How to eat healthy on a budget

BDonjon wrote: »

Aldi. I shop at Aldi and everything else takes care of itself.

Yas! Aldis is my saving grace with healthy, clean eating. Organic and gluten free options are amazing there. And their fish and meat prices can’t be beat.

Ultimately, to save money on groceries, I meal plan and meal prep where I can. It’s a bit of work until it becomes routine, but totally worth it. I shop once a week and give myself a budget. So I meal prep within that budget. Aldis absolutely helps with that. I hope you have one near you...! Check out sweetpeasandsaffron.com for meal prep ideas. She has some great meal prep recipes and she gives shopping lists. She does “challenges” where she provides two weeks worth of recipes and such. She’s even done freezer-friendly make-ahead deals.

When I was on a really tight budget, I would generally do meat when it was on sale. I also ate a lot of whole chickens or chicken parts with bone in and skin on rather than paying a premium for chicken breasts and what not all cleaned up. Beans and rice were staples. My veggies consisted largely of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage which are all pretty cheap. Oats were another staple.

I cooked from scratch most of the time and didn't buy much in the way of food that was already processed and ready to eat. I made a lot of stews and whatnot that would typically last me most of a week.

Steph38878 wrote: »

Go for dry beans and instead of fresh vegetables, fresh frozen vegetables are a great choice. Also, make a couple meals from one protein such as chicken. Buy a family size. Cook part of it with seasonings such as salsa and the other part can be totally different such as sweet n sour.

^^ This is my approach. I use an electric pressure cooker (instant pot, or similar) for quick processing of large batches that go into my freezer in measured portions.

Beans, rice and Chicken, eggs, grits, oats, frozen vegetables and fruit mix, canned tomatoes, coconut milk - these are my staples.
Fresh produce (cauliflower, sweet peppers, kale) and fruit (grapes, apples, pears, berries) are purchased every few days. Milk as needed for making yogurt. Rarely do I buy bread, crackers, chips or cookies.

So for me meat is the most expensive part of the meal so I try to stock up when it’s on sale. I can get a huge box of chicken breasts for 26.00 and it lasts me a really long time. Same with lean ground beef, or porkchops.
Also because meat is expensive I try to eat a couple meat free meals a week!

I buy whatever fresh veggies are on sale that week. So if beans are sale that’s what I eat that week. Also I buy frozen veggies and fruit when there super cheap to keep on hand!

I buy potatoes & brown rice in bulk to save money.

I cook from scratch a lot. I try really hard not to eat out because it costs a lot!!

I really just shop around the sales and buy in bulk when I can. You can freeze so many different types of things.

I have 6 kids and trust me when I say it’s extremely hard to eat healthy because of the cost but I just do as well as I can. & I think I do pretty well I spend about 600.00 a month on groceries!

- Meal plan your meals and only buy what you need
- Prepare your own veg
- Buy meat when it's on sale
- Find out the time when your local store discounts it's food that's near it's sell by date, turn up just after then and find all the discounted foods
- Learn to use your freezer
- Remember that eating less=buying less
- Try the non branded products, sometimes they're just as good as the branded stuff but much cheaper
- Cook in bulk and freeze
- Find the cheapest shop in your area
- Yogurt is a cheap protein source, as are eggs


Also something to note: "health foods" often have a premium on them. I often find things like nuts or seeds in the baking section for cheaper than they are in the "health food" section. Remember that you don't need to "eat healthy" to lose weight (if that is your goal), you just need to eat less.


Staples in my house are:
- Stirfry (normally with prawns, but bacon is a cheaper alternative)
- Sausages, mash and veg
- Chili and rice
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Indian Curry and rice (normally with plenty of veggies in the curry)

It's an investment but I found the FOOD SAVER to be invaluable. Especially when it comes to meats, fish and poultry. Unless you have a large family, chances are you won't be eating an entire chicken or even an entire chicken breast (if you're only one person). In case you haven't noticed, whole chicken breasts these days tend to be fairly large (6+ ounces, without bone and skin, unless they're cutlets). So if you're only feeding you, or maybe two, why not cut up and save your meat? Believe me, this little machine really does eliminate frost from forming.

Also, you can buy in bulk and on sale, pre-cook some and save other in its raw state by freezing. I will tell you though, if you pre-cook your meat, make sure to get the freezer bags with the absorbent sealer strip. This way you will be able to stop juices from escaping into the machine.

Soup. It can be very budget friendly and it is very flexible in terms of adding various proteins. I make a big batch every month and freeze portions for daily/weekly use. I try to change it up every week...one week I'll add spiral whole wheat pasta, the next week I'll add canned tuna or salmon and then maybe some cooked ground turkey. You can add almost anything you want.

You might get sick of eating it day after day but it's cost effective and healthy...
https://goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a8327/soup-diet-basic-recipe-ghk1007/

Lots of great ideas above.

Buy meats on sale and in bulk.

I have a meatball recipe that can also be used to make meatloaf. There is just two of us but I still buy the family pack of hamburger and I make up all my meatballs and meatloaf in a single session. I freeze the meatloaf raw and cook the meatballs the same day and freeze the precooked meatballs. I then have my own convenience food that I can serve with a variety of sauces.

Wasted vegetables are not a saving at all so I buy small amounts of the delicate veggies like cucumber, lettuce, and tomatoes. Plan to use up quickly. Sturdy veggies also tend to be cheaper. This is all the root vegetables including potatoes, and cabbage.

Dried beans and pulses of all kinds are cheaper than canned and with an extra days prep and a slow cooker you can make up a weeks worth of meals.

Another recommendation to visit Aldi. We have definitely been saving money since we started shopping there, especially on meat. We buy chicken, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, frozen shrimp, etc. I also check the ads for the local grocery chain in my area for any sales on items we like or brands we prefer. For the most part, we like Aldi brand items just as much as the name brand.

I always make a list when I grocery shop, and I try to stick to the list as closely as possible. Sometimes there might be a seasonal item that I'll grab that wasn't on the list, but having a list really helps me make sure I get the ingredients I need without picking up a bunch of impulse buys. When I get home, I prep my food. Having a meal plan helps me make the grocery list and then helps me not waste food. We don't mind eating the same food for multiple meals, so that helps us a bunch.

Our regular shopping list includes: lean meats, cottage cheese, eggs, fruit, veggies, sandwich thins, cheese, almond milk, almonds, rice, and something sweet.

I would like to focus on shopping and general ideas. I am assuming US for this, though many of the options are international.

I love Aldi (Sud - Nord is known as Trader Joe's in the US and isn't as cheap), but Lidl is also good if you have one locally near you. I also like to go to Farmer's Markets or Farm Stands near me. That's a great place to get fruit and veg inexpensively.

Meat is a bit more complicated. I would suggest going a couple times a week to the store. Many stores discount meat when it's near the sell-by date. If you are going to use or freeze it right away, you can get some great deals.

Another meat option is local processors. Many times they process for local farms and ship to stores, but will also have a store at the local processing plant. In Northern NJ, I use to go to Sussex Meat Packing, and got excellent quality for a reasonable price. That was about 20 years ago, and I can't speak for them today, but back then I felt that way.

Also, I have Publix near me now. They can be pricey, but many times they have excellent sales on meat. If you check the sale flyers regularly, you can eat very inexpensively.

Buying in bulk during a sale and freezing is a good way to save. You can prepare multiple meals if you want and have them pre-measured before freezing so you can "pull, heat, and eat" a pre-measured portion within your diet plan. I do that a lot.

I also have a dairy near me that has a store. You can get quality fresh products at a reasonable price if you need dairy in your diet.

Lastly, for a couple eat-out options, I like "Stealz" and restaurant.com. Stealz is not in every area, but when they are you can get some good dining options when you visit places regularly. I have one place I visit where every other visit I get a free meal. Restaurant.com has sales regularly for discount vouchers, and I have vouchers to get discounts for a penny on the dollar. Usually it's $5 off of $10, $10 off $20, and $25 off $50. I will also suggest for discounted dining many places have loyalty clubs now, where every few visits you get something free or at a discount. And yes, you can eat out healthy with these programs if you chose wisely.

Definitely look into buying in bulk. Hunt for and use coupons. Pick the cheaper healthier items:

- Beans
- Plantains (depends on where you live also where you shop. In my area, Food Lion has very cheap plantains)
- Eggs are typically fairly affordable
- Fruits and vegetables in season
- Frozen fruits and vegetables are typically cheaper than fresh and are just as nutritious
- Shop at Aldi
- Buy meats on sale and in bulk
- Bananas are great, especially in bulk
- Don't bother buying pre cut or pre washed goods -- they typically cost more and it would be cheaper for you to buy the unaltered version and cut and wash it yourself