Eating clean on a budget!?

layneelouwho
layneelouwho Posts: 1 Member
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
Eating healthy isn't so hard for me, but doing it on a budget is! Anyone feel me on this? Any advice? :)

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    the main problem I have is spending all my money on the cleaners to clean my food….#goingbroke
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't find whole foods to be particularly expensive. what's your definition of "clean?" I don't bother with all of the non-GMO, organic marketing *kitten*...I just eat primarily whole foods and have foud them to be far cheaper than already processed foods and eating out.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Whole unprocessed food can be way cheaper than processed food, you just have to plan ahead a bit, and develop your shopping and cooking skills.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't find whole foods to be particularly expensive. what's your definition of "clean?" I don't bother with all of the non-GMO, organic marketing *kitten*...I just eat primarily whole foods and have foud them to be far cheaper than already processed foods and eating out.

    This.

    But I do eat lots of fish/seafood, and that can be expensive. Things like avocados can be quite expensive where I live, especially now, also. But when it comes to home cooking I always basically cooked from whole foods, so for me the real comparison is home cooking vs. going out or ordering in (the options here for that are pretty vast), and obviously home cooking is FAR cheaper.
  • mallory_2014
    mallory_2014 Posts: 173 Member
    I find I actually spend less now than when we bought a lot of processed foods. We shop in season produce and plan our meals around what is one sale. I love strawberries but, I won't buy them if they aren't either in season or on sale. I always check out the flyers and plan my meals around what is on sale. For good sales we stock up and prep and freeze for later. Planning is key!
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
    Go to your local farmer's market for fruits and veggies. Buying in bulk is typically cheaper. Invest in a steamer (you can just get the basket, and NOT the machine), a crock pot, a blender. Make smoothies. Make soups. Pasta is a cheap way to add carbs to soups and stews. Mmm. And steamed veggies are yum. Throw salt and pepper on for taste.
  • mcloughlins
    mcloughlins Posts: 17 Member
    layneelouwho wrote: »
    Eating healthy isn't so hard for me, but doing it on a budget is! Anyone feel me on this? Any advice? :)

    Hi, I use to be a chef you would be surprised how you can eat healthy on a budget,veg and fruit are cheap and you can grow these too! and easily, i am veggie and a lot of products are available now that are very low in fat too which when cooked properly with combined ingredients are luvly jubly! :wink:
  • MissyMissy18
    MissyMissy18 Posts: 315 Member
    If you live in the US, hit up Trader Joe's! I do a majority of my shopping there because they're the cheapest. They don't always have everything I'm looking for so I'll occasionally have to supplement from a regular grocery store, but otherwise .. it's hard to beat $7 for a giant bag of frozen chicken breasts!
  • beachlover83
    beachlover83 Posts: 68 Member
    I shop at Aldi's for 90% of my groceries. Everything is cheaper there. Plus they are starting to get some organic food if that's what you prefer. I seriously don't know how we could eat like we do on our budget buy going to Wal-mart for everything, let alone another chain like Kroger or Marsh.
  • mcloughlins
    mcloughlins Posts: 17 Member
    hannahbethbing wrote: »
    Go to your local farmer's market for fruits and veggies. Buying in bulk is typically cheaper. Invest in a steamer (you can just get the basket, and NOT the machine), a crock pot, a blender. Make smoothies. Make soups. Pasta is a cheap way to add carbs to soups and stews. Mmm. And steamed veggies are yum. Throw salt and pepper on for taste.

    nuff said!
  • jessakittyis
    jessakittyis Posts: 159 Member
    edited January 2015
    In my area the farmers' markets are actually not typically cheaper than sales at the grocery store so watch out for that. It's good to know your prices and what you think is a "good" price per item. My best advice is shop sales. Look at your local store flyers and let them tell you what you'll be eating that week rather than planning in advance. Also like some have said if you have an ALDI they are a great place to buy produce and meats ( 95 cents per pound for a whole chicken in my area!).
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I stopped eating meat for this very reason and rely a lot on frozen veggies, especially in the winter when fresh produce seems to be more expensive (where I live). However, I also found that once I gave up the processed junk (read: cookies, cakes, chips - everything that I was overeating on and hence got fat...), I also SAVED a lot of money.

    Not everyone lives near a Trader Joe's (or wherever else people have suggested) and not everyone's local farmer's market runs in the winter and/or is more expensive than their local grocery store. My advice: shop around so that you know your prices, read the flyers every week, and stock up when things go on sale.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I am another who shops sales. The flyers usually come out on Thursday so I plan my shopping then and plan my meals based on what meat is on sale. I generally buy a package that is twice what my recipe calls for and freeze the remainder for the next time I want a beef or pork roast or whatever. I go into the store with my options open as to what fruit and veggies I buy so I can get what is at a good price. If I need a lot of staples and can't wait for sales, I head off to Aldi. My Aldi is kind of hit or miss with their produce so I check it out, but don't automatically plan to buy. On the other hand, just after Christmas they had really nice pomegranates for 59¢ each!
  • catita1025
    catita1025 Posts: 46 Member
    We buy lots of veggies...I eat both omelettes and salads with onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and spinach (plus other veggies) pretty much every day. We also decided to invest in extra containers to make sure everything stays fresh. Yes, some cuts of meat can be more expensive, so we also buy in bulk, freeze quite a bit, and plan meals so that we use what we have whenever possible. One additional tip...take a grocery list with you so that you don't buy anything extra. Since we've been planning meals ahead of time we've gotten better about being sure we only add items to our grocery list that we plan on using in the coming week. :)
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't find whole foods to be particularly expensive. what's your definition of "clean?" I don't bother with all of the non-GMO, organic marketing *kitten*...I just eat primarily whole foods and have foud them to be far cheaper than already processed foods and eating out.

    Nailed it.

    The only time I spend extra on "organic" foods are local & fresh cage free organic eggs because I can tell a huge diffrence in them (. Crack one open and then crack open a typical egg and see for yourself ) and maybe once a month I will eat a steak, I like the texture and taste of grass feed beef.

    Not sure what the OP means by budget as everybody is on a budget. Some budgets are just larger then others. I spend maybe $400 a month at the grocery store for a family of 3. I eat every meal at home, wife eats breakfast and dinner at home and the kid, well who knows what a teenager is doing. She eats is all I know. LoL.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    jessakittyis wrote: »
    In my area the farmers' markets are actually not typically cheaper than sales at the grocery store so watch out for that.

    For mine it depends on the farmers' market. Some are, some aren't. I get a CSA, and that works out as a good deal IF I'm vigilant about cooking everything and not wasting. If not, it could easily be a bad deal.

    I'm a bit puzzled about the "cheap farmer's market" advice NOW, however, as around here the local in season options in late January leave something to be desired. I mean, I like celeriac and turnips and winter greens and apples as much as the next girl, but I supplement.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    We have 15 farmers within a 10 mile drive. 4 of them within a 5 minute bike ride.
    No way no how are you going to save money buying produce , meat or dairy at any of them

    What they offer is local goods, exotics and occasionally a deal or two. But on whole you are not going to shop them to save money.
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