Any ideas for how to eat healthy on a budget?

[gandpsmommy]

I just started the Eat to Live plan, and I love it! But our grocery bill was significantly higher (almost twice as much) last week because of all the fresh produce I bought. I thought when I got it all home that maybe I went overboard and didn't really need to buy as many fruits and vegetables as I did, so maybe I could do it more inexpensively this week. *But* it is 3 more days until we go grocery shopping again and we only have 2 apples, three slices of watermelon, some grapes, and a partial package of blueberries left in the fruit category. This will definitely get eaten *before* we even make it to grocery day. And I think most of the veggies will be eaten as well. How can I shop economically for fresh fruits and veggies?

[KIN]

Do you have any access to a farmer's market or farmer's stands where you live? I can buy most in season fruits/veggies (like blueberries right now) produce locally very cheaply, eat what we want now, and freeze some for the winter. Even at the grocery store pay attention to what is in season, those items should be cheaper now.

[tinag]

I would also suggest trying to find a farmer's market. The produce tastes so much better and for the most part cheaper.

[Ferdie]

My food bill was a little high when we started Eat to Live, too. It goes down after you settle into a routine and figure out the best place to buy your produce. I frequent Costco and Sprouts for our produce and rarely buy it at the grocery store. Also I try to buy the fruit that is on sale and we probably don't do as much fruit as the book says - breakfast and morning snack for us, so one melon may be all the fruit we eat for a day. My dh buys frozen berries in bulk at Costco so we use those in smoothies, which is much cheaper than fresh berries.

 

Honestly, eating healthy and exercising are the two best things you can do for your physical body. I would cut out entertainment expense, cancel cable, cut of my cell phone, pull money out of retirement, whatever it takes to be able to afford fruit and veggies. Just think of it like an insurance plan. You are saving yourself, your husband and your kids thousands of dollars in future medical bills. You are giving your kids major protection against adult chronical illness by providing them with fresh fruit and veggies.

 

Congrats on your new healthy lifestyle.

[LauraGB]

Do you have any access to a farmer's market or farmer's stands where you live? I can buy most in season fruits/veggies (like blueberries right now) produce locally very cheaply, eat what we want now, and freeze some for the winter. Even at the grocery store pay attention to what is in season, those items should be cheaper now.

 

:iagree: You can buy lots of blueberries, strawberries and such when the cost is way down at the FM and freeze them in individual layers in your freezer and when they are frozen, toss them into big ziplock bags. Also, you can blanch the fresh veggies and freeze those, too. I've even done this w/onions, peppers and zucchini (minus the blanching) from our garden and pulled them out in January to put into soups and such.

 

There's also pick-your-own places. Cherries (although, not so much this year) and strawberries, and then apples in the fall. Sorry, I don't know where you are located, but check around for these types of places in your area (in the newspaper classifieds or even the phone book)- saves us a ton.

[Sara R]

Another really cheap way to get fruit--

 

Look around older sections of town for fruit trees with unpicked fruit. Knock on the door and ask the people if they will be using that fruit this year. A lot of times they will be glad to let you pick it. One of my friends does this and preserves the fruit. She also will prune neighbor's trees in the spring in return for a share of the fruit.

 

I got up the courage to ask my mom's neighbor yesterday about the overripe apricots on her tree. She was very happy someone was able to use it. I plan to give her some of the fruit leather and pick up the rotting fruits as a way of saying thank you.

[abreakfromlife]

eating healthy and exercising are the two best things you can do for your physical body.

 

:iagree: You have to eat good - we all do- or we are just asking to be sick down the road, and medical bills are going to be more expensive than grocery bills. The Western, processed diet is so dangerous and unhealthy. I'm not sure what Eat to Live is, but a whole foods diet (which I'm guessing it is), is more expensive. And don't get me started on the price of good supplements!

 

One thing that I've found to help, besides shopping in season and freezing - since I don't have a large freezer - is buying canned fruit at Save-a-lot. Dried fruit at Sam's club is also a good price. You can buy nuts at Sam's, and those are way way way cheaper than in the store. And buy dried beans and soak them yourself.