diet on a budget?

Yes, ma'am! I am a single mom, and my daughter and I are dieting together. Eating healthy can be a strain on your budget, but I've been able to trim a litte bit of "monetary fat" from my grocery bill!

1. Replace beef with turkey---it's waaaay cheaper per pound for the ground turkey vs. beef!
2. Look for sales on frozen veggies---they last at least 3-6 months in the freezer and are quick to cook
3. Try shopping at bakery's for whole wheat breads and pitas. Prices are usually 30% less than grocery store, or more---the longer the bread has been on the shelf, the cheaper! I freeze loaves if I don't intend to use them in less than 2 days!
4. Purchase family packs of things--cheaper for bulk

Hope this helps! And if you happen to cook a lot of food, but don't want to waste it---freeze it!!! :flowerforyou: I invested in a 7 cubic foot freezer in 2006, and it's the best thing in the world!

Oh---and I don't work out in a gym, either! Too expensive for all of us! I walk at my local high school track and at work. I also dance at home with my kids for at least 20-30 minutes! And exercise while you're relaxing at home...you'd be surprised at the calories you burn by doing little exercises!

It CAN be expensive...if you're buying into those packaged goods with all kinds of healthy claims. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store...produce, meats, etc. Go to farmers markets (if they are available in your area at this time). Eat more beans (uncooked), brown rice, make your own bread...these things add up. Packaging accounts for a lot of wasted dollars. Bulk sections of the store are a great way to save. Frozen veggies can be a good way to go, especially in the winter. Always shop in season for fresh produce--it'll make a HUGE difference.

if you don't cook, learn. I usually go to the store knowing beforehand what's on sale from flyers and such, then start planning my meals in my head. If the store you go to has online delivery options, sometimes you can go in and act like you're going to shop online, then figure out how much you're spending before going. I find that helps keep me within my budget and I tend to stray less from my list. It almost becomes a game for me to see if I can get what I wanted for a little less than I estimated online!

All these little things will add up and soon it'll be easy. Oh, I also buy my yogurt in the big container, rather than those small ones. If you don't have a refrigerator at work, get some of those small, reusable containers that hold about .5 - 1 cup...I like plain yogurt, but you could get some frozen berries, honey, or granola to top yours if it's too tart for your tastes.

I'm budgeted, too! I'd venture to guess that most of us are with this economy! It's tough out there...I shop at Winco instead of Albertsons or Safeway. Check out the discount grocery stores, too, like Grocery Outlet. I can get a bag of the pre-frozen chicken tenders (not the breaded kind) for $5.99 instead of the $9-12 that the other stores sell them for! Also try the outlet stores for foods. Orowheat/Entemans outlet, Wonderbread Outlet, etc. You can get some good discounts. For fruits and veggies always be sure to purchase the seasonal ones. They're cheaper than the ones that are out of season. I agree about using ground turkey. I very rarely buy ground beef. Always keep an eye out for discounted meats (sounds gross but, if it's within the sale date you can get a good deal and it's fine if you freeze it). Just freeze it and you'll always have variety on hand. Be sure to watch what you get, though. Discounted pork fat isn't going to do any good for a diet. LOL I also agree about freezing. FREEZE, FREEZE, FREEZE! I will make a bit batch of chili, chicken parmesan, soups, stews, stir fry, etc. and portion out the leftovers and put them in the freezer (cover with a small piece of plastic wrap and squish down on the food before putting the lid on to prevent freezer burn). This lets you have handy, healthy lunches on the go for work! They're great to have in the freezer when I'm super broke and need food! Hope some of this helps!

Besides the emphasis on discount stores (by the by, I'd emphasize organic ~ including on the dairy products ;-) I'd suggest looking onto various websites to working out.

Why not? They're free

Example: http://www.shape.com/workouts/videos/

Go For It! Cheers!

I have the same dilemma. I'm a full time college student, paying my own way, and I live alone and work part time. Sooo... I have a SAM's club membership and get big ol' bags of frozen meat and fruit there. For other stuff I go to Aldi's... which is a cheap generic brand grocery store. I know there is an equivalent store called Save-A-Lot in the South, but we don't have them here in Ohio. I can buy a week or two worth of vegies, snacks, fruit, bread, milk, eggs, and deli meat for about 20 bucks. Can't beat it! Coupons help too.