Diet on an extremely minimal budget

Buy frozen meat fish and vegetables, buy in bulk, buy tinned beans. I had a food budget of about £10 a week when I was a student and I managed to lose weight by doing that.

Boy, I hear you on this one. Up until this past August, I was working more than full time and going to school full time. I understand the lack of time!

For me, I usually had time on the weekend (just a few hours, even 1 hour of time would be fine sometimes) that I would use getting meals cooked/prepped for the week. I would make big batches of things, stir fries, rice and beans, taco meat, etc. that I would divvy up between the days so I always had an option to reheat and eat. Once I got into a routine of cooking a lot on one day, usually cooking multiple things that day, it became easier to take care of it.

I also utilized my crockpot slow cooker every chance I got. I don't know if you have one, but it does wonders. I would make whole bags of dried beans, soups, shredded chicken (for anything!), shredded chicken taco meat, chili and a few others. Sometimes, when I absolutely had no time, peanut butter and jelly with fruit and veggies on the side became a great meal.

I hope this helps! Feel free to message me if you need more help.

Frozen fish, absolutely. Walmart has bags of frozen tilapia for like 11 bucks.

I cannot in good conscious recommend frozen veggies.

Why no frozen veggies? They can be just as nutritious as fresh...

Who said anything about nutrition? The texture is weird.

What about your off days? If you could prepare one large meal and freeze it, in individual servings, then you would be set. Breakfast could be oatmeal or even a quick smoothie. If you like hardboiled eggs, you could boil those while you are studying and then make enough where you could refrigerate and eat one in the morning with some oatmeal. You could cut up veggies when you take your study break and half veggies, multigrain crackers and individual hummus packets that they sell, and that is a small snack. I like nectarines and they get me full too.

Agreeing completely with the crock pot! I too work full time and go to school full time, and I'm married to a wonderful man who also works and goes to school full time. We throw whatever we have in the crock pot in the morning, leave it on low, and eat whenever we can until it's gone.

Frozen fish, absolutely. Walmart has bags of frozen tilapia for like 11 bucks.

I cannot in good conscious recommend frozen veggies.

Why no frozen veggies? They can be just as nutritious as fresh...

Who said anything about nutrition? The texture is weird.

Yeah, I get that. Some aren't so bad though. I rather like frozen peas and sometimes like frozen corn.

Fruit in season, and root veggies are cheap. Such as a bag of apples and a bag of carrots, canned tuna packed in water, canned sardines........ditched the bottled water and drink tap water. Also canned chickpeas are great and cheap. It is actually a lot cheaper to eat real foods that are good for you in favour of hot pockets. Try a few of the different ideas people are suggesting, and soon you will have a bunch of meals that you enjoy, and you will be on your way to a much healthier you............

I hear ya,my budget for food is low,but it can benefit you. I am on a strength program and found a few go to items that I am glad I looked into the best bang for the buck. #1 Eggs,its one of the cheapest forms of proteins and what I do is make three days worth quickly.Scrambled then refrigerate,take to work either microwave it or eat it cold in a lettuce wrap with some of my choices to add flavor. I've used curry based sauces,added blueberries to it..yes blueberries.. you can add string cheese to it which I've done and its good In my opinion. #2 Sweet potatoes, takes time in the oven but one or two large sweet potatoes can be added to 2 to 4 meals... #3 Tuna prepared or right out of the can..#4 Milk again as I am on a strength and muscle building program I want more protein and some good calorie density # 5 Oatmeal,its was my go to snack at times for fiber and good carbs. Fast to heat.#6 Some will boo hiss a frozen meal from a box but I like the taste and good mixes of dome foods and vegetables in Healthy Choice steamers,around $2 something a meal and much more prepared than I would put effort into with all the ingredients, unlike other meals in a box sodium isn't sky high, I thaw mine before work and 1 min 30 seconds its done. #7 Frozen vegetables in a bag,they are more times than not flash frozen keeping the nutrients somewhat close to fresh and can be heated quick.#8 Couscous,fast (5minutes on stove) reheats nice. #9 Broiled premadr whole chicken,$5 a pop ,can be eaten cold or warmed up,can offer numerous meals. And my last one #10 Big baskets from a farmers market,roadside stand of someone's garden grown fruits or melons,personally I skip the vegetables but those too can be had cheap. I will buy berried,freeze them and stores. Let thaw day before eating or put them frozen in my oatmeal before heating. Those are my cheap,fast,healthy choices.

People have already said most of the actual items that I would have suggested....great stuff!

But I would add that you can still take advantage of garden produce if you know anyone who has one. We have tomatoes, squash, beets, zucchini, etc, every day right now for free and all of that stuff takes as little or as much prep as you want it to.

Also, I second the idea of making batches of things that you can eat several meals from - and then eating it through the week or freezing it. Crock Pots are great, too, and I do use mine a fair amount - soups and stews are cheap, filling, and can be nutritious. One pot goes a long way.

I only just last week tried the refrigerator oatmeal thing...pretty good stuff. Peanut butter, banana, and almond milk? Mmmm.....

Congratulations on working so hard and still trying to make good choices for your health!

Brown rice, stir-fried vegetables, and some kind of protein--chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, or whatever is on sale.

You can make a big pot of rice that will last all week, then the stir-frying is quick. Most groceries have big bags of stuff like pre-chopped fresh kale that you can throw into the stir-fry. You can constantly vary the kinds of veggies and protein that you put into the mix. You can throw in something like pine nuts or sliced almonds if you can get a big bag that is on sale. Look for the sales.

Fruit is fast food and healthy.

Sweet potatoes--again, you can bake a bunch on your day off and have them there all week. And they are cheap. Same with any kind of winter squash. You can also cut up the sweet potatoes or squash and throw them into your stir-fries. Or put in some canned beans.

Good luck!

Sweet potatoes--again, you can bake a bunch on your day off and have them there all week. And they are cheap. Same with any kind of winter squash. You can also cut up the sweet potatoes or squash and throw them into your stir-fries. Or put in some canned beans.

Ooo, you just gave me some awesome ideas. I didn't know squash would keep after cooking it Great to know. Thanks! And just in time too; winter squash season is nearly upon us

Also a tip on cooking squash.. it takes almost an hour to boil/bake, but only like 10 min in the microwave. I just hit the potato button on my microwave and my squash cooks just fine.

I'm poor too. I got so tired of stressing over what I was going to eat every day, that I tried 5:2. Took a lot of the pressure off, though it's not for everyone. Of course, I still strive to eat healthy every day. Frozen veggies are the best, especially on "10 for 10" days at my grocery store. lol Oh and lots of coupons!! Sign up for a bunch of coupon mailings & email lists. You'd be surprised how much healthy stuff you can get.

I too can SO relate. What saves me is making soups...all kinds of soup recipes out there which are flavored with herbs and spices (which are much cheaper at the bulk stores if you cannot grow your own--also easy & cheap). Someone else said eggs--great choice. Watch for meat on discount...it's still good as long as it is cooked immediately. Make casseroles, calculate calories & nutritional value per serving, then divide the dish up into lunches & dinners for yourself...much cheaper than buying pre-made, packaged food. Don't waste a thing... I agree that frozen veggies don't have the texture of fresh, but some are not too bad, depending upon how you use them...For instance frozen corn, or those string bean/carrot blend packages. Pasta also goes on sale--buy it then. Check out what's available at dollar stores--you'd be surprised. I buy individual unsweetened applesauce for snacktime - 6 for $1...canned diced tomatoes, sometimes long grain rice, popcorn, crackers. For sure sometimes you don't get the best of the best, but hey, on a budget sometimes we have to make some sacrifices. The other thing that helps is to look at flyers and make lists of where the best sales are, then pre-plan a weekly food plan, using up everything you purchase so there's nothing unused by the end of week. To sum it up.. it really can be done. I do it, and we have 7 children on a very low income. A wise man once told me: "the only thing you can't do chickie, are the things you've decided you can't."...Have a terrific day & best of luck.

EGGS are relatively inexpensive, and they are high in protein, low in calories! We try to keep boiled eggs in the refrigerator at all times. When making scrambled eggs I use one whole egg and 3 egg whites. Tuna is another relatively inexpensive great item. They now have the pouches and you can keep them in your backpack.

Seconded on the overnight oatmeal. Even a vanilla yogurt and oats alone is filling, cheap, AND tasty in the mornings.