Budget???

Go for cheap healthy foods - rice, frozen veges (seem to be way cheaper than fresh), seasonal or homegrown fruit & veges, wholegrain bread (usually same price as white but better for you), beans. And of course smaller portions are also cheaper

One word...Coupons!! I do find that most coupons are for unhealthy processed crap, but use them for things like soap, cleaning supplies etc. Then you can use your savings for healthy food. I've saved over $4,000 in 4 months for my family of 7.
They aren't for everyone but that's what works for me

Excercise a lot...its' what I do :P I can't afford healthy, so I buy same a always, limit my quantities and excercise a lot.

agree about the veges, frozen are just as good and half the price usually - Our local shop sells massive sacks of potatoes for a pound or so more than what supermarkets charge for 1kg...

Also I have recently found meal planning useful... At the beginning of the week I sit down and work out exactly what the menu is going to be for the rest of the week, ie spag bolognese monday, vegetable curry tuesday... I then right a complete shopping list of everything I need for those meals and stick to it... certainly saves money because I dont buy crap that will only sit in the cupboard a month!!!

Also, if im buying tins of food etc I go for the value label, who can actually tell the difference between tesco's own and heinz? lol

Hope this helps

I honestly go to shop and salvage stores and find great deals on foods that are frozen foods for a great price and there are coupons on line that you can save money on also. Honestly it is does take time to find good deals to make your budget work for you. Have a great journey!!


Great advice Bobby!!

someone mentioned rice...be careful with that one...depending on the rice 1/2 a cup can be almost 200 calories....we are on a limited budget, I have found that fish is cheaper than red meat...and chicken is pretty cheap too...ground turkey is awesome on a diet and tons cheaper than ground beef!...canned tuna is my lunch time friend...cheap and awesome for you...on a bed of lettuce it is satifying and tasty...i cut up a stalk of celery and put in it for crunch...and if you are tuna lover..try a tablspoon of sweet relish mixed into your salad with it...its yummy :0)

It is heartbreak how them less food value something has the less it costs I have however come up with a few cost saving measures that have helped me be kind to my wallet as well as my body:

1. Eat in season - fresh tastes best and is less expensive
2. Buy in bulk (especially when things are on sale) and freeze, can, etc the extra
3. Pick your own. Not sure where you live or if you have access to pick your own fruit and veggies but you can save a TON of cash by picking your own and freezing the rest
4. Shop the sales. Plan ahead before you go shopping, make sure the you know where all the best deals are.
5. Eat semi-veggie. Meat is EXPENSIVE!!! So go to town on fruit, veggies and good carbs. There are lots of good high-protein, vegetarian/vegan recipes online.

oh and i forgot...spagetti squash will cost you about the same as a box of spagetti...and it is way good with your marinara on it :0) instead of pasta...and sooooooo much better calorie wise...

Go for cheap healthy foods - rice, frozen veges (seem to be way cheaper than fresh), seasonal or homegrown fruit & veges, wholegrain bread (usually same price as white but better for you), beans. And of course smaller portions are also cheaper

I agree, rice and frozen vegi's are great. I also buy canned food, like green beans, tuna fish, and black beans. Our local grocery store sells huge boxes of chicken tenders...maybe you can find something like that. Lunch meat can also be a great source of protein as well as cottage cheese.

Definitely plan your meals. I didn't do this very well before I started on MFP and used to throw away an embarrassing amount of food because I didn't eat it in time! Now I hardly throw any away. Another tip if you can afford initially is to buy bigger packs of fresh fish / chicken and freeze in individual bags. This is far cheaper than buying small packs.

Whatever you do, try to avoid getting sucked into the deals of unhealthy food items. I know it may be te,pting if there's a really good deal but you'll only regret it in the end.

Good luck.

stock up when you see sales!! whenever our local Safeway has the chicken legs/breast/thighs/tenderloins on sale (boneless ones) for 1.99 a pound, i stock up. someone mentioned coupons, it helps as well! and also ground turkey is a great alternative to the other meat. i usually buy a bunch when they are on sale for a good price. buy the romaine lettuce heads instead of the already shredded one. and plant your own tomatoes and herbs. helps a lot. I'm 22 and have a mini garden LOL

One word...Coupons!! I do find that most coupons are for unhealthy processed crap, but use them for things like soap, cleaning supplies etc. Then you can use your savings for healthy food. I've saved over $4,000 in 4 months for my family of 7.
They aren't for everyone but that's what works for me

Great minds think alike!!! You would be amazed at how much money this will save you. Good luck!!

I've never understood the whole "eating healthy costs more". Maybe that's the case for people who won't or don't cook, but I find that vegetables, chicken, brown rice, beans, the staples of my healthy meals, are all relatively cheap. Prepared foods and freezer items, even the unhealthy ones, are more expensive than cooking foods yourself.

A staple of my diet is chicken and vegetables. I take a single boneless skinless breast (about half a pound each, about $2 a breast), slice it into strips, and sear it in my nonstick pan until browned. Then I'll pour in about half a cup of water or chicken broth (about $1 for a liter of broth) and bring to boil then reduce to a high simmer. Then I'll toss in some vegetables ($1-2 a meal) cut into bite sized pieces or slices on top of the chicken in order of hardness, sprinkle with a small bit of salt, cover and let steam until done.

If there is a lot of liquid left in the bottom of the pan when nearing completion, take the cover off to let steam escape and the liquid to reduce to a tasty sauce. Toss the works around in the pan to pick up the little bit of liquid left.

This meal costs about $3, takes about 10 minutes to create and makes 1-3 plates worth, depending on how many vegetables you add and how hungry you are.

Best of all, a whole batch of it is usually around 300 calories, depending on the vegetables you use (I stick with carrots and broccoli usually, because its what I have in the fridge), so you can eat an entire batch for supper if you're hungry, and you won't bust the bank.

I'm a big guy (6'6", 280lb) with a muscular build, so being able to eat until I'm full and satisfied is a great thing to come home to after work.

I kind of wandered off point. Eating healthy is generally cheaper than eating prepackaged foods, especially ones claiming to be light or low fat, which generally just make up for one evil with another.

someone mentioned rice...be careful with that one...depending on the rice 1/2 a cup can be almost 200 calories....we are on a limited budget, I have found that fish is cheaper than red meat...and chicken is pretty cheap too...ground turkey is awesome on a diet and tons cheaper than ground beef!...canned tuna is my lunch time friend...cheap and awesome for you...on a bed of lettuce it is satifying and tasty...i cut up a stalk of celery and put in it for crunch...and if you are tuna lover..try a tablspoon of sweet relish mixed into your salad with it...its yummy :0)

I guess it's different everywhere. Ground turkey and chicken are about 1.5x the price of lean ground beef locally, but even at $6/lb, it still doesn't make for an expensive meal, given that a pound feeds my whole family, if prepared with vegetables.

Coupons, coupons, coupons! Buying big bags of frozen chicken and just thawing what you need. Discount stores like Aldi's are great for things that don't need to be name brand or you don't have coupons for, I've also found their produce is usually a lot cheaper than chain grocery stores. When I do go to the chain stores, I buy the store brand on basic things if I can (soups, condiments, cheeses, deli meats, etc) unless I have coupons that make the brand name cheaper.