Eating Healthy On A Budget

I get the sale papers for the local stores and compare the prices to coupons I have. If a veg is on sale I stock up and freeze. Frozen veg. is just as good as fresh.

first of all I only buy for a week at a time that way I will eat it before it goes bad. this also helps change things up. Second in our area the Doller store has fruits and veggies. I always say the ceaper the better. Good luck.

If you have an Aldi's close by they usually have fruits and veggies cheaper than supermarkets.

First, in regards to food, if it can go bad then it's good for you. If it can't go bad, then it is bad for you.

20 healthy dinners under three dollars

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/healthy/dinner/cheap-heart-healthy-dinner-ideas/#page=6

I'm doing this as well, the best thing I can tell you is to pay attention to sales, visit your local produce market for cheaper fresh items, keep an eye on coupons and get as little processed/pre-made food as possible. Getting the same foods in "raw" form seems to be cheaper overall (or it at least goes further).

Instead of buying bags of hash browns, pre-cut- pre-seasoned, etc, buy bags of potatoes yourself and do the prep at home. Apply this to many foods. Rice, Meat, Fruits and Veg, the list goes on. Convenience often comes at a Premium. You will spend more time prepping and cooking, but you will be eating healthier and cheaper in the long run.

Beans and pulses are cheap, filling and very good for you as well as being low calorie. Also,green grocers and markets are a lot cheaper than supermarkets if you can get to them.

frozen veggies (you can also freeze fresh fruit and keep it in the freezer for a while, just pull it out to defrost the night before you want to use it), bags of frozen chicken breasts (I prefer fresh but sometimes the quick-frozen are cheaper), boxes of brown rice, quick oats (instead of the "instant" packets that have lots of extra junk in em), buy store-brand items instead of name-brands, take advantage of seasonal produce (usually grocery stores can give you a list of those), check out deals at farmers' markets in the summer, compare prices for different stores online, stock up on things like canned beans, frozen veggies, plain rice/pasta when they're on sale.

I also use my crockpot to make a big batch of something (for example this week it's black bean/turkey chili), then I can freeze some of it or eat it for lunches or dinners all week (I'm single so I just cook for one, that can be a little tricky).

When buying fresh fruit and vegetables the people working in the produce departments can give you a little more info on how long certains items will last once you take them home...buy in smaller quantities so you don't waste food/money(this is something I'm still working on, I forget I have stuff in the fridge and it sometimes goes bad).

Cooking at home is generally cheaper than eating out or buying TV dinners It just takes some planning.

Some fruits have a much longer shelf life than others. I've had apples in my kitchen that have been fine after a week or so, oranges too. If you eat bananas then you can buy a couple of yellow ones to be eaten with in a day or two and you can buy some of the really green ones that ripen at home..

I find the most expensive part of a meal is the meat. Chicken is fairly expensive where I live while beef and pork would be fairly cheap. So visit your local butcher and find out which meats are the cheapest where you live and look up recipes for those.

Frozen and tinned vegetables are great on a budget and they last forever so there is no fear of waste. Tinned tomatoes are like 30p here. You can get bags of mixed stir fry veg or you can buy each vegetable frozen separately like brocoli, carrots and green beans. It means you can take advantage of any 2 for 1 or other deals your local supermarket might having going too without fear of waste.

I find eating healthy is often more expensive than just eating junk but with a bit of imagination it doesn't have to be.

Most of the big supermarket chains now let you shop online, even if you don't order online it can help with planning out meals and stuff just to go their to get prices and to help you make lists of exactly what you need when you go to the supermarket. So when you get there you are less likely to be distracted by anything you didn't plan on getting and you are sure you are getting the best price without having to spend all day comparing products in the supermarket.

I buy a fruit and Veg mixed box once a fortnight, it's seasonal so you don't get choose whats in it but once it's delivered I can meal plan and use the items that will go bad quicker first. I pay $40 for mine and it lasts us just under two weeks. Veg tend to last but I need to top the fruit up by the one week mark. I also look for cheap stock at the supermarket, like really ripe tomatoes and banana's then cut them up and freeze, this works really well for oranges too.
Perhaps you have a company in your area that also does this?

Most has already been said but buy frozen veggie and only what fruit you know you will eat. Do you have a farmers market near you. They always sell fresh food cheaper than the store where I live. Beans, canned salmon, cottage cheese, brown rice are all very reasonable. And check the sale ads. Publix has awesome BOGO's every week.