healthy grocery shopping with no money

lisamurphy7227

i need some grocery shopping advice. weve been super low on cash, and the money we do have, we spend in all the wrong places. if you have zero food (very limited condiments) and only $100, how would you spend it? (obviously we are dieting) bad food is always the cheapest food. semi vegetarian, low sugar, low sodium, high potasium diet. $100 has to last at least a week to feed 2 people.

Personally I don't agree that bad food is the cheapest. Buy in bulk: rice, so many types of beans, Quinoa, oats, wheatberry, farmers markets or on sale frozen veggies (from the States with nothing else added). Purchase eggs on sale, make your own Greek yogurt or regular (search Google, tons of ideas on making your own..pretty much whatever you're looking to make, to save loads of money). Buy in Season!

Take some beans, Quinoa etc. and sprout them for a variety, oh...the list is endless... Seek and you will find good healthy food out there for pennies! Particularly if you're semi-vegetarian as you shared, it's even easier.

Healthy food IS cheaper than buying junk, if you make the right choices, the healthy food will keep you satiated far longer and you won't waste money on sugar, preservatives, extra salt, packaging etc.

All the best!

Here in Pittsburgh (western PA) we have a lot of local farms. They sell these CSA boxes of produce .... a ton of produce for $25.00. You place an order and then pick up your box at a specific location. The boxes are overwhelming for one or two people so sometimes people share a box. I'm pretty sure you can subscribe to a CSA box/bag anywhere in the US.

Here is a little blurb I pulled from the web:

Thinking about signing up for a CSA but want to learn more about the idea before you commit? Read on.

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

Love, love, LOVE my CSA each week, it's a lifesaver!

Definitely agree with everything said here. I think you got all the answers you need!

But gotta say about that CSA...good luck. We did that one summer and our "varied" boxes were always full of eggplant and fruit flies.

I think you might need to seek out a more legit CSA as I've been using my local CSA and never ever had a problem. Ah and learn to embrace Eggplant, so ways to use it, Eggplant Lasagna, roasted eggplant, salads.. Google for a ton more ways to enjoy it, so healthy for you too!

definitely going to look more into a CSA! i love eggplant and the fruit flys just come along with fresh food. im a gardener so they dont phase me. keep the veggies in the garage and wash them out there so that you dont bring anything in. ill take the occasional bug over wax covered produce any day. i think ill go visit the egg farm today and see what i can get, i really appreciate all this info!

BohemianCoast

I don't spend much over $100/week for four of us (teenage kids), I'm not particularly shopping for cheap food, and we don't use the cheapest supermarket. We just tend to eat cheap things and we buy hardly any processed food. MFP is a great help because of portion control. I do have a freezer.

-- meat in big chunks, on the bone where possible. You eat it once when you cook it; once using the leftover cooked meat, and once when you boil up the bones for stock to make soup. A decent sized chicken feeds four adults three times each, as does a half shoulder of lamb or pork or a beef joint. We also use a lot of ground meat, particularly beef and lamb. -- Edit I've just seen you don't eat any meat... but this still might apply to your husband and I bet you can still eat soups made with meat stock.

-- if you work in offices with a microwave, get into the habit of taking smaller portions of your dinner for lunch two days later. It's so much cheaper than buying lunch and it can be really delicious.

-- leftovers are always useful, even odd little things like two carrots or half a cup of gravy.

-- fish is expensive but you should have it once a week; coley and hake are cheaper, as are squid and mussels. Budget for it -- and maybe skip it the first week when you're building up your storecupboard.

-- eggs are super cheap, incredibly nourishing, and you can make dinner out of them once a week or so.

-- beans and lentils are your friend; you can eat vegetarian, or you can add them to meat stocks or bulk out ground meat. Dried beans are much cheaper than tinned beans and taste better.

-- lots of fresh fruit and vegetables; get them from a market and buy what is cheap and in season. Learn to like whatever that is. We also sometimes get a veg box; the company we get them from tell us in advance what's in them, so I plan meals that use those veg. Like this week we've got two celeriac; one of them is being mixed 50/50 with mashed potato to top a fish pie, and the other is getting turned into remoulade to have with lamb chops.

-- lots of tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables; that's how you cope when you don't get to the market or when you don't have a lot of time. Look for ones in water (veg) or fruit juice (fruit), rather than brine or syrup.

-- baking your own bread doesn't save much per loaf, but it adds up and it means that you can have bread without having to run to the store for it, or having to guess how much bread you'll need. When I do buy bread, I often freeze half the loaf so that there's no risk of it going off.

-- by comparison, baking your own cookies, cakes, breakfast bars and so on saves a fortune, and you can keep an eye on exactly what goes in them. If your husband like granola bars, we make Nigella Lawson's breakfast bars regularly.

-- local ethnic grocers are much cheaper for beans and carb staples like rice, pasta, couscous, bulgar wheat, as well as all spices.

-- Popcorn is the best and cheapest snack. The cheapest brand (ethnic grocer again) is very nearly as good as gourmet popcorn.

-- If you don't have all the herbs and spices recipes ask for, then in the first week get a pot of dried mixed herbs and use a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs in everything instead of what the recipe asks for; it won't be perfect but it will be better than not seasoning. Second week, medium curry powder and you can cook curries. After that plan to buy one herb or spice each week until you've built them up.

When I was short of time I used meal planning websites -- sites like The Resourceful Cook or Menu Mailer. Lots of those have costed plans for a week. Like everyone else, I can't stress meal planning too highly. I'm in the UK, and the website Money Saving Expert has an fantastic forum devoted to thrift and saving money on groceries. There's probably similar things in the US.

Good luck!

lisamurphy7227

I would buy veggies (depending on where you live..stop by and Aldi's first)..then I would make soup...if using a chicken ( semi vegitarian u list so idk) make chicken soup..buy noodles etc on the cheap. Use the legs etc in the soup. Save the chicken breast for another dinner. Buy 10 lbs of potatoes for like $1.50. Have baked potatoes one day..potatoe soup one day ..buy two bread bowls to put it in..I would buy beans to make bean burgers (recipes on net) cheapy buns at aldi's..yogurts, salads, fruits for lunches..You get the idea. I think in order to get by, you have to cook for a day for the week and you will be fine. Tuna salads...etc. Onc enight maybe have breakfast for dinner...banana pancakes with maple syrup I love sometimes!

oh i miss pancakes so much! i had gastric bypass 7 years ago and my husband had lap band a year or two ago so pancakes is a huge no no for us. but boy do i drool when someone else is eating them. ill take your advice on the potatoes. and ill just have to work the sodium into my diet for the day to do soup. the aldi around here is so gross. unless i havent found a good one yet..... it just smells bad like rotten food and very very rude people.

annie_banannie

Buy 10 lbs of potatoes for like $1.50.

For me, that suggestion is impossible.

No idea where you live, but in my region there is no such thing as 10 lbs of potatoes for $1.50 or anything close to that.

Potatoes are about 40 cents per pound here, 10 pounds is around $4.00.

lisamurphy7227

I don't spend much over $100/week for four of us (teenage kids), I'm not particularly shopping for cheap food, and we don't use the cheapest supermarket. We just tend to eat cheap things and we buy hardly any processed food. MFP is a great help because of portion control. I do have a freezer.

-- meat in big chunks, on the bone where possible. You eat it once when you cook it; once using the leftover cooked meat, and once when you boil up the bones for stock to make soup. A decent sized chicken feeds four adults three times each, as does a half shoulder of lamb or pork or a beef joint. We also use a lot of ground meat, particularly beef and lamb. -- Edit I've just seen you don't eat any meat... but this still might apply to your husband and I bet you can still eat soups made with meat stock.

-- if you work in offices with a microwave, get into the habit of taking smaller portions of your dinner for lunch two days later. It's so much cheaper than buying lunch and it can be really delicious.

-- leftovers are always useful, even odd little things like two carrots or half a cup of gravy.

-- fish is expensive but you should have it once a week; coley and hake are cheaper, as are squid and mussels. Budget for it -- and maybe skip it the first week when you're building up your storecupboard.

-- eggs are super cheap, incredibly nourishing, and you can make dinner out of them once a week or so.

-- beans and lentils are your friend; you can eat vegetarian, or you can add them to meat stocks or bulk out ground meat. Dried beans are much cheaper than tinned beans and taste better.

-- lots of fresh fruit and vegetables; get them from a market and buy what is cheap and in season. Learn to like whatever that is. We also sometimes get a veg box; the company we get them from tell us in advance what's in them, so I plan meals that use those veg. Like this week we've got two celeriac; one of them is being mixed 50/50 with mashed potato to top a fish pie, and the other is getting turned into remoulade to have with lamb chops.

-- lots of tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables; that's how you cope when you don't get to the market or when you don't have a lot of time. Look for ones in water (veg) or fruit juice (fruit), rather than brine or syrup.

-- baking your own bread doesn't save much per loaf, but it adds up and it means that you can have bread without having to run to the store for it, or having to guess how much bread you'll need. When I do buy bread, I often freeze half the loaf so that there's no risk of it going off.

-- by comparison, baking your own cookies, cakes, breakfast bars and so on saves a fortune, and you can keep an eye on exactly what goes in them. If your husband like granola bars, we make Nigella Lawson's breakfast bars regularly.

-- local ethnic grocers are much cheaper for beans and carb staples like rice, pasta, couscous, bulgar wheat, as well as all spices.

-- Popcorn is the best and cheapest snack. The cheapest brand (ethnic grocer again) is very nearly as good as gourmet popcorn.

-- If you don't have all the herbs and spices recipes ask for, then in the first week get a pot of dried mixed herbs and use a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs in everything instead of what the recipe asks for; it won't be perfect but it will be better than not seasoning. Second week, medium curry powder and you can cook curries. After that plan to buy one herb or spice each week until you've built them up.

When I was short of time I used meal planning websites -- sites like The Resourceful Cook or Menu Mailer. Lots of those have costed plans for a week. Like everyone else, I can't stress meal planning too highly. I'm in the UK, and the website Money Saving Expert has an fantastic forum devoted to thrift and saving money on groceries. There's probably similar things in the US.

Good luck!

im understanding why we spend so much. our diets are very complicated. we cant eat nearly most of the stuff you listed for onne health reason or another. i do buy a lot of fresh fish and eat it several times a week, cant eat pocorn, bread, or canned fruit. im going to look deeper into the cabinet and see what i can use and toss all the stuff that we dont eat or need. i think this weeks groceries are going to mostly be fresh veggies and dairy. more beans, tofu, and soemthing i can make a dessert out of that hopefully lasts more than one night lol.

algebravoodoo

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.

We deal with that issue as well. My husband and I work opposing shifts so whenever I cook an evening meal, I just put a portion into a leftover dish and he has it for the next day's supper.
Although string cheese with an apple is a pretty satisfying and healthy snack. Maybe substitute a chunck of sharp cheddar for the string cheese to save $$? I've also read that it is actually good for the teeth to eat the cheese after the apple when brushing is not an option.

annie_banannie

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

You can save a lot of money, and have greater control over what you guys are eating, by making your own bars. Buy the ingredients in bulk and spend an hour mixing and shaping them. It can even be fun.

I have had good luck making these, and they don't fall apart in a lunch bag. Make sure you use parchment paper, though, or they'll stick to the pan.

http://www.preventionrd.com/2012/01/low-fat-granola-bars-with-bananas-cranberries-pecans/

You can change the ingredients around to suit your tastes. If you prepare the recipe exactly as it is posted, the nutrition data is (per serving): 157 calories; 5.9 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 79 mg. sodium; 24.5 g. carbohydrate; 3.8 g. fiber; 3.3 g. protein.

fit_librarian

Asian grocery stores have a lot of cheap produce, rice, and other things. I got a 15lbs bag of brown rice there for about $20 and that lasted me about 6-8 months.

MzStarrQueenB

Buy frozen lean meats and veggies try to buy store brand.

Make a list plan out ever meal and snack ahead






You can add me and join my support group if you want….

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8987-serious-diet-support-group




If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.....

all4shangrila

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.

Thanks for the tips!

mustangmonie

Quinoa is really inexpensive in bulk bins. I like to make some and add it to salads of healthier greens such as kale or arugula, toss in a few dried cranberries (can buy small amount in the bulk bins) and a few toasted nuts. Makes a healthy, high nutrient salad with some bulk.

Lentils are also very inexpensive by the bag or from bulk bins. They make a nice side dish for a plain grilled meat or fish. They also make a great soup. Again, very good for you. They take well to Indian Spices.

There are many choices, but I thought I would mention these as a nice alternative to beans, potatoes and rice. Nothing wrong with the others, but i like to change things up to avoid boredom.

Take a few minutes to scan the grocery ads and see which fruits and veggies are on sale and plan your menu around that.

Also, I'd like to give a plug for butternut squash and sweet potatoes/yam which are inexpensive this time of year.. They are affordable this time of year. Butternut squash can be cut in half seeded, put in a dish with a little water face down, covered with plastic wrap or waxed paper, tossed in the microwave for a few minutes and presto, good and good for you with very little effort.

katejkelley

Don't buy meat - you don't need it. Buy quinoa, lentils, navy beans, veggies and fruit you like. You can make a lot of meals out of a package of quinoa and beans. Check to see if your community does Bountiful Baskets. For $15 you can get lots of fresh produce. Sometimes it's stuff you've never heard of before, but the internet has recipes for everything. Don't buy juice, soda, pre-packaged meals - they're expensive per serving and aren't good for you anyway.

Jimaudit

Coupon sites are nothing more than advertising catches. They spin you from site to site and you waste so much time getting that elusive $1 coupon.

Plan, plan, plan your meals. This is the biggest and best tip anyone can give you. We develop our meal plan from a list of foods on sale at the 2 local grocers. The only thing we buy off list is if the store is having an in-store promo of B1G1 free.

Another tip: Super Target has GREAT prices on most stuff and their fruit is outstanding.

enewsome2

I'm full vegetarian now, but when I ate meat, I'd get a whole chicken (for about $6) and cook it in the crock pot with season-all, garlic and onions. It'd last my husband and I up to 4 days for lunches and dinners.

Also, try to buy whatever's in season.

And, like others have said, potatoes are cheap and easy. So are bananas.

HonFoldingBike

Hi folks, new member here.

I agree with the two other members who recommended asian markets....That is if you live near one. Produce less expensive than supermarkets, especially mangoes.

Like some people have already mentioned go to the back of store and look for the Manager's Specials . Look for the overripe bananas the store sell for as little as 0.39-29 cents a lb, or ask if you can buy the overripe bananas less than the usual price.

A friend of mine cuts down on her grocery expenses by doing Mystery Shopping, so maybe consider doing that to get free grocery.

iggyboo93

All these suggestions are great! We already shop at the Winco (Cub Food in the Midwest) - the bulk food selection is second to none. (dried beans, dried pasta, nuts, TVP, spices/herbs, rice and flour). I spend $50-70/week to feed 3 people. I totally miss the Lotte Mart and Grand Mart in Maryland - best Asian grocery stores. We used to have a rule that we don't buy any meat/poultry over $2/pound but it's become difficult to find those deals. I try to support the local food coops and buy there when I can afford it - the bulk foods there are also great and they will have good deals on local produce.

The rule of only shopping the perimeter of the store is a good rule to shop by - we try to stay away from the pre-fabricated or processed foods. They are expensive and and not as healthy. Can't stress enough to buy fresh produce in season.

Some favorite soups we have at home are minestrone, sausage tortellini, lentil and vegetable barley. We make big batches and freeze for later.

We also garden in containers - our house is small with an even smaller yard. Since we rent, we just have containers for our veggies and blueberries. But I'm the only person on the planet who fails at growing zucchini.

Also, I will make up a regular challenge - I have a "clean out the cupboards / fridge / freezer week or month". I make it a point to use up all the food / spices / herbs with minimal trips to the store. During that time - I only buy the very basics to get by (milk, eggs, or minor ingredients needed to complete a recipe).

gc2951

I feed 5 people (including one maale teenager) for less than $600 per month. I use a lot of your ideas but I make my own Bisquick. Easy and cheap.
1-5pound bag of self-rising flour
1 stick of butter flavored crisco
1/4 c. buttermilk powder.
Cut all ingredients together with a pastry cutter or two butter knives til it looks like sand. Store in an air tight container.
This recipe lasts me one month. (There will be enough Crisco for 2 more recipes and enough buttermilk powder for at least 3 more.)
Use this exactly like Bisquick for pancakes, biscuits, coating chicken, muffins, etc.

senecaangel

You can do it, I feed my family of 6 on $100 a week. I buy what meat I need in large packs and divide it. Shop your sales ads some stores allow you to buy one of the bogo items at the sales price if you don't need two. (saving you half on one item) Stock up on bogo items you know you will use. I buy frozen vegis in the store brand when fresh is too expensive. Shop vegis/fruits in season and you can catch great sales. If you have the capacity freeze your own while on sale to use in winter. You can grow several items inside. We have done cherry tomatoes, beans and herbs. You can also use any of these sites for some food in bulk at great prices:

http://www.smartchoicefood.com/default.aspx
http://shop.oneharvest.com/index.php/
http://www.gaballi.com/
https://www.zayconfoods.com/locations

I haven't tried these as they aren't in my area, but I did use angel food ministries (which is now closed)

Hope this helps

gc2951

I also buy whole pork loin when it is on sale for under $2. Cut it yourself into chops and roasts (2 roasts from the ends and about 15 chops from the center.)
I cook 2 whole chickens and serve with stuffing, mashed cauliflower potatoes and gravy. take the leftover stuffing and put in a caserole dish sprayed with Pam. Tear some of the leftover chicken and place over that then pour gravy over all. Cover and save for another day. Just pop it into an oven or microwave until hot.
Take the remainder of the chicken and use on a salad, for chicken tacos (add sm can tomato sauce and seasoned black beans plus taco seasoning packet) or chicken salad. Meal number three from the first chicken!
Freeze the 2nd chicken to use later. Cooking two at once saves time and energy. I use the other one for chicken chili, chicken cacciatore, pineapple chicken or just chicken sandwiches.
Buy ground beef in bulk and divide it into freezer bags: 1/2 pound for cheeseburger macaroni or spaghetti sauce, 1pound for burgers, chili, shepherd's pie or tacos, 2 pounds for meatloaf.

pickledginger

This time of year? Brown rice, dried lentils, onions, cabbage, celery, butternut squash, apples or pears, maybe some eggs. That could do, if it had to; lots of ways they can be cooked.

Kale, carrots, sweet potatoes. Maybe some berries, fresh or frozen. Canned diced or pureed tomatoes. A little parmesan or Romano or feta. Dried barley, black beans, split peas. Maybe some TVP, if you find a good price. Canned light tuna, on sale.