eating healthy on a budget

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raetonycass
raetonycass Posts: 58 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some advice for eating right on a budget. I have $75 a week to feed my family of 5 and our pets (1 dog, 2 cats, loads of fish). That is my grocery budget. Eating fast, processed foods are so much cheaper than eating healthy, unprocessed foods.
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  • marcenepea
    marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
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    http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/


    Try this site, I've found some good recipe for really cheap on here. And eating fast food or processed food might be cheap now but in the long run with your health and that of your family it wont be. I have been buying dried beans and using them alot more, they have helped me and they can go in so many different things. Good Luck
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    Try your local farmer's market? I do this and usually get fresh produce for half of what grocery stores would charge. (Better quality too i.m.o.)
  • raetonycass
    raetonycass Posts: 58 Member
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    http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/


    Try this site, I've found some good recipe for really cheap on here. And eating fast food or processed food might be cheap now but in the long run with your health and that of your family it wont be. I have been buying dried beans and using them alot more, they have helped me and they can go in so many different things. Good Luck

    I love using dried beans. I make red beans and rice, 5 bean chili, 16 bean soup, homemade refried beans from dried beans, and black bean soup each at least once a month, sometimes twice. When I make my chili my family eats it for at least 2 meals like plain chili and then chili/cheese baked potatoes or baked fries. When I make all the others I usually eat leftovers for lunch for a few days.
  • Jelaine56
    Jelaine56 Posts: 88 Member
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    We eat pasta and pasta sauce (which you can get really cheap) chicken and salad, we even have oatmeal for supper some nights... We do have every so often smoked sausage (which is processed) but we don't make it a habit...
  • raetonycass
    raetonycass Posts: 58 Member
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    Try your local farmer's market? I do this and usually get fresh produce for half of what grocery stores would charge. (Better quality too i.m.o.)

    Going there tomorrow. I get tomatoes, green beans and peppers there. I even have a friend who works a booth and always hooks me up with some extra.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Beans and rice. $75 a week for a family of 5 is tough regardless of the kinds of foods you serve. Check out places like the dollar stores for frozen fruits and vegetables. Try to stay away from the frozen boxed meals as much as possible. Dollar stores can also be good sources for seasonings and spices.

    Is there a Grocery Outlet in your neighborhood? They have excellent deals on canned goods as well as pantry staples like flour and sugar. Their produce and dairy can be hit or miss, and sometimes is more expensive than the big chain grocery stores. They also have great deals on pet food.
  • danaweston
    danaweston Posts: 82
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    eMeals

    lots of plans to choose from
  • yerfgirl
    yerfgirl Posts: 65 Member
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    Check out www.poorgirleatswell.com too for ideas too.
  • Pinkigloopyxie
    Pinkigloopyxie Posts: 231
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    If you shop at walmart or a big chain, keep an eye on their featured meats and look at the expiration dates. We had a big display of the yellow $2/lb boneless skinless breasts and I ended up marking down 5 boxes the other day. What was $12 was now $8, I got two big packages, about 12lbs of breasts, for $16.

    I can't imagine how hard it must be to feed a family of five. That chicken would last me 2 months probably but for you it'd be two weeks.....

    Do you shop at sam's club/costco? I honestly probably spend half of your monthly budget for just myself. Makes one think a bit...
  • Darcy011
    Darcy011 Posts: 43 Member
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    A few things we have done for cutting some costs and eating healthier, is buying nice lean pork or beef roasts and cut our own steaks portioned to a proper serving size, we definitely get more bang for the buck. As well we have found that cutting down on the amount of starches served with our meals and increasing leafy vegetables such as baby spinach and different types of lettuces has really helped stretch the amount of meals you can get out of more expensive items. Another thing i do a lot with salads, veg and pasta, is I don't use store bought dressings, simple oil and vinegar mix with a cheap seasoning such as pre made greek goes along way, infact lately I have cut out the oil all together and use a more flavorful vinegar such as rice vinegar (you don't need much in a bowl full of food to make it taste great). I'm not sure on the grocery prices where you are from, but it has worked for us.
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
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    That's a tough budget :(

    Beans, rice, potatoes, lentils, pasta, porridge (oatmeal I think in America?) are all cheap, and super filling. Fresh fruit and veg can be cheap too if you stick to the basic stuff, and save the more exotic choices for when they're on special offer.

    Just thought, re the dog. Does your local butcher give away bones?
  • ki4yxo
    ki4yxo Posts: 709 Member
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    I buy everything on sale, and stock the freezer up.
    If chicken is on sale, I'll buy a bunch of chicken.
    Spiral hams go on sale for half price around
    certain holidays. They're vacuumed sealed, and
    last for ever in the freezer. I just checked, and I
    paid $15-$16 per ham. Make a nice ham dinner,
    then use for sandwiches. When you're sick of
    ham, cut it up in to bite size pieces, and freeze
    it along with the ham bone. BAM ham and bean
    soup at a later date.

    I find it's a lot cheaper to eat better, than to eat
    out or frozen foods. When I cook, it might be a
    little more up front, but you have to think about
    all the left overs. Works out to be much cheaper
    in the end. :wink:
  • raetonycass
    raetonycass Posts: 58 Member
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    some good ideas. I always have brown rice on hand as well as pasta. Chicken breasts are so large I share one with my 2 youngest kids. I do the whole fryer chicken about once a week and that provides for 2 meals. I buy hamburger in bulk and separate myself into smaller sizes. We do a lot of breakfast for dinner because that is always cheap if you don't eat bacon. I buy a box of pancake mix and make the whole thing at once as either pancakes or waffles. I freeze those to heat as we need them. What I am running into now is so much of my diet is super high sodium not to mention calories. I'll keep working at it.
  • shortnerdy
    shortnerdy Posts: 131
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    We hit our local bulk food store and get rice, beans and while wheat pastas for cheap. Items like nuts and dried fruit are also cheaper there.
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
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    Also, do you make your own soup? Costs very little to make a huge pot of soup that's filling and nutritious. There's lots of recipes online but you can pretty much make soup from anything you have around on the day - it's a great way to use up leftovers or veg that's reaching the end of its life.
  • raetonycass
    raetonycass Posts: 58 Member
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    I make some soups. Chili, black bean, 16 bean, potato. My family complains when I do though. I usually pair it with salad.
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
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    *bump
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
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    Check for local butchers instead of getting meat from a grocery store. When my husband and I were on a strict budget (and lived in town), we went to a local butcher. Their chicken breasts were $3.50/lb vs the $6+ the grocery store charged. Ground beef was $1.85/lb vs the $4ish the grocery store was. Yeah, it can be a bit more running around but it can save you some $$
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Last night I had a salad with half a head of Romaine lettuce, half a can of black beans, 4 tablespoons salsa, 1/4 cup of shredded mexican blend cheese and jalapeno slices.

    It cost less than $1 and had 271 calories, 4g fat, 18g fiber, 15g protein.

    I am only feeding a family of two but we buy in bulk and eat the same meals several days in a row to save on time and money.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    bump

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