Healthy eating on a budget?

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grits317
grits317 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is such a thing possible? With the economy so crappy and gas prices making it cost more to drive to work, how can one lose weight/eat healthy without losing your home?:grumble:
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  • mericksmom
    mericksmom Posts: 222 Member
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    Coupon and watch the sales.

    http://www.thecentsableshoppin.com/ based outta PHX she breaks down all the local ads and how to use the coupons

    http://thekrazycouponlady.com/ breaks down walmart and other big stores

    look for blogs (free) and in your area that help break it down and know the stores coupon policy
  • kimmi12
    kimmi12 Posts: 28 Member
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    Check out www.brokeandhealthy.com she has great recipes and breaks down the cost of each dish.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    Coupons for sure... or, if you have a membership to Sam's Club or Costco you can buy some things in bulk to save money in the long run.
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
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    Is such a thing possible? With the economy so crappy and gas prices making it cost more to drive to work, how can one lose weight/eat healthy without losing your home?:grumble:

    I had the same though this morning. I do know veggies and fresh foods, not packaged, are the healthiest and your grocery bill will be smaller. I've been told before that if you do your shopping on the outside isles (inside the store of course) that is where "fresh" foods are.
  • sarglava
    sarglava Posts: 206 Member
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    Dried beans-- cook yourself
    Grains-- oats, barley, etc.
    lentils-- so CHEAP!! and they last forever and can be tasty!
    Frozen veggies or seasonal veggies

    I read something the other day where even if eating healthier is more expensive it's not as expensive as having a heart attack or a stroke or dying.
  • joshandstacy
    joshandstacy Posts: 56 Member
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    If you have the space, try to grow some of your own vegetables. Smaller portions: increasing vegetable portions and smaller meat portions... this will help lower the grocery bill.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    I spend MAXIMUM $150 a month for 2 of us and it's all healthy. About $40 of that is Diet Pepsi (for him mostly).
  • Flocker1979
    Flocker1979 Posts: 96
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    I spend MAXIMUM $150 a month for 2 of us and it's all healthy. About $40 of that is Diet Pepsi (for him mostly).

    Geez! That is awesome! I spend that in a week for the two of us. It sucks.
  • craftylatvian
    craftylatvian Posts: 599 Member
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    I spend MAXIMUM $150 a month for 2 of us and it's all healthy. About $40 of that is Diet Pepsi (for him mostly).

    Geez! That is awesome! I spend that in a week for the two of us. It sucks.

    My grocery bill has easily doubled for my fiance and myself since we started eating better.
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 557 Member
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    bump
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
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    If you have the space, try to grow some of your own vegetables. Smaller portions: increasing vegetable portions and smaller meat portions... this will help lower the grocery bill.


    Excellent idea especially this time of year.
  • jsteras
    jsteras Posts: 344 Member
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    I grab up every coupon I can, and printer ink is like 10 cheaper at amazon.com than at wallmart to print coupons off the internet. I buy large packages of meat which are usually cheaper per pound and break them down into baggies of 3-4 oz's.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    I just spent $57 on a week's worth of food for a family of four. All healthy, all whole grains. I read the Tuesday mailer and decide what I'm going to make for dinner based on what's on sale. I clip coupons, too. I save a lot. I stick to the outside of the store mostly. I don't buy pre-packaged foods or processed foods (if I can recognize and identify in nature each item in the ingredient list, I feel comfortable buying it), for the most part.

    We go to Costco for fish, portion it, package it, and freeze it. We buy cheese in bulk, shred it, package it, and freeze it. It keeps the costs low.

    We NEVER go out to eat because we never have the cash, but it's fine, because we eat better and feel better with the food we eat at home. And, we both like cooking, which helps.
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
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    This is what I do:

    Use coupons: I order coupons in multiples for things I can stock up on at www.thecouponclippers.com . Then I wait till the item goes on sale (I got the hang of when Kroger usually puts things on sale so I keep an eye out) and stock up when the coupon makes the item cheap/free

    I contact the companies of the items I use and compliment them. Flat out gush over how much we love their products etc etc and more times than not, they send me coupons in the mail, some for free items and some for cents off but if its in my cupboard, I use it regularly and any savings is awesome.

    I stock up when things go on sale. For example, Kroger had Tilapia on sale last week for $3.99/lb so I bought 2 lb. This will last me at least 2 months. I do the same with chicken, ground turkey etc.

    I purchase produce in bulk when its reasonable and freeze it. We also go strawberry picking at a local farm once a year and really stock up and it gets us thru a good 6 months or so

    I always look for managers specials. For example, my Kroger has a couple bins that they put stuff that they mark 1/2 off or more. I looked in there and saw my kids favorite cereal and picked up 4 boxes. For a cost of $8 instead of $12, we now have a months worth of cereal for them. Those little things add up.

    I also look for closeouts. More times than not, they changed the size of the product or the packaging so they have to rid of the old style first. I often find canned veggies, canned beans, frozen items on closeout and stock up. Even better if you have a coupon to match it.

    Another place I love love love is Aldi's. One just opened near me in FEB and Ive been in 7th heaven. They don't carry many name brands but most of what Ive bought of their brands are awesome and very reasonable!! Whole wheat bread is just over $1 a loaf, they have a TON of their brand "fit and active" 100 calorie pack cookies, crackers etc. They have their brand fat free cool whip, ice cream sandwiches etc all cheaper than the regular stores.

    I typically go 2 times a week and spend a good hour or more scoping the aisles for deals. My Kroger is just down the road so its handy for me to get to. Ive been stockpiling for 3 and a half years now and we've been able to afford for me to continue to stay home with my kids becuz of it. Its also nice to know you don't have to worry about running out of things if you have a good supply on hand. I don't go crazy like on that extreme couponing show but I do stockpile as much as I know we'd use in say a years time and slowly stock more as we eat it.
  • abeautifulvoice
    abeautifulvoice Posts: 246
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    Great Tips!! I am definitely going to start couponing.
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
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    wow.. we spend about 170 wk on 2.5 people :/
  • chrisyoung0422
    chrisyoung0422 Posts: 426 Member
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    We have a 2 person household. My better half and myself.. well and 2 dogs.

    We still spend 110-140 a week on food and it has been this way since we decided to go healthy. We have also tried different stores etc but it still comes out the same.

    The only places we have been able to save a few bucks were the local farmers markets and also having our own garden keeps the fresh foods costs down a bit.
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
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    great post! Thanks for the sites everyone!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Eating less is going to save money, of course. Cutting out the junk food (no more Twinkies, cookie or ice cream, on sale or not!) saves a little more.

    I agree with Costco for some items, but be wary of buying produce in bulk unless you know you are going to eat or freeze it all before it spoils. Frozen veggies are usually cheaper than fresh, unless they are in season. They are also often nutritionally superior to fresh!

    Another good coupon site is www.thegrocerygame.com. For a small monthly fee, they'll help you use the coupons in your local newspaper at your local stores at the time when it will save you the most money.
  • operadiva222
    operadiva222 Posts: 20
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    Bump to read later! Great question.

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