Cheap healthy groceries?

First of all shop sales. The regular flyers from the stores should be looked at and then write down the stuff that you want to purchase that is at a good price. This is especially helpful if you can freeze or otherwise preserve food. We have a small chest freezer and tend to purchase all our meat on sale. We also tend to purchase frozen veggies, just make sure it is only the veggies no added cheese or salt. They are nutritionally as good as fresh, sometimes even better because they are frozen right off the plant rather than being stored and shipped during which time they lose nutrients. Also dry beans are very inexpensive. Cook up a batch and then separate them into servings and freeze them. They keep quite well and it saves time as they take quite a while to cook.

First of all shop sales. The regular flyers from the stores should be looked at and then write down the stuff that you want to purchase that is at a good price. This is especially helpful if you can freeze or otherwise preserve food. We have a small chest freezer and tend to purchase all our meat on sale. We also tend to purchase frozen veggies, just make sure it is only the veggies no added cheese or salt. They are nutritionally as good as fresh, sometimes even better because they are frozen right off the plant rather than being stored and shipped during which time they lose nutrients. Also dry beans are very inexpensive. Cook up a batch and then separate them into servings and freeze them. They keep quite well and it saves time as they take quite a while to cook.

Agreed. Shop the sales, stock up when there are good sales. Frozen veg is cheap cheap cheap. Use meat sparingly and eat more veg. Buy cheap cuts of tough meat you can cook low and slow until fall off the bone tender (chuck roast, pork shoulder, etc.).

Junk is more expensive, as you need more of it to keep you feeling satisfied. I guarantee you brown rice, beans, and vegetables will last you longer and be much cheaper.

I buy all my produce at a local hispanic market, it has a TON (better variety than a Wegmans even) of different veggies, grains, beans, rice, etc. and the fish and meats are really cheap as well. They have lower prices and better quality. Buy your food as close to the source as you can and it will provide more nutrients for less money.

eggs

dried beans

oatmeal

"If you have an Alidi's grocery store in your area or close by it will help a lot on your bill it has for me. All their canned foods are under $1 and according to my nutritionist you can purchase canned fruit and veges just drain them and rinse off to get the salt and sugars that are on the food. There is also an assortment of fresh that is usually good prices you just have to be careful what you pick. They also have deals from time to time and specials plus their milk prices are half what they are at the grocery store. Walmart has Jennie O ground turkey under $2 per lb I buy it in the roll it tastes the same just without all that excess packaging. You just have to shop around and look for deals. Conserve on your meat and eat more beans for protein. You should get your sunday paper and look at the inserts it is a great way to see what is on sale and to make your shopping lists."

I couldn't agree more! Aldi's is fantastic. I recently purchased a bag of sweet potatoes for $.99. Not sure how much it weighed, but sweet potatoes are really nutritious and my DH LOVES them. I got a very large bag of navel oranges for $2 -- believe me, I could go on...
They have very nice prices on low fat dairy and I find their frozen turkey meatballs to be a godsend. If you have some leftover rice and veggies, just toss in a few meatballs and some sauce or salsa and you have a quick and very inexpensive lunch to take to work.

Depends what you consider "healthy." I cook with a lot of cheap hamburger (80/20 ground beef), and people who are avoiding fat consider that to be unhealthy. But I am avoiding carbs, not fat, and trying to get plenty of protein, so I think hamburger is great.

The people who recommended buying spices in bulk are spot on. Most spices will keep for a very long time, so you don't need to worry about buying more than you'll use. You can use the same cheap ingredients over & over every night, but if you spice it differently each time, it becomes an entirely new dish and you'll never get bored. And dry spices don't add the calories and sugar that bottled sauces usually have. You can find lots of recipes for spice rubs on the 'net.

I generally try to buy fresh fruits and veggies at my local farmers' markets. They have better quality produce and are usually cheaper, and sometimes you can haggle with them (especially if it's near closing time and they have a lot of stuff left). I try to use half of what I buy, and freeze the rest to use during the winter when the market is closed.

Also, check the shelves to try to find damaged & dented canned goods. Some stores will give you a slight discount if you point out that it's damaged. Even 5 or 10 cents a can adds up.

Just a general tip on thriftiness, from someone who has been unemployed and underemployed several times:
Consider the toiletries that you use. Most people spend *way* too much on things they don't really need: when it comes down to it, soap is soap is soap. Buy a cheap, gentle soap like Dove, in bulk, and you can use that to wash your skin and hair and to make a lather to shave. You don't need to buy separate bottles of shaving cream and shampoo and antibacterial hand soaps, or separate "men's" and "women's" formulas. That's all just marketing; chemically, it's *exactly* the same thing, just dressed up differently. So buy the cheap stuff in bulk and use that extra money for your healthy food instead.
Same with disposable items: instead of buying paper towels & paper napkins over and over, go to the thrift store and buy some real cloth ones that you can just keep washing up & reusing. I even use old-fashioned cotton handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex. Again, the more you save on those things, the more you can spend on your groceries.

Good luck to you!

Tilapia!

Special K bars are cheap and tasty!
Tilapia and chicken breast are cheap and you can stretch the meals for a few days.

Also, check the shelves to try to find damaged & dented canned goods. Some stores will give you a slight discount if you point out that it's damaged. Even 5 or 10 cents a can adds up.

badly dented cans carry with them the risk of botulism--

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_Hotline_Preparation/index.asp#10

"While extremely rare, a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the worst danger in canned goods. NEVER USE food from containers that show possible "botulism" warnings: leaking, bulging, or badly dented cans; cracked jars or jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor; or any container that spurts liquid when opening. DON'T TASTE SUCH FOOD! Even a minuscule amount of botulinum toxin can be deadly. "

I also have an Aldi's in my area.....love it cause the fresh produce is way cheaper than normal grocery stores including Super Targets and Walmart but you must look at what your buying for bruises and soft spots. I eat lots of egg whites, salads, fresh fruit, frozen veggie steamers(green giant usually $1).