How to afford healthy meals??

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I am on the low income scale, no food stamps, and due to formula issues I have to pay out of pocket for my daughters formula. So I don't have much money to spare on groceries most of the time. How do you get healthy meals without paying an arm and leg? I've tried buying fresh fruit but it's so expensive!

Any help would be appreciated!
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Replies

  • maryannprt
    maryannprt Posts: 152 Member
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    Are you in the USA? Have you checked into WIC? Vouchers for formula and food for pregnant or nursing women, infants, and children with different requirements than food stamps. Is baby breast feeding at all or exclusively on formula? The person above gave lots of good information so I won't repeat.
  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 232 Member
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    Fresh fruit is expensive! In season fresh vegetables are usually cheaper; you could also try frozen veg and dried beans. Dried fruit is okay, I like it as an alternative to sweets but it isn't very filling so it could be easy to overeat (depends how you do - I weigh mine to avoid that).

    I buy packets of mince that're on special offer and make up a whole bunch of things like chilli, bolognese, shepherd's pie filling and freeze in indiviual portions. That helps to even out the cost from week to week if you can manage that. Bigger packets are usually cheaper per portion. I bulk out the mince with grated carrots and lentils :) It's also worth checking the freezer section for meat and fish, it can be cheaper there.

    You also have to define what you think healthy is... Mine is lots of vegetables and a little bit of everything else so if I'm cooking from scratch it ends up being pretty cheap by default. If you want, post up some meals you like and we'll try and figure out how to make them more cheaply/healthily ?
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
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    Rosemary's advice about buying cheap bulk like mince when it's on offer, and batch cooking for the freezer, is great. Besides bulking it out with lentils and carrot, you can also bulk out mince with some oatmeal to make it go further.

    There are only two of us at home, and the cheap deals are often for bulk buys, so this is what I do.

    Frozen fruit can be cheaper than fresh, and probably just as good.

    Also, never throw away the fat from cooking fatty meat. Strain it and keep it, then use it to cook with. I do this with goose, duck, lamb and pork fats. You'll always find a jar of rendered down fat in my fridge. If I cook bacon I even reuse the fat from that to saute mushrooms. (I am on Atkins, so fat is my friend)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Wonder why my post was wooed...
  • ChristinaPruitt276
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    maryannprt wrote: »
    Are you in the USA? Have you checked into WIC? Vouchers for formula and food for pregnant or nursing women, infants, and children with different requirements than food stamps. Is baby breast feeding at all or exclusively on formula? The person above gave lots of good information so I won't repeat.


    We are technically on WIC but my daughter is having tolerance issues so the only formula she can handle isn't WIC approved. Even getting an Rx from her doctor didn't help. So I'm paying out of pocket. She'll be a year old in Dec so She will start getting actual food. Formula is just retarded expensive. Spending around $200 a month just on her.

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    maryannprt wrote: »
    Are you in the USA? Have you checked into WIC? Vouchers for formula and food for pregnant or nursing women, infants, and children with different requirements than food stamps. Is baby breast feeding at all or exclusively on formula? The person above gave lots of good information so I won't repeat.


    We are technically on WIC but my daughter is having tolerance issues so the only formula she can handle isn't WIC approved. Even getting an Rx from her doctor didn't help. So I'm paying out of pocket. She'll be a year old in Dec so She will start getting actual food. Formula is just retarded expensive. Spending around $200 a month just on her.

    'retarded expensive'?? :huh:

    why not start weaning now?
  • ChristinaPruitt276
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    maryannprt wrote: »
    Are you in the USA? Have you checked into WIC? Vouchers for formula and food for pregnant or nursing women, infants, and children with different requirements than food stamps. Is baby breast feeding at all or exclusively on formula? The person above gave lots of good information so I won't repeat.


    We are technically on WIC but my daughter is having tolerance issues so the only formula she can handle isn't WIC approved. Even getting an Rx from her doctor didn't help. So I'm paying out of pocket. She'll be a year old in Dec so She will start getting actual food. Formula is just retarded expensive. Spending around $200 a month just on her.

    'retarded expensive'?? :huh:

    why not start weaning now?


    She is only 10 months old and a heart baby so we have to be careful of what we give her. I wish I could though

  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 232 Member
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    Well, I guess the plus side of that is that you'll have a reasonable amount of money for food once your daughter is weaned! How long do you think that might be (I have no idea about kids...)?

    If it isn't too long, maybe just stick with whatever is cheap and not too much of it for now, and look to feed yourself and daughter more healthily once you can? You don't have to do everything at once. One step at a time is fine :) and if you're aiming to lose weight then that'll have health benefits however you do it. How much do you have available for your groceries?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    depends on where you are and your food costs, i suppose.

    I can buy family packs that will last my son and I 3 or 4 days (and when my fiance is here, 2-3 days) of meat for under $10. Chicken is cheap and flexible.

    veggies here in the south arent expensive (nor are fruits in season). But even a frozen bag of veggies that would last several days is only a couple of bucks.

    Rice, pasta, beans and potatoes and onions and garlic are cheap.

    Thats the basics for most all of my cooking. minus the rice, simply cause i dont care for it lol

    what ups my grocery bill is the lunch and breakfast stuff for my son.

    i SPEND a lot on groceries but its because i am able to. When times are tighter, I can still do a healthy well balanced meal and bring it in at under $10 (for dinner) for a family of 3 per day.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    Wonder why my post was wooed...

    i have noticed a lot of weird 'wooing' in the last couple of weeks, i presume its newbies thinking it is a positive thing... that or people just going round troll wooing.
    Now I'm double-wooed. I'll just assume it's trolling then.

    i thought woo was good? like whooooo! yay!

    guess i learned something (no i didnt woo you LOLOL)
  • JenChamberlin87
    JenChamberlin87 Posts: 6 Member
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    Keep inexpensive staples on hand. Eggs are my favorite! Oatmeal, rice, frozen/can veggies, meats when they’re on sale/marked down, freeze them in portions til ready to use. Fruit I buy when it’s at a good price so I check sales ads. Some places, like Walmart, will price match stuff including produce.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    A few things
    1. Frozen veggies, canned beans,eggs,frozenfish are all great and cheap.eggs in particular are filling work for all meals and yum
    2. Coupons smartly done. I like crazy coupon lady site. I also like coupons.com and Ibotta apps. In the last week i have gotten 4 different yogurts, a thing of mashed potatoes, two snack bars, a dozen eggs , oh and some candy going into the christmas stocking stuffer pile all free after coupons. Except the candy all healthy stuff.
    3. Aldi, great prices. You have to bring your own bags but other then that fantastic prices.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
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    Can you get WIC? They often have different requirements than food stamps and that can help with the formula and some basics (milk, bread, cheese, and juice I think)

    https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children-wic

    Also, does your state have a heating assistance for winter? They also have their own set of standards (I qualify for HEAP but not food stamps for example). That can help free up some funds to help offset formula costs.

    Ok, as for food- look for the 10 for $10 deals with frozen veggies or soups, santa fe soup is also quite inexpensive but lots of beans to fill you up (http://12tomatoes.com/santa-fe-soup/), and try to go on double coupon days if your has it. Many local libraries do a coupon exchange so that may be worth looking into.