Shopping healthy on a poor man's budget

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clairesmommie
clairesmommie Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How do you do it? I usually spend $80/week on groceries for my family of 4 at Aldi. I decided that we have been eating unhealthy things so I went to Fresh Thyme and spent nearly $50 on about a quarter of the amount of food I usually buy. I'm getting discouraged but would like to hear suggestions. Thanks in advance.
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  • JEE2015
    JEE2015 Posts: 146 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Do you have the opportunity to grow anything? Not sure if you have a '.99 Cent' store near you but I can find some really great deals there. Huge heads of cauliflower, bell pepper and lettuce for only a buck!. It can sometimes be a hit or miss. Do you have Sprouts Market? They always have the cheapest produce. I live in CA and everything is expensive.
  • clairesmommie
    clairesmommie Posts: 15 Member
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    JEE2015 wrote: »
    Do you have the opportunity to grow anything? Not sure if you have a '.99 Cent' store near you but I can find some really great deals there. Huge heads of cauliflower, bell pepper and lettuce for onlt a buck!. It can sometimes be a hit or miss. Do you have Sprouts Market? They always have the cheapest produce. I live in CA and everything is expensive.

    I don't havr either. I am in Illinois about 15 minutes outside Saint Louis MO.

  • JEE2015
    JEE2015 Posts: 146 Member
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    Hmm? Local 'Farmers Markets'? Sometimes frozen isn't bad either in a pinch mixed with fresh vegis.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    What DID you buy? Healthy food is usually very cheap, and you don't have to get any fancy stuff, special herbs, organic etc. Get some potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, cheap cuts of meat, butter, milk, yoghurt, nut and nut butters, eggs, apples, oranges, bananas, frozen vegetables, carrots, oatmeal, bread. Look at the price per pound, per gram of protein, per portion, per calorie. Only buy what you like and want to eat. Don't buy more than you can eat before it spoils. Learn how to cook. If needed, google recipes for dishes you like. Cooking yourself instead of outsourcing will almost always be cheaper, tastier and healthier.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I think it's very easy!

    Purchase items that are not only cheap but can be purchased in bulk and used in MANY different recipes during the week.

    I dont know the specific prices in your area but some good staples to buy would be:

    plain chicken breasts (which can be frozen or bought frozen)
    spaghetti
    pasta sauce
    white rice
    black beans
    potatoes
    oats
    lentils
    eggs
    bags of frozen veggies
    bags of frozen fruits
    fresh fruits which stay good for a while like apples and oranges
    fresh veggies that are cheapest in your area like zuchinni, green beans, and carrots
    plain white bread
    Milk

    The idea being to buy a large amount of individual items that are cheap and can be used in multiple meals. EX. With the above you could make:

    breakfast:
    Egg omelet (eggs and veggies)
    Eggs in a basket
    French toast
    Oats with fruit
    Smoothies

    Lunch & Dinner:
    Beans and rice
    Spaghetti
    Stir fry
    Lentil Soup
    Chicken with veggies
    Zuchinni boats

    For snacks:
    Carrots, oranges, oatmeal bars, hard boiled eggs, apple slices

    And so on. This is just a general guide. Remember ultimately it has to do with the number of calories you are consuming.




  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
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    Most of my meals are chicken breast, frozen vegetables, and a baked potato (with a squirt of ranch dressing) or rice or pasta.
  • whirlygig60
    whirlygig60 Posts: 37 Member
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    What did you buy at Fresh Thyme that you can't get cheaper at Aldi's, Wal-mart, etc?
  • clairesmommie
    clairesmommie Posts: 15 Member
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    whirlygig60 wrote: »
    What did you buy at Fresh Thyme that you can't get cheaper at Aldi's, Wal-mart, etc?[/quote

    Good point. I am gonna take my receipt and look at walmart to see if their prices are cheaper. My daughter is autistic so I am transitioning her to gluten free foods. I bought alot of that stuff. Fruits, organic baby food for my youngest.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Nothing wrong with Aldi. I would focus on nutrition first than be bothered about organic. You should shop within your budget tbh.
  • FloralBlossom
    FloralBlossom Posts: 21 Member
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    clairesmommie wrote: »
    whirlygig60 wrote: »
    What did you buy at Fresh Thyme that you can't get cheaper at Aldi's, Wal-mart, etc?[/quote

    Good point. I am gonna take my receipt and look at walmart to see if their prices are cheaper. My daughter is autistic so I am transitioning her to gluten free foods. I bought alot of that stuff. Fruits, organic baby food for my youngest.

    My brother is also autistic and has a really bad sensory disorder and when we switched him to a gluten free diet his improvements were AMAZING
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited June 2015
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    FloralBlossom wrote: »
    clairesmommie wrote: »
    whirlygig60 wrote: »
    What did you buy at Fresh Thyme that you can't get cheaper at Aldi's, Wal-mart, etc?

    Good point. I am gonna take my receipt and look at walmart to see if their prices are cheaper. My daughter is autistic so I am transitioning her to gluten free foods. I bought alot of that stuff. Fruits, organic baby food for my youngest.

    My brother is also autistic and has a really bad sensory disorder and when we switched him to a gluten free diet his improvements were AMAZING

    I just want to point out... if you want to put her on a gluten free diet, buy things that are on the above type lists. DO NOT buy most of the gluten-free alternatives out there because they are 2-300% times more expensive.
  • clairesmommie
    clairesmommie Posts: 15 Member
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    FloralBlossom wrote: »
    clairesmommie wrote: »
    whirlygig60 wrote: »
    What did you buy at Fresh Thyme that you can't get cheaper at Aldi's, Wal-mart, etc?[/quote

    Good point. I am gonna take my receipt and look at walmart to see if their prices are cheaper. My daughter is autistic so I am transitioning her to gluten free foods. I bought alot of that stuff. Fruits, organic baby food for my youngest.

    My brother is also autistic and has a really bad sensory disorder and when we switched him to a gluten free diet his improvements were AMAZING

    Thank you for sharing your story. I certainly hope this helps improve her stimming and attention issues. It couldnt hurt right? :-)
  • panhandle8
    panhandle8 Posts: 65 Member
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    Fresh Thyme is the same company as Sprouts.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Start cooking. Things get a whole lot cheaper when you make them yourself. It's healthier and it tastes better, too.

    Buy your meats whole when you can. Get a chicken or turkey and cut it up yourself. Use all the parts. Make stock with leftover bones. The cheapest cuts of beef make some of the BEST meals around, you just have to know how to make them. If you learn enough about meat, you'll find lots of ways to save. Most people just go in and buy the boneless, skinless chicken breast and 1.2 pounds of the 93% hamburger. There's nothing wrong with that! But it's not the cheapest way. :)

    Use coupons - grocery stores here have them online. You can get them in the Sunday paper. Lots of food company websites have downloadable coupons. If your store has "Double Coupon Day", take advantage.

    If you have one of those cheapo grocery stores near you, visit it. They have pretty low prices on things like peanut butter. But bring your own bags!!

    Keep an eye out for sales at the grocery store!!! When they have to get rid of stuff before it hits the Sell By date, they drop the price. Take it home, freeze it - cheap food! Mone of the stores here is forever putting pork and turkey on sale. I actually wait until the sales and the buy it up. :)

    Most important: if you are not good at math, take a calculator. The stores purposely break those "price helpers" down differently to confuse you. They price one item per ounce, and another by gram or ml.

    Be open to generics, but don't make the mistake assuming the generic will be cheapest. Sometimes, the Dole frozen fruit (especially with a coupon!) is cheaper than the generic. If they've priced the store brand and name brand differently, it will very frequently be cheaper to buy the name brand.

    Shop slowly. Look around for the deals. Aside from stuff they're trying to get rid of, stores try to hide the deals. Lots of time and money goes into getting people to spend more. Look around, find the deals. Watch the ads, but LOOK in the store. :)

    Don't buy the cheapest TP. It's so thin that you have to use like twice as much. Not a deal!

    Use bleach and Bar Keeper's Friend to clean. You'll save a fortune on cleaning supplies and can use it to buy food. I always crack up at how Bar Keeper's Friend is found in more poor homes and rich homes than middle class ones. The poor have figured out that it woks well and is cheap and the rich use it on the All-Clad pots and pans and find out how well it works. :)

    People always say that eating healthy is more expensive, but it's just not true. It's really cheaper if you do a little work. :)
  • marykate_1203
    marykate_1203 Posts: 164 Member
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    I love Aldi for healthy food! They have great options in their produce!
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    Um. I used to shop at Aldi, and I can assure you, our food was healthy. I bought mostly meat, veg, milk. I also buy flour, sugar, salt, pasta, canned and dried beans, some herbs/spices, rice, masa, baking powder, baking soda, canned tomatoes....some cheese and deli meat and eggs and hot dogs.

    I buy their bread, too. And cereal. And oatmeal! Oh, and their nuts are super cheap!

    I can't tell you what their precooked frozen food tastes like. Never bought it. :) But their canned soups are mostly healthy for a convenience meal.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    If you're looking for health, ignore the organic label.

    If you can switch your daughter's diet up on her and she won't starve herself to death rather than change, might want to rethink her label, too.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    Start cooking. Things get a whole lot cheaper when you make them yourself. It's healthier and it tastes better, too.

    Buy your meats whole when you can. Get a chicken or turkey and cut it up yourself. Use all the parts. Make stock with leftover bones. The cheapest cuts of beef make some of the BEST meals around, you just have to know how to make them. If you learn enough about meat, you'll find lots of ways to save. Most people just go in and buy the boneless, skinless chicken breast and 1.2 pounds of the 93% hamburger. There's nothing wrong with that! But it's not the cheapest way. :)

    Use coupons - grocery stores here have them online. You can get them in the Sunday paper. Lots of food company websites have downloadable coupons. If your store has "Double Coupon Day", take advantage.

    If you have one of those cheapo grocery stores near you, visit it. They have pretty low prices on things like peanut butter. But bring your own bags!!

    Keep an eye out for sales at the grocery store!!! When they have to get rid of stuff before it hits the Sell By date, they drop the price. Take it home, freeze it - cheap food! Mone of the stores here is forever putting pork and turkey on sale. I actually wait until the sales and the buy it up. :)

    Most important: if you are not good at math, take a calculator. The stores purposely break those "price helpers" down differently to confuse you. They price one item per ounce, and another by gram or ml.

    Be open to generics, but don't make the mistake assuming the generic will be cheapest. Sometimes, the Dole frozen fruit (especially with a coupon!) is cheaper than the generic. If they've priced the store brand and name brand differently, it will very frequently be cheaper to buy the name brand.

    Shop slowly. Look around for the deals. Aside from stuff they're trying to get rid of, stores try to hide the deals. Lots of time and money goes into getting people to spend more. Look around, find the deals. Watch the ads, but LOOK in the store. :)

    Don't buy the cheapest TP. It's so thin that you have to use like twice as much. Not a deal!

    Use bleach and Bar Keeper's Friend to clean. You'll save a fortune on cleaning supplies and can use it to buy food. I always crack up at how Bar Keeper's Friend is found in more poor homes and rich homes than middle class ones. The poor have figured out that it woks well and is cheap and the rich use it on the All-Clad pots and pans and find out how well it works. :)

    People always say that eating healthy is more expensive, but it's just not true. It's really cheaper if you do a little work. :)

    I love this!

    And, OP, plan your meals, write a shopping list according to plan, take it with you and stick to it. And never shop on an empty stomach ;)

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I shop at Aldi, for about the same weekly budget as you and feed a family of five. You don't need to change where you shop. Aldi has a great selection of economical 'healthy' foods. Dried beans, lentils, split peas. Canned beans, great produce. Heck, I even get organic soy milk there. The only things I don't buy at Aldi are my 'weird vegan foods' like Vegenaise, nutritional yeast, tofu, and Boca burgers.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Here's a cookbook put together to help SNAP (food stamp) recipients make the most of the small amount they're
    given. Yummy healthy recipes, great photography, a nice departure from the usual bland government output.

    https://8e81c55f4ebf03323905b57bf395473796067508.googledrive.com/host/0B2A2SnkA9YgxaHdzbEhGSmJOZDg/good-and-cheap.pdf

    And yes, keep shopping Aldi, migrate toward whole, natural, unprocessed food, and if you get/use a slow-cooker
    that will help make cheap cuts of meat very very tender. Plus, it's great to come home to hot dinner all ready after
    work! (Or even if you don't work outside home, it's an easy way to fix a meal & forget about it all day.)

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