for the peas)...and then we ate on that for a few days!

    Bargains can be had if you know what prices are generally, which stores carry the quality of produce, meats and dairy that you like...and don't be afraid to hit friends and family up for the newspaper coupons that they won't use. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I was coupon queen (not-so-much these days) which is why it is important to be up on prices.
  • jhartram
    jhartram Posts: 165
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    One of the ways I used to reduce the cost of my meat (before my husband filled our freezer with wild game and I didn't have to worry about it anymore) was to buy the cheapest cuts, especially if they were on sale, and freeze them in kind of marinade.

    If you buy a round steak (for example) and cut it up into serving sizes and put them in freezer bags, split a box of low-sodium veggie stock between all the bags, add a tbsp of really cheap white wine (the $3/gallon stuff) and whatever your favorite seasoning is... then you have at least 4 meals worth (sometimes 6-8, if the round steak is big enough) of really good marinated meat... and the white wine tenderizes the meat so it's like a much more expensive cut.

    This only costs about $2 more than the cost of the meat itself, or $0.50 a meal, and you can either cook the meat right away (allow it a couple of hours to soak in) or freeze it and have it another day =D

    I like to stick a bag of marinated meat in with the veggies I'm going to serve in a gallon freezer bag, That way I can just pull it out and it's dinner in a bag... huge timesaver!

    Hope this helps!
  • gigiangelique
    gigiangelique Posts: 233 Member
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    I buy whats on sale and I go to a few stores to save $ . Frozen and canned are also great! I even find healthy things at the 99 cent store.
  • katmix
    katmix Posts: 296 Member
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    One of the ways I used to reduce the cost of my meat (before my husband filled our freezer with wild game and I didn't have to worry about it anymore) was to buy the cheapest cuts, especially if they were on sale, and freeze them in kind of marinade.

    If you buy a round steak (for example) and cut it up into serving sizes and put them in freezer bags, split a box of low-sodium veggie stock between all the bags, add a tbsp of really cheap white wine (the $3/gallon stuff) and whatever your favorite seasoning is... then you have at least 4 meals worth (sometimes 6-8, if the round steak is big enough) of really good marinated meat... and the white wine tenderizes the meat so it's like a much more expensive cut.

    This only costs about $2 more than the cost of the meat itself, or $0.50 a meal, and you can either cook the meat right away (allow it a couple of hours to soak in) or freeze it and have it another day =D

    I like to stick a bag of marinated meat in with the veggies I'm going to serve in a gallon freezer bag, That way I can just pull it out and it's dinner in a bag... huge timesaver!

    Hope this helps!

    What a great idea! Thanks for the tip...

    Also, cheap cuts tend to be tasty and tender when cooked on low heat for a bit longer, or put in a crockpot. My favorite go-to seasoning is Johnny's Garlic spread and seasoning (yeah, I get at Costco for the 18oz size, but DO go through it!) Good in so many different dishes/casseroles, put on chicken or beef (you can't tell that it's lower quality meat), and of course - homemade garlic bread! (AND, it's zero calories!)
  • deborawrrx
    deborawrrx Posts: 35
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    Thanks for the suggestions! I always like stocking up on beans & pulses, it's just trying to think of exciting things to do with them ha!
    I only have a tiny freezer which makes it hard to buy a lot of frozen veg, but i'll have a scour round and see if theres any smaller bags kicking about :)
    What about meat etc? My boyfriends one of those people who doesn't think its a decent meal unless it has meat in it haha. Been buying a lot of turkey but getting slightly fed up of it!


    Maybe boyfriend can buy his own meat? Just an fyi, people spend, on average, 4000.00 per year on meat. Going veg is way cheaper than people think it is. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of tomato sauce and some cooked lentils makes a very yummy soup, that can last you all week long. I will put a couple of cups of chopped cabbage and hot sauce in mine. And meat can also be added to the soup as well. :)

    Good luck to you. It may seem like eating healthy is expensive, but if we stop buying stuff that is bad, then we see it is not as expensive as we once thought.


    yes most definitely. i like to eat turkey & white fish, which isn't that expensive and i still get the protein i need. im not that big a fan of red meat anyway, so if he wants it he can buy it! i've found that using turkey mince instead of beef mince is a lot healthier and you also can't taste the difference.
    thanks a lot! :) x
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    Go to your local Trader Joe's! They have these Plantain Chips that are super yummy and healthy for two dollars! They also have other healthy snacks, such as Greek yogurt for one dollar :) You also can't go wrong with oatmeal.
  • Silverstar46
    Silverstar46 Posts: 187 Member
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    If I didn't have a good paying job, I'm not sure I could afford to do this. Yes, they have frozen veggies and fruits which are cheaper, but boneless skinless chicken is EXPENSIVE and whole wheat pastas and breads are too!

    I went ONLY to the outside of the grocery store the other day (none of the processed junk) and I spent $85 on what was mostly fruits and vegetables and a pack of chicken and frozen tilapia.

    I think the food industry WANTS us to be fat!
  • brandimacleod
    brandimacleod Posts: 368 Member
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    Buy meat on sale. And apples, bananas and oranges are almost always cheap. My mom taught me that the cheaper it is in the produce section, the fresher and "more in season" it is too, which means it tastes best. Doesnt help in winter...but its a great rule Spring-fall. and eggs are a great, cheap protein.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
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    Eggs are cheap and a great source of protein. At $1.18/dozen, I have breakfast for six days.
  • Maria_Goose
    Maria_Goose Posts: 247
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    http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/
    this is a really good website for recipe ideas that don't hurt the wallet

    Omgosh, thank you so much for sharing this!!
  • rbeatty63
    rbeatty63 Posts: 132
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    Shop at Aldi's if you have one. Plus, one of the reasons I like this site is because it calculates the nutritional values of your food choices. I think the 'national guidelines' are probably skewed by lobbyists. If a person who eats a daily bowl of rice with some veggies and a little fish or meat tossed in can live to be a ripe old age I think that ought to tell us something. We can be healthy if eat less, period. Don't mind me, I just get tired of all the nutritional hype "eat 1 cup of bell pepper daily" "drink 3 glasses of milk daily" "5 servings of veggies daily", "eat fish" "don't eat fish" etc. If we ate all the things the media tells we out to eat we'd never get up from the table. LOL!
  • karalynnroll
    karalynnroll Posts: 33 Member
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    I do meal planning, also. I used to do it 2 weeks at a time, but found that things went bad really fast. If you have a day free, chop necessary things to make your meals. For instance, cut up all of your vegetables and meat and put them in freezer bags. Make what you buy do double duty. If you use peppers for one meal, cut up extra for a snack. Usually fruits and vegetables are the cheap things, it's the meat that gets you price wise. A head of lettuce is cheap. So are carrots and green peppers. Buy meat on manager's special or frozen.
  • jworb
    jworb Posts: 146 Member
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    If you can handle a trip to the supermarket most days, go there late on in the evening when they reduce everything that is about to go out of date. It'll be fine for a day or two

    I agree - You can also call your supermarket and find out if they have a specific day/time when they reduce for "manager's specials." I stock up on lean beef and chicken when I see those stickers, then freeze what I'm not going to use right away.

    good luck!
  • christina0089
    christina0089 Posts: 709 Member
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    Do you have a store where you can buy in bulk? We have a GFS here and I go there for things like boneless skinless chicken and can usually find it for about 10-12 dollars for a bag with 14-16 chicken breast. That stretches like crazy! They also sell bags of mixed frozen veggies. I would def grab a bag of both as well as some chicken/vegetable stock and cook a huge pot of soup then divide it up into individual containers for the week! Also grab things like eggs, beans and and oatmeal all come at decent prices and stretch pretty well. Bananas, bellpepper, onion, carrots, celery, peanut butter, mushrooms. all go a ways AND cost less than the alternatives. :)

    good luck!
  • deborawrrx
    deborawrrx Posts: 35
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    Do you have a store where you can buy in bulk? We have a GFS here and I go there for things like boneless skinless chicken and can usually find it for about 10-12 dollars for a bag with 14-16 chicken breast. That stretches like crazy! They also sell bags of mixed frozen veggies. I would def grab a bag of both as well as some chicken/vegetable stock and cook a huge pot of soup then divide it up into individual containers for the week! Also grab things like eggs, beans and and oatmeal all come at decent prices and stretch pretty well. Bananas, bellpepper, onion, carrots, celery, peanut butter, mushrooms. all go a ways AND cost less than the alternatives. :)

    good luck!

    yes we have a shop over here called farmfoods which is pretty much a small supermarket chain dedicated to frozen food! you can get like 10/12 MASSIVE chicken breasts for around £8 which is about $12 i think? and they have loads of frozen veg and healthy ready meals too. i usually always go there to get my frozen stuff as it's so much cheaper than other supermarkets.
    thanks for the help! x
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Shop the circulars online and decide what to buy where. Between the three closest stores to me, at least one of them always has boneless, skinless chicken breast at $1.99 a pound as long as you get at least 5#. Separate it into storage bags, and freeze what you won't use immediately. A lot of times, things like marinaded pork tenderloins are buy one get one free, so I'll get two of those, and freeze the one I won't cook right away. I check for markdowns on other meats... sometimes they're half off if their close to their sell-by date. Again, freeze if you're not going to eat it right away.

    Frozen veggies are great. I like the mixed bags where they're already sorted by cuisine type, Oriental blend, Italian blend, Pepper & Onion stir fry, etc. Makes cooking dinner so much easier, and they're usually about $1.99 for a one pound bag.

    Sometimes one shop has "buy one, get TWO free" specials on bread or English Muffins. I store the one I'm using in the fridge, and pop the other two in the freezer. Take them out the night before you're going to use them.

    Two of the stores sometimes have "Oops, we made too much" specials on store-made baked goods. I don't care if it's a day old... anything I buy today will be a day old tomorrow anyway! Same goes for fruits and veggies that are a little past their prime.

    For me, it's mostly a matter of knowing what a good normal price is or all the regular items I buy, and then deciding if it's worth making a special trip to another store if it's not a good price. My husband likes Lean Pockets for a quick and easy breakfast. I can usually get them for around $2 a box. I will pay $2.19 to avoid going to another store, but not $2.49 a box. :tongue:
  • jennacle
    jennacle Posts: 8 Member
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    http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/
    this is a really good website for recipe ideas that don't hurt the wallet

    This is fabulous, thank you!
  • anothershipman
    anothershipman Posts: 10 Member
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    Anything that is 'in season' will be much cheaper than foods that are not. Also anything frozen will probably be cheaper too! :)
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    If you have a Sam's club in your area it is worth the membership fee. Can get chicken breasts in my store for 1.97 lb all the time. And not the frozen stuff. I don't buy IQF as the freeze in salt solution -- too much sodium.

    Also they have huge bags of veggies for cheap. Just be prepared to eat alot of them.

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