Cheap healthy groceries?
Options
Replies
-
eggs (relative to other proteins eggs are cheap)
dried beans
brown rice
frozen veggies
apples
bananas
bulk nuts
large containers of yogurt
rotisserie chicken or whole chicken that you cook yourself
whole wheat bread
large jars of peanut butter
whole grain pasta0 -
i go to walmart, i price match and they usually have the best deals anyway on fresh veggies and fruit. i dont buy meat from there tho, its been rotten too many times ;9( lol0
-
The way that I can afford healthy groceries are:
#1 I am very lucky to be able to have a low income discount card at my local food co-op. I don't know how available something like that might be other locations (which is why I count my blessings!) but it might be something to look into.
#2 I buy things in a large amount and cook things in a large amount. If I bought ingredients for 6 different meals, I would be completely broke. Instead I will buy a big amount of brown rice and cook enough for the week. I will buy a big amount of salad greens, a big amount of kale, vegetables, fruit, etc. I will eat those things throughout the week until they are gone. This means I might have the same thing for lunch every day of that week but it makes if affordable and it makes it so way less of my food goes to waste. Also, freeze the leftovers! Freeze fruit you think might go bad and make a smoothie!
If you have something like CSA in your area, where you can buy boxes of produce every month, that's a great option too. Coupons, as well. And I know it sounds gross, but sometimes I go dumpster diving at local grocery stores. I have found loaves of perfect bread, packages sealed salad greens, avocados, limes, sweet potato, the list goes on. Hey, I'm a full time student and I do what I gotta do! It works for me
Good luck. 0 -
Okay, so my fiance and I don't have the best jobs and we have a lot of bills. Going shopping gets real pricey if you try to get all the healthy stuff. We end up buying a lot of junk, to save on costs. That can not happen anymore, no junk food in the house. I was wondering if there were any tips? recipes? Anything that could help would be wonderful! I want to start shopping either today or tomorrow, I just cleaned out my kitchen of all the bad things that could distract me.
Canned fruits and veggies are not too expensive and go a long way. I tend to let fresh stuff spoil so I opt for canned most of the time. Sales/coupons are good too. It is expensive depending on what you are eating and what you are avoiding, but it can be done. Just compare prices.0 -
Check all your local supermarkets' sale flyers. Go where the meat is the cheapest. This could vary from week to week, but in general, meat will be your most expensive items (and nuts - they can get pricey too). Costco also has a really good meat selection - if you have the room to store meat in bulk.
From there, just choose whatever veggies and fruits are on sale. Eat what's in season and you'll find your bills a lot lower. Also, a reminder to only shop in the perimiter of the store - produce, meat, dairy - if you go in the aisles you'll be bombarded with junk!
Good luck! I've cut my shopping bills by about $50 every week by starting to shop sales recently.0 -
Steamer Bag Veggies. You and your fiance can steam a bag and split the entire bag in two, which still isn't high cal/fat.
Spaghetti Squash- Split in half and bake. Shred squash loose from skin after soft and add 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in each half. Top with sliced mushrooms and onion if you'd like.
Sweet Potato- Bake or mic until soft- very nutrition and very cheap per pound.
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Generic Plain Cereals that contain low-sugar: flakes, oats, chex
On-Sale fruit
Bag of onions- you can add diced onion to many meals to increase flavor without adding salt or other fake flavors
A box of sugar-free popsicles is a good snack.0 -
I will shop at 5 stores to get the best deals. Idk if you have a 99 cent store but you can get some great fresh produce and even some organic stuff there.0
-
If you are concerned about fat or calories you can buy the cheaper packages of ground beef (80/20 or 75/25), drain it in a colander after cooking, and then rinse the meat off with hot water and pat it dry with a paper towel. The fat content ends up being similar to the more expensive 95/5 ground beef.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.
Really?? That's so good to know!0 -
bump0
-
Groceries should not cost at all . You have to plan your meals and "make your own meal". Soups are so easy and cheap to make.
The power of the internet for recipes.
Don't buy sauces, they make your bill add up super fast. You seriously don't need that crap, its just adds calories. Cut down on meat and you will see your bill go down, buy more veg's, fruits. We can never starve in North America and can live cheaply on groceries.
I'd like to know where you're shopping. I shop at a military commissary and over the past 5-7 years groceries have risen significantly in cost.0 -
Shop sales for sure, stick w/ frozen veggies over canned b/c canned can be high in sodium. My best advice is to take note of proper portions. For example, most that say to use 4 chicken breasts means (4) 4 ounce chicken breasts, not (4) 9.5 ounce chicken breasts like they sell at the grocery store. So I usually buy a pack w/ 6 gigantor breasts and use only 2 to feed my family of 3. Even with things like frozen veggies...if you don't eat leftovers, only cook the two portions you need. Check out the blog 100 days of Real Food, though she grows a lot of her own veggies, there's a lot of good info on there. You can add me if you'd like. I am always on a relatively low budget but buy very little packaged junk food!0
-
Buy things you know will stretch will satisfy you and still not be horrible to eat. Read the nutrition label because some things you think are better for you are actually worse. And don't plan your menu around stuff you want but what is on sale. Most stores have an online ad so you can look at one and then make a shopping list around what is on sale. Right now at my local store squash is still on sale and I make a mean soup out of squash water and a few chicken bouillon. All cheap to buy about two bucks for a good size squash water is free and a dollar at the dollar store for bouillon that makes more than 12 servings of soup and you feel satisfied when eating it. I like to add brown rice and a little bit of chicken. That is another thing when buying ground meat chicken is the least expensive then turkey then beef. So whenever something calls for ground beef we buy ground chicken. If you can get something like ground beef on sale then go ahead.0
-
Yep! Obviously it only works for recipes where you brown the meat first, like tacos and meat sauces rather than hamburgers and meatloaf, but it's a pretty neat trick for saving money and calories.
If you are concerned about fat or calories you can buy the cheaper packages of ground beef (80/20 or 75/25), drain it in a colander after cooking, and then rinse the meat off with hot water and pat it dry with a paper towel. The fat content ends up being similar to the more expensive 95/5 ground beef.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.
Really?? That's so good to know!0 -
Produce at an Asian grocery store is MUCH cheaper than the regular store. Also, if you're into cooking asian foods the typical ingredients cost less as well. I've found that to be true for other markets as well (middle eastern foods, indian, etc)..0
-
Have you shopped at Aldi? I see there's one in your city on Fort Street. I stock up on the essentials there and save a ton. Milk is usually $1 less per gallon than anywhere else, eggs are about $0.50 less, and it goes on and on. They even have a small meat section with some decent prices from time to time.
If you have not checked out Aldi, I would highly recommend it. It's no frills, off label (but great tasting) and you have to bring your own bags to carry your purchases... but it's a great place for those of us on a budget.0 -
Bump 0
-
Everyone's pretty much covered what I'd say, sales, in-season, bulk, but I can't emphasize frozen vegetables enough. They've got all the nutrients intact, taste great, and are so versatile (frozen spinach, is there anything you can't do with it? It's even great for adding healthy, cheap, vitamin filled bulk to almost whatever else you're eating). Another thing I do (I like to use a lot of spices) is to buy spices in bulk online; it's so, so much cheaper, not even affordable any other way.0
-
It's always better to shop the outside ring of the store where fresh produce and meat is rather than buy as much canned pre-packaged foods are. Some stores mark down meat/ poultry when its near its pull date. You can buy packages and freeze. I often buy the family size and repackage for the freezer to take advantage of the cheaper price. Also consider checking out the bulk section of a store. You can buy everything from cereals, pastas rice beans spices, flours and more depending on what the store sells. Also beware of packaging tricks! sometimes the smaller package of a food item is less when you look at the price per lb or oz.
You could also get a friend to go shopping where you can split larger items to take advantage of lower prices in larger quantities,
Your most expensive way to buy food is to buy nutritionally deficient packaged foods that do not meet your body's needs.0 -
Bump,0
-
I buy fresh veggies, and 50% fresh fruts/50% frozen. The only frozen veggies I buy are corn and peas.
Stay away from prepackaged anything.
My pantry consists of a wide variety of spices, canned tomatoes to make into sauces and soups, brown rice, beans, and barley, I buy all of those in bulk. I buy whole wheat pasta when on sale and store that as well. To add to the base of this, I buy about 25.00 of veggies a week, everything from lettuce, to eggplant and whatever else is fresh, and on sale. I keep apples, oranges, and bananas on hand. During the winter I buy frozen berries to use in smoothies.
I spend about 200.00/month on groceries, feeding 3 adults, 3 meals a day, and 2 kids 50% of the time (my nephews). The most expensive thing by far is the junk they ask for if we take them shopping. I don't bargain shop, and we eat very, very well, only cook with olive oil, eat fresh whole foods, and have treats too. We have gone Vegan, which did make our meat cost disappear, I now buy 2 blocks of tofu a week (around 5.00 total), and it probably saves us 100.00/month.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 395 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 960 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions