most healthy food options are very expensive, and I'm on a very poor budget. what to do?

I can only afford eggs, whole wheat flower, lettuce, milk, beans, and pasta. This caused a very limited diet, which soon gets boring and unfulfilling. I'm starting to lose patience :'( please help.
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Replies

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    Can you afford baking powder? If so you can make a bean stew with dumplings. Also you can make a scone or quick bread.

    Or you can make tortillas, they actually work pretty well with whole wheat flour.

    Can you give us some more details on where you are (which country and which kind of area, e.g. rural, urban, suburban) and what options you have available to you?

    I understand a tight budget but am curious what factors are making it quite so tight, e.g. How come you can buy lettuce in particulat but not eg cabbage, beans but not lentils, why only whole wheat flour (white is cheaper where I live) - these things vary a lot from place to place and we can help better if we know some more details.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    I'm honestly curious...what have you been eating so far with those kinds of limitations? That could also give us a good starting point. What do you like to eat?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Staples when I was poor...most of them are still staples...

    - lentils
    - beans
    - potatoes
    - in season fruit and veg or frozen
    - cabbage (it's pretty cheap year around and has more nutritional value than lettuce)
    - eggs
    - whole chickens or chicken parts
    - other on sale meat
    - ground beef

    Cabbage, I forgot about cabbage! It's 49 cents right now for a head of cabbage - I can usually get 3-4 servings out of it!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Hamsibian wrote: »
    I can't stress enough for looking at the sale ads. I try really hard to buy all or at least the majority of my groceries on sale. Stock up on meats/seafood on sale, and check to see if you save buying a whole chicken vs. Chicken breasts. Save the bones to make broth/soup. Get frozen or seasonal fruits and veggies. If you want fresh veggies, Buy bunches of leafy greens instead of the prepackaged mixes. You can freeze some for smoothies. If you have farmer markets nearby, you can haggle prices (this is best done if you go the last hour and a half. The farmers will want to get rid of their stuff).

    Yep. Store apps can be really helpful for this. Check your app store for grocery store apps or "retale" and/or "flipp" and link whatever savings programs you participate in to the apps. I do this for Ralph's and it works well for me. My other staple store is Trader Joe's.
  • newbie3122
    newbie3122 Posts: 480 Member
    Quaker oatmeal has 30 servings of 1/2 cup (150 Cal) = 4500 Cals for just ~$3.5. Can't possible get cheaper than that! It helps prevent myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accident too! Plus it fills stomach.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    Go to your supermarket after 7-8pm, most of them are selling food due to go out of date for practically nothing. I often get good bits of meat this way which I cook as soon as I get home, make into casseroles or curries that I can freeze. Or just freeze till u want to cook it.
    Also vegetables that are out of date can keep for easily another week if kept in fridge. I do this often.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited December 2016
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Staples when I was poor...most of them are still staples...

    - lentils
    - beans
    - potatoes
    - in season fruit and veg or frozen
    - cabbage (it's pretty cheap year around and has more nutritional value than lettuce)
    - eggs
    - whole chickens or chicken parts
    - other on sale meat
    - ground beef

    One point about the on sale meat: the grocery store near my house typically has mark downs on organic chicken on Thursdays because that is the sell by date, so that's usually when I get it. Definitely find this kind of information out if you can from a local grocery store. Depending on what kind of meat you eat (if any), that's a great way to get better cuts of meat cheaper, and if you have a freezer, you can stock up!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,668 Member
    Also with the holidays you'll often find sales of a lot of holiday foods like turkey or ham or potatoes (i.e. 39 cents instead of 1.29/lb). A whole turkey or chicken will make a lot of nutritious meals, plus soup after.

    Not eating junk food will save you a lot of money: instead of chips buy fruit, instead of ice cream, buy milk or cheese. Frozen veggies have as much nutrition as fresh, sometimes more since they are processed immediately after being picked.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I second the Greek yogurt, super cheap and can be used a gazillion ways both sweet and savory.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Staples when I was poor...most of them are still staples...

    - lentils
    - beans
    - potatoes
    - in season fruit and veg or frozen
    - cabbage (it's pretty cheap year around and has more nutritional value than lettuce)
    - eggs
    - whole chickens or chicken parts
    - other on sale meat
    - ground beef


    And cabbage is so much more versatile than lettuce. You can eat it raw (salad, cole slaw, shredded to top tacos...),, in a stir fry, in soup, in a casserole (I'm drawing a blank on the name of the eastern European ground meat and cabbage dish), steamed, roasted/baked, boiled with potatoes and whatever cheap cut of meat you can get (I like vinegar on this), sauerkraut, kimchi ...
  • sarko15
    sarko15 Posts: 330 Member
    What everyone else said. Not all of us live like kings, but we find it worth it to be creative.

    Have you considered food stamps? There is no shame in utilizing assistance if you need it. I'm in my early 20s and am on food stamps and it helps a lot. Also, they have free classes in my area about doubling your SNAP dollars, and there's also a farmer's market voucher program. See if things like this exist in your area--unless you live in a very rural place, they probably do. I live in a large town.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Healthy eating is eating foods with nutrients that meet your body's needs. It does not have to be super limited or expensive.
    Meal planning is important if you have a tight budget.
    Soup is a good dollar stretcher. A bean or lentil based soup is filling and inexpensive.
    This is stuff I buy regularly on a tight budget:
    Potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, dry beans, dry lentils, pasta, rice, oatmeal, canned tomato, tuna, chicken thighs or whole chicken, ground turkey, eggs, powdered milk, peanut butter, frozen vegetables, garlic, cheese, yogurt, bread, eggs, flour, spinach, broccoli, cabbage

    http://www.budgetbytes.com
    http://allrecipes.com/recipes/15522/everyday-cooking/budget-cooking/?internalSource=hub nav&referringId=1642&referringContentType=recipe hub&linkName=hub nav daughter&clickId=hub nav 2
    http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/budget-recipes