Heathly Food on a Budget

MaidenMystique · May 2012

Here is my dilema. I have to stick to a very strict $200 a month budget for food. I am finding however, when I go grocery shopping I have the hardest time getting enough food with the money I can spend. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I shop mostly at Albertson's, Fred Meyer, Safeway, & the bulk foods at Winco.

I try to stick with mostly vegetarian foods, but I love fish and sometimes chicken or turkey. So, what I'm getting at I suppose is does anyone have an idea of what types of food I should be going for that will last multiple meals but not cost an arm & a leg? I don't have the time to cook all my meals ahead and freeze them, although I know that's a great way to save money.

So any suggestions for a working girl who needs quick and healthy foods on a strict budget would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you guys in advance for any and all responses.

-G

Pamshaw2 · May 2012

Try to make it into an area with packing "Sheds" the very best fruits and veggies are ripe, ripe veggies don't ship well so they are culled out. You can get the very best for the very least! Then go home and freeze your own. I used to live in the central valley and I really miss the quality fresh foods now that I am in the Dallas area.

DeniseB0711 · May 2012

I generally use coupons for most of my shopping and the sale papers. I eat relatively clean for most Americans.

Things that go on sale ALL THE TIME
Chicken Breast (I am in the South Eastern US). I can get them from .99 -$2/lb. I usually get them when they are .99/lb and debone them myself.

Tofu, there's almost ALWAYS a tofu coupon on the internet every 6 weeks. WIth the right sale you can get a pound of it for under $2.

Grains like Bulgur, Millet, Wheat Berries, and Quinoa are best bought from bulk grain bins. This way you can control how much you buy. For me a pound of Bulgur will last several months. (I only use it for tobouli)

Dried Beans, another friend of the tight budget. You can get a pound of beans for under $1.50 in most regions of the US. They are really versatile.

Flour, and Additional grains would be great for making crackers, breads and cereals. There's wonderful recipes all over the web for smash bars, granola bars and granola cereal. Again these itmes are best bought from a bulk bin in a food co-op.

Milk, Bread, Eggs just find the place that has the for the lowest price. We dont eat Organic eggs or milk in my house. We simply cannot afford an extra $20/week it would add to our food bill.

You can make your own yogurt at home in a crock pot...just googe "Crock pot Yogurt." I usually do this in the summer and make homemade greek yogurt by straining it...and it also doubles as sour cream.

HTH.

Denise

ATLMel · May 2012

One of the easiest ways to save is to buy in season. If you can buy from a local farmer's market, even better. Foods that are currently plentiful will be the best priced.

Pick things that can be used multiple ways. Kale is cheap and makes a delicious pesto or filling for a rice/noodle bowl. Try buying your grains in bulk. You can save a lot on the packaging. Also pay attention to when things you use a lot go on sale. I will usually buy the oils/flours I need everytime they are reduced in price, whether I need them or not. They last a long time and it's nice to have a bit of a stock.

Speaking of stock, soups and salads are fabulous ways to stretch a food budget. Save parts of your veggies to make up some broth (easy to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon).

verbalriot · May 2012

Canned beans (if there are low sodium options, go for those) and frozen veggies are great on a tight budget. Many frozen veggies are picked and frozen in season, so you still get the nutrients, no matter what month it is.

I assume you already look through circulars and see what's on sale...if the food is nonperishable, buy it in bulk on sale since you'll have plenty of time to eat it.

Canned tuna is a great source of protein and grains like brown rice are good to buy in bulk and spread over time.

hungrygirl89 · May 2012

Vegetarian options are always cheaper, and really yummy! Rice and beans can be a healthy and low cost option - I'll often do black bean enchiladas with corn and salsa. Or I'll make my own tabbouleh w cracked wheat, cucumbers, tomato, onion, lemon juice and feta. Chilli is a good low cost option as well. Beans are super filling, full of protein and CHEAP. I also buy seasonal fruits/veggies at the farmers market. Peanut butter is a great pantry staple that can go a long way- sandwiches, stirfrys, in oatmeal, on fruit/veggies.

Another thing to make your bill cheaper? Drink only water or water w lemon, and go to coupons sites like www.hiptosave.com to have coupons emailed to you. I always stock up on the good stuff when I have a coupon!

Good luck!

AmyM713 · May 2012

Meats are usually the most expensive items so buy meat, divide it into proper portions for yourself and who ever your feeding for meals and freeze it so you can just grab one bag out at a time. When making meals vegetables and things like brown rice or fruits are cheaper, try to have a little of the meat or expensive item and fill the rest of your meal with the lower cost (yet filling items). Good luck, I have a family of five and spend anywhere from 250 to 350 a month on food in one shopping trip, we still eat steak, chicken, shrimp, fish just not in large portions.

gurganuss · May 2012

We live on a pretty strict budget as well, I use a lot of coupons and we buy a lot of chicken. We have also started to try to buy where it is cheaper which can be difficult trying to run between numerous stores but we have to keep our grocery budget in check. I also have been known to buy a bag of chicken at Kroger and make three different meals with it.

Good luck!!!

beccala18 · May 2012

Buy bags of frozen fruit and veggies. They don't cost more, you can buy the value giant bags and they never go bad, so you don't end up wasting food. I also buy things like onions and peppers when they go on sale then cut and keep in the freezer.

Buy meat when it is on sale. Buy as much as you can afford and freeze it in portioned out sizes. It takes 20-30 minutes to cut up everything and repackage when you get home, but ultimately you save yourself money.

Crock pots are the best thing for cheap, easy and healthy cooking. One of my favorite things is a pound of dried chickpeas, a bag of frozen spinach, onion, enough chicken broth/water to cover all of this, and seasoning. It takes 5 minutes to throw in the crock pot, then I let it go all day (sometimes 10-12 hours). I come home to perfectly cooked chickpeas. Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese and it's awesome!

Finally, just buy whatever vegetables (fresh) that are on sale and then use Google to find healthy ways to cook them.

amicklin · May 2012

I find that, even with coupons, the generics will be cheaper than the name brands. If you keep a close eye on the sales and combine sales with coupons, you can really stock up on some good deals though! I buy in bulk and stock up on shelf stable items when they go on sale. Generally speaking, you pay for 'convenience'. So, single-serving or all-in-one-box dinners end up being more expensive that if you had purchased in bulk and made the dinners yourself.

I am on a tight budget as well and I buy alot of:

Bananas, oranges and apples.
Bulk brown rice
Whole wheat and whole grain bread in bulk (freeze the extras)
Eggs
Whole wheat pasta (Generics are usually less than $1.00/ box where I live)
Carrots, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes (sweet, white and red)
Canned beans (dried are even cheaper)
Canned tomato sauces (Stock up when they go on sale)
Oatmeal
Canned pumpkin
Cheese blocks (blocks instead of shredded, per ounce it is almost always less expensive)

runfatmanrun · May 2012

Pacific Northwest here too. You forgot to say Costco.

carleyfunk · May 2012

I buy a whole chicken and bake it with rosemary and what's left over, and it's usually a lot I make chicken soup with and the soup alone I freeze it and it lasts about a month. I pull it out when we don't have many sides at dinner. My husband also takes it to work.

CarrieAnne22 · May 2012

Our household budget is about to change drastically since my youngest will graduate high school at the end of the month and child support will stop. I have been stressing a lot over how I am going to manage to still cover all our monthly bills & feed us on what I make alone. Thank you guys for all the great ideas!

MaidenMystique · May 2012

Pacific Northwest here too. You forgot to say Costco.

I didn't forget. I just can't afford the membership so I never go there. I wish I could though.

MaidenMystique · May 2012

Thank you everyone for the great responses. You've given me a lot of ideas. Doing my shopping after work today and I now have a great list to work from. Again, thank you all :flowerforyou:

-G

runfatmanrun · May 2012

I forgot the membership. I have friends that have used me for my membership so you could try to get in on that. Otherwise like everyone else has said, beans are inexpensive, so is rice, and other bulk foods for the most part. I think winco may be your best bet for bulk around here with no membership fee.

amanda3588 · May 2012

I buy large bags of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Sam's Club. It lasts me a few weeks and is around $14 (Wisconsin) for 6lbs

twinmom01 · May 2012

I buy a very small amount of processed foods so things like coupons don't help me...

This is what I do

Shop sales -
I buy fresh fruits and veggies for the week based on what is on sale. I will also stock up on Frozen veggies when they go on sale as they dont' go bad (I really like roasting veggies and for that you need fresh). Snack on things like Baby carrots, pepper strips

Buy meat in bulk value packs and separate them - stock up when things like chicken, pork and steak go on sale - the other day my Kroger had boneless/skinless chicken breasts for $1.79/lb - there were 3 per pack for under $4 a pack - perfect for a meal for my husband and I and leftovers for my lunch the next day. I have grabbed pork loins when they go on sale - cut it in half - keep half as a loin to do up in a crockpot for some shredded pork - the other half cut into medallions...for about about $8 I can get 3-4 2 person meals out it.

I stock up on the good canned tuna and canned salmon (love making slamon cakes) when they go on sale

for things in bulk - Whole Foods - I know, I know you are saying well Whole Foods is expensive...I buy from bulk a lot from WF and I am amazed at what I save...even when the price per pound seems high - when you are grabbing just enough for a few meals you may find greater savings and a better product....I get fancy sea salt to fill my grinder that is priced at something like $14.99/lb - the amount it takes to fill my grinder (and lasts a few months) costs about $1.50. I got some great spices there in their bulk section - a few nice heaps of things like dill - for 17 cents!!!! or a few heaps of fennel for 15 cents - the bag will last me awhile and since it is a smaller amount I will use it up before it goes bad (yes spices do go bad) - Spices are wonderful for adding depth and flavor to inexpensive cuts of meat

Kandygirl · May 2012

look for sales. i feed a family of 4 for under $300 a month. it's a lot of fresh stuff (veggies, fruit, meat). go to the cheap meat part of the grocery store. as long as you freeze it, it will last a while. same with bread. coupons are your friend when you are on a tight budget. check online and see what you can find for what you already buy. also check your grocery store website site for generic brand coupons.

woou · May 2012

Look for ethnic stores. I usually buy my fruits and veggies there and then meat at the big chains like Giant, Safeway and Shoppers. Go to Yelp.com and look up Latin, Spanish, Asian, Korean, etc... markets.

leslisa · May 2012

Roadside vendors here in Florida are often cheaper. Also, I often buy frozen fruits. That way I only eat what I use. And check to see if there is a food co-op in your area. Often you can get food much cheaper at a co-op, Pac Northwest, I would think would have at least a few fish ones.

Also, look for coupons for the actual store. Like $5 off $25. Some of the grocery stores here send them out bi-monthly, you just have to sign up on their site (I know, I have).

And $5 is $5 no matter how you swing it.

Heathly Food on a Budget

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