How to eat healthy on a budget... HELP!

A single whole chicken can make several meals including a roast, a crock pot, and a soup.

btw by meal prepping ( because that is what you start doing when you cook in batches) you learn a lot too and get some good habits.

I still cook all my beans, rice in batches and freeze the portions. There is no fruit going to waste here. I freeze what is too much or get to ripe. I make jam out of them or smoothies or (like with apples) apple-pie smudge for over yogurt etc etc
The rice i make different dishes with. Beans for in dishes and wraps. And yes i freeze tortillas too. And bread. Cheese and milk Only milk i dont use to drink like that anymore but for cooking and in smoothies
There is so much you can freeze and saves you money that way.

I still like buying frozen Talapia instead of fresh lol. And when i buy fresh salmon now, i buy a big hunk for sale and cut it up and freeze.
So even do it was a long time ago for me that i lived on a tight budget, i learned some good habits that saves me money and time.

Eat what you always do, only less, in a deficit.

Family of 5 here on a grocery budget of $90 a week. I third Aldi if you have one around you-that store is seriously awesome Also look into bread outlets, dollar stores that carry food (I can get frozen fruit and veggies at my local Dollar Tree, along with tea, spices etc etc). Also Upick farms are great (flash freeze things like blueberries and strawberries), along with hobby gardeners who sell at stands in front of their houses etc.

JPW1990 wrote: »

The closer it is to scratch, the less it will cost you to prepare per serving. Even things like taco seasoning or soups. The initial up front cost to get all the ingredients the first time around will be higher, so you need to plan carefully. But, once you've paid that initial cost, you'll get multiple meals out of the ingredients instead of just one, and it will end up costing you half or less in the long run.

It's a hard state of mind to get used to, but try to build up a supply of staples so that when you cook you're "shopping" from your kitchen, not the store. Plan your meals around what's already in the house and what's on sale, don't shop to a meal plan. If this week it's pork on sale, plan on only having pork or whatever meat is already in the freezer. Buy a little more than you need, so you have some for next week when chicken is on sale. Slowly, over time, you can begin to build up a base set of ingredients to cook with, shopping only to replace them when they're on sale, and the combinations are endless.

I want a like button!

A friend sold me a pressure cooker cheap when he was moving. I use it to cook dried beans fast. I also use it to make mashed potatoes in about 10 - 15 minutes. It is super useful for cooking dried garbanzo beans, those always seem to take forever the "regular" way.

I make brown rice, various beans, I love potatoes and stock up on carrots, celery, potatoes and onions as they can be used in many things. Canned tomato products when on sale I stock up on too, used in many sauces.

Soups, split pea (with carrot/potato and a little ham or no ham), lentil soup (many variations, I like a little tomato and onion in it at minimum), hamburger vegetable soup is cheap and makes a pound of hamburger go several meals. Brown the hamburger, put hamburger, onions, corn, carrots, celery, potato and whatever other veggies you like (sometimes I put hominy, a bit of left over rice, spinach (a pack of frozen spinach) or other veggies in. I usually use broth and water (50/50) and toss in a can of tomato sauce or paste. This never tastes the same twice but is always good. Add spices and salt/pepper to your taste. I don't use much if any salt, but most people like some, rosemary, basil, a bay leaf, oregano - whatever herbs you like and again, I change all the time. Google a recipe for ideas / amounts. I cook "by feel" especially with soups.

amyrebeccah wrote: »

rbiss wrote: »

I would buy rice, beans, and frozen veggies in bulk for main meals.

Are you able to grow any food? That really offsets the budget. When I lived in an apartment, I grew tomatoes and peppers in pots because I eat them the most but you can grow just about anything in a pot.

Those. Plus eggs and potatoes. Not sure where you live but definitely shop the circulars (if you don't get them mailed to you, you can try online or spring for a Sunday newspaper). We have a grocery store that is not as near to us as the others and caters to the local Mexican and Mexican-American population, and the deals on produce, meat, and dry rice and beans are INSANE. Can't get a tub of greek yogurt if you beg, so we didn't think of it for a long time, but now we go there first and then just fill out the rest at the regular store. I'm talking deals like three pounds of dry beans for a dollar, ten pounds of chicken leg quarters for 4.70, ten cucumbers for a dollar, five avocados for a dollar, ten pounds of potatoes for 88 cents, and a 72-count pack of tortillas for two dollars. (This is Food City, for anyone who lives in the Phoenix area, and just random examples I pulled from this week's circular).

So there could be something like that in your area, or an Asian market, an Aldi, WinCo, or a Grocery Outlet. Start looking around and be willing to go more than one place to shop. It's a pain, but it could really make your budget stretch.

If you are in Phoenix or in Tucson check this out.
http://www.borderlandfoodbank.org/POWWOW.html I love that it saves food from landfill and nourishes people. I go, share with neighbors and take some to work.

Ground beef, frozen fish (easy to fry), roasts.

Potatoes are definitely more filling than rice or bread.