Budget healthy...can it be done?

I'm in the UK and I find I can make most things cheaper than buying premade - as long as I buy and cook in bulk, and freeze portions for another day. All the cheap deals seem to be on bulk quantities.

The only exception is probably with bakery goods, which have quite expensive ingredients compared to the premade.

Buy seasonal and look at what you can make with the vegetables rather than finding a recipe and then shopping for the recipe. Plan your meals for the week rather than waiting to see what you " feel" like eating. Dried beans, lentils and canned tomatoes are excellent and give you good nutritional value and low calories. Look for places where you can buy plain pack and budget brands and go with those. As mentioned above curries are great and something like a whole chicken can do three meals - night one - roast chicken, night 2 add into something like a curry or make enchiladas. Night three use for soup stock and add in some of those lentils and tomatoes
Try making your own flour tortillas - way cheaper than bought and they can be wonderful filled with whatever is seasonal and spiced up
Use your freezer to store all leftovers no matter how small. Shop for more typically expensive ingredients in the places that have them more cheaply, e.g beans in the indian grocer along with nuts and rice. Ginger and noodles, bok choy and daikon in asian markets etc.
Don't be afraid to try new foods and you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can make very cheaply.

Sure.

Beef Mince. Chicken. Fish. Beans. Rice. Eggs. Onion. Potato. Tomato. Fill out meals with cheap frozen vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot, Peas, Corn). "Snacks" become apples, pears, oranges etc (cheap fruit).

One point when on a "budget" healthy diet would be worry less about carb/protein/fat macros, and worry more about getting specific with your portions & weights, because the majority of a budget meal will be Beans, Potato or Rice. If those 3 are not the basis for most of the meals (and you aren't cheating) then you're unlikely to get enough calories, or you're going to be having large quantities of meat (which is expensive).

Also get used to using different spices & herbs. It can be easier to take the same ingredients every day when day 1 is an Italian herb flavour, day 2 is an coriander & cumin Indian curry flavour, day 3 is a lemon pepper salt flavour, day 4 is a tex-mex cayenne pepper flavour, day 5 is a French onion & garlic parsley flavour and day 6 Asian five spice and day 7 is a middle eastern thyme/sumac/sesame mix.

A final point would be what sort of online shopping places do you have around? Many people have the biggest problems with "budgeting" because they just go around a shop buying anything that catches the eye and not sticking to a list. If you have a shop that is online and is reputable you are completely taking yourself out of the environment that Grocery stores have spent millions upon millions researching the best ways to get people to buy stuff.

Hence why the cooked chickens are in the far left corner, the frozen food is in the top right corner and the milk & bread at the back of the store and to get straight to them you're probably going to be walking past a chocolate aisle.

It's much easier to stick to a list when you're just typing only the items you want into a search bar.

Beans are cheap. So are potatoes. If prepared properly they are delicious and nutritious.

I get it - back when I was filling my cart with processed food and boxed dinners (like Hamburger Helper) my grocery bill was a full 50% less than it is now that I buy primarily produce, but, bulk shopping, bulk cooking, coupons, etc do add up. And ultimately, at least in the US, we are either paying for more nutritious healthy food or we’re paying for healthcare for health issues related to a poor diet.

I bought an organic pot roast for $15, cooked it in the crock pot overnight with veggies, beef stock (another couple of dollars). It fed a family of 4 dinner, and my husband had some for b'fast the next morning. That's cheaper than going out to dinner.

I roast a whole chicken twice a week. I usually remove the breasts for tacos one night; then boil the rest down for soup for another night. I can usually get 2 nights worth of meals from a $14 organic chicken (often there is extra soup left). This is A LOT cheaper than going out to dinner.

I think fast food is EXPENSIVE! We never get out of a sit down restaurant for less than $40 between food and tip.

If you are busy during the week (which we all are), a crock pot is a great investment. I can cook steel cut oats (there are a ton of recipes online that include applesauce, pumpkin, etc)...scramble up a few eggs and b'fast is ready in 5 minutes. I can throw a roast or chicken in the crock pot during the day...and dinner is ready when everyone gets home.

Beans, especially if you can cook them from dry, are very budget friendly and healthy. Frozen veggies just as healthy and cheaper than fresh. Eggs. If you buy meat, buy the meat that's on sale, in bulk, freeze it in portions, and cook it in the slow cooker to make tougher cuts more tender. Rice. Lentils. Barley, etc. You can get wild caught salmon canned or frozen and it's cheaper. I like to do at least one meatless meal a week, for money reasons.

This list might sound boring but if you have some staples in your pantry, such as spices, oils, vinegars, condiments, etc you can make a lot of tasty meals from these basics. And those spices,etc, will last a long time. You can get spices much cheaper in bulk at organic markets or Asian markets.

I have found that cooking in is almost always cheaper than eating out, even fast food or delivery pizza. Unless you're buying steak and lobster at the grocery store, what you cook at home will almost always be cheaper. Try to set aside time every week to plan your meals around what's on sale. Look for recipes that can use up leftover ingredients that you already have on hand. Freeze leftover meal portions, meats, etc.
An hour of meal planning a week saves us so much $$$. Really the weeks I do it versus the weeks I dont...huge difference in grocery bill. I know it's hard to find time, I'm also a nurse and have 2 kids. It's not easy but it is worth it.

I love the website budget bytes. She has a lot of budget friendly recipes that are healthy. Good luck to you!

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

Beans, especially if you can cook them from dry, are very budget friendly and healthy. Frozen veggies just as healthy and cheaper than fresh. Eggs. If you buy meat, buy the meat that's on sale, in bulk, freeze it in portions, and cook it in the slow cooker to make tougher cuts more tender. Rice. Lentils. Barley, etc. You can get wild caught salmon canned or frozen and it's cheaper. I like to do at least one meatless meal a week, for money reasons.

This list might sound boring but if you have some staples in your pantry, such as spices, oils, vinegars, condiments, etc you can make a lot of tasty meals from these basics. And those spices,etc, will last a long time. You can get spices much cheaper in bulk at organic markets or Asian markets.

I have found that cooking in is almost always cheaper than eating out, even fast food or delivery pizza. Unless you're buying steak and lobster at the grocery store, what you cook at home will almost always be cheaper. Try to set aside time every week to plan your meals around what's on sale. Look for recipes that can use up leftover ingredients that you already have on hand. Freeze leftover meal portions, meats, etc.
An hour of meal planning a week saves us so much $$$. Really the weeks I do it versus the weeks I dont...huge difference in grocery bill. I know it's hard to find time, I'm also a nurse and have 2 kids. It's not easy but it is worth it.

I love the website budget bytes. She has a lot of budget friendly recipes that are healthy. Good luck to you!

I actually have been buying steak more often lately at the grocery store - on sale it works out to about $5 per steak (that is for a good size delicious juicy striploin steak) - compare that to a Keg meal for $100+ (for two) and even eating steak at home you can still come out waaay ahead! eating steak at home (at these sale prices) has actually been cheaper than fast food meals would be - and sooooo much better and better for you!

Eating clean and cheap doesn't have to be boring. Part of what you think of as boring is probably the fact that if you're eating fast food often, your taste buds are used to way more salt and fat than is healthy for you. Give yourself time to adjust your taste buds. I reduced our food bill significantly by buying a freezer. I recently came across boneless, skinless chicken thighs reduced 75% that were 'sell by' the next day. I bought 6 packages. The reduced price was roughly .50 a pound (US). Same for turkeys which I found for .49 after Thanksgiving. I froze one and cooked one, then cut into portions and froze. I cooked the bones down and (with veggie scraps I save in a bag in freezer) made the most delicious stock. I made a great soup and froze extra stock as ice cubes which I'll add to other sauces, etc. to boost flavor. As someone else said, an hour of planning can save a lot of money.
I am a devoted couponer. I save a fortune on staples like coffee, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. Find a website or facebook page that outlines the current deals and coupons for you. Let them do the hard part of putting the deals together and only buy what you use but buy lots of it. Eggs! They were recently a loss leader for a local store at .49. I bought 6 dozen and made room in frig. The best by date was about 7 weeks ahead and with 3 adults and 1 toddler they were gone long before then. Have breakfast for dinner occasionally. For someone working, it makes for a quick, easy dinner. Finally, I bought a bread machine at a local GoodWill (thrift shop). They are always there for $3-5. People get them and don't use them. I think because they let the machine actually bake. The best use of them is as the mixer and to knead. After the first rise, take it out, shape and bake in your oven. Make some bread on a day off. It takes very little of your time and cheap of you buy flour and yeast on sale or in bulk. There are websites with plenty of info on how to do what you're wanting. A little planning goes a long way.

What great suggestions

Check out budgetbytes.com for recipe ideas.

I find that doing a weekly meal-prep cuts down drastically on food waste and spending. I always have a nice fresh meal waiting for me in the fridge or freezer when I get home from work, so no temptation for fast food. Meals stay fresh in the freezer for months, so they're all gobbled up eventually.

As others have said... beans, eggs, buying in bulk, cheap cuts of meat, following sales, etc.

I've found my new Instant Pot an invaluable tool for breaking down cheap cuts of meat into tender stews and soups. I also like to buy a whole chicken to cook and save the bones to make a nice broth. You can use the broth for soups, stews, rice-dishes, etc.

These people are your friends
Cooking on a bootstrap Jack Monroe herself was really poor with a young child when she started to cook healthy on next to nothing.
Budget bytes - These people even have an app (android)

Oh, reducing food waste is another way to save tons of money. That cheese about to go off? Make mac & cheese (and freeze)! have leftover cooked beans? make a burrito bowl or rice and beans or add to a minestrone, or freeze it! I freeze hardy vegetables that freeze well when I don't have time to cook with it like broccoli and beans. I make egg-white frittatas for the week to save money and time on breakfast. Freeze bread/english muffins. Turn leftover toast or garlic bread into croutons for salads, veggie stock from frozen scraps as i mentioned earlier, etc. We were taking out our green bins every other day from all the food waste we had. Now we save on those compostable bags and our food bill.

The first thing I'd like to mention is that WW is actually a shiny version of counting calories. People who are more active get more points; if you go to the gym you have more calories to eat back. You have a daily points allowance, if you will, and everyone has a daily caloric allowance. You don't have to pay the WW program fees to get the benefits, but you will have to be slightly more resourceful on your own because you don't have a coach. However, you can be your own coach.

Second, I also live in Canada (South Western Ontario). In this region we have access to many farmer's markets and local produce in the summer and fall, so some things become incredibly cheap during that time. I haven't found that groceries overall are all that expensive here, though. I am single and eat for about $50 - $60/week (this is money I spend at the grocery store, so includes TP, cleaning products, etc). I don't eat red meat, and I don't necessarily eat chicken/fish/turkey every week either. I eat a mostly plant based diet.

Here are some things I eat consistently and I always have plenty to eat
- overnight oats (recipe includes quick rolled oats, chia seeds, protein powder of your choice, chocolate chips and PB . . . you can omit the chocolate chips if you'd like . . . and then add some water to the consistency you prefer; I make 6 or 7 servings at a time, it freezes really well.)
- home made protein bars (you can find the link on Pinterest by searching for "Homemade Workout Bars")
- eggs & a cheese slice on an English Muffin
- apple with PB
- home made ranch dip with veggies (take equal parts sour cream with plain greek yogurt and then mix in dry ranch seasoning . . . makes a lot more for less than store bought AND less calories)
- Cheese, Bean and Rice Casserole (if you google NutritionRX, it's under their recipe category - very cheap to make and makes 8 servings/batch; it also freezes well.)
- Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie (with lentils instead of meat. There's quite a few recipes on Pinterest for this as well. Potatoes are usually very cheap to buy and work well with batch cooking.)
- Oatmeal muffins - again find recipes on Pinterest using quick rolled oats; these are super cheap to buy at bulk stores and go such a long way. You can substitute rolled oats if preferred, too.
- Tuna bowls - I have these metal molds I got years ago and you put a tortilla wrap in them and then cook in the oven and it makes like a burrito bowl . . . so I mix up tuna (with miracle whip) and green onions and use pieces of the bowl to dip into the tuna mix (one can + green onions = two bowls worth for me). This is really filling, high in protein and cheap to make.
- Burrito bowls - using the same idea as above for the bowls, I put a base of greens (but you don't have to) then I put black beans, chick peas, some cherry tomatoes (halved), rice, shredded cheese and then my own burrito sauce (which is sour cream + taco spice + lime juice) over top. Cheap to make, goes a long way and very filling.
- Anything using a Costco Rotisserie chicken . .. these things are $8 (compare to Superstore at like $10+) and they go sooooo far. I can get 7 meals (plus some for my dog) out of one chicken.

Someone - I believe - mentioned Costco above and I cannot second that enough! Some things, though, depending on if you're single (or have a family) are just not worth the savings. Things like produce you likely cannot eat fast enough to make it worth the $2 you'll save because you're throwing food out but there are some things that I won't buy anywhere else . .. for example . . .
- PB: at $7 for 2KG (and sometimes even cheaper) you can't go wrong there
- Protein Powder: they have vanilla or chocolate in the brand that I buy and it's $40 for 2KG . . . most health food stores are $30 for about 2LBS, so big difference. I buy this container twice a year and I make oatmeal almost every week with it, plus I make my own protein bars
- English Muffins: $4 for 3 (or 4?) x 6 packs . . . you just can't beat that
- Tortilla Wraps: $5 for 2 x 10 wraps . . . at a grocery store I think it's like $3 for 10? Maybe more.
- Eggs: $4.99 for 2 dozen, large Grade A eggs. Not organic, not free range.
- Coffee Cream: $1.95 for 1L (compared at $2.95 at the grocery store)
- Bananas: $1.69 for usually about 8 or 9 bananas
- Honey: $13.99 for 3 bottles (compare at about $5 or $6 for one bottle, and since I use it in my protein bars I go through a lot of it)
- Tide Pods: $28.99 for 3 x 40 pods - sounds not grocery related but this is an awesome steal when compared to grocery stores or even wal mart so I always buy pods here.
- Bread: I don't buy bread as I buy english muffins and wraps, but if you do buy bread you can get 2 or 3 loaves in a pack, and it's a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

I also meal plan/prep every week. I batch cook and freeze a lot of things too. This is because I am single, and many foods are packaged for multiple people. So I am making something with potatoes, I am not going to buy 2 or 3 potatoes at $1.47/lb when it's like $6 for a 10lb bag . . . I'm going to buy the bag, and batch cook the crap out of it. Make it all worth while.

If you ever have any questions or wanna chat please feel free to reach out it's a process learning how to do this on a restricted budget sometimes, but once you're in it you won't even know you're doing it.

Hope this helps you

ETA: do you eat meat? I found that once I cut out the majority of meat I was consuming I had way more options for the money I had to spend. I read an article a while ago (I forget where) that most people have this unconscious notion that meat should be the feature item of your meal, but if you make it a side dish (or incorporate it, like in a casserole) you will find you can make it go further, and maybe even use less overall. Just something else to maybe think about if you find you eat a lot of meat.

My tips:

1. Plan what you are going to eat for the week/month, make a list, and stick to it. Neither your food diary nor your bank account really need that chips and salsa you didn't think you wanted until you got to the store.
2. Look at the weekly ads and plan your meals around that. Is turkey on sale? Eat that for dinner this week. Apples on sale? There's your fruit for the week. If there is a particularly good deal, buy extra and freeze it for a week there are no good sales or the budget is a little tighter.
3. Buy in bulk whenever possible. Dry rice and beans last forever. Some stores sell soups and the like in packs of two or four. Look for whichever quantity has the cheapest unit price (many stores have this right on the price label) and get that size. Exceptions are if it is something that expires and you know you won't eat it all - if you know you can't eat 10lbs of potatoes before they go bad, go ahead and get the 3 or 5lb bag.
4. Generic tastes the same as branded.
5. If your grocery store has some sort of rewards or points program, make sure you sign up for it. Same goes with coupons. Find them. Use them. But don't use them as an excuse to buy something you wouldn't otherwise need.

Best of luck!