help! healthy food on a budget?

decent healthy food being the most expensive is my huge problem too. unfortunately the only advice I have is that if you can't get fresh fruits and veggies, frozen are the next best thing. I suppose the same goes for fish. I mean we want fresh, but.... I am on a budget too.

I am in the same boat. I cant afford to eat everything healthy. I still havent found how to eat like that unless I rob a bank LOL And I dont wanna go to jail so that's out LOL Well if anyone knows what to do....HELP

try a local farmers market...if one is not available shop fruits and veggies that are in season..they tend to be much more cheaper.

I stick to things that don't go bad because of the food waste. Try to avoid buying anything in the processed aisled (stick to the outside aisles). Also buy pastas, rice, and anything that goes a long way. Buy meat frozen in bulk.

I also make a lot of vegetarian dishes because of the cost of meat.

Stick to cheaper fruits and veggies - apples and bananas instead of expensive berries. Root veggies are super cheap too!

http://www.brokeandhealthy.com is a great site too.

I've found that here in Joplin, MO, some of the smaller grocery stores actually have cheaper and better quality produce and meat than a bigger store like Wal-Mart does. If you have an Aldi or a Food 4 Less in your area...definitely check them out!! I also plan ahead...we get paid every 2 weeks so we make a 2-week menu and buy groceries according to that menu and nothing else. You'll find that you have plenty of food to last the whole 2 weeks and you save a TON of money because you're not just buying what looks good at the time. And as far as meat goes...a piece of meat from the grocery store is usually twice as much as you actually need in a serving, so try cutting it in half....that will save calories and money!

I highly recommend emealz. they give you an entire meal plan for a week (dinner) and for my choice, walmart low fat, it is under 50 dollars. You pay 5 bucks a month, but I save about $200 every month of groceries now. They also have low carb, gluten free, veggie, and meal plans for 4 or more people. Just Google e-mealz and take a look at their sample menus.

i'd recommend finding someone with a costco or sam's club membership, and tagging along with them next time. there are lots of healthy offerings - tho most of them are frozen - but at least they will keep well. when i used to have a costco membership, my favorite frozen things to stock up were: 5lb bag of strawberries (great for smoothies), skinless and boneless chicken breast fillets, and raw peeled shrimp. as for fresh food, they're definitely a great deal as well, and you can freeze any unused portions.

trader joe's is an inexpensive option too, especially for cheeses and nuts. ok, cheese is rather high-fat, but they're a source of diary!

My local super market is a monster when it comes to buying fresh fruit--so I go to Sam's Club! Lots of fresh fruit and you get 3 times as much as in a store!

I'm dealing with the same problems being a broke college student. Besides a lot of fruits and veggies I love things like progresso soup which is cheap and filling and low in calories, frozen veggie steamers because they are cheap as well and won't go bad like fresh veggies, and sometimes I get lean cuisines because they're super cheap and not too bad calorie wise even though I don't suggest eating them too often.

Maybe it is just my area, but Trader Joes is waaaay more expensive here...

I have the same problem... My boyfriend and I are on a very strict grocery budget (<$50/week for two adults), and it's made harder by the fact that I can't eat meat and he can't not eat meat...

We've found that making a weekly meal plan makes it much easier to shop, because you know exactly what you need for that week and can spread it out. There are some weeks we've spent less than $30 on groceries for both of us because of it... It may get boring after the week, but then you can pick something new next week.

This is one of my typical plans, if that helps (I'm only including my side for the sake of brevity):

Breakfast: dry cereal, soymilk, banana, orange juice
Lunch: veggie burger w/thin bun or big garbage salad
dinner: fish w/roasted veggies or big garbage salad
snacks: pretzels w/mustard, baby carrots w/lemon, granola bars

Cost breakdown

Bananas (7) - $3 (i buy organic)
Box of cereal - $5 (hippie organic kind)
soymilk (quart) - $2
veggie burgers - $4 (the ones i buy are 4 to a box)
buns - $4 (6 to a package)
head of romaine - $1
frozen fish - $4 (4-8 pieces depending on type)
assorted veggies - $5
nuts for salad (whatever's on sale) - $2
pretzels - $2
carrots - $1
granola bars - $4 (again, hippie organic kind)

That's about $35 total, and the box of cereal, bag of pretzels, nuts, etc will usually last longer than a week so you won't need to buy them the next week.

The hardest thing about shopping healthy within a budget is reminding yourself that if you're ONLY BUYING FOR THIS WEEK, you do not need to buy more -- buy smaller packages, less produce that will go bad by the end of the week, etc... I splurge and buy the premade veggie burgers, but you could totally make them at home for relatively cheap, or substitute them with chicken... if you have a Hispanic grocery near you and eat meat or dairy, check out the deli counter -- they often have ends of the deli cheese for sale, mixed bags of chicken pieces, and some fantastically random seafood on a huge discount (this is how Boyfriend feeds his meat and cheese obsession on the cheap).

Good luck!!

Hi!! If you have Aldi's in your area, your money goes very far there. Also, shop local markets rather than the large chain supermarkets. The smal local market will typically have better/fresher/ fruits, veggies and meats, at much better, less expensive prices.

OK everyone, I need your help.
One of my biggest problems is that I really have to stick to a somewhat limited budget when it comes to food shopping. This tends to push me towards food that isn't really the greatest to be buying for constant eating. I buy pastas and stuff like that mostly because it's cheaper and goes farther (if you know what I mean). I'm sure many people are in the same boat.

This being said, can anyone help by recomending healthy, somewhat affordable foods that won't make me cringe when I check out??

Thanks so much, any advice is welcome!

I have found brown rice, pinto beans, and and fruit/veggies that are on sale to work well within a budget. Add some salsa to the brown rice/beans and chow down. I toss some chicken in most times too. I have actually found it cheaper to buy healthy food than the non-healthy because it goes a lot farther toward me feeling full. So I eat less overall.