Eating right on a budget

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kcwilliams07
kcwilliams07 Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
I'm on a budget. I'm a teacher and my husband is a full time student. So things are tight. Healthy food is not cheap! Produce in CO is especially pricey. We buy frozen vegetables, and compare prices, and all that. Does anyone have any advice? Or maybe just someone who's been there? Thanks!

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  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
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    - fresh veggies/fruits that are in season. don't buy a lot at once, just what you need for the next few days (that way, it doesn't go to waste)
    - tofu ($1 for a pack that would last one person about 4 days, would last 2 people about 2 days, very filling)
    - beans (in bulk! I would buy a can of beans for $1 to see if I liked them, then buy a huge bag in bulk. you can get like 1 kg for $6, that will last forever! lol)
    - rice (again, in bulk!)
    - oats (again, you can get like 1 kg for $5-10 - great for breakfast!)

    Honestly, that's a lot of what I eat. For these things, it's good to have some spices, soy sauce, lemon juice, etc., but you will slowly accumulate what you need.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    Dried rice, beans, veggies in season and lentils are cheap. I make a big pot of curried lentil and quinoa (or cous cous ) soup with veggies once a week and store in the fridge in individual containers. I also make lentil sprouts to put in sandwiches, add to salads and soups, and a pot of beans and rice in the crock pot. Also, make your own pizza dough and put lots of veggies in it. Steel ground oatmeal with cinnamon and apples in the crock pot or on the stove can be refrigerated and eaten all week. You could make an oatmeal cookie dough and freeze it, then cut off chunks to add to blackberries or other fruit and microwave or bake a quick cobbler. You can google sauces and marinades and make them from scratch instead of buying expensive bottles.
  • MelissaKerlin
    MelissaKerlin Posts: 2
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    Is there a store called Aldis near you? It is like a discount store but they usually have great produce prices!
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
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    Eggs are an inexpensive protein source and very versatile. Roast a whole chicken and then make a soup from the carcass. I buy bell peppers, onions and mushrooms and then saute them and use them in spaghetti sauce, omelettes, as a side for meat. Lettuce is generally inexpensive, you can make big salads and top with egg or canned tuna. Rice and/or beans, good as side dishes as well as main dishes. Of course, but in season and buy on sale.
  • LexThaSongbyrd
    LexThaSongbyrd Posts: 63 Member
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    Is there a store called Aldis near you? It is like a discount store but they usually have great produce prices!

    i was gonna suggest the same exact thing. I LOVE this store; grew up eating their food in Chicago. Their produce/meats are very cheap and delicious. I also get my 0% plain FAGE greek yogurt there. They have all the necessities like eggs, cheese, bread, etc for very cheap prices and the quality is no less than name brands at other stores. Aldi's is actually owned by the same people as Trader Joe's.

    I get my protein powder from Wal-Mart for $14.99. It's called Body Fortress. It's the best tasting powder I've tried. I love their Cookies and Cream and Peanut Butter Chocolate flavors. I refuse to go to a store like GNC and buy the same size tub of protein powder for 60+ bucks!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I buy lots of canned vegetables because I don't have a freezer and I live alone so if I don't eat them before the fresh ones spoil, I lose money. Here, the cheap brand is about 60-80 cents.

    Buy chicken in bulk. Chicken breast is the leanest, but you can buy a whole chicken for less then $1 a pound.

    Look for coupons, discounts and sales run in the Sunday paper. Maybe if your local grocery store does membership discounts, you could benefit from that.

    Cook in bulk. Make a whole pot of chili, stew or soup then you can freeze in individual portions for the whole week.

    Buy things you can use for multiple meals. I just started buying a few different colored peppers and some onions, slicing them up and putting them in a big gallon zip lock. Then they are ready for the whole week for stir fry, fajitas or to bulk up scrambled eggs.

    When I lived with my ex, we'd buy the giant 2.5 dozen eggs. There are a million things to do with eggs and I still buy the 1.5 dozen. A quick fried egg with some of those peppers and onions can bulk up some rice and make it stretch a bit further.

    99% of it is planning ahead. If you are prepared and take the time (skip one tv show at night), you'll be a lot less likely to want to swing through a drive thru and even more money on top of the groceries you just bought. I have lots of stuff that are prepared in just a couple minutes (sandwiches, popcorn, chips and salsa) so I tell myself, it'll probably take more time to wait in a busy drive through then throw a few pieces of meat on some bread or pop a bag of popcorn.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
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    I live in CO and yes, some things are expensive but not all healthy food is pricey, and I have learned it is better to buy what's in season (and relatively cheap) and make my meals around those items. Planning is the real key!
    Like another poster wrote, dried beans are cheap and are very cheap to cook yourself rather than buy canned. I buy the 2 lb bags of dried legumes of all kinds and make my own soups, stews in my trusty crockpots (I have two). Tastes much fresher and is literally pennies a pound.
    We make almost everything from scratch nowadays, just like we used to do when I was a kid and we were way poor in those days; I remember having to make a pound of hamburger feed 10 people and could do it when I was 15.
    Greens are what they are, so I just get them but I try to shop around a bit and some stores will give you coupons on what you buy rather than junk you never buy, so I sign up for all the coupons on-line. Once the produce manager gets to know you, you may be able to offer you discount stuff that's got to go cheap. You just need to use it quickly. My produce guy will hold back old bananas that are starting to go bad, and I buy them at discount and freeze them whole for using later in baking or cooking. Ask! The worst you'll hear is "no." Plus I've researched how to store vegetables properly so they last longer (www.vegetarian.com).
    Other posters said the same thing I would: make large batches and freeze in meal-size containers for other days. Buy what's on sale. You CAN eat healthy without going broke. I've been watching our food budget over the last 8 months and I've noticed we're saving way more money by cutting back on meat and not buying processed, pre-packaged/refined stuff; we have a meat meal maybe two or three times a month; the rest of the time is meatless healthy meals.
    Browse the web too. There's lots of sites on frugal cooking, cooking on a budget, stuff like that. Even what to do with leftovers later. I learned a lot of my cooking skills watching videos on-line.
    That said, my spices are the priciest things in my pantry. BUT once I got a good set of necessary spices, my grocery bill has stabilized below what we were spending a year ago.
    Planning is the key!
    You can do this.
  • cleomouri
    cleomouri Posts: 51 Member
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    Check for local farmer markets.

    I live in the central New York area and we have a farmer's market that's open every Saturday year round. When we went this past Saturday I got all the produce I needed for the whole week and then some for $17.

    We've been finding it helps if you plan out your meals for the whole week. That way you know precisely what it is you're going to need. Helps save on extra trips to the store and also helps preventing spur of the moment buys or buying things you then don't use.

    Aldi's is fantastic for food that comes in boxes. Canned veggies and fruits are normally pretty good deals there too.

    Check and see if you have a MaineSource: Food and Party Warehouse near you or similiar. It's kind of geared towards small restaurants and such, but it is open to the public and they have some KILLER deals. I got a eye round roast there the other day for $20. that single roast gave me 2lbs of stew beef (and better quality that normal stew beef), 1 lb of stir fry strips, 1lb of ground beef (that I did myself at home), and 1 lb of steaks. We also get whole pork loins there too. A 7-9lb pork loin typically runs about $15-17 and if I don't feel like cutting it up myself, as long as the butcher is in the store they're happy to cut it up for me however I like.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
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    I also get my 0% plain FAGE greek yogurt there.
    Also, buy the plain yogurt, your favorite brand, and add your own flavors. Much cheaper than the store-bought stuff and way less sugar. I don't eat yogurt anymore, but when I did, I would add my own frozen fruit in winter and fresh fruit in summer. Or I'd just add a bit of honey to it and I'd have my own version of honey-flavored yogurt. Or I'd add pineapple to it, or whatever I felt like.
    You'll see pre-packaged stuff in the aisles and think "I can do that myself better" and then do it at home for cheaper and healthier.
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
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    See if there is something called Bountiful Baskets where you live. You can get fresh produce at a good price. Look them up online.
  • JaimeLaRae
    JaimeLaRae Posts: 279 Member
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    I recently started buying all our dried goods in the bulk section at Winco. When I say bulk, I mean in big barrels & you scoop out however much you want to purchase. For us, this has included soup base, rice, beans, pasta, spices, dog treats, etc. I was in shock the first time I did this. I went on a "major" grocery shopping trip & my bill was about $50 LESS than I expected. Win!!!
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    I have recently saved on my grocery budget by going to sites like Eating Well and looking for budget healthy menus and being strict with portion control. If others are still hungry after the meal they can have some peanut butter or whatever they fancy. Frozen vegetables retain actually more of the nutritional value that supermarket fresh. they are flash frozen at the peak of ripeness. Supermarket produce someties sits for days losing nutrients. I bought a lot of frozen when i lived in Wyoming.
  • Dee_84
    Dee_84 Posts: 431 Member
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    I don't know where in Colorado you live but check if you have a Sprouts Farmers Market near by. We have one in Colorado Springs and they always have great deals on produce and meat.

    I also price match at Walmart, I will look up the ads from the local grocery stores and make a list, i.e. Chicken Thighs are .99$/lb at King Soopers I will get them for the same price at Walmart.
    This way I will get the sales of different stores without having to go to different stores.
    I save big this way on produce, diary and meat.

    I also make my own greek yogurt in a crockpot, costs me about 1-2$ for 2lb.
  • Librariangetsfit
    Librariangetsfit Posts: 71 Member
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    I batch cook chicken breasts instead of buying meat for salads for my work lunch. Throw them in the crockpot, while still frozen for 2.5-3 hours on high. I throw in seasonings also and sometimes a lemon.
  • countessvonfangbang
    countessvonfangbang Posts: 22 Member
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    I don't know where in Colorado you live but check if you have a Sprouts Farmers Market near by. We have one in Colorado Springs and they always have great deals on produce and meat.

    I second this there's a Sprouts in Ft Collins that I go to and I know there's one in Boulder and a few in the Denver area. They have some sick deals I've been able to walk out of there with enough veggies for over a week spending about $15. I don't shop at walmart though other than like their crackers and stuff I don't think their prices are that great, it's also not very good food. King Soopers/City Market have much much better deals and Safeway is ok if you have a club card and are very selective.

    Also for bread go to the store's bakery they have stuff that's on the quality level of Rudi's except it's less than half the price. I don't really eat meat except for turkey bacon so I can't help you there, but if you're willing to give eating more of a vegetarian diet a try it saves a lot of money. Tofu is cheap and beans are cheap.

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