Healthy eating on a budget
Melmo1988
Posts: 293 Member
I'm having trouble staying in my weekly budget of 75 for myself and 5 year old. It seems impossible to buy enough for 3 meals and snacks and to eat enough fruit and get enough calcium.
Tips?
Tips?
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Replies
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One really good site to check out is leannebrown.com. She has a cookbook specifically for people living on SNAP who want to eat healthy. Another idea would be prepping and freezing a bunch of crockpot meals. Those can be done cheaply and there are tons of links on Pinterest.0
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I eat a lot of beans and rice when I'm really low on funds- it's easy and can be dressed up in quiet a variety of ways. Buy veggies frozen or only when in season and on sale. I have mental prices unless it's for an event- I won't pay over- like asparagus- it's 3.99$ it goes on sale for 1.99- so I won't buy.
bulk carrots are pretty cheap to- I eat them with peanut butter- makes me a little longer lasting.
those are my big things. and eggs. I eat a lot of eggs.0 -
I buy a lot of frozen veg and meat as it keeps for longer and is usually cheaper. I try buy fruit that lasts longer too like apples and bananas or dried fruit rather than grapes or berries that are usually eaten quickly.0
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Ditto on beans. I make a bean and/or grain salad for lunch a lot--I'm too busy to bother with dried beans but they're definitely cheaper. Then I add canned, sale, frozen or dry vegetables. My go-to combos are: black beans and tomatoes, chickpeas with bulgur or couscous, curry sweet potatoes or orange squash with farro or wheat berries, little french green or black lentils and bacon (not too much bacon obviously). But that doesn't help with fruit or calcium...
I'm bad at fruit personally--I prefer veggies. But I'm in love with milkshakes at the moment. I use frozen yogurt, protein powder, nonfat milk and frozen fruit. Calcium and fruit! Switch the protein powder for some pb and you have a kid friendly easy, cheap breakfast or after school snack.
Get yogurt in the big tub and DIY granola to go with it. A few reusable containers is going to end up way cheaper than buying single serve yogurt all the time. Add fruit. Again, frozen fruit (defrosted) may be more cost effective here.
My favorite snack as a kid (that I still eat occasionally) was peanut butter balls. You mix pb with dry milk until it's not sticky. You can add honey or roll in graham cracker crumbs.0 -
Soup is also a really easy way to stretch your budget. Just make some and freeze portions for easy lunches.0
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I don't really feel like eating fruit is necessarily better than eating vegetables nutrition-wise. I'm not a nutritionist but fruit does have more sugar, after all, and I think that a lot of veggies have the same vitamin/mineral benefits as fruits. (Google "foods highest in vitamin C," etc.) I second what people have said about frozen fruit and also I'd say choose what fruit you really want specifically based on what nutrition you want out of it. Obviously you might just also buy it for the taste, though.
I love this recipe for a frugal dinner http://www.5dollardinners.com/lentil-and-brown-rice-casserole/ and I think the site overall is good too.
For calcium, you may already know this but many foods that aren't dairy (and therefore are cheaper) have calcium. Collard greens and kale actually have a good amount of calcium! I'm not sure if this link works but: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20845429,00.html (Non-dairy foods high in calcium). : )0 -
Ditto on beans. I make a bean and/or grain salad for lunch a lot--I'm too busy to bother with dried beans but they're definitely cheaper. Then I add canned, sale, frozen or dry vegetables. My go-to combos are: black beans and tomatoes, chickpeas with bulgur or couscous, curry sweet potatoes or orange squash with farro or wheat berries, little french green or black lentils and bacon (not too much bacon obviously). But that doesn't help with fruit or calcium...
I'm bad at fruit personally--I prefer veggies. But I'm in love with milkshakes at the moment. I use frozen yogurt, protein powder, nonfat milk and frozen fruit. Calcium and fruit! Switch the protein powder for some pb and you have a kid friendly easy, cheap breakfast or after school snack.
Get yogurt in the big tub and DIY granola to go with it. A few reusable containers is going to end up way cheaper than buying single serve yogurt all the time. Add fruit. Again, frozen fruit (defrosted) may be more cost effective here.
My favorite snack as a kid (that I still eat occasionally) was peanut butter balls. You mix pb with dry milk until it's not sticky. You can add honey or roll in graham cracker crumbs.
I thought dried beans were also too much of a pain until I did them. Basically soak overnight and cook in a Crock pot for 6-8 hrs to desired tendeness. I made my own refried beans and froze in indiviual servings. One bag made enough for 12 servings. So it saved a good chunk of money. Beans, Rice, most fresh veggies and fruits are reasonable if you catch them on sale. Like right now at my grocery store I can get little gala apples 2 for $1, grapes 99 cents a lb, bags of mini carrots are $1.50, Bananas are .89 a lb, We get a carton of 24 eggs instead of 12 and in return save 80 cents because we eat a lot of eggs, I watch for meat deals and live close to 2 meat markets if you have one near by they can be a great deal. Right they have chicken leg quarters for .40 a lb for a 40 lb case, boneless skinless chicken breast 1.68 a lb. You really just have to watch the deals. If you live by an aldi's they have great deals on produce.
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For calcium I take a quality supplement. It comes in big bottles and I only need to get it once every other month. I'm not a huge fan of dairy products and I don't like milk. I do like yogurt and cottage cheese but I'm always short on calcium because of it.
When I have my blood work done my calcium levels are fine and my doctor doesn't seem concerned that I don't eat much dairy. If you're having problems with calcium you could check into supplements. And if you have questions ask your doctor.0 -
We feed a family of four on about that budget. We eat chicken, fish, veggies, fruit, rice, beans, milk and yogurt for the children. If you cut out processed food, cook and prepfor all meals and eating you can get ahead on the budget0
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Well I am not able to stay within that $75 budget but I'm sure you can do it for you and a child. I have a family of 6, but I eat for 3. So I could feed 8 for $150/wk for healthy steak/fish/chicken/turkey and produce. Get some sweet potatoes, rice and beans for carbs. They are really cheap and healthy. You get your protein and fats from the meat. And then just throw some veggies in for filler and nutrients.0
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You do not need special snacks. Portion some of your meal to have for a snack later in the day.
Fresh fruits are usually expensive. Skip them because they are not necessary.
Buy veggies canned or frozen. Fruit can be bought canned or frozen as well.
Relatively inexpensive foods include eggs, peanuts, beans, lentils, frozen greens (have calcium), peanut butter, rolled oats, white rice, tuna, pasta, carrots, onions.0 -
If you are near an Acme they are having buck a bag produce sale and also not sure where you are but I buy some of my produce at produce junction which is very reasonable for their produce0
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What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?0
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kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?
I notice most days I am way under on my calcium, and I don't usually drink milk at all, although I do like it but it's expensive.
I'm aiming for at least 1 fruit a day, I get a serving of veggies at lunch and supper so that's 2 servings of veg per day and 1 fruit. Just doesn't seem like enough. I try to buy fruit and make sure it's mostly for my daughter though to make sure she stays healthy and she likes fruit for snacks.0 -
I shop at walmart0
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You could get a container of calcium fortified orange juice. 8oz. would be a serving so that would last you all week, a container of Minute Maid calcium fortified is 59oz.
8oz. provides 35% of the daily calcium requirement based on a 2000 calorie a day diet. And the juice would also count as a serving of fruit.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?
what's a fruit goal?0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?
what's a fruit goal?
My own, slightly foreign sounding perhaps, shorthand for "how many pieces/servings of fruit are you trying to eat each day". I knew someone wouldn't understand it. But luckily, the OP did
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kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?kommodevaran wrote: »What are your calcium and fruit goals? What do you buy? And where?
I notice most days I am way under on my calcium, and I don't usually drink milk at all, although I do like it but it's expensive.
I'm aiming for at least 1 fruit a day, I get a serving of veggies at lunch and supper so that's 2 servings of veg per day and 1 fruit. Just doesn't seem like enough. I try to buy fruit and make sure it's mostly for my daughter though to make sure she stays healthy and she likes fruit for snacks.
That's sad. One should at least be able to have two pieces of fruit every day. And you have a child. I guess you have checked prices? Apples, bananas, oranges, tend to be the cheapest all year round, and then there are seasonal variations, depending on location. I am not rich myself, but I drink all the milk I want, and can eat cheese or yoghurt every day. Have you applied for benefits? I'm not familiar with the US, but I know you have SNAP and WIC.
Is the $75 your food budget? I wonder what you buy. not to be snoopy, but I can feed myself here in Norway for around $56 per week, I could quite possibly have fed a small child for that too, and I eat like a queen, meeting all my nutrition goals and everything is tasty. Most healthy foods are cheap, but I splurge sometimes. Have you checked out the resources at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget
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I get fruits and vegetables from farm stands and farmer's outlets this time of year. Here, they are cheaper and better quality.
(My experience with farmer's markets billed as organic is that they tend to be pricy.)0 -
What are buying and where are you getting your groceries?
My family of 5 eat with that weekly budget0 -
I subscribe to the MFP blog and it often sends me articles about eating on a budget. Here are a few:
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/10-tips-for-eating-healthy-on-a-budget/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/10-budget-friendly-meals-under-400-calories/
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/7-budget-friendly-superfoods/0 -
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kshama2001 wrote: »
I have to read up on geometry - I checked her profile too and thought New Brunswick was one of the U Ss of A. Shoot me
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kommodevaran wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »
I have to read up on geometry - I checked her profile too and thought New Brunswick was one of the U Ss of A. Shoot me
well- for what it's worth- we have several "Brunswick"s in new Jersey- so you weren't like WRONG WRONG LOL0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »
I have to read up on geometry - I checked her profile too and thought New Brunswick was one of the U Ss of A. Shoot me
well- for what it's worth- we have several "Brunswick"s in new Jersey- so you weren't like WRONG WRONG LOL
Oh thank you, you're sweet
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That is my budget for two adults. I splurged yesterday and bought a watermelon.
We eat a lot of celery, carrots, and onions. That rounds out meals, pretty cheaply. I shop sales and ads. We eat a lot of frozen fruit, which is cheaper than fresh. I also don't buy canned beans, I cook a batch and freeze them.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »
I have to read up on geometry - I checked her profile too and thought New Brunswick was one of the U Ss of A. Shoot me
I thought NB might have stood for Nebraska, but that's actually NE.
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kshama2001 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »
I have to read up on geometry - I checked her profile too and thought New Brunswick was one of the U Ss of A. Shoot me
I thought NB might have stood for Nebraska, but that's actually NE.
I actually thought "NB - OK, New Brunswick" lol
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Psst, Geometry is Math... You're thinking about Geography. Not being an *kitten* like some on here, just letting you know.0
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