Eating Healthy is Too Expensive

Yes, mehughes, If you have the room, plant a garden! Even a terrace garden will give you a surprising amount of cheap produce. Basil grows like a weed. Tomatoes are also easy if you can keep the giant green marshmallow worms of death away from them. Cucumbers are easy.

Those giant worms turn into hummingbird moths - I think they are called Tomato horn worms in that stage. They are nocturnal, so if you are in a garden of night blooming flowers in deep summer, you might see one.

I need to go get zucchini! Thanks for the reminder.

You mean" giant green marshmallow worms of death" isn't the actual name? Whatever they're called, I hate them. They love to take ONE bite of every tomato on your plant. I'm all about sharing with god's creatures. . .they could have a whole tomato if they wanted. . .just not a bite of every single one!

I live in Michigan and only pay at the most $3.50 for a gallon of milk when it's not on sale. I still think that is expensive too.

Coupons Coupons Coupons!!! Farmers markets. Cheap/discount grocery stores. Bulk food places (Costco/Sam's club). These are the only way I eat healthy. A LOT of the grocery stores in my area (Columbus, OH) offer double coupons under a dollar. So I clip clip clip and shop around. I can generally get my meats, fruits, vegies (I buy cheap frozen ones), bread and extra little stuff for about 30 dollars a week. I buy my meat in bulk from Sams club, so i get that about every 2 weeks. It is hard, but you can do it!

I hear you. We have learned how to shop around. I am feeding a family of 4 and 2 dogs on $130 every two weeks.
Eggs are cheaper at longs than the grocery stores.
Beans are cheaper in bulk-
spices are cheaper in bulk
grains are cheaper in bulk
found costco is cheaper on nuts and frozen fruit and veggies.
If you have swap meets or farmers markets-check out fruit and veggies there
if you have a save mart-they do price to sell. Fruit and veggies that are getting a little ripe-I got 4 avocados for 69 cents-4 tomatoes for 69 cents-8 bananas for 59 cents.
Get creative and you can do it. It takes time, but it is well worth it.

Today at costco I bought 60 lbs of dog food
6.5 lbs of chicken breast
12 pounds of chicken thighs
3.5 lbs of dry roasted almonds
7 lbs of frozen mixed veggies
5 lbs extra lean ground turkey breasts
for $68
$20 of it was dog food

I got 7 different spices
oatmeal
multi grain hot ceral
box lipton green tea
apples
pears
bananas
milled flax
2 whole wheat bread for the kids
1 gallon milk
cilantro
lunch meat
2.5 lbs cheese
3 lbs fish
frozen corn 1 lb
hot sauce
juice box
lanudry soap
5 lbs red potatoes
5lbs yellow onions
4 red bellpeppers
$38.73

Good Lord! Can you come to CT and shop for me? I can't walk out of Costco under $200! And I just spend $238 at the grocery store the other day, and next week I'll probably add another $150! And I have 2 kids, 1 dog and 2 cats!

Yes, mehughes, If you have the room, plant a garden! Even a terrace garden will give you a surprising amount of cheap produce. Basil grows like a weed. Tomatoes are also easy if you can keep the giant green marshmallow worms of death away from them. Cucumbers are easy.

And, if you plant zucchini, well, just prepare yourself to eat a lot of zucchini. I'm going to try a tomato plant and some basil on my back (tiny tiny tiny) balcony this summer.

Not to mention, gardening burns calories! I remember being around six or seven years old and seeing the produce section of the grocery store for the first time, I thought everybody just sent their kids out the veg. patch for tomatoes and cucumbers!

I'm also looking into an organic delivery service. . .the catch is they send you what they have, so you don't control what's coming.

Yeah, where is the "food fairy" when we need it.

I'm definitely going to try basil and a few different herbs. I've been reading a lot of gardeing blogs and trying to get a handle on things. Do you go with seeds, or do you buy small plants? I've been looking at organic seeds from a place called Richers, just outside of Toronto.

I'm wondering what the heck I should use for planters (?) My terrace is quite large (about 200 square feet), so i'm thinking of actually building something that would fit in one end of the terrace and then filling it with soil. I'd need to put down some sort of breathable layer though, with some drainage . . . so I may just end up using big clay pots.

Do you have an Aldi's in your area? god... my fiance and i get our staples there... frozen chicken, frozen veggies, canned foods, etc... adn then as needed will get veggies at our local Giant Eagle Supermarket... it keeps our costs WAY down...

and we are still eating super healthy... it's all about the portions...

we are planning our wedding then gonna buy a house... so we are as financially strapped currently as we can be... but our diet doesnt suffer... i highly recommend aldi's (or similar) for the bulk... we loaded up a cart for only $65 (and that has staples that will last us over a month... )

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

This guy's book used to be my gardening bible. It involves some construction, but it's even pretty!

This looks amazing! Thank you! I'd love to try this, only I worry that after a heavy rain, water does tend to pool on my terrace; it drains out slowly through the cracks in the patio stones . . . a large box system might impede drainage. Probably better to go with pots or plant boxes staggered around the perimeter, and higher up off the ground . . .

That sounds like a good idea - could look really pretty with the right pots and boxes!!

The best way to save money eating healthy i have found is simple, here is a break down:

1. Find the best deals in your erea for grains, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and what have you.

2. Create a spreadsheet with all the prices of these produce.

3. Create a list of the meals you want to eat.

4. Now calculate how much each meal would cost.

5. Tweak the meals to add cheaper products without dramatically changes its taste

6. Plan your meals ahead up until your next paycheck, adding the less expensive meals more frequently to meet your budget needs.

I found this to help me in many ways.
1. Cuts costs of driving back and forth to the groccery store.
2. Allows you to know exactly how much money you will spend
3. Adds variety to your meals throughout the week.
4. keeps you from asking "what are we gonna eat today, im bored of everything"
5. Most importantly Im not over spending on spontaneous ideas for meals.

hope this helps you save as much as its helped me.

Here is a few examples of variations.
Mon. Chicken
Tues. Beef
Wed. Pasta
Thur: Fish
Fri. Chicken
Sat. Beef
Sun: Fish

Chicken:
w/Mac and veggies (mix and varie the veggies)
w/Rice and baked potatoe
Breaded Chicken and Rice (add variations of rice)
chopped chicken in idaho potatoe. (varie spices)
w/bell peppers, onions, and a bit of asian sauce.

Beef:
w/Rice and Veggies
w/mashed potatoes
w/broccoli, carrots and asian sauce
Healthy ground beef burgers and tortilla chips.
Hotdogs w/ chile beans

Pasta:
w/alfredo sauce
salads
spaghetti
ravioli

Fish:
coctails
fillets
breaded
tacos

Other:
Fried Rice (mixed Veggies)
Fruit Salads
Garden Salads

I think you get my drift. the point im trying to make is PLAN YOUR MEALS you can't go wrong.