Eating Healthy on a Budget

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
    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
    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
    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
    Canned beans, eggs, frozen veggies and tuna are my go-tos for the tight shopping trips.
  • ohenry78
    ohenry78 Posts: 228
    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: 465 Member
    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
    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
    Frozen veggies!
    Making your own soup is usually cheap, filling and you can stretch it awhile
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    LOL...are you a long lost relative? I call them chicken boobies :)
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
    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
    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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