Healthy on a budget

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keynaspider
keynaspider Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently a full time student working two jobs and planning a wedding. any tips on saving money while trying to eat healthier. right now all we can afford and have time for is fast food so any tips would be appreciated.
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  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
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    If you have an Aldi store nearby make sure to visit it! They have great prices, and I often fill my cart and not spend a lot.
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
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    Bulk out mince with red lentils, 1/2 pd mince 3 oz lentils plus small bag frozen mixed veggies plus tin tomatoes makes 4 serves and is ready in half hour
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    edited April 2017
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    eggs, milk, peanut butter, bananas, broccoli etc. Eating healthy (ie, natural and with low calories) is actually quite cheap. Way cheaper than fast food. One of my favorite belly fillers on a budget is rice and beans with a small amount of protein thrown in. (chicken legs and thighs are usually dirt cheap, especially if you're just adding a little bit).
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
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    Personally, I think fast food is expensive. Even if you're only eating from the dollar menu. If you put some thought into it, you can eat very well for cheap and SO MUCH healthier than fast food.

    Google "discount grocery" and see what comes up near you. I shop at a place that has fresh produce for very low cost and tons of other food that is close to the expiry date, but still good. This week I bought a huge bag of apples for 99 cents, bread for $1 and yogurt for 25 cents each. I also buy in bulk and watch for sales. I can usually buy a huge package of boneless skinless chicken breast for under $10 and make a dozen meals for two people. Tacos, soup, casseroles, etc. Spend a few hours on the weekend doing food prep for the week, put stuff in the freezer, and you'll be amazed at what variety you can come up with for low cost.
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
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    brdnw wrote: »
    I buy chicken breast $1.99 per pound at kroger. There is no way fast food is cheaper than that paired with a vegetable / rice / salad / sweet potato / even frozen vegetables.

    I buy salmon and catfish for $5.99lb. 1lb of meat is a lot.

    I eat a can of soup a few times a month for lunch, or if i need a quick meal. A campbells soup is $2.00 and fills me up enough for a lunch.

    If you get instant oatmeal, it's like 8 packs for $2.00. that's 25 cents per breakfast still feeling hungry? add a banana. You can get 5 bananas for $1.50 That's like 30 cent snacks.

    Yogurt is often $1 per on sale. If you buy a larger greek yogurt container you get better savings. Mix in 2 scoops of chocolate protein and suddenly you have delicious, healthy protein packed chocolate pudding.

    1lb of 99% lean ground turkey is $6. If you get a higher fat count say 85%, it's $4.50. 1lb of meat will make 4 solid burgers. That with a side is 2 meals for $10 and it's actually healthy.

    Hummus is a great snack with pretzels or vegetables. Summer is coming up watermelon, corn on the cob and strawberries are all very cheap. 1lb of strawberries is like 2.50, corn on the cob is 8 for $2.00, a whole watermelon is like $4.00.

    And is driving to a fastfood restaurant, waiting in the drive through, then driving home really that much faster than cooking? My dinner yesterday: i wrapped 2 sweet potatos in foil and put them in the oven for 30 minutes. Then i put 2 salmon into the same oven for 25 minutes. 55 minutes later I had dinner for me and my girlfriend and i put 3 minutes of effort into it. and it was delicious, filling and healthy.

    I prep my meals for work. I used to eat out every single meal. That's how i got to 285lbs. Then i still ate out every single meal but i chose healthy foods. But I started to feel like it was a waste of money so now i pack my meals. At 11pm at night I put in a few pieces of chicken breast and a jar of salsa into my crockpot. At 6am i wake up, ok at 6:45 i panic bc i snoozed my alarm, but then I wake up, i take the chicken, a bag of salad, avocados, tomatos and salad dressing to work. At work i reheat the chicken and then i spend 2 minutes making my lunch and I have enough food for 3 lunches for the week and this is about a 4.00 meal (mostly bc avocados sometimes cost $1.50 each)

    When you say you can only afford fast food or you don't have time. You're really saying you haven't tried.

    Cook, it's much cheaper and faster.

    It's like $10 a kilo for chicken breast in Australia and about $16 for salmon. And our meats and fish come from Here allegedly:-/
  • KMMRN
    KMMRN Posts: 104 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Dried beans, tofu. Frozen fruits and vegetables are cheaper in the long run, as there is no waste. Cabbage, turnip, onions. Canned tomatoes. Make soup out of your leftovers. Steel cut oats.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Fast food is expensive unless you're hitting that dollar menu drive thru. Wendy's chilli is a really cheap fast food meal I love. I also find the cheapest things are my salads, English muffins, rice, bags of frozen veggies. Just shop the sales for your meat. And if all else fails, Wendy's chilli?
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
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    kq1981 wrote: »
    It's like $10 a kilo for chicken breast in Australia and about $16 for salmon. And our meats and fish come from Here allegedly:-/

    IDK if you're speaking US dollars, as i'm pretty sure $1 US is > $1 australian.

    Regardless though if your produce is more expensive for you, i would think so is your restaurants / fast food bill at a fairly proportional rate.
  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
    edited April 2017
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    I once watched a YouTube post about someone living in Australia, and they would visit like fruit and veggie stands and just buy fruits and veggies from their it was also low cost. Maybe take a look and see if farmer markets exist.
  • kayeroze
    kayeroze Posts: 146 Member
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    Cheap meats - ground turkey, chicken (legs and thighs especially), and some frozen fish fillets (not everything has to be fresh).

    Buy frozen vegetables if you don't have time to chop, but generally buying fresh is cheaper in the long run.

    Fruits, you should buy seasonally. Bananas and apples are fairly consistent in price throughout the year.

    Don't spend a lot on snacks, instead go for a few that week like boiled eggs, granola bars, cheese sticks, and apples.

    Shop around at different grocery stores if they're available. Places like Aldi and Sprouts are great for produce, meat, and dairy.
  • thechaoswithinme
    thechaoswithinme Posts: 66 Member
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    Frozen veggies. Easy to microwave and quick sauté!! Go to your local dollar tree. Get a 1lb bag of brown rice and make a lot in advance and they have frozen veggies too for a dollar a nice big bag... banana are cheap. You can buy a five lb bag of apples for five bucks!!! Even sometime uncle bens 90 sec rice is on sale for a dollar and it two options in on bag.. the biggest container of oatmeal at biglots is four dollars and their bits and seeds are at a great price
  • thechaoswithinme
    thechaoswithinme Posts: 66 Member
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    Oh and I found that sometimes small deli's or corner stores produce section Shevardnadze great deals! Wait until the Summer for amazing farmers markets and you can haggle
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Canned tuna, chicken thighs, frozen veggies, sweet potatoes. Brown rice, Beans,oatmeal and yogurt are all cheap and can be made a gazillion ways.
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
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    I'm in Australia, still a lot cheaper to cook than buy fast food, meat is cheap at Asian grocers, and usually veg are cheaper at farmers markets, but even buying at willies is cheaper than take away
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    edited April 2017
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    thechaoswithinme wrote: »
    Frozen veggies. Easy to microwave and quick sauté!! Go to your local dollar tree. Get a 1lb bag of brown rice and make a lot in advance and they have frozen veggies too for a dollar a nice big bag... banana are cheap. You can buy a five lb bag of apples for five bucks!!! Even sometime uncle bens 90 sec rice is on sale for a dollar and it two options in on bag.. the biggest container of oatmeal at biglots is four dollars and their bits and seeds are at a great price

    I regularly can get 5# bags of brown or white rice for $4 with coupons on a grocery store app. (Safeway's if you have one near.)
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    thechaoswithinme wrote: »
    Oh and I found that sometimes small deli's or corner stores produce section Shevardnadze great deals! Wait until the Summer for amazing farmers markets and you can haggle

    Please translate the autocorrect. It's got me laughing.

    But yeah, you never know where a store will have a great deal.
  • curiousgp
    curiousgp Posts: 122 Member
    edited April 2017
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    keynaspider wrote: »
    I'm currently a full time student working two jobs and planning a wedding. any tips on saving money while trying to eat healthier. right now all we can afford and have time for is fast food so any tips would be appreciated.

    This is a complete fallacy. If you take the time to shop for a flat of protein (chicken, beef, what have you) preferably on sale and supplement with a bag of rice and a few bags of frozen veg (or fresh if its in season) you'll save money in the long run. Yes the initial outlay is a certain price - but divide it up by the number of meals you get out of it and the time you save by cooking at home and you are ahead in the budget world.

    My typical lunch is a roasted chicken breast, half a bag of frozen veg and a dollop of ranch dressing. Average cost to me? $1.69.
  • curiousgp
    curiousgp Posts: 122 Member
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    cmtigger wrote: »
    thechaoswithinme wrote: »
    Frozen veggies. Easy to microwave and quick sauté!! Go to your local dollar tree. Get a 1lb bag of brown rice and make a lot in advance and they have frozen veggies too for a dollar a nice big bag... banana are cheap. You can buy a five lb bag of apples for five bucks!!! Even sometime uncle bens 90 sec rice is on sale for a dollar and it two options in on bag.. the biggest container of oatmeal at biglots is four dollars and their bits and seeds are at a great price

    I regularly can get 5# bags of brown or white rice for $4 with coupons on a grocery store app. (Safeway's if you have one near.)

    ....also your local ethnic grocery is usually cheaper for rice in bulk than the average grocery store. You may be carting home a 20lb bag of rice - but I guarantee it will be cheaper in the long run. Same goes for rice noodles, soba noodles, etc.

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