I need affordable food ideas

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ryry1322
ryry1322 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have 180 I can spend on food each month. I'm also hypothyroid. I would like to know what types of foods I should be eating to maximize my results.

I buy fresh greenbeans
Frozen yogurt or regular yogurt
Freeze dried strawberries and bananas
Pistachios
Cashews

Annnd I do eat some unhealthy things. I really want to cut out the junk and need to get ideas on what to buy instead

Replies

  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    Canned and frozen veggies are cheap and often have just as much nutrients as fresh. (Just watch the sodium in canned versions). Greek yogurt has more protein than regular and keeps you feeling full longer. Fresh bananas and berries maintain their water content over freeze dried, and again, keep you fuller. Combining a protein with fruit (like peanut butter with apple slices) slows down digestion and again, keeps you full longer. (See the pattern here?)

    Tuna in cans or pouch is an inexpensive protein. So are eggs, some cheeses and low fat milk. Watch for chicken breasts on sale. Beans are cheap and very nutritious. Peanut butter is a great protein but watch the total calories. You'll likely find peanuts a little cheaper than cashews and pistachios, especially when on sale. Buying fruits and veggies in season will also be cheaper.

    Watch for sales and create your meal plan for the week based upon those sales. Try to limit eating out when you can. You can usually buy a larger volume of food and make several meals for the same cost of a take out meal.
  • cmonisthisnametakentoo
    cmonisthisnametakentoo Posts: 8
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    Do you have an Aldi's in your area? Their prices are pretty good.
  • ryry1322
    ryry1322 Posts: 29 Member
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    Sharon that was very helpful. Will keep that in mind

    And cmonisthisnom no but there is a save a lot. :) I'll check it out
  • easjer
    easjer Posts: 219 Member
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    Eggs, eggs, eggs. Cheap and easy way to get your protein. Canned tuna, salmon, etc - also inexpensive and easy to fix in several ways. Watch for sales - my grocery store frequently does meal deals, by which I buy a certain product - usually meat - at full price and get a huge compliment of items for free (sometimes healthy, sometimes not. Example - buy our preseasoned/cooked taco meat and get shells, sour cream, cheese, salsa and our store-brand iced tea for free!). There is also frequently seafood on sale, and some kind of beef/pork/chicken is always on sale. Buy what is on sale and build meals from there.

    Beans and rice are inexpensive and easy to make, and canned fruits and vegetables can be great! Just watch sodium and additives. Frozen veggies and fruits are worth looking at too - frozen spinach gets used in my house like no one's business.

    Explore recipe builders and see what you can cook in bulk and freeze. If you are only feeding yourself, you can make meals for 4, eat 2 and freeze 2 and build a decent freezer stash that way. There are tons of websites out there on how to feed a family inexpensively and healthfully that may help you as well. GL!
  • digidream
    digidream Posts: 27 Member
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    Here are some ideas of healthy cheap foods!
    Oatmeal (Is really cheap if you buy one of those huge tubs and NOT single serving packets!)- filling, too
    Frozen veggies (can get for usually a dollar a bag and get different types), and they taste better than canned.
    Eggs (good protein and cheap)
    Whole wheat bread when it's on sale, can pair with eggs!
    Check which stores have the cheapest deals on fruits (I wish you had an aldis, their fruit is crazy cheap!)
    - cheapest fruits, usually apples, bananas, oranges and grapefuit
    Get the beans that come uncooked in a bag (way cheaper than canned) and you can cook the whole bag in a crockpot and freeze for later (for chili, burritos, etc)
    If you like cheese the best deal I've seen is usually $2 for 8 oz, so wait when it's on sale and stock up. Oh, if you have a Krogers they put things on clearance alot here!
    For the yogurt, buy a big tub instead of single serving and just take a single serving portion. It's cheaper in the large tubs.
    I love pistachios, but if you're on a budget you should probably go for peanuts. They're the only nut that isn't too expensive here.
    Also avocados for healthy fats can be around 50 cent each here...
  • digidream
    digidream Posts: 27 Member
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    Oh and cottage cheese has alot of protein and can be cheap on sale! I don't know how much meat you eat, but you could cut down on the meat and replace it with things like beans and whole wheat grains and low-fat dairy to save money and maybe cut down on fat?
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    Buy whole chickens and break them down yourself and freeze them, Buy a whole Pork loin, very low calorie and you can section it out into several portions and freeze that as well. Bulk might cost more up front but you can make it stretch much longer. Like others said, frozen veggies and fruits are excellent.
  • Frank_Just_Frank
    Frank_Just_Frank Posts: 454 Member
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    Big bags of frozen veggies, eggs, if you know someone with a cost membership get the chicken drumsticks and hamburger meat and split into portions for the freezer. Good luck, it's not easy on a budget.
  • TrekkerCynthia
    TrekkerCynthia Posts: 155 Member
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    99 cent store for spices, they usually have a decent selection. I hit the Asian and Hispanic grocery stores when I want fresh produce for a good price (I live in Vegas). If I buy the 25 lb bags of rice and/or beans I can get them for about 30 cents or so a pound. I freeze the brown rice so the fats don't go rancid. The internet is your friend, most grocery stores put their sale flyers online so you can figure out what you best use of funds for the week will be without having to wait for the flyer in your mailbox. If you can, find friends that have Costco/Sam's/etc memberships and shop together and split the booty. But know the prices before going there, they aren't always cheapest these days.
  • Miamiuu
    Miamiuu Posts: 262 Member
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    Since your budget isnt that high id suggest some michelinas frozen dinners. There all types and usually taste decent. Can find them for about a dollar each. Each dinner usually averages 350 calories.
  • mbennett024
    mbennett024 Posts: 53 Member
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    I do a lot with brown rice and beans, it's cheap and healthy not to mention versatile.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    Chicken on sale only - buy extra and freeze. Buy frozen veggies on sale only...

    Lettuce is only about $1 a head... I buy 3-4 a week. Salads are easy... Cucumbers are cheap. Turkey bacon is cheap. Buy salad dressings on sale only.

    I honestly only buy things on sale and then i print coupons.

    Check out www.livingrichwithcoupons.com
  • wickedpursuit
    wickedpursuit Posts: 47 Member
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    Get chicken leg quarters and break them down; around here, they run about $.69/lb and a 10lb bag works well for lunches (or dinners) for about 2 weeks. Frozen veggies - get the cheap ones! Seasonal fruit is a good thing to keep an eye out for... basically, everything everyone's said here already! Buy in bulk, make meals in advance, and abuse your freezer - it helps tremendously!

    Also! Look into crock pot dinners (just found this link, but there are billions out there, I'm sure: http://www.slowcookeradventures.com/2011/01/crock-pot-meals-for-10-or-less.html ) Those can stretch a while. I can make a pot of chicken chili to feed about 8-10 people for about $10 or so, if the stuff is on sale: 1-2 lb chicken meat, 2-3x cans white corn, 2-3x cans great white northern beans,and 1-2x cans Rotel (hot or medium). Toss in a crockpot, cook on low for 8+ hours (until chicken is done) and you'll have plenty to last a while!

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