For those facing financial strain...how do you eat healthy?

kngarber
kngarber Posts: 227
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
Just curious for those who have a very very very tight financial situation (surely I can't be alone) what you do to still eat healthy? I drink water and a glass of tea a day, so obviously I don't spend money on juice, pop, or things of that nature...I make the tea myself.

I am just looking for alternate ways to save money when buying fresh food. For now I have given up on organic. It is almost double and I just can't afford it. I know I know...I have several friends who tell me I am poisoning myself and my children :/

Why is good food so expensive? Why aren't their coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables and organic meat and egss?? It's not like you can extreme coupon yourself in to having unlimited fresh foods....

Anyway, just curious if anyone had any pointers.
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Replies

  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    We grow what we can. We buy what we can from the farmer's market and freeze what we can for the winter.
  • beccala18
    beccala18 Posts: 293 Member
    I always buy frozen veggies - usually cheaper than fresh and the taste/nutrition is the same. Also, try going on the company websites and seeing if you can get coupons there or email them and ask for coupons. Buy whole chickens and bake them in the oven, cheaper per pound and you get a ton of meat there.
  • felicityksr
    felicityksr Posts: 208 Member
    I always found it ironic that the sugar is removed from an item and you are charged more for it. ;-)
  • bdurls
    bdurls Posts: 128 Member
    I always check flyers to find the best deals on things I need. And check out the bulk section. Always get quinoa, oatmeal, spices, etc very cheap! And Farmers Markets are good for fruit and veggies! Good luck! I feel your pain!
  • symphonika
    symphonika Posts: 107 Member
    because our government doesnt endourse it ... it's money goes to the corn growers to produce cheap mass producted processed food. Farmers markets would be the best option though..
  • Erin_26
    Erin_26 Posts: 97 Member
    It's true, there are not many coupons for produce (although there are some), so the best way I've found to save money on produce is to buy it when it's on special and freeze what I can. If broccoli is on special, I will be eating broccoli that week and freezing some. Same with fruit.
  • STARSHINE1975
    STARSHINE1975 Posts: 168 Member
    Dry beans and rice are perfect foods for tight budgets. Always buy fruits and veggie that are in season. I try to get creative with new, cheaper, locally grown crops. Frozen fruits and veggies are sometimes better for you than fresh because they are flash frozen at the time they are picked rather than traveling in a truck and sitting in a store until you buy it. Just make sure there is no added salt or sugar.

    Good luck!
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,831 Member
    it's the wrong time of year - but growing your own you can control the chemicals and 'know where you food is coming from.' Frozen veges are pretty equal nutritionally and usually less expensive, dried beans, long grain rice, the egg, whole turkey, whole chicken,
  • buffalogal1979
    buffalogal1979 Posts: 236 Member
    I am interested in the responses here.
    One common sense thing I do is stock up when something is on sale that I can freeze. For example, our local store will sometimes sell the store brand of 12 grain bread 3/$5 which isn't too bad around here. Boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.88/lb - I buy as many as they let me and freeze it.
    Can't wait to read what others do. I have a family of 5 to feed!
    J
  • feedusfetus
    feedusfetus Posts: 1
    If you live in a decently populated area (my town is about 40,000), go the the food bank NOW! In my town, the farmer's market donates there every Sunday. We have a Trader Joes, food co-op, and many local farmers that donate so that people can have free access to good proudce. Half of the time, it's organic, too! I emphasize "now" because this is the time of year when the produce is best. Just last week I was able to grab as many carrots, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, greens, apples, and squash as I wanted. The winter might not be so great, but that's when it's time to research what's in season. That's how I get the best deals.

    If your town has a food co-op, they usually have a low-income bracket and they don't ask for proof of income. I get a 10% discount at mine.

    Shop in the bulk section whenever you can.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Watch what's on sale; when seasonal fruits & veggies drop in price, when meats (including fish & poultry) go on sale, when staples go on sale. Then stock up on those items that can be frozen, canned, or pre-cooked and frozen or canned.

    If you have a few extra square feet ANYwhere, a small chest freezer is your friend. We got our 7 cu. ft. freezer on Craigslist for $50. It's now on our back porch, but was originally in the dining room when we had a 1 bd apartment for 2 adults and a baby. Being able to buy when it's on sale (vs. when we have room) has saved us a ton of money over the last couple of years.
  • p0pr0cksnc0ke
    p0pr0cksnc0ke Posts: 1,283 Member
    I always found it ironic that the sugar is removed from an item and you are charged more for it. ;-)
    And opposite with milk! If you want the fat IN you pay more? wtf?
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    I buy a lot of frozen veggies as well. I just thought the nutritional value was less though. I never thought to buy a whole chicken...that would last for quite a while! Thanks.
    I always buy frozen veggies - usually cheaper than fresh and the taste/nutrition is the same. Also, try going on the company websites and seeing if you can get coupons there or email them and ask for coupons. Buy whole chickens and bake them in the oven, cheaper per pound and you get a ton of meat there.
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
    Farmers market and bulk foods sections are your best friends. I agree with purchasing frozen vegetables. They definitely work if you are under financial strain. I am currently trying to only spend $150.00 a month on groceries just for myself, and it gets very difficult. Another thing you can do is make staple dishes in your house. If you have recipes you can make on the cheap, you can have them once a week and vary them based on what you have in the house.

    But I cannot stress the bulk foods section enough! It has saved me so many times when I had no money to shop. I always keep lentils, quinoa, and rice on hand whenever I really need it.
  • inspiration345
    inspiration345 Posts: 218 Member
    Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh vegetables and precut and cleaned so easy to work with. Oatmeal for cereal is good. Meat from the butcher is cheaper and healthier than supermarkets. Never buy juices. I have never been a fan of fruits. They give me sugar spike and bloat me. Oh and one multivitamin a day. Done.
  • heybrit
    heybrit Posts: 140
    Not sure how bad your strain is but perhaps you should check into seeing if there is a local food bank you could go to supplement your food stock. Even if they don't give out fresh produce (which they do around where I live, though it is not always the best quality), you may be able to save money in the areas of the things they give you so that you can spend the money saved on healthy food to go with the things they give you.
  • landay
    landay Posts: 43 Member
    We are also unable to go organic, but my husband and I have both lost a ton of weight on a VERY limited budget.
    - I agree with the frozen vegetable statement. We eat almost all of our vegetables this way.
    - fresh fruit - we almost always buy what's in season / on sale
    - canned fruit when times are really lean
    - canned tuna for lean protein, and it's very inexpensive (especially at Aldi)
    - at least one omelet night a week, since eggs are so inexpensive
    - at least one bean night a week, again, because they're so inexpensive (we'll also 1/2 the ground beef amount and add beans to some recipes. It's healthier, tastes just as good, and is less expensive)
    - always eat our leftovers
    - ALDI, if you have one, is a great place to buy inexpensive foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

    Good luck!!! It can be done, and fun to see how much $$ you can save in the process :-)
  • amberwebb79
    amberwebb79 Posts: 113 Member
    I grow a pretty decent sized garden and can or freeze what I can each year. Started out with just a little, and now each year I've got a whole pantry and freezer full. Corn, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, peppers.

    Also, working in the garden during the summer is great exercise. I can't imagine how much I've saved, but not everyone has room for a garden.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Just curious for those who have a very very very tight financial situation (surely I can't be alone) what you do to still eat healthy? I drink water and a glass of tea a day, so obviously I don't spend money on juice, pop, or things of that nature...I make the tea myself.

    I am just looking for alternate ways to save money when buying fresh food. For now I have given up on organic. It is almost double and I just can't afford it. I know I know...I have several friends who tell me I am poisoning myself and my children :/

    Why is good food so expensive? Why aren't their coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables and organic meat and egss?? It's not like you can extreme coupon yourself in to having unlimited fresh foods....

    Anyway, just curious if anyone had any pointers.
    Try buying local or at "road side" tent stalls. I know that may not be available to everyone, but you can save money. And if it's really tough, go frozen on vegetables. It may contain more sodium, but that can be countered.
  • aliciarenee79
    aliciarenee79 Posts: 35 Member
    Dry beans and rice, whole chickens, potatoes, onions, frozen veggies, oatmeal. We don't buy bagged salad anymore instead buy the lettuce and other stuff seperately and make it yourself. We usually have canned diced tomatoes to add to all kinds of stuff.

    We have cut our grocery bill in half. We don't buy any frozen meals or anything like that anymore. The only drawback is the extra time for cooking, but I am really getting into that part.

    Also a crock pot is awesome. You can put any kind of cheap meat in there with veggies and stock and it turns out awesome.
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
    Our famers markets in / near Philly are ridiculously expensive. I've tried to get friends to go with me to stores like Produce Junction, where you buy in bulk, but splitting it up 2, 3 times saves me money and we have nice produce. Do you have an ALDI near you? I love love love ALDI and live by their foods. They have organic milks and produce (and junky foods) but I love their salmon patties ($3.00 for 4 frozen) as well as chicken's and deli meats (30 calories per slice!). I have to make it work for me, too. I'm a single person and have only $300 extra to work with between paychecks for food and gas. It has to last me so I'm in the same boat as you.
  • msjamartin
    msjamartin Posts: 148
    One tip that helps me is pre-planning meals and making a shopping list. Then I go through the house to see what I already have so I don't re-buy. I also go online to safeway.com and get a general idea of what my list will cost. It is usually a bit higher than the acutal stores so if I'm in my budget range I know I'm good to go. If not, I can adjust my menu.

    Bulk cooking/freezing meals helps as well. If I'm really tight that week, I can grab something already prepared where I've recorded the recipe/calorie count. Save time and money in the long run.

    Coupons/Coupons/Coupons. :)
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
    I know you are probably using your own recipes, but I have found that E-Mealz works great to keep my food costs down. They give you a dinner meal plan for a week, plus a shopping list from the store you choose. My food costs for dinner for a week is about 40 bucks. It's only 5 bucks a month and totally worth it. They have low carb, low fat, etc. The main reason I started using it was because it was not only cheaper, but I didn't waste as much food. And I have to say at least 97% of the recipes have been amazing. Just google e-mealz.
    (I don't work for them by the way. I just beleive in sharing ways to save money.)
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    I really wish I had a place to do a garden. :( Most of my friends and families had gardens, but we got very little left overs because people had such bad crops this year because of the horrible weather. If you want to freeze something do you just vacuum all the air out (I got one of those machines for Christmas last year and I do use it when I buy meat in bulk) or do you have to put water in with it? Sorry I am not very knowledgable about it...
    We grow what we can. We buy what we can from the farmer's market and freeze what we can for the winter.
  • Mommyofseven
    Mommyofseven Posts: 64
    We look for any veggies on sale in the frozen food row. Check out produce stands, farmers markets and your local stores and see which is cheaper for fresh vegs. It is tough.
  • unicornassassin
    unicornassassin Posts: 141 Member
    I'm on a very limited budget, too. I'm vegan now, so I eat mostly produce, but still spend only about $45 a week on groceries, and I eat A LOT.

    I try to base my meals around cheap produce like celery, carrots, cabbage, and dried beans. I like making my own trail mix out of dried fruit and nuts. I love bell peppers, but since they're so expensive I use less, just enough to get the flavor.

    Also I go to farmers markets. Sometimes they're cheaper, sometimes not, but either way I feel better about supporting local farmers.

    Hope this helps.
  • wvjanie
    wvjanie Posts: 37 Member
    Do you cook whole grain hot cereals (big savings over boxed cereals), eat meals with rice, beans, legumes, etc? If you soak beans and cook in a crockpot from dried beans, (rice in a rice cooker) you will also save a large amount of money as well as enjoy greater health value. Buy fresh fruit and produce in season and at farmer's markets or the orchards. Make friends with your produce guy and see if he can give you hints about when food is marked down. Then freeze what you can't use right away, or cook it into some dish that can be frozen.
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    All of the ones by me are more expensive than the grocery....is that normal? I thought they were supposed to be cheaper, but none of them locally are.
    because our government doesnt endourse it ... it's money goes to the corn growers to produce cheap mass producted processed food. Farmers markets would be the best option though..
  • hyenagirl
    hyenagirl Posts: 206 Member
    I guess the consensus is rice and beans then.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Beans!! So versatile and so cheap. Also, cheaper types of fish such as cod, pollock, tilapia, haddock. Marinate or season well. I like these marinated in a traditional Italian dressing and then baked. Low cal, little bit of good fat from the olive oil, lot of flavor. Goes really well with a salad or steamed green veg.

    And brown rice. Also cheap, nutritious and filling.

    Frozen veggies are usually cheaper and just as nutritious as fresh.
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