HELP- Realistic healthy eating budget

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  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Well it really depends on what you like to eat but here are some healthy choices that won't usually break the bank:

    Frozen vegetables
    rice
    pasta
    dried beans
    eggs
    cheese
    frozen fish
    canned tuna

    Buy fresh food when it's on sale. Check out your local farmer's market for fresh produce (or even better grow some of your own). Stock up on non-perishable foods when on sale.
    This is all good info. Buying meat on sale or in bigger quantities is a good idea, too. You will find that if you shop smart, eating healthy isn't actually more expensive. It can be cheaper.
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
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    Zipp237 wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Well it really depends on what you like to eat but here are some healthy choices that won't usually break the bank:

    Frozen vegetables
    rice
    pasta
    dried beans
    eggs
    cheese
    frozen fish
    canned tuna

    Buy fresh food when it's on sale. Check out your local farmer's market for fresh produce (or even better grow some of your own). Stock up on non-perishable foods when on sale.
    This is all good info. Buying meat on sale or in bigger quantities is a good idea, too. You will find that if you shop smart, eating healthy isn't actually more expensive. It can be cheaper.

    Learn to read cost per unit labels in grocery stores. For the most part bulk purchases are more cost effective, but not always.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    KarenMoeller2 wrote: »
    Buy 5lb bag of chicken leg quarters. Let it thaw. Remove skin and any extra fat. Season as desired. Cook in crockpot until it falls apart. Pull off the bone. Divide into freezer bags. Weigh and mark each bag.

    This hurts to read. The skin is the best part of the chicken, fat is delicious and nutritious, and you can't throw away food when on a budget. You shouldn't throw away food anyway, unless it's gone bad, but you can't throw away good food it if you're short on money.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    KarenMoeller2 wrote: »
    Buy 5lb bag of chicken leg quarters. Let it thaw. Remove skin and any extra fat. Season as desired. Cook in crockpot until it falls apart. Pull off the bone. Divide into freezer bags. Weigh and mark each bag.

    This hurts to read. The skin is the best part of the chicken, fat is delicious and nutritious, and you can't throw away food when on a budget. You shouldn't throw away food anyway, unless it's gone bad, but you can't throw away good food it if you're short on money.

    For the purposes of this crockpot experiment on a budget, removing the skin/fat is best. Plus the calorie budget needs to handle these calories. You get some nice usable broth from this.

    Or you could cook up a 5 pound bag of chicken breast with rib meat (walmart $10.00) no bone, no skin, but the the leg quarters would be better.
  • tracyt829
    tracyt829 Posts: 3 Member
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    To make food interesting...learn to use dried spices and herbs..so if you're limited on what you have been purchasing, your tastebuds won't get bored and you'll feel satisfied. Even poultry seasoning can make a vegan dish taste like you have meat in it. Basics I think are good : basil, oregano, curry, poultry seasoning, thyme, cumin, salt , pepper, dried garlic. A little goes a long way.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    tracyt829 wrote: »
    To make food interesting...learn to use dried spices and herbs..so if you're limited on what you have been purchasing, your tastebuds won't get bored and you'll feel satisfied. Even poultry seasoning can make a vegan dish taste like you have meat in it. Basics I think are good : basil, oregano, curry, poultry seasoning, thyme, cumin, salt , pepper, dried garlic. A little goes a long way.

    This is a very good tip. Spices and herbs can make the same ingredients entirely different meals.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    OP is there a local walmart where you live?

    I buy 5 pound bags of Birds Eye frozen veggies (summer blend, brocolli/cauli/carrots, teriyaki veggie mix, asian veggie mix), also some of the PictSweet frozen veggies like okra (not breaded), squash, etc. You get a lot for the money. Dried beans, and instead of sandwich bread you can buy those Bandaerita wraps pretty cheap, of even use lettuce for wraps, dried rice, pasta.

    Also shop the day old section, you can get bread, etc. and actually freeze it and thaw as needed.

    Look for canned good sales for tomatoes, beans, etc.. as well.

    IF you have a crockpot, you can make a 6 - 8 - 10 serving crock pot meal pretty cheap and eat on it for quite a while. You can add more veggies less meat/chicken or vice versa per the money you have to spend on ingredients.
  • wanderwal
    wanderwal Posts: 5 Member
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    Have you considered starting a garden? My friends have a little space in their yard and grow all types of great things. Also it seems like a lot of places have community gardens if you don't have room for it at your place.
  • kelliward1
    kelliward1 Posts: 99 Member
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    I love the Dollar Tree, I get my Stevia packets there for way less than the grocery store.

    Look at the weekly shopping ads and plan your menu around what is on sale. Whatever fruits and veggies that are in season will have lower prices or be on sale. When green peppers are on sale I stock up and chop them up and freeze them to use for future meals.

    If you shop at Kroger you can register your loyalty card on the Kroger website and download coupons onto your card. They will be automatically redeemed when you buy that item when using your card at Kroger. They frequently have coupons off of their organic brand including chicken breast and such.

    Use apps like ibotta, checkout 51 and Mobisave to earn cash back from grocery shopping. I've earned cash back off of milk, yogurt, produce and more.

    If you can't tell I'm a bargain hunting momma...LOL!
  • KristaJeanMFP
    KristaJeanMFP Posts: 70 Member
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    Thank you everyone for the tips! I killed it at the store! I was right around my calorie, protien, fat and carb goals today! My sodium was around 1500 (which I thought was impossible!) I have high blood pressure so low sodium is pretty important to me. I try to make what I can- most pre-packaged food is wayyyyyyy high in sodium. I did well today! Thanks again!
  • StarryJD
    StarryJD Posts: 19 Member
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    Sounds like you're doing great. I thought I'd add another tip that I've found helpful..I like to sit down with the weekly circular for my local grocery store and use that to plan meals for the week so I know in advance what I'll be buying and about how much I'll spend when I get to the store. At this time of year I try to plan so I have about $10 left to spend on produce at the farmer's market. In my area the circular is available online so that makes it easier. I have a meal spreadsheet and budget spreadsheet too :)

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