Little Money

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andreabrabham
andreabrabham Posts: 116 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I need some ideas, if you are running low on cash, what do you eat? I have been having a hard time lately and the bills are piling up. I want to be able to meet my goals. Healthy foods can be so expensive.

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  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Look for sales. Stock up on lean meat when it's on sale when you have the money. Buy frozen veg over fresh, cheaper (usually) and lasts longer. Even cheaper still, canned veg, though not as good. Dry beans in the bag. Lots of uses, really cheap, good protein and fiber source.
  • andreabrabham
    andreabrabham Posts: 116 Member
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    Thanks. Great ideas. I will definitely be stocking up on those items!
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
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    I buy dry beans and nuts in bulk
    Farmers Markets? Do you have a Sprouts Grocery story near you? I can go buy 5 bags of healthy food organic and natural and veggies and spend maybe 20$.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I personally find eating healthy to be less expensive than eating the crap foods... but prices are also different based on your area.

    Shop the sales. Leaf lettuce is on sale this week instead of your usual romaine... get the leaf lettuce. Oranges are on sale instead of your normal apples... go for the oranges, etc. I buy produced based on what is on sale and in season.

    Head to your local dollar store and get some rice and dried beans if they sell them. Dried beans are super easy to make and really cheap per serving. Rice helps bulk up a meal without having to spent too much. If your dollar store sells frozen veggies... grab some of those. Cook some up with a bit of pasta and you've got a good meal for cheap (just load up the veggies).

    Buy mainly frozen veggies. Have a few things of fresh so you can eat them raw as snacks. Oatmeal is a great breakfast food that you can get super cheap at a dollar store. Mixed with a cut up apple and some milk and cinnamon (if you have it) is a great breakfast.

    As the other poster pointed out, if you have the money stock up on meat when it's on sale. See if your store does a daily/weekly meat markdown. Mine marks their meat down each night so I go shopping shortly before close when we need to stock up on meat for my husband. The meat expires within the next two days but for 50% plus off it's a great deal. I buy the marked down meat... bring it home.. portion it out and freeze it.
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
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    Won't help much now, but when you DO have the cash, go out and buy bulk chicken, tilapia, ground turkey, tuna, beans & veg. Then make lots of crock pot hardy soups and stews and freeze them. Spend your money on good healthy food FIRST (well, after you cover your living expenses) and then you'll only have to decide on where to find money for less important things.
  • tamisawyer
    tamisawyer Posts: 12
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    Hey Girl. I feel you! lol
    Stock up as you can. Learn to enjoy beans. I keep those for the short weeks. Just make sure you read the labels and get pure beans with not a lot added in them, especially meat. A serving of beans, brown rice & some parm = great, low cal, healthy meal.
    Coupons help (Which I don't use enough).
    Also, stock up on meat. I looked in my freezer today and was like look at that!
    Don't buy all organic and extra expensive. You can eat healthy buying fresh or fresh frozen.
    And there are always sales, I buy my greek yogurt for 89cents to 1 dollar which is about the same as regular yogurt.

    OH! And if you have an Aldi in your town, go there! My friend took me there and I was like .....
    They have a fit & healthy line which is great and affordable.

    Hope that helps. :)
  • andreabrabham
    andreabrabham Posts: 116 Member
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    Thanks for the advice everyone!
  • Brandilynnrose
    Brandilynnrose Posts: 121
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    Whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce are cheap, filling, and healthy. You can get brown rice, frozen veggies, and sprinkle them with some low sodium soy sauce for a cheaper/lighter stir-fry. Bananas and apples are cheap fruits, and apples last a long time so you could buy a large bag- stores often sell 3 pound bags for a low price. Peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread are an idea (add banana or honey for a super yummy twist instead of traditional PBandJ). Carrot sticks and celery dipped in hummus is a pretty cheap snack.

    Another person said Sprouts (which is an awesome store with GREAT produce prices, if there is one near you) and Farmers Markets- both great ideas. And here's a hint about Farmers Markets- go towards the end of the scheduled time. A lot of times they mark prices WAY down or offer special deals towards the end because they don't want to haul the produce back with them.

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