Over the last few weeks, I have seen many articles on my facebook feed about shopping BETTER on a budget – making your dollar stretch for healthier foods.
No matter how SMALL your grocery budget, there are great ways to make it stretch for food that is healthier and better for you than what sits on most grocery store shelves.
It all starts with a different mentality… and willingness to switch up your diet.
When people ask me how much I coupon, I kind of have to stop and think really hard, because we rarely go to the grocery store.. we buy our meat in bulk, and most other items are bi-weekly at Costco with ONE trip to the Ranch Market for produce.
We have found that our bellies stay full, and our budget is happier when we stick with what works for our household – so we’re sharing that in hopes that it inspires you to make a few changes too.
Shop the Farmers Market for Inexpensive Produce
I can’t say this enough! Produce should be the BULK of your meals! Be smart – plan your meals around what you purchase or what’s on sale that week!
The Farmers Market is often cheaper than picking up produce in store, though produce at the market will not last quite as long – so it must be used up quickly. Use Green Peppers to make stuffed peppers either in the oven or crockpot, and chop up and freeze extra for summer pasta salad. We make 1 trip a week to get a few bags of produce – I try to pick up what we’ll use, and what I can cook into a meal.
Keep Cauliflower, Carrots, and Broccoli, even Cherry Tomatoes, cut up and on hand in the fridge for the kids to snack on after school. They’ll be more likely to reach for those items than pre-packaged food IF you have it ready and available for them, at their eye level in the fridge.
Don’t let the amazing prices lead you to buy too much – it can be easy to go overboard; get what you can reasonably use, and have recipes on hand (either pinned on your Pinterest board or kept in a 3-ring binder.
If the Farmers Market is not an option, price match produce
Keep produce the focus of your meal planning. More produce and less meat will lead you to eat better, get full faster, and reduce your meat expense. Incorporate fresh carrots as a side, cut up and kept in the fridge for the kids as a snack, and grate the extra for baking – a little Carrot Cake won’t hurt – as long as it’s not every single day.
Forget Pre-Packaged Meals & Pasta Mixes
FORGET Hamburger Helper, and similar items – they are EXPENSIVE compared to what you can make yourself. Most prepackaged mixes are nothing but 8-10 oz. of Pasta and Seasoning Mix, to which you add your own meat. Stock up on cheap pasta, and always keep items such as canned or fresh tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and your own seasonings on hand to make your own cheaper & healthier version of packaged pasta mix.
Considering we can stock up on Pasta on sale at $.40 – $.50 per 12 – 16 oz. bag or box, that in itself is a fraction of the cost of boxed Hamburger Helper – which is at best $.75 – $1 per box (for so LITTLE pasta). Always have a bottle of Italian Dressing in the pantry to doctor up Spiral Pasta, toss in cut up bell peppers, cubed ham, and tomatoes for pasta salad.
Consider shopping in bulk
Costco has a great selection of Organic items, all of which are reasonably priced very competitively per ounce – in most cases even LESS than what you will get at the regular supermarket. Some examples include a 10 lb bag of Organic Cane Sugar for $7, Organic Tortillas as just over $8.. you can also get Organic Rice, Organic Pasta sauce & more.
Eat More Beans
Incorporate more legumes into your diet – they’re high in fiber, and a great source source of protein. Pinto Beans are a GREAT choice– you can buy them from the Bulk Bins and keep them in your pantry. Or you can buy them in bulk at Costco too – they are relatively cheap ($15 for a huge 20 or 25 lb bag).
Pinto Beans can be made on the stove, in the crock pot or in a pressure cooker – no matter what way you opt to make them, they are a great snack, and also supper as part of a main dish.
After they are cooked, eat them whole, with fresh cheese, or mash and spread on tostadas with fresh vegetables (tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and onions) for an easy, meat-free dinner alongside whole grain brown rice.
Lentils are ALSO a great inexpensive and healthy meal option too!
Skip the Sugar Cereals and Stick with Oatmeal & Whole Grains
I know that’s not the most attractive breakfast, but we skipped buying cereal over a year ago – although hard at first, my kids don’t ask for it now. Ever – we have Oatmeal in the cabinet, and they alternate between a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and scrambled eggs, and they are quite happy (and fuller longer!)
Cereal seems like a bottom-less pit of expense for most – I don’t know a child who can’t burn through a box in a day or less if given the option. Most of those sugar laden cereals won’t stick with you for even 2 hours – and you’ll find your kids prowling through the cabinets for more food.
Make oatmeal with a little brown sugar, and chop up apples or bananas – chances are after a while they won’t even ask for the regular cereal again.
Avoid buying anything that requires you rip through layers to open
Lastly – anything that requires you to rip through layer after layer to open up, ditch it… avoid keeping tempting foods in the house and there will be no opportunity for you or your kids to devour them.
We love Chocolate Chip Cookies in our house, and while I don’t make them ALL the time, that is probably the only thing that you’ll find in my freezer – I’ll make them every other week, but we have to limit how many I make and extras go to the highest most cabinet and to work with Dave the next day.
FORGET eating out and use your slow cooker!
If you fail to plan your dinner, you’re guaranteed to spend more… eating food out, or ordering in – which is usually NOT the best for you! When I don’t plan, that means Dave runs straight for Pizza.
Because I really DON’T need pizza on my hips right now, we’re all about using the slow cooker to cook ahead – have shredded, cooked chicken on hand for tacos, and keep potatoes in mind for a healthy alternative for dinner – you can cook those in the crock pot too!
See also meal ideas you can put together with Potatoes too – if you are short on ideas.
What do you do to try to eat better?
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