Eating Healthy on a Budget

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KariKaz
KariKaz Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
We are on a very tight budget right now. So running to the store and buying fresh veggies and fruit all the time is not an option.
Does anyone have any suggestions/tips? Thank you!

Replies

  • sandykaz
    sandykaz Posts: 1
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    Buy bags of frozen fruit mixtures......A head of lettuce and a bag of mixed greens will last way over a week ....bananas and apples or pears. carrots and celery last well and eat raw or steam them.
  • phurst00
    phurst00 Posts: 100 Member
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    If you have an Aldi's grocery store and/or farmers market nearby they are both good sources of healthy affordable food. There are often coupons for frozen veggies that you can combine with the frequent $1 sales to get them super cheap.

    Carrots, banana, whole wheat bread, mustard, rice and dry beans are all fairly cheap healthy options.

    Hope this helps!
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Meal plan to make the most of your budget...make sure all food is eaten and not going to waste. Keep a zip top bag in the freezer and add the small amounts of leftover meats and veggies (you know...when there isnt enough left for another serving). When its full make soup! I promise its yummy no matter what! Likewise save meat and veggie scraps to make broth (bones, fat, veggie ends that usually get thrown away, etc...).
  • Laurenmp16
    Laurenmp16 Posts: 344 Member
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    Canned beans, eggs, frozen veggies and tuna are my go-tos for the tight shopping trips.
  • ohenry78
    ohenry78 Posts: 228
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    Not sure if it's feasible for you or not, but if fruits and veggies are truly the problem, you could always grow them yourself. Seeds are incredibly cheap and with a little time, water and sunlight you can have plenty of veggies.
  • lintino
    lintino Posts: 526 Member
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    Some grocery stores have a spot where they discount vegetables and fruit. Many times there is nothing wrong with the item. This week I bought a bag of 5 bell peppers(red, green and orange) for 1.99 and a bag of 10 small zucchini for .86.
  • KariKaz
    KariKaz Posts: 8
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    Thank you eveyone for all the great ideas! I really appreciate it!
    I do plan on having a garden.....but it will be awhile before I get anything out of it (I'm in Wisconsin ;) )
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
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    Frozen veggies!
    Making your own soup is usually cheap, filling and you can stretch it awhile
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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    I use frozen veggies or in season veggies and fruit as well as a lot of lean steaks (flank, marinating and sirloin tip steaks are fairly cheap and actually really good for high protein low fat/carb). I can have meals for less than $2 doing it this way, breakfast is apple cinnamon quaker oatmeal (as my sodium is low with the steak dish), there are 4 serving (8 packets) per box at about $3.50 per box (so less than a dollar a meal), that's $3 so far in the day, try to find a lunch under $2 and that makes $5 a person/day.

    At least that's how I try to do it here and sometimes we find these foods on sale in store, like oatmeal could be $2.50 one week so I stock up on a few boxes. It gets boring but you can switch things up as needed but you gotta do what you have to.

    Best of luck!
  • WVprankster
    WVprankster Posts: 430 Member
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    In the interest of keeping a protein-heavy diet:

    1. Bulk food stores (Sam's, Costco, maybe GFS? I'm unsure of others) are your friend.
    2. Frozen chicken boobs are your friend- around $1.82/# around here, no sales tax on food
    3. Canned tuna is a really cheap alternative, but get the kind that's packed in water to save some calories.
  • jgcurry3
    jgcurry3 Posts: 172 Member
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    Some frozen fruits are an option. I ran into this issue awhile back and I realized by sacrificing or altering other things I did I saved enough money to buy the foods I wanted and needed. Something as small as cooking your food for the week saves on gas/electricity/water(cleanup). Showering at the gym. Comparing prices b/w store brand and name brand. A water purifier will save you hundreds of dollars a year if you are prone to buying bottled water. If you're really serious disconnect your cable and watch your tv through hulu or netflix.
  • jgcurry3
    jgcurry3 Posts: 172 Member
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    In the interest of keeping a protein-heavy diet:

    1. Bulk food stores (Sam's, Costco, maybe GFS? I'm unsure of others) are your friend.
    2. Frozen chicken boobs are your friend- around $1.82/# around here, no sales tax on food
    3. Canned tuna is a really cheap alternative, but get the kind that's packed in water to save some calories.

    Good on the first two but canned tuna is a horrible protein source. It may have a good amount of protein in it but the quality of that protein does not make it a good money saving option
  • KariKaz
    KariKaz Posts: 8
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    LOL...are you a long lost relative? I call them chicken boobies :)
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
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    Great big bag of brown rice is my first thought. I make a big batch of turkey chili once a week, most weeks, so any good healthy soup/stew/chili can be made inexpensively and makes really good lunches. Eggs (the Omega 3 kind). And I agree with other posters that you can guide some of this by what's on sale.
  • Laurenmp16
    Laurenmp16 Posts: 344 Member
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    In the interest of keeping a protein-heavy diet:

    1. Bulk food stores (Sam's, Costco, maybe GFS? I'm unsure of others) are your friend.
    2. Frozen chicken boobs are your friend- around $1.82/# around here, no sales tax on food
    3. Canned tuna is a really cheap alternative, but get the kind that's packed in water to save some calories.

    Good on the first two but canned tuna is a horrible protein source. It may have a good amount of protein in it but the quality of that protein does not make it a good money saving option

    Seriously? Enlighten me! I've always been told tuna was a complete source of protein. Maybe I'm misinformed. Where is it lacking?

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