Asking 4 tight budget grocery ideas

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amunet07
amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok...I'm back on the wagon again but struggling. Sunday will be grocery day...other than fresh fruit or veggies what should I get for a single woman on a very tight budget? Thanks for your ideas.
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  • Bellum24
    Bellum24 Posts: 106 Member
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    you can buy boxed chicken breast and I find that it usually goes a long way!
  • Harper0618
    Harper0618 Posts: 41 Member
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    Very good question! I will be watching your post for ideas also. Why does it cost so much to eat healthy :(
  • cpegasus01
    cpegasus01 Posts: 400 Member
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    Lots of chicken and fish. Those are meats that can be prepared lots of different ways and paired with lots of veggies. If you like fish, I reccomend trying the Swai. It is available at Walmart in the frozen foods area. Grill it, broil it, pan fry it whatever. It is a white fillet with a mild flavor. My boys love it!
  • JustBill
    JustBill Posts: 93 Member
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    When you find out, let me know too!!! LOL. Seriously, eating healthy is expensive as all get out. I spent $20 on frickin' cherries the other day. Fresh fruit is expensive! And I'm trying to avoid pre-packaged foods because of all the sodium... it's practically impossible to eat well and not spend a fortune.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
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    Do you have Aldi near you? They're save you SO much money! I always keep frozen chicken, frozen tilapia, and canned tuna around. I also buy the large containers of plain oatmeal and plain yogurt. Both of these will fill you up and you can add in fruits, nuts, etc. to switch up the flavors. Cottage cheese is also great for trying to lose weight, just watch the sodium in it. Good luck!
  • julwills
    julwills Posts: 286 Member
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    Have you tried shopping at local farmers markets? I can get amazing deals and everything is so much cheaper there! We went shopping one Saturday morning and got all the fresh produce, fruits, meats, cheese, pasta and bread we needed for the week for less than $40!
  • dfborders
    dfborders Posts: 474 Member
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    Store brand rice and store brand seasoned black beans. If you can afford a cheap bottle of salsa to add to it even better. Very fulling and tasty. I make 4 servings of rice, add the black beans and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa. I also add whatever spices I like - although I don't know what you may already have in your pantry - I like Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic, etc.
  • tn2010
    tn2010 Posts: 228 Member
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    Nut butters, low-fat cheeses, frozen chicken breast, a rotisserie chicken that you can cut up (remove skin) and use in salads, quinoa (in the bulk section it should be much cheaper...great recipes on allrecipes.com), brown rice, rice crackers (I love Real Foods Rice Thins), olive oil, red wine or rice vinegar for dressings, canned beans to add to salads, rice dishes or to make hummus.
  • audradanielle
    audradanielle Posts: 42
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    Black beans! Cheap and delicious. You can do a lot with them!
  • camy_chick
    camy_chick Posts: 277 Member
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    posting this so i can read later......am very curious as well.
  • tattooedtwiin
    tattooedtwiin Posts: 246
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    Farmers markets are a great choice, sometimes as they're closing or packing up you can even get BETTER deals.
  • tattooedtwiin
    tattooedtwiin Posts: 246
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    Farmers markets are a great choice, sometimes as they're closing or packing up you can even get BETTER deals.
  • katron1974
    katron1974 Posts: 5
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    im in the same position and heres wat ive found. the supermarket own brands r not only cheaper but they beta 4 u calorie n fat wise. i get a bag of pasta 4 17p n it does me 5 meals. u dont have 2 spend massive amounts 2 eat healthy x
  • mamathrash2
    mamathrash2 Posts: 80 Member
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    We usually shop at Aldi or Save a Lot. You can get fresh fruit and vegetables a lot cheaper than a regular grocery store. The main difference is the selection isn't as big but you can still get the things you need. We try to get everything at Aldi/Save a Lot and only buy certain things at a regular grocery store that the other doesn't have (which isn't much). I can feed my family of 4 for 2 full weeks (3 meals a day) at Aldi for $150.
  • luckystar8131
    luckystar8131 Posts: 21
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    I would say boneless, skinless chicken. Pretty cheap if you buy it in a family size and you can make it tons of ways. My favorite is to take it and pour some salsa over it in a casserole dish. Bake it til it's done then put some cheese over it and melt that. SO yummy and healthy. I usually make some brown rice with it.
  • messyhare
    messyhare Posts: 366 Member
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    Do you like fish? I just went shopping myself and purchased several different kinds of fish - fillets individually wrapped and frozen. They were VERY inexpensive and are super easy to prepare. I think I paid $9 for a bag of Swai fillets and there are about 10-12 fillets in that bag, a bag of cod fillets were even less expensive and a bag of tilapia. I have a family of 5 and allot one fillet per person and that fills each one up. I also buy family packs of legs now - for under $4 you can get a pack of about 12-14 legs. I then repack in smaller sizes. I was never a chicken leg fan before but I have to make the grocery money last and have now grown to love them!

    I also buy wild rice, brown rice, pasta's etc in the bulk section. So much less expensive.
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
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    Lentils and quinoa are great bulk food items that can be made into soup or mixed in with salad for an extra dose of protein! Lentil and quinoa soup can be made in bulk and is very hearty for the winter time.

    Every week, I usually get a rotisserie chicken, and I use it for lunch or dinner throughout the week. That, or I get frozen chicken breasts and cook them on Sundays and then distribute portions throughout the week. I'm not sure if you're a vegetarian though!

    I usually buy romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, carrots, celery, and cucumbers. As soon as I get home, I cut them all up and put them in a large, sealed container, so I can just easily make a salad whenever I want... frugal and easy in case I'm too tired to make anything! Add some avocado and the rotisserie chicken, and it's very filling.

    I purchase a lot of corn tortillas instead of bread. It's taken some getting used to, but I use it for breakfast burritos (eggs, pico de gallo, avocado). Very simple, but very filling for the weekends.

    Oatmeal is your friend. Combined with strawberries, banana, and blueberries, it's a very nourishing start to the morning.

    My first month of eating like this was about $200.00, but I was buying a bit much. Now, I'm spending maybe $150.00 a month. I actually go to the grocery store twice a week to make sure I always have fresh ingredients. I also don't want anything to go bad, so it's worth it. It's actually made my shopping experience cheaper!
  • FabCheeky
    FabCheeky Posts: 311
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    I'm into a Paleo style of eating. I find that whole chickens are GREAT cheap protein sources. So versatile.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/index.html

    her show is called $10 dinners (for a family of 4)
    http://www.foodnetwork.com/melissa-darabian/index.html

    Also, I second farmers markets. I buy my lean proteins when they're on sale. I make a crap ton of soup from scratch.
  • amunet07
    amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    When you find out, let me know too!!! LOL. Seriously, eating healthy is expensive as all get out. I spent $20 on frickin' cherries the other day. Fresh fruit is expensive! And I'm trying to avoid pre-packaged foods because of all the sodium... it's practically impossible to eat well and not spend a fortune.

    lol, funny I did that too...cherries are spendy. I also have to watch my sodium

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