Eating Healthy on a Budget

small4me

I am always surprised at how many people think it is expensive to eat 'healthy'. A bag of apples costs the same or less than a bag of chips. A bag of frozen veggies cost the same as a bag of frozen fries. WOW - do people not eat proper portion sizes. Our family eats healthy, we don't have a lot of money and with health issues that we need to buy for it can get costly. Priorities is what it is about.

Feeding 1 - 2 people some 'fast food' whether it is from the grocery store or a restaurant, costs more than feeding a family of 4 for 2 healthy dinners.

Get your budget done and shop the outside of the store, get some of the canned staples (beans, tomatoes, etc..) when they are on sale. Pre-make snack bags, suppers, lunches etc...

Everyone can do this - again priorities.

jamiedailey

We have been making soup every sunday and making 2x the recipe so we can pack it for lunch. There are a lot of weight watcher soups that are good and are already in the calorie counter on mfp:happy:

ThisisMiss

I agree with frozen fruits and veggies. Also, planning out each meal can really help you stay on track and not buy any extra things you won't need (at least it's helped me!) Some stores also reduce certain foods if they are close to expiring, you can stock up on those and throw them in the freezer and take them out once you need them. (When I was in the UK, the Co-op would sometimes sell seasoned uncooked chicken for 10p! and that was enough for two lunches and two dinners for my bf and me). I don't see it that much in the US, but I know they are around too. Also, store-brand isn't all that bad. You can also hunt down some coupons. I qualify for WIC and they told me about this one place that will fill up any bag you bring full of fruits and veg and there is another place that will give you enough food for four people for a week for $30. I know its a bit over your budget, but if you are making food only for yourself, then it's a great deal if they have a place in your area (angel food ministries). That's all I can think of, I hope some of it helps!

SunshineT83

So the more personal labor you put into your food, the less expensive it is per unit. Like if you bake your own bread (or make your own tortillas) it comes out less expensive than purchasing these things pre-made for you. Fruit and veggies in season do tend to be less expensive. The less meat you eat the less expensive your grocery bill will be. I recommend eating more beans, peas, and legumes may be at least 3 days a week. If you go that route purchase dried beans rather than canned. Again more work on your part, but less on your pockets. I do recommend investing in a crock pot if you don't already have one. It can really cut down the cooking time you spend on a dish so that you can go to work, workout, and anything else you may need to do while things get ready for dinner time. Cooking in bulk and freezing them into individual sizes for future meals allows you to prevent waste, save time, and buy in bulk which can be less expensive. I hope these tips help, good luck to you hun.

jamiedailey

to the pictures and prices above...idk about those prices! I wish I could buy those things for such cheap prices! lol maybe each state is different but here in pa just for example you would never find grapes for 88cents along with many of those other items I would say I pay double if not triple those prices....

ashley67203

I've found that vegan recipes can be really inexpensive to make. I love meat but it is so pricey, especially lean meat. I look for recipes made out of pantry staples like grains, beans, lentils, canned and frozen vegetables, etc. I made an Indian dahl with brown rice this week that cost less than 50 cents per serving. Any dish based around textured vegetable protein is mega-cheap.

Mom2PAK

to the pictures and prices above...idk about those prices! I wish I could buy those things for such cheap prices! lol maybe each state is different but here in pa just for example you would never find grapes for 88cents along with many of those other items I would say I pay double if not triple those prices....

I was thinking the same thing! I understand the point that is trying to be made but some of those prices are not realistic.

knelson422

eggs for breakfast. They are $1.20 a dozen here, can last for 6 breakfasts. Cheaper than cereal and milk. I use lots of brown rice and beans as well. Lots of soups, they are less expensive too. Good luck.

sc1572

bump!

LuciaLongIsland

I am fortunate to have a Trader Joe's in my area. I never realized how much cheaper they are then my local grocery store. I buy as much as I can there and then my grocery store. One thing I started eating on weekends are luna bars. At the grocery store, they are 1.29, Rite-Aid - 1.79, and Trader Joe's - .99!!! There should be a Trader Joe's everywhere

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I have a Trader Joes by me, never go. What do u recommend there?

finchase

I try to stock up on my favorite frozen, steamable vegetables when they are on sale, and I try to limit the amount of meat I buy. It's only me, so when I buy a package of chicken breasts I can usually make them last for several meals. Last night I made a big pot of soup that required several ingredients and so wasn't cheap up front, but I get six meals out of it, so it's not too bad.

It's fruits and fresh vegetables that are really adding to my food bills, but I try to buy what's on sale.

flyawaybyebye

Focus on getting your protein from beans. You can buy a bag of dried beans and cook them up to make a TON of servings for super cheap. Rice is another great source of protein. As for veggies, frozen veggies are just as healthy and often much, much cheaper than fresh. Buy veggies and fruit in season when you buy fresh - it will always be cheaper to buy in season than to buy summer fruit in the middle of February. Skip the packaged foods entirely. Buy oatmeal in bulk and cook that up for breakfasts. There is a blog called 100 Days of Real Food. They did a food challenge last year using welfare (EBT) allotments and bought all whole, real foods and lived only on the EBT amounts. Google "100 Days of Real Food" and check it out - tons of great ideas there! Good luck!

EQHanks

I always try to buy in bulk if possible, it seems to be less expensive. A local butcher shop has chicken breast tenders in bulk and its really cheap per pound. Also, I buy only the fruits and veggies that are on sale that way I'm getting things for cheaper and also mixing it up every week so I don't get bored.

It can be done! It is kind of a talent but way cheaper in the long run than buying take out

Holland02

Excellent point (drive thru vs. grocery store amts/price) I just found 40 calories freeze dried Crispy mangoes by Crispy Green, 80 calorie Golden Blintzes with strawberries and light whip cream, nutella and ezekeil sesame srouted grain bread with strawberries, hard boiled eggs and grapefruit and I spent $22.00. I also buy dried apricots and raw almonds $12. I am stayin in a 900-1200 calorie range, which is 500 calories less than usual for me. I am new at this, but I am finding if I take the time, I feel better. The weight is not dropping as quickly as I want, but I try to be patient and remind myself, I did not gain it overnight and I cannot loose it that way. I am exercise 20-30 minutes a day 4 days a week, which although it does allow for a higher calorie intake, I am filling with water. There are days I am still hungry but the ezekeil bread is a big help as I think I need to increase my fiber (brown bread, skin on vegetables, fruits,..) intake.

yoouperh

just a few more ideas:

35 calorie bread
raspberry preserves
farmland diced ham
egg whites(sm or lg container)
pretzels
ground turkey
low sodium taco seasoning
fajita mix
waffles
pancake mix
sugar free syrup
sugar free jello
sugar free pudding
apples
bananas
kiwis
carrots
cucumbers
string cheese
skim milk
light orange juice
frozen peaches
frozen strawberries
frozen berries (using my ninja, 1 cup frozen fruit, 1/2 cup of light orange juice=perfect treat!)

I'm on a budget myself, but it can be done! Just takes planning and then you have to figure out what you really like!

todaysanewday

1.whole wheat pasta with your favorite frozen vegetable, olive oil and garlic.
2.bean salad (your favorite can of beans, and be sure to rinse them), add some oil, dash of vinegar and whatever veg(s) you find that are inexpensive. I use carrot onion, and celery all chopped.
3.make some homemade lentil soup from a bag of dry lentils, carrots, celery, onions, a little oil. (make a big batch and then freeze in separate individual containers)> homemade soup is a lot cheaper, tastier and healthier than canned
4.brown rice and beans.

Pattiann237

It's kind of time consuming, BUT I save a ton of money on groceries by clipping coupons, you can definitely find coupons for healthy foods. And if you can combine them with sales at stores, especially Walmart, you can get some really cheap food. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, no where beats their prices for healthy foods. Good luck!!!

gemiwing

I can't echo the cry of 'Beans Beans Beans' any louder.

Beans and cornbread- 2.50 (1.00 for beans, 1.50 for cornbread mix that only wants water) 2+ servings
Beans and greens- 2.00 (1 for beans and 1 for greens) 2 servings or 1 big meal. Change up the beans/greens to change flavor
Lentil soup- 5.00 (1 for lentils, 1 for tomato puree, 1 for cheap mixed veggie frozen, 1 for onion, 1 for carrots) 6+ servings

Sick of 'bean flavor'? Add cinnamon, salsa, hot sauce, garlic- whatever you can think of.

silkysly

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket








A lot more of them if you follow the link above

AWESOME link..., thanks!

BSummers321

I'm not sure if they have reduced areas in American Supermarkets, but in the ones here in the UK, they'll often reduce fruit and veg at the end of the day. Always check the food when you're buying of course, but never trust sell by dates/used by dates because a lot of the time the food is perfectly fine to eat. They were talking about this on British TV a while ago, we throw so much stuff out thinking it's past it's date, when it's perfectly edible. You can get food that costs £1+ for pennies like a lot of healthy things fruit, veg, stir fry mixes and coleslaw mixes. The first place I go when I shop is the reduced aisles/sections :blushing:

There is no harm in buying frozen or canned veg and beans. Of course fresh is preferred, but if you can't afford it, canned veg is better than no veg at all! Just make sure you check the sugar and salt content. You can get canned Chickpeas and Red Kidney beans and make a nice meal with them! Go to your local ethnic food stores too, they're often cheaper for a lot of things than Supermarkets are on thinks like veg and dried beans etc.

You could try online deal sites if there are any, look out for coupons for healthy food and when you shop take notice of the deals on healthy food too, there are always some in various supermarkets. Like here in the UK, Aldi do a great 6 fruit/veg for 69p each deal, I bought blueberries the other day and they cost twice that much in other supermarkets!

More often that not, it's actually comes out cheaper to buy healthy food. If that bag of potato chips is the same price as the bag of apples, go for the apples!

Don't rely on processed foods or ready meals to eat healthy, I'm on a budget too and usually make and eat home made food because it comes out cheaper and if you don't have time you can always make a big batch and freeze your food!

Also SOUPS, home-made again you can make soups out of ANYTHING, and they can be very filling and healthy and more importantly CHEAP! You can make a week's soup for lunch with the price for one subway sandwich!

I find that other "diet" foods like tuna, peanut butter, cottage cheese etc can be expensive, but my tip is look around for bargains and buy well in advance! You might have lots of cans of Tuna left, but if a store is doing a discount and it's cheap, buy buy buy!

grassette

Re the canned fruits and veggies: you really need to make sure that your can is not lined with plastics, particularly Bisphenol A, which has been identified as a potential cause for obesity at low levels, and estrogen-like at higher levels, enough to create hormonal imbalances in males of various species. We are switching to frozen foods after becoming more aware of this chemical. Wiki has a good article on it at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

1Timothy4v8

I eat burritos (almost) every morning, I make them in bulk and freeze them,

I buy two boxes Spanish rice boxes, (it would be cheaper to buy basic rice but I have yet mastered the skill of cooking plain brown rice right from the bag) and I get one BIG can of refired beans (once again it would be cheaper to buy the uncooked beans and healthy er but I haven't got the hang of that yet to, I also buy four different colors of Bell peppers, you can get those in a package of four for like 5, if you want you can just get 4 green ones there like a dollar, but the different colored ones are good for different reasons, and one onion, and maybe corn if you like, frozen is the easiest and maybe cheaper, and get the big tortillas

cook the rice and let it cool down, saute the veggies or better yet steam, then mix it all together in a pot with the beans and rice and veggies, sprinkle spices if you like, then just start wrapping up burritos, once you hve them all made up put them in zip lock bags and freeze them,

when you want to eat one, take one out zap in Microwave for 1:20 min on both sides, and if you want it to have a nice crunch after you nuke it set in Oven at 400 for 10 minutes, I add cheese on the top and dip in hot sauce

They make 12

the calories are ~> 482 that's including the cheese

And they have about 10 grams of fiber

They are Sooo filling

1Timothy4v8

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket








A lot more of them if you follow the link above

aaa I think this is from the 80's a lot of that healthy food listed is not that cheap! at least were I live

becoming_a_new_me

I feed my daughter and I on about $250-$300 a month eating healthy. I buy lots of dried beans/lentils at the bulk foods store, go to the farmers market to get in-season produce. I often times go on Sundays as that is the day that they pull the produce that they need to get rid of and mark it down. I buy the clearance produce, take it home, chop it up and freeze it. We have a local store here that sells dented cans for super cheap, so sometimes I find a great deal on low-sodium diced tomatoes, tomato paste, etc...otherwise I get the canned food at Walmart.

Another thing that has really helped to lower my grocery bill is we now eat meat-free 3-4 days a week, have very little red meat (maybe once per month). I buy bulk chicken, cook it up, package it up for meals, and freeze it. I buy the big bags of tilapia, salmon, cod, and other salt water fish when they are on sale and freeze. It really helps to have a chest freezer so I can buy bulk.

I love summertime because my dad has this ginormous garden as does my sister. It's a "you pick it" type of system, and I go over on the weekends and help him weed. It really cuts my bill down, and during the summer we eat for about $25 a week

**for the record, when we were eating crap, I spent twice as much money. It does take extra work, but I take one day a week and prepare everything ahead of time. The crock pot can be very helpful for cook ahead meals.

FrankWorsley

Love the ideas! Bump

c16barrios

Bump!!

firedragon064

Actually I don't eat out or buy junk food as much as before so I do save money.
I bought frozen chicken breasts and it cost like $2.10 a pound.
or I buy sale meat and freeze them.
Vege/fruit I eat whatever in season. Also you can grow your own Organic veggie. If you have a space, you can grow them in pots.
I like herbs so I have my little pots by kitchen window and can eat them all year long.
Frozen veggie are good too.

Cook in big batch so I can save time and freeze them ... so I always have food ready to eat.

creativefrugalmom

Are you near a Dollar Tree or 99 Cents Only Store? You can find a lot of food items there and they also have a freezer section.

Also, WalMart has chicken breast for $1.79/lb. You could freeze individual portions.

We have a family of 5 and between these 2 stores, Sprouts and Aldi, I spend about $150 every 2 weeks.

Good luck!

junglejd13

if you have an Aldi's near you , their produce and everything is so much cheaper! they have a brand called fit and active too. they offer a lot of healthy stuff, and for a family of 4 I can usually walk out with a week's worth of groceries for around $80.

Aldi is fantastic! Also cooking food in batches. At the weekend I will decide what I want to make. This weekend was a huge chilli with tonnes of cheap veg in and a home made soup. For a family of 4 we shop for around £50, sometimes less. We also go to a meat wholesalers for any meat if you can find one. We eat very well and we spend less now than when we were eating unhealthily! I find it a bit of a myth that healthy eating is more expensive. If you wanted all organic yes, but I don't go organic. I choose vegetables that are in season and on offer. Its good to have lots of recipes under your belt so that when you go shopping and see things cheap you can say to yourself oh I will make such a thing... Researching recipes is a good idea. I also buy lots of storecupboard things on offer as they always come in handy! Oh everyone eats a very similar healthy diet, no seperate meals for everyone. Its good for them to eat healthily roo, your doing them a favour. Interesting fact a kid can take 20 times of trying something before they decide if they like it, so keep trying them with your healthy foods. X

Totally agree with above! I also shop at Sav A Lot, very similar to Aldi's. I could spend 25-30 dollars and get tons of fresh veggies, whole grain cereal, silk almond milk, etc. This would last me 2 weeks. Also if you have a roommate or friend buy healthy stuff together (fresh veggies like a bag of apples or huge bunch of lettuce) and split it. Also there are a million varieties of lettuce, and they are super cheap fresh. Add different things to salads, chick peas, raisins, canned artichokes, anything to get variety. All stores have managers specials on meat when they get close to the sell by date, as others have mentioned. You are going to spend a ton of money on BS processed foods like special K and Fiber One bars or anything like that that claims to be "healthy" when they are full or processed foods, chemicals, and HFCS. I like to splurge on Kashi cereals, bars, and meals or Amy's when they are on sale so I have something healthy to eat or take with me when I don't have fresh foods in the house.
Hope this helps!

junglejd13

Carbmaster is pretty awesome, and yeah Kroger has amazing deals when you know how to work the system (coupons managers specials) they also have protein bars for like 25 cents sometimes, including Luna Bars!