How can I shop healthy for cheap?

if you have a garden what about planting you own veg patch ? i know its no help in the short run but in the long run it'll save money and you'll now exactly where everything comes from

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/10-healthy-foods-under-1-dollar?ecd=wnl_day_051308

http://lifehacker.com/396563/prepare-cheap-and-healthy-food-with-minimal-resources

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/06/01/healthy-food-on-an-unhealthy-budget/

There are tons more links out there, these are just a few. . .this is a subject I feel really passionate about. Long story short, find vegetarian options and eat less meat. Be prepared to swap your time for your money savings, as convenience food tends to be the cheapest option. I tend to spend one afternoon cooking for the week, making everything ahead that takes extra time (like brown rice and steel-cut oats and a big batch of soup). Soup is dirt cheap, because you can fill it with root vegetables and leftovers.

It's possible to do it on a budget. Just get creative.:flowerforyou:

Do you have a balcony in your apartment. I grew tomatoes and peppers in planter boxes onmy balcony before

spend the majority of your food shopping time in the produce section. Do some research and find out which fruits and vegitables can replace some of the more processed foods out there. Produce is relatively cheap, has just about everything you need as far as nutritional values, and is bulky so it fills you up more (lots of fiber in fruits and veggies). Not saying you should ignore meat, but for instance, my wife and I made up 2 huge batches of stuff for this week.

1 was a broccoli slaw salad, using broccoli, red cabbage, chopped pecans, shredded carrots, some golden raisins, and white balsamic vinigar extra virgin olive oil and a thai peanut mix. We made a giant bowl. It's not necessarilly low in calories, but it's GOOD calories, quite filling, really tasty, and has every nutritional element in good ratios that you would need. Add 2 oz of chicken breast and a serving of low fat cheese, and you have just about the perfect meal. And for a 14 serving bowl that will stay in the fridge for a week, it cost us about 18 bucks, that's a little over a buck per meal. Can't get much better then that.

Add to that the tomato, basil, cucumber, low moisture skim mozzarella salad we made (this one only has 8 servings), and you have 2 pre-made meals ready to go for the week (the tomato, basil salad ingredience cost about 14 dollars not including the oil and balsamic we used in it). So for about 32 dollars, we made enough food for our lunch and dinner for a full week. Which means we only need to worry about 1 other meal per day. Not saying that will be all we will eat all week, but on a limited budget, we could have if we needed to.

I can't afford food most of the time so i go to walmart and buy my basic staples like

Cereal
canned beans/tomatos
fat free milk
whole wheat pasta
whole wheat brea/english muffins
salsa
frozen veggies
low cal snacks

then i would go to Stop and Shop and buy the cheapest produce
hope this helps

:frown: I would LOVE to do that, but two things - I live in a little 1 bedroom apartment with a cat that would find a way to eat it and I kill everything that's green! haha

I would seriously love to do that though.

This lady I know bought one of those kiddie sandboxes and put it on her apt patio and grew tons of veggies ..not sure if this would work for u

do they have the 99 cent stores near you? I love that store. They get fresh produce daily....brusied cartons but stuff in the cartons is fine....tomatoes, peppers, all sorts fo stuff at a fraction of the cost....I never thought of even checking the other side (food side) of the store but they have pretty good stuff...99 cents! BAM

ever had TVP? http://www.healthrecipes.com/textured_vegetable_protein.htm

Oh I like the kiddie pool on the patio idea I might use that one myself. Wonder if I could keep the plants watered enough in this desert? I also live in an apt. Thanks myastyme!

I always buy big things (chicken breasts, lean cuisine meals and fruit) at Costco. They have GREAT produce for a lot cheaaper than the grocery store. I also love Trader Joes.

But..I would try the Farmer's Market near wherever you live. They will have the freshest produce and you can shop around to the different tents for your price.

:drinker:

When I need toilettries, I'm gonna check out the dollar store. And I may stop by Trader Joe's for some nuts or something. We'll see, but I'm good for now, and pretty excited about some of my meals, actually! I can be pretty creative...

Make sure you read the label carefully on the 'name' brand items at dollar stores. They might have gotten it from a different country (why its so cheap to buy) and wouldnt be made with the same standards as if it were made in the US.