anyone with advice on eating right when broke?

flutterbygrl1

I have a very small food budget and have trouble keeping it low fat/cal AND healthy. Any suggestions?

akm107

frozen chicken breasts, canned veggies to cook on the stove, making healthy casseroles and holding on to as leftovers can certainly stretch a week or so, buying some bread for sandwiches.

I dont know if there is an Aldi's near you but they have lots of goodies on the cheap! Their fresh produce is pretty awesome too.

bgardiner49

There are some good tips in here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jul/13/skint-foodie-recipes-pea-ham

It's not aimed at people trying to lose weight, but has good advice on eating healthily on a tight budget

jennahiltibran

Usually produce isn't too pricey. If you make things from scratch it's usually cheaper. Stir fry can be healthy and cheap. Get the big box of brown rice. A store brand oatmeal is also good for breakfast with a little fruit.

Steverino1955

Find a boyfriend with money and eat out a lot!

jrompola

How much $ do you have within your budget?

CM9178

It depends where you live - prices are different.
It depends on your budget - how much is it?
it depends what kinds of food you like?

Be a little more specific and you will get more helpful suggestions.
Otherwise, beans and rice are cheap.
Or buy in bulk and freeze stuff.

Ashleyambermfp

If you are in a big city, go to China Town or your local farmer's market. If you drive or live very close to a grocery store, buy produce daily from the "discount" bin.

now_or_never13

My husband and I eat healthy on a max of $75 a week (that's for two of us including food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and what we need for our dog). Some weeks we don't even spend that much. We just went to the store and only spent $40 for food for the next week.

We don't buy a lot of meat. I don't eat it and since I have stopped eating it my husband doesn't eat meat nearly as often as he used to so that does help.

Shop sales. If there is a store around you that will price match make a meal plan based on store sales and take the flyers to the store that price matches and get everything there. That's one thing I love about the store in my area... you can get the same specials without having to go to multiple stores.

Buy produce that is in season and therefore cheaper. When you find cheap produce, buy a lot of it than when you get home, clean it.. chop it up... and freeze what you won't use in the next few days. Plan your meals based around what is cheapest at the store.

Go to the stores either first thing in the morning or shortly before they close for meat. The store I go to marks down their meat towards the end of the night. This is usually because the best before date is only a day or two away however that isn't an issue. We buy it, bring it home, portion it out and freeze it. You can get really good prices that way and as long as you don't let it sit in your fridge you are fine.

Buy dried beans and rice. You can get larger quantities for cheaper prices. Dried beans are much cheaper than the canned versions. Rice in larger bags works out to be cheaper than the little bags you just pop into the microwave or the flavoured versions. Oatmeal is great for breakfasts and much cheaper than some other things.

Buy store brands when the name brands aren't on sale for less. We rarely ever buy name brands and will only buy them when they are on sale for less than the store brands.

Buy frozen veggies... as long as the ingredients are just veggies they are just as healthy but much cheaper (buy multiple bags when they are on sale).

Prepare foods yourself as often as possible. Sure that frozen meal is only $2 but spending $10 on fresh foods will yield you ten times as much food and be much cheaper per serving. Prepared, prepackaged, etc foods are much more expensive than fresh that you have to make yourself. Don't buy preshredded cheese (unless on a great sale), pre cut fruits and veggies, precooked meats etc. They charge much more for doing the work for you. Those small containers of yogurt for example are super easy but much more expensive than buy a large container and putting some in a plastic container to take to work/school/whatever yourself.

Find a store that is cheaper than the rest. There are 15 grocery stores within a 10 minute drive of my house... one is by far cheaper than the others so we go there even though it is the one that is furthest away.

Use coupons... if you are in the US you can get great prices with coupons.

Shop at farmers markets whenever possible. At least in my area they are super cheap. I can buy 6 bags full of produce for about $30... when at the store that amount of produce would cost me twice as much. Also, see if there are ethnic food stores around you. We used to live near an Asian supermarket... 5 packed full bags of produce were less than half the cost of the normal supermarket.

Planning is key.

mforsis

when you shop for meat buy fresh, bring it home and repackage in single person servings (100g or 4 oz) label and freeze (i would recommend you invest in a kitchen scale.) Take the portion out of the fridge each morning so you know what is for dinner that night. I package my portions in separate plastic bags then put all the ground beef, for instance in a single freezer bag. I toss the plastic bags but can reuse the freezer bags. I buy a whole chicken and have taught myself how to skin and cut it. I can get 8 portions or meals out of a single plump bird :
1.2 breasts without the filet or 'tender",
2. the filets make great stir fry for 1 person
3. 2 thighs,
4. 2 legs and wings,
5. soup from the bones boiled with celery and onion to make stock

Learn how to cook with lentils, dried peas and other legumes. Lentils and spilt peas don't take a lot of soaking before you cook with them so they are good to begin with. They make healthy, hearty, filling soups.

Make sure you have the 'basics' in your cupboard when there is 'too much month left at the end of the money". Pasta, rice, canned fish, tinned tomatoes, a can of mushroom soup and keep parmesan and cheddar cheese and eggs in the fridge. Tuna casseroles or Spanish rice (rice, tinned tomatoes, cheddar cheese on top) are hearty healthy and filling as long as you are aware of the portion sizes.

Vegetables and salad greens can be expensive but you can 'bulk' that up with spring onions and celery.

Make your own bread. I am pretty sure I am making whole grain bread for about $1 per loaf.

stumblinthrulife

Find a boyfriend with money and eat out a lot!

Can't ask the girl to commit just to be fed! What sort of advice is that?

What she should do is speed date a lot, and have a different guy buy her dinner every night! It'd keep life interesting too!

pamelak5

Dried beans and lentils are your friends! One of my favorite recipes is mujadarrah - basically lentils, brown rice, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. I can make enough for 6 for about $4. That with some veggies is a stellar meal on the cheap.

Angmu7

Learn to coupon and ad match. I spend $300 for a family of 4, 4 dogs and 2 cats a month and have money left over. We always have freash produce and lean protine in the house. The other stuff I weigh and eat less.

jillithia

Do you have a Subway? You can get their 6 inch veggie sandwich for only $2.00. You can get their 6 inch breakfast special for $3 - I usually get ham, egg white, and veggies and it comes with a coffee. A 6 inch chicken breast sandwich is $3.50. This is my go to place if I have to "eat out". You can calculate subway calories on this website: http://www.subway.com/menu/default.aspx

If you go to Wendy's, you can get a small chilli for $2 and only about 200 calories. Also chicken wraps and side salads are fairly inexpensive and low calorie here.

For cooking at home I recommend: eggs, beans, whole grain (breads, pasta & rice), spaghetti sauce, oatmeal, turkey bacon, cottage cheese, chicken breasts, tuna, low calorie soups and whatever veggies are on sale that week. Also watch grocery store flyers for items on sale and coupons. Some stores will put discount prices on meat after 7pm -- just ask at the meat department if they do that and what time to come.

Linda345

Dried beans and brown rice
Old Fashoned Oatmeal
Raisins
Lettuce (by the head)

neandermagnon

I live in Bahrain so some of this advice might not work in other countries where the economy and prices are different

buy fresh meat, veg etc in bulk (look for bargains e.g. 2 for 1s) and freeze it in normal sized portions (i.e. how much you'd cook at one time) and thaw/cook as needed.

make meals from scratch rather than buying packages/ready meals

look for the cheaper fruits, veggies, meats etc at the supermarket. Where I live, locally produced stuff is way cheaper than imported/western brands, and is quite often better quality

Look for stuff that's particularly cheap, for example here I can get 30 eggs for about 1.5 dinars and 10 packs of Lebanese breads (about 6 breads in a pack) for 1 dinar

rice and pasta you can buy in bulk and they keep for a long time, just store them in an airtight container

lyrical_melody

YES!!!

I am going through the exact same thing right now. I eat mostly eggs, beans, fruits, veggies, and some chicken. I have a $100 budget. I do NOT buy processed, pre-boxed food (unless its like a 89 cent pizza, (thats incredible and everyone needs a binge everynow and then). I make ALL of my food. I usually make a main meal for the week (consists of about 10 servings, usually a big stew or soup or curry).

check out my blog, its all about eating right on a budget

http://amrinehealthyonabudget.wordpress.com/

If you wanna message me, I can help you with any questions. I am going through exactly what you are right now!

misymousie

Use coupons ! Cereal for breakfast, eat half of your lunch and save the other half tor Dinner. Left overs, salads, add cabbage to food to make more to eat with less calories. Never! go for the $1 menu at fast food restaurants that's the worse thing to do if you want to live longer , lose weight and stay healthy .:happy:

tekwriter

watch for specials and markdowns, i use a sam's card for better meat and vegetable prices. It pays for itself over the course of a year. You can get a 10 lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breast for 23.00. Rice, legumes and grains also help. We usually have a meatless monday and a stir fry or two during the week to reduce the meat cost. I buy at farmer's markets and fruit stands in the summer. I feed 5 people breakfast lunch and dinner for around 200. a week. if i am really desparate i also pick up a bag or to of Bear Creek soups. One bag would feed both of you for only 3.00 or so. We use the small michelena's for lunches at $1. a pop and some swanson's. I check the calories. We also use iced tea and store brand sugar free drink mix, oatmeal and grits for breakfast. I make a lot of my own things.

Retiredmom72

I agree with most of the comments. Not the boyfriend idea. Find a store that has sales or low prices.Buy canned vegetables, spices (many sell for a dollar at stores like Big Lots, Dollar General, etc) for flavor, turkey products (sausage, franks, etc.), and eggs (egg whites). Get freezer ziploc (or generic brand) freezer bags and split up larger quantities of meats on sale, and try vegetables and fruits that are in season or on sale. Don't know what's in your area, but check to see if store match prices. If it's on sale at one store and you buy the same brand and have the sales flyer with you, many stores will match the price so you only have to hop in one store. Check out the nutritional values of foods before you shop for them. Read labels. Don't go food shopping hungry and use the shopping trip as an indoor exercise workout. I can walk almost a mile or more by going up and down the aisle. Eating healthy by eating less processed foods is something you can try. Good luck.

confusedtigger

Hi Farm Foods is always good for cheap frozen food.

I would also suggest you look in Asian (ie Pakistani/Indian) foodstores ... you'll be able to buy rice, beans, lentils etc very cheaply in larger bags.

If you live near a halal butcher (you don't have to be Muslim to shop there lol) - you can usually pick up 3 chickens for abt £6.00 - £6.99 and they will prepare for you as you which (eg cut into portions, remove the skin) etc.