college budget

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BreRodriguez466
BreRodriguez466 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
How can you eat healthy if you cant afford it? Im on a strict grocery budget because of college. How can I buy healthy food without burning a hole in my wallet?

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    First off, if weight loss is your goal, you eat what you regularly do, only in moderation. Secondly if choosing lean meats and veggies, is what you're considering "healthy", they are not more expensive. Use farmers markets and fruit stands for fresh produce. Buy meats in bulk when possible and portion up the packages. Whole grains, such as rice and beans, are relatively inexpensive.
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
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    Target has tons of healthy, all natural/organic frozen meals for $3-4 apiece. Say you have yogurt w/ granola for breakfast, frozen lunch & dinner, and 2-3 small snacks per day, you can get by for under $10 per day.

    Likewise, you could do simple recipies, like scrambled eggs with a slice or two of bacon, a small chicken breast with green beans, small steak w/ potato. As long as you keep portions in control and ingedients simple and in season, it shouldn't be too hard.
  • rachellll98
    rachellll98 Posts: 25
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    oatmeal is a good staple and less than 1 dollar per 1000 calories. if you only ate oatmeal and nothing else, food at 2000 calories/day would cost you less than 2 dollars a day or only 12 to 13 dollars/week.

    also beans
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Dried beans and brown rice in bulk are incredibly inexpensive.

    If you go to farmers markets at the end of the day you can often get a good deal on large quantities of produce.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Generally, healthy foods are cheaper than less healthy processed foods.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Fellow college student. I just made a post about this topic this afternoon, actually!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10037702/affording-your-new-lifestyle-tips-and-tricks-for-the-grocery-store
  • nikkiggg9
    nikkiggg9 Posts: 1 Member
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    You HAVE to go to your local farm market! These types of stores have deep discounts on produce! (I should know, I shop at one and I work at a chain supermarket so produce is wayyy more expensive at the supermarkets) I can walk into one of these, i call them, veggie stores, and for ten dollars, have all of the greens, fruits, starches that I need for the week! I also lose Trader Joe's for my treats like 85% dark chocolate and snack bars that are a bit healthier. Lastly, look at the flyers from grocery stores since not all farmers markets have meat available. Shop what protein is on sale and stock up! I am a college student as well and I spend about 20 dollars a week on groceries and eat low carb! You can do it! Just stop around!

    Hope this helps :)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    There's some great threads going on right now with 'cooking for the week' ideas.

    Browse the popular topics, the current recipe topics and you'll find lots of great ideas and tips to cook with less cost and far less time if you cook weekly.

    I'd list some but there are so many right now I couldn't begin. When I get back from lifting I'll see if I can get a few on here for you! :) Sounds good?

    I did make split pea soup the other day... talk about low cost! There's a chicken thread going on, Crock Pot threads.. you name it...the ideas are flowing this week as everyone tries to find time to get healthy meals prepared ahead of time.
  • Lambrah
    Lambrah Posts: 45 Member
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    if you like the taste of beef liver, its extremely cheap and loaded with nutrients.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    it's winter, so a lot of fruits and veggies that aren't in season can be more expensive. see what you can buy that is frozen.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited December 2014
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    BreRodriguez466 wrote: »
    How can you eat healthy if you cant afford it? Im on a strict grocery budget because of college. How can I buy healthy food without burning a hole in my wallet?

    Rice. Lentils. Seasonal and/or frozen vegetables. $2/day, typically.

    Super cheap, super nutritious, super easy to cook.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    missiontofitness wrote: »
    Fellow college student. I just made a post about this topic this afternoon, actually!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10037702/affording-your-new-lifestyle-tips-and-tricks-for-the-grocery-store

    I bookmarked yours.. nice one!
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    http://fit-personality.com/post/93419706100/healthy-grocery-shopping-on-a-college-budget
  • BreRodriguez466
    BreRodriguez466 Posts: 12
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    Thank you all so much much for the suggestions! I am definitely going to locate a farmers market and start incorporating more oatmeal and brown rice into my diet. All of the tips were great!

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