Any Tips on buying healthy foods on a budbet?

Dried foods are some of the healthiest foods you can buy, and are usually the cheapest. $1/pound is pretty standard for things like beans, lentils, oats, barley, rice, or pretty much anything in the pantry, and it goes a long way.

We spens less than $50a month on food fo rthree people. I grow a garden and raise my meat, though.

If you are in an area that allows it-I really suggest a few backyard hens. They are inexpensive to care for and produce an egg every day/every other day-plus they're hilarious.

If you're an apartment/rent house dweller, get some planters and put a tomato plant, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, etc. Cabbge, broccoli, chard, spinach, tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, eggplants, beets, potatoes, kale-all kinds of things do really well in planters and you'll be amazed how much food you can produce in just a few planters!

Do you live near a farm, local gardener, or famers markets? I run my own farm and I am always more than happy to exchange food for wooden pallets or a few minutes of help. I also give away anything I don't think I can use, from eggs to the greens I don't feel like picking. Don't be afraid to ask-I run livestock lessons and everyone takes home jars of jelly or a bag of tomatoes at the end. I charge $5 admission and you leave with $20 in produce.

Also, check with local grocery stores. They toss really nice produce at the end of the day, and breads-I've snagged 75+lbs of perfectly fine fruit for free.

We have a close out grocery store in our area that carries overstocks, closeout, and things that might be close to or a bit past the "best used by" date, and sells them at deep deep discounts. Alot of those foods, especially dired goods like pasta, rice, cereal, etc are just fine well past that date as long as they are stored in a cool dry environment... Heck I just used brownie mix last night that was out of date by almost a year, and they were fine, Hubby ate 3 of them!

The stock rotates from week to week, so what they carry today may be gone next week, but I know what foods we use alot of and I stock up on the things we use when they have them. You can often get canned or frozen veggies for half what they normally cost, plus they have good deals on produce and dairy too. I typically leave the store with an overflowing grocery cart for right around $100 and that will hold us for at least 2 weeks for a family of 4 (including 2 teenage boys who are bottomless pits!)

I would also recommend some gardening too if you have the space to do it. Even a couple of patio tomatoe plants can yield a bushel of tomatoes with no problem and you can freeze or can them easily for suture use.

I would also recommend meal planning. If you know ahead of time what you are going to cook for dinner a week or even a month from now, you can shop sales alot more effectively and maybe even incorporate some couponing.

It's going to be challenging at first, but you can do it. Think outside the box and be open to trying new techniques.

Hey there, With meat being so expensive (especially good healthy cuts) I'd consider quorn as a low fat, cheap and fast to cook alternative. It mostly tastes simalar (avoid the chicken escalopes) and has a lot of health benefits just watch the salt becoming a vegetarian lost me a stone and half and is far cheaper for me at university maybe just swap a few meals a week, just a suggestion.

Although they're not super duper low in calorie I LOVE the recipes from this website. Its the only practical way I've found to make affordable wholesome home cooked meals that don't break the bank:

http://www.savingyoudinero.com/2012/06/12/1-hour-1-mess-5-crock-pot-meals/

The instructions will show you how to set up a whole month of family dinners in 1 day, freeze them ahead and each morning pull one out for dinner and place it in the crock pot. By dinnertime you'll have a meal! They all have great flavor. Even my picky hubby likes them. They are also very inexpensive (usually less than $5 a night and will easily feed 3 - maybe with some leftovers too depending on how much rice you make with them). If you don't have a crock-pot they are easy to find at Goodwill or any thrift store for less than $10 Sometimes brand new ones are on sale at Walmart near the holidays.

Aldi's grocery stores are awesome for finding inexpensive foods.

Also, you can make almost any meal ahead (when foods are in season/less expensive), freeze it and then eat later.
I do this anytime there's a sale on chicken or fish at my grocery (meat prices go crazy for no real reason it seems like!) . I'll buy a bunch and keep it frozen till I'm ready to use it. Thanksgiving time is a good time to stock up on turkey since there are so many sales going. I usually buy an extra bird, cook it and use the meat for future meals. Watch for Green Beans, Greens, Pumpkin etc which will all be on sale soon as we approach the holidays. Every little bit helps!

Whole chickens are usually pretty inexpensive you can buy them frozen and cook them or check the store for already cooked ones. Grocery deli's will normally discount them significantly later in the day. You can take these home, de-bone them and use them in chicken veggie casseroles, chicken salad, or soups.

Soups are a great way to stretch foods. Buy or make some chicken stock (from the leftover bones/bits of whole chickens listed above) and then throw in any veggies/beans you find on sale that week, add salt, pepper and any spices to fit your taste (I love adding a kick of hot sauce or soy sauce depending on my mood and the veggies I'm including) Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 mins or till everything is cooked and tender.

If you like bean soup there's one I love called a 15 bean soup. It comes with the spices in the package in it and Its super inexpensive. Lots of protein in beans and they're also filling! When I was a kid my mom would put a little katsup on it for an extra kick of flavor

i soak dry beans overnight, in the morning I rinse them, crock pot them on low with water about an inch above the beans.

a 1lb bag makes 6 cups. A cup of pinto beans cooked this way is 240 calories, 14 grams protein, and nearly a day's fiber.

I add cheap hot sauce or salsa on top and eat with a spoon or some corn tortillas.

Of course it depends on your idea of healthy, I think healthy is stuff like skim dairy products, conventially grown fruit/veg, rice, beans,potatoes, pasta, lean meat in moderation (I like frozen tilapia fillets from walmart, and frozen chicken breasts. eggs and Tofu too)

Dairy items - these go on sale frequently, especially yogurts and cheeses. I buy fat free yoplait every 2 weeks, enough to last till the next sale (check the dates tho), and shredded part skim milk mozzerella cheese for certain things. String cheese as well, and milk (I buy skim) as needed. I also buy frozen yogurt, as it is a dessert but also a serving of dairy.

Whole grains- I love plain quick oats, and popcorn cooked on the stove in a little canola oil. Corn tortillas are nice too.

Veggies-I also buy sale fresh or frozen veggies, and I dont care if they are starchy, like peas or carrots, corn even. If its cheap and tasty I'll buy it. I also buy whole heads of iceberg lettuce, cut it up and put into a giant ziplock gallon size bag, and use it for salads during the week. I typically have a clamshell container of grape tomatoes or radishes next to it in the fridge.

Fruit- the cheapest stuff is typically bananas, apples, raisins, and orange juice. I also buy frozen fruit popsicles and apple sauce. I aim for 2 servings of fruit a day.

convenience food-I like some canned stuff too, which *I* find to be healthier/more convienient than eating out. I buy canned tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, baked beans, and vegetarian chili.

Starches-I buy cheap white bread/pasta/rice/potatoes As I find them more palatable then the brown varieties. This has not impacted my health any.

Drinks-Tap water, cheap coffee,lipton bagged black tea (good for a hot cup, or made into iced tea/sweet tea)

Healthy fats- The cheapest sources here would be canola oil (I have a non stick spray can of this, and a bottle of the oil), peanuts, Non hydrodgenated oil spread margarine (I use Blue Bonnet usually), salad dressings, and reduced fat mayo. I like hellmans/best foods olive oil mayo.

Good luck OP. You can do it. Try to think in servings, and dont be afraid to skip meat.

Frozen veggies are cheaper than non-frozen ones. And if you are into gardening that'll save a ton too (and it'll be organic).

I do a lot of bulk shopping when things are on sale.

If chicken is on sale, I buy a bunch and freeze it. Same with vegetables. I take advantage of the buy one get one free frozen veggies whenever I can.

I also eat a lot of brown rice. It's $6.00 for 10 pounds of brown rice at Costco. I consider that to be a great deal.

Eggs are my favorite protein source. Super versatile and so inexpensive comparatively. My dinner a couple nights ago was over-easy eggs, brown rice, and asian style veggies. Cheap, filling, healthy and delicious