healthy grocery shopping with no money

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  • hellohappylisa
    hellohappylisa Posts: 141 Member
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    If you have an Aldi's around you, $100 for 2 people could last you a month. Their produce is super cheap and good. Their yogurts are great and their chicken is always on sale. They have a great variety. I can spend a $100 a month and feed our family of 4, easily. But we eat left overs and I love to try to make everything stretch.

    Soups and casseroles are the best route. MOST things can be frozen in portions and heated just like those expensive, sodium filled meals that people buy
    The Aldi's here have all raised their prices a TON over the last two years. You could buy lots of stuff for $20 back then, now just buying the basics runs you $50 per person...
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    It is very rare that I can spend more than $100 a week for a family of four, so I can appreciate your post! My best suggestion is to find out when they do the grocery ads in your area and buy what's on sale. Since protein is my "priority macro," I get the cheapest meats, either what's on sale or a bundle of meat from the local butcher, then plan meals around my protein. For example, if it's a high fat meat, then I plan for low-fat sides. Also, for veggies I almost always buy frozen ones. Almost every week, there is a sale on frozen veggies somewhere, and I stock up. Sometimes I have found a package for as low as fifty-eight cents! It takes a big commitment to planning ahead, but it can be done if you are careful about it.
  • hmstarbuck
    hmstarbuck Posts: 152 Member
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    [/quote]
    The Aldi's here have all raised their prices a TON over the last two years. You could buy lots of stuff for $20 back then, now just buying the basics runs you $50 per person...
    [/quote]

    Ours is still WAY lower than any other stores in the area. I think food prices (along with everything else) has just risen
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    i prefer the dried beans! i get the 15 bean soup bags and ditch the "ham". there is so much sodium in canned beans and they all taste like mush to me anyway. i can get many meals out of that and it costs the same as 2 cans of beans.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Healthy food IS cheaper than buying junk

    I actually agree. Our pathetic food budget goes a LOT farther when I buy individual items of food instead of pre-packaged, pre-cut, pre-processed everything. They incorporate processing costs into the prices, so it is much cheaper to just process it yourself than to pay someone to do it for you.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    *Dried beans and lentils
    *Whole grains (especially oatmeal for breakfast)
    *TVP
    *Low cost produce: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, bananas, plus anything on sale that appeals to you
    *Stained tomatoes bottled in glass (BPA avoidance)
    *Eggs
    *Tofu
    *Cooking ingredients: Seasonings, soy sauce, canola and/or olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar

    Some low cost ideas:

    *Oatmeal for breakfast
    *Soups and stews (bean and veggie)
    *Homemade pizza topped with grilled or roasted veggies
    *Stir-fried tofu and veggies with a simple sauce
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
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    Best kept secret I am going to share: Asian Markets

    They typically sell fresh fruit and veggies for a FRACTION of what it would cost at a regular grocery store. Their meats tend to be cheaper as well.

    If it didn't cost me so much money in gas just to get to one, I'd do all my grocery shopping at Asian markets! :grumble:
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    Frozen veggies if the fresh ones are too expensive. You can even get frozen fruit. Canned tuna is fine if you watch the sodium, and it's not expensive, then get the leanest cuts of meat you can afford if that's possible on "semi-vegetarian." Some of the roasts are not too expensive and will go a long way--I usually buy a bottom round roast most weeks and it lasts more than one meal with little fat and lots of potassium. If you stay away from beef, eggs aren't that expensive unless you get organic (which you should if you can afford it), there are cheap fish for sale at most stores each week, and you can get cottage cheese or yogurt if you eat dairy. And chicken is still pretty cheap. You can eat healthy on $100 a week at least as easily as you can eat unhealthy. Drink water and it will save you a bunch--sodas, teas, juices are expensive and have no real nutritional benefit.

    i should have specified more on the "semi vegetarian" part. i had a kidney transplant in april. meat is hard on the kidney. i stopped eating all meat other than fish. my husband still eats meat, but not nearly as much since im the cook. we both have had weightloss surgery and cant drink pop anymore. i cant seem to get him to drink water EVER!
  • moraldd
    moraldd Posts: 99
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    If you are already semi vegetarian then it's so easy. Dried peas and beans are cheap. Buy the biggest bag, soak overnight, pre cook and freeze portions for quick, convenient meals. Buy seasonal fruits and veggies which are usually cheaper. Potatoes and rice are still cheap enough and they are not as evil as they've been made out to be (check out fat free vegan or the Dr McDougall website) Eating healthy vegan does not have to be expensive at all and the food is filling and satisfying. Stay away from the processed food aisle because you are really paying for packaging which you can't eat anyway so might as well spend your money on non packaged, healthy REAL food. Also check out your local farmers market which usually has the freshest and cheapest produce.
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    *Dried beans and lentils
    *Whole grains (especially oatmeal for breakfast)
    *TVP
    *Low cost produce: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, bananas, plus anything on sale that appeals to you
    *Stained tomatoes bottled in glass (BPA avoidance)
    *Eggs
    *Tofu
    *Cooking ingredients: Seasonings, soy sauce, canola and/or olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar

    Some low cost ideas:

    *Oatmeal for breakfast

    AWESOME! you just wrote a grocery list for me. thanks a ton.
    *Soups and stews (bean and veggie)
    *Homemade pizza topped with grilled or roasted veggies
    *Stir-fried tofu and veggies with a simple sauce


    AWESOME! you just wrote a grocery list for me. thanks a ton.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    1st, plan your meals. Write out what you will eat for each meal everyday. You don't have to eat in that order, but this ensures you'll have food enough food, at least on paper. If you're that strapped for cash, don't just buy a bunch of random items and figure out how to put them together later. Sit down and write out a meal plan. You will find that you will think about how to reuse a pot of beans, for example. And, use those in the next dinner, or something.

    Then, drive to the worst part of town. Things are cheaper there. Find a discount store, we have Fresh & Easy, but funny enough, those are only in nice areas. If I go to the grocery store in the really bad areas, I can save a bundle. Get gas while you're there.

    Also, what you said about healthy being more expensive, it's not true. Healthy food is at least almost half as expensive, at least in my experience. I thought the way you do at first too. It seems everyone does. But, healthy eating is way less expensive. Alcohol was a killer on my budget. I stopped drinking, and whoosh, money appeared in my budget for food.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    I work within a smaller budget than this every week for food, and I'll tell you, the best way to go about it is actually plan out what you're going to have for the week, then incorporate your leftovers into new dishes.

    it takes a little planning, but each week it gets easier. then you go to the market with a list and you stick to it.

    the suggestion for ethnic stores is great, too, & make friends with a gardener.
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    [/quote]
    Soak the dry beans in water for 20-30 min (add baking soda to the water, rinse well, then cook--reduces gassy effect)
    [/quote]

    i cook dried beans all the time and i had no idea about the baking soda! thanks for all the information. im delightfully overwhelmed by all these responses.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
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    LENTILS!!!

    Use them in soups, salads, seasoned for tacos/burritoes...

    very versatile, easy to prepare, come in several colors, highly nutritious and best of all, CHEAP :love:
  • kristenstejskal
    kristenstejskal Posts: 107 Member
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    www.mygrocerydeals.com - use this website. Choose all the stores within a 100 mile radius of you, then take your list to Walmart grocery store and they will match all the prices. I have been saving $10 - $20 a week with this and not having to shop at particular stores wasting gas. Ground beef for 2.99 instead of 4.68 in one pound packages. I bought several to freeze and some to use during the week. They also had chicken breasts buy one get one free. Who can beat that? You always save on milk - each week someone has it on store and since the regular price at my Walmart yesterday was over $4 a gallon, it paid to take a few minutes to pull the ads together for price matching. I am feeding 3 of us (including a growing teenage boy) for about $80 a week right now average. Some weeks more, some weeks less.

    This is helpful! Thank you!
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    I work within a smaller budget than this every week for food, and I'll tell you, the best way to go about it is actually plan out what you're going to have for the week, then incorporate your leftovers into new dishes.

    it takes a little planning, but each week it gets easier. then you go to the market with a list and you stick to it.

    the suggestion for ethnic stores is great, too, & make friends with a gardener.

    funny you should say..... IM the gardener everyone goes to. now that summer is over im feeling furstrated that i cant just go to my backyard to make dinner. im having issues with my indoor garden. so now its really hard for me to go to the store to buy produce that is so overpriced and tastes horrible (i say overpriced cause it ususally costs me nothing. i dont think farmers are paid enough).
    ethnic stores....im going to look around more. my favorite ones all closed down this year. i absoolutely refse to show at jewel. i go broke just standing in the doorway.
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    i have limited money to spend on grocery shopping too, but i always buy fresh fruits & veggies first and use them for the bulk of my meals. and bananas are always super cheap...they're a lifesaver! i also buy frozen veggie burgers and canned soup. my personal downfall is wanting to buy stuff like nuts or trail mix...i love those things, but they are ridiculously expensive so i try not to buy them! not to mention i have a hard time limiting my portions of them!

    yes! its the cereals and granola that kills us every time. anythign that comes in a box. i only buy fresh fruits and veggies to keep all those preservatives down. all the extra sugar. i have kidney disease so i HAVE to keep that in check. its not just for weight loss. its to keep my body from rotting. my husband is a giant,. hes 6'2 and 250lbs. one box of cereal is one serving. and he eats cereal every day after work. so at almost $5 a box or $4 a generic bag thats a quarter of our grocery money for the week. if it was just me things would be totally different. but i have a guy that wants to diet but not give anything up. if i dont plan accordingly he is at gas stations all day and can easily spend $20 a day on gas station junk.
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
    Options
    www.mygrocerydeals.com - use this website. Choose all the stores within a 100 mile radius of you, then take your list to Walmart grocery store and they will match all the prices. I have been saving $10 - $20 a week with this and not having to shop at particular stores wasting gas. Ground beef for 2.99 instead of 4.68 in one pound packages. I bought several to freeze and some to use during the week. They also had chicken breasts buy one get one free. Who can beat that? You always save on milk - each week someone has it on store and since the regular price at my Walmart yesterday was over $4 a gallon, it paid to take a few minutes to pull the ads together for price matching. I am feeding 3 of us (including a growing teenage boy) for about $80 a week right now average. Some weeks more, some weeks less.

    This is helpful! Thank you!

    yes thankyou! this is a great idea
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
    Options
    LENTILS!!!

    Use them in soups, salads, seasoned for tacos/burritoes...

    very versatile, easy to prepare, come in several colors, highly nutritious and best of all, CHEAP :love:

    i love lentils. im italian. its a great way to add to pasta to make it a little bit different.
  • lisamurphy7227
    lisamurphy7227 Posts: 26
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    Healthy food IS cheaper than buying junk

    I actually agree. Our pathetic food budget goes a LOT farther when I buy individual items of food instead of pre-packaged, pre-cut, pre-processed everything. They incorporate processing costs into the prices, so it is much cheaper to just process it yourself than to pay someone to do it for you.

    the "easy factor" gets me. its much easier to pack my husbands lunch with a few granola pars and string cheese and packages stuff than go through the mess of cooking him something healthy and great and he says he doesnt have the time to eat it, he ends up as gas stations and i end up throwing out whatever i make him becuase it went bad in the sun or sat in his van for a week.

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