Any ideas on eating healthy and cheap?

shop the fruits & veggies that are on sale, try substituting rice into recipes instead of pasta (brown rice preferrably), shop meats that are on sale. If you have a crock pot (or parents/friends do that you can borrow) use it! Most corck pot recipes take the cheaper cuts of meat.

I dont know if they have these wher eyou are but Sprouts and Fresh & Easy have amazing produce prices, otherwise try farmers markets, ect, for cheaper produce

Frozen vegetables are quite cheap. Add tilapia, pork chop, or steaks that you can grill or do as stir fry,

if you go with chicken, ensure there is nothing added to it

u like veggies? you can make your own stir fry. buy big bags of (mixed) frozen veggies ($1.99-$3.99) cut up onions, garlic & season to taste.& WAH-LAH........goes well w/ chunks of chicken too....Mmm-good.......... u can find veggies in a can for a cheaper price & mix-match w/ that..........fish fillets r also good...Talapia is inexpensive also.........GOOD LUCK

I would say use alot of coupons you would be surprised how much you save. Buy meals or items that will last awhile like tuna salad with low fat mayo. If you make enough it could last you two to three days.

I'm a college student, so I'm definitely on a budget too. For me, at least, fruits and vegetables aren't that expensive. For example, I love kiwi. At my Wal-Mart, they're 33 cents a piece. Bananas are like 40 cents a pound, and when I buy a bunch it ends up being like $1.50. I don't buy iceberg lettuce, but they have dollar bags of iceberg if you like that, and romaine is only two dollars. I buy plain store-brand yogurt in the tubs and jazz it up with store-brand cereal and nuts. A bag of baby carrots isn't all that expensive and lasts a long time. Same with a single bell pepper, a cucumber, etc.
Some of the store brand stuff may not be as healthy as other brands, but if you're on a budget it's a sacrifice you gotta make!!
Also, I look for coupons online...that really helps! There's one on the Powerade Facebook site for buy one get one free Powerade Zero and I've used that a few times at different stores!
The frozen bags of stirfry are great if you add in your own fresh vegetables too.

I have been a vegetarian for around 4.5 years and I've found it to be MUCH easier to eat cheaply as a vegetarian than as someone who eats meat! Meat is one of the most expensive things in a grocery store. So if you eat less meat, it'll be cheaper!

- buy in bulk, especially for things that'll last a long time like brown rice, frozen veggies, large yogurt tubs instead of the individually packed ones, etc.
- cook in bulk and freeze leftovers for other meals
- buy your bread and freeze it if you live on your own so you can use every slice before it goes bad, therefore getting the most for your money
- cut out juice and soda if you buy them (expensive things that really add up and you could use your money soo much better on other things!)
- avoid buying individually wrapped meals like frozen dinners
- buy in-season produce which will typically be cheaper than out of season
- go to farmers markets, which usually have great prices especially if you buy in bulk
- organic milk typically lasts longer than regular store brand, so get organic!
- granola is VERY expensive but it's much cheaper to buy your own ingredients and make your own granola with oats, nuts, etc. Check out the bulk grains section of a health food store.
- find a store that will give you a discount for bringing in your own bags and bring them! Some stores around me do that and I can save 10-20cents each time I shop, which doesn't seem like a lot but every little bit helps when you're on a budget.
- never buy bottled water... always bring your own bottle and get a Brita filter if needed.

Will probably think of more to add!

Thought of some more. :laugh:

- much cheaper to buy the $10 tub of protein powder than the $2-$5 individual protein bars or beverages, so buy protein powder and use it to make your own protein snacks/drinks (you can even bake with some brands!).
- if you drink coffee, always make your own... coffee shops are too expensive.
- if you eat fish, try canned salmon which is healthy yet much cheaper than fresh.
- fresh fruit is typically cheaper than frozen, so if you want frozen fruit for smoothies or something, buy fresh and freeze yourself.
- don't be afraid of health food stores. Sometimes healthy is actually cheaper! Also health food stores often have things regular stores don't (like grains in bulk). Whole Foods often has some items for sale at great prices, especially their own 365 brand. Sometimes their cereal is on sale for $2/bag. Which brings me to another thing... buy cereal in bags if you can because you get more for your money.
- almond milk is typically cheaper (and has less calories) than regular milk

A roasted chicken around $5 can last 3-4 meals depending how much you eat. I'm not sure if that is cheap enough though.