How to eat right on an itty bitty income?

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itsthatfatgirl
itsthatfatgirl Posts: 30
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone!

Recently, my source of income has dropped to almost nothing. Now, I'm struggling to purchase the foods that I know will be good for me. All the healthy foods that I liked to eat before seem so out of my price range now.

Any tips or affordable meal ideas?
HELPPPP!!!!
-Thank you.
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Replies

  • merapp9
    merapp9 Posts: 153 Member
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    I have found eggs are cheap and full of protein...you can cook them any sort of way...adding things like salsa would also be good!
  • NyimaR
    NyimaR Posts: 108 Member
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    Tinned pulses make a good source of protein fairly cheap if meat is too pricey. Keep an eye out for things on sale - if you have the time to get to the store regularly it's worth figuring out what time they reduce the price on the stuff that's nearing the end of its shelf life and swiping some bargains!
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    seasonal veggies and fruit should be less expensive, dried beans can make lots of soup!
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
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    Buy dried beans, grains, and rice in bulk. It might be cheaper for you to grow your own sprouts to be sure you have some live food everyday. Then just look for sales for everything else. If you are at the point where you need to go to a food pantry/soup kitchen, I would not worry about it right now. First things first: try to focus on getting your finances together not your diet (you can still exercise). Good luck!
  • Thick2Fit1991
    Thick2Fit1991 Posts: 27
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    I have had the same problem since my husband lost his job, however I find if you buy in bulk and you buy vegetables whole and just cut them down to an edible size you save more money. And when you need to get the more expensive things like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and such just budget for it then freeze them. I am a huge ORGANIC person and when I had to cut back it was hard but eventually you work around it, :) Good Luck:drinker:
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
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    Beans, frozen veggies, brown rice. When raw chicken breasts go on sale, grab a bag and stick them in the freezer. You can cook a couple every day and dice them up to add to the beans/rice/veggies. It's a very filling meal and easy to reheat if you bring lunch to work. Frozen fruit can be pretty cheap too. You can add it to cereal (buy generic cereal) or store-brand oatmeal for a good, healthy breakfast. Eggs are wonderful too. Some egg and cheese on an English muffin will keep you full for a while. Again, you can buy the store brand of cheese and muffins, and eggs are usually $1.29/dozen.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Hey! I was able to live off almost nothing last year

    Foods I bought regularly:

    dried rice
    dried beans
    canister of oats
    frozen veggies
    bananas
    apples
    seasonal fruits and veggies - squash is super cheap right now!
    olive oil (a little pricey, but last foooorever)
    peanut butter
    eggs
    chicken breast
    anything else that was on a great sale

    Do you have an aldi? they have awesome prices!

    And I did sneak in some cheap junk occasionally :D
  • AwakenedInChrist
    AwakenedInChrist Posts: 42
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    I'm in the same boat Hun!! I eat a lot of beans, they are cheap and are a high plant based protein. TVP (texturized vegetable protein) is also very inexpensive but high in protein! For breakfast buy protein and some greens. You'll be eating healthy and I expensively.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    Some ideas:

    chili --really stretches beef/turkey/chicken, freezes well, and is overall just a great meal

    stews--same as above

    soup-same as above

    rotisserie chicken --easy and relatively cheap

    frozen veggies --buy em on sale for $1 a pound

    carrots--relatively cheap fresh veg

    apple/bananas--pretty cheap in terms of fruit

    buy WHOLE chickens--not boneless, skinless. bake the entire thing.

    bulk beans/lentils/grains --not packaged/partially cooked as you pay more for this

    pork roasts and chops are rather lean and cheap if you don't have a pork aversion
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    and eggs are usually $1.29/dozen.

    Wow, they're $4 here. I think I might just buy some chickens instead :)
  • sing4me4you
    sing4me4you Posts: 88 Member
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    Try canned lentil soup, add 1/2 to 1 can of water and elbow or other small pasta. Cook until the pasta is done. It will likely need a little salt but it is very filling and satisfying.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Beans! Frozen veggies are also affordable, and since they are frozen you can keep them for months. Eggs and oatmeal are affordable breakfast options. I've been a full time student until recently, so I've been in the same kind of situation. If you go on SNAP, budget out how much money you have to work with then plan what is going to get you the best nutrition for your money. Things like frozen chicken breasts are probably the cheapest quality protein you can find. Canned tuna is pretty affordable, too.

    Mostly, just focus on preparing meals at home from scratch. Anything that has been prepped will cost extra.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    The whole chicken is a very good idea! If you don't mind putting in a tiny bit of work :)

    You can just buy one, stick it in the crock pot with some seasonings and voila! you have shredded meat for over a week.

    Only 79 cents per pound here
  • JoyaGurl
    JoyaGurl Posts: 72
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    I'm on a really tight budget too, so I know how hard it can be in trying to eat healthy. These are just a few ideas that has helped me.

    Buy in bulk items like, beans, rice, potatoes, meat, or frozen vegetables. All can be found at resonable prices, lasts for awhile, gets you full, and are healthy.

    You can also make homemade bread/dough for pizzas, pies,or sandwhiches

    Buy fruits and vegetables thats in season; there're cheaper

    If you can, buy grocercies from your Local grocery store, it's cheaper and fresher

    Find out about/use your grocery store's discount

    Hopes this helps =)
  • rinnismom
    rinnismom Posts: 190
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    well, bags of dry rice and dry beans feed a lot of mouths and they cost little to nothing. when my funds are low, i cut corners. i change my pure spinach leaves salad to iceburg lettuce. i don't buy fruits when i'm broke because theyy cost so much. i don't partake in protein shakes or any diet bars, so i'm safe there. if i have to do without some things i prefer, oh well. i was very poor growing up and we lived from our garden and from the woods.

    the thing is: i buy a lot of food on a small budget but some of the foods have a prep time that you have to work around. the easiest for me is to soak the beans overnight, rinse in the morning, and let the crockpot do it's thing.

    as a matter of fact, (if you own a crockpot) hit up the recipe section. there are some amazing low-cal, low-cost meals in there that will feed plenty.

    when my budget is tiny and i know i have 3 kids and my husband to feed, i might not buy the most healthy bread or meal options. when those things occur, i just stay aware of my portions.

    there's nothing wrong with struggling, but if it gets too bad, there are resources that your local DHS can provide. i've known people that have received the benefits and it's helped them greatly.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    1. get a garden or if you live in an apartment get some pots and grow some of your own veggies
    2. frozen veggies and frozen fruit are almost always on sale somewhere
    3. eggs, dry beans like black eye peas, pinto beans and black beans are always cheap and filling
    4. farmers market
    5. steel cut oats
    6. check your grocery store circulars for stuff on sale and stock up. i recently bought a ton of chicken thighs that were on sale where a pack of 12 were like $4. i got several packs, divided them up an put them in the freezer and defrost as needed.
    7. water is great but when i get sick of it i make iced tea with cheapo lipton bagged tea


    really the things that are mot expensive for me in grocery shopping are the condiments and stuff like olive oil and cooking spray. when i buy these, i will sometimes buy the lowest quality (like mayo) but will fancy it up with herbs and spices to get rid of the original crappy taste
  • Melarie59
    Melarie59 Posts: 44
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    Twice a month I get baskets of fruits and vegetables from Bountiful Baskets for $15. Here is the website if you're interested...www.bountifulbaskets.org/
    very inexpensive way to get fruit and veggies...and you never know what you're going to get! You can also purchase extra things through them...
    Good luck :) looks like people have given you some great ideas! We can ALL use ways to save money on food!
  • Sprmc47
    Sprmc47 Posts: 82 Member
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    at some point in my work life I was downsized and out of a job. At that someone told me to go to Aldi. Not sure if you have them, but things are very inexpensive and you just need to pick and choose. They have a fit & active line and some are really healthy but like anything you have to read the labels and figure out what makes sense for you!!! Good Luck
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    bump for later
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Hello everyone!

    Recently, my source of income has dropped to almost nothing. Now, I'm struggling to purchase the foods that I know will be good for me. All the healthy foods that I liked to eat before seem so out of my price range now.

    Any tips or affordable meal ideas?
    HELPPPP!!!!
    -Thank you.

    Eggs

    Vegetables

    Fruit

    Lentils (buy from bulk bins)

    Poultry ( I buy whole chickens and make my own broth)

    Brown rice (bulk bins)

    Almonds (bulk bins)

    Avoid ready made foods - you mostly pay for the convenience and the nutrition value is not that awesome.

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