How Do I Eat Healthily On a Budget?

I always felt a tiny bit embarrassed on the first day of school when the teacher would ask each of the students to share their name and a hobby or talent they had. I always felt I had nothing to say. I'm not musically minded, nor have I ever had other than a passing flirtation with sports. I definitely don't have any of the obvious talents that most people are apt to share in a situation like this. So, for many years I secretly felt I must not be talented or special at all (have you ever felt this way?). The only thing I was good at was getting an A in school, which has little to no actual impact on my life today as a stay at home mom. But here's the thing, I've learned recently that I do have talents! A whole list of them (and a bucket full of weaknesses too lol)! But they aren't the kind of talents that you would share with the whole class. For example, a few people have given me quizzical looks recently as I told them my grocery budget. They couldn't believe I could live off of that for a whole month! Haha at first I thought it was funny, but when I gave it a second look I realized this is one of my talents! Frugality! Of course the world has no use for and absolutely no praise for frugality anymore, as it seems to be a dying art, but I'm proud of this talent, if only because I seem to be one of the few who possesses it these days. In interest of explaining that 1) I'm not crazy 2) It is possible to eat well on a budget and 3) You can do it too, I'm going to share some tips with you :)

The first step of establishing a budget is to decide how much money you can afford to spend on groceries (I include toiletries and other things I would typically buy at a grocery store in this number) and/or what you think is a reasonable price to pay monthly (some people have a lot of money but still could benefit from a grocery budget).

Okay, next step is to decide what you absolutely NEED (for me this includes things like milk, produce and cheese) versus what you can live without if you HAVE to (mine are meat and desserts, essentially because they are not as nutritionally critical). 

Now that you have your list, you need to find the best place to buy each item. When you're on a budget, there are several strategies you can use to save the maximum amount of money:

• Find the store that generally has the cheapest all around prices and shop there consistently. Stores like this might include Winco (my personal favorite), Walmart, and Grocery Outlet. 
• Shop the sales. This means you will go to several different stores looking for the best price for each item. One store may have great produce sales while another store might have an awesome clearance on meat. Look at the weekly ads, write down which store has which item on sale that you want to buy, and prepare for a longer shopping expedition. You can generally save a lot more money this way if you can avoid buying things on sale that you don't need.
• Use a combination of the first two strategies listed above for maximum savings!

A couple of additional strategies:

• Avoid buying in bulk unless you are POSITIVE you will eat/use it all before it expires AND it is a good deal. We all love stores like Costco and Sam's Club, but while they have good deals on some things, other things are way over priced. Don't be tricked! Do your research and make sure you are getting a good deal before you buy bulk. Also, you are throwing money down the drain every time you waste food! So don't buy more than you need.
• Some stores (I know Walmart does) let you price match. This means if you sift through all the ads, you can find the best deals at all the different stores, go to Walmart and tell the cashier at checkout the price from the ads and that's what you pay! All in one place! This is handy if you also are a Walmart fan.
• Buy the foods that are not necessarily needs but wants only when they are on sale. I know you're going to need milk and eggs and bananas whether or not they are on sale. Luckily these foods are generally reasonably priced. However, foods like ice cream and meat can go for more than $5/lb if not on sale! Don't pay this price! Wait for the sale (I like my meat $2/lb or less, which usually means no steak and lobster for us) and stock up. Meat can be frozen and will last at least 6 months, or until the next sale. The goodies you love, like ice cream and candy, will love you and your wallet back a lot more when you buy and consume them less often anyways. 
• Have the strength to walk away if an item costs more than you think it is worth. Don't forget how hard you work for your dollars! Each one is worth your sweat and tears. Decide what price you will or won't pay for certain things and stick to it! In a year, you may have to reevaluate because of inflation (prices have been rising at a sickening rate since the economic downturn!).

Here's a few tricks I've learned to apply to my cooking to make my meals cheaper (but still delicious):

• Use less meat. I know we all love the occasional hamburger or taco or some other meal that includes meat as the main enchilada, but there are lots of benefits to cutting these meals down to once or twice a week. First, meat is generally high in saturated fat, which is no good for you! A couple of bites of meat a day is all you need, especially if you are already drinking milk which has plenty of protein. So, what can you eat instead? How about a casserole with about 1/4 lb of meat in the entire casserole. You might think that sounds crazy, but generally, casseroles with pasta or potatoes as the main ingredient are plenty filling and also delicious! 
• More on casseroles: Pasta and potatoes are dirt cheap! Use them as the main item in your meal and dress them up. There are lots of delicious ways to prepare potatoes and pasta. Add a little meat, some sauce, vegetables, and possibly some cheese, and you're set!
• Eat produce when it is in season. For example, berries are both more delicious and much cheaper when bought in the summer or early fall. Oranges are better and cheaper in the winter, as are winter squash and yams. Melons are a summer fruit, but pomegranates are found mostly in the winter. Is this making sense? Of course, there are some things like apples, carrots, bananas and potatoes that are going to be in season/cheap all year long, so eat these and add whichever produce is in season at the time. That will give you are good variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the whole year and help save a few dollars. 

I know you must be wondering, "Do I really practice what I preach?" Yes, but it takes a lot of self-discipline! With a little of that, you can do it, too!  Here a couple of delicious recipes I can afford to make on by budget of $150/month or less (for two adults and one infant). 

Cafe Rio Pork Tacos/Nachos

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork 

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. boneless pork (I bought about 2 lbs boneless pork chops for $1.78/lb)
• 1 12 ox. can Coke (I bought 24 oz coke  for $1.18)
• 1/4 c brown sugar (1 pkg is about $1.50 - so 1/4 cup is maybe $.25)
• 1 12 oz. can enchilada sauce (I bought at Walmart for $.75)
• 2 cloves minced garlic (1 garlic is about $.50, so 1 clove is $.10 ish)
• 1 small can diced green chilies (I bought at Walmart for $.65 I think...)
• 3/4 C brown sugar (About $.75)

Instructions

• Marinade pork for at least 2 hours or overnight in can of coke and 1/4 C brown sugar.
• Pour pork and liquid into crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
• Remove meat and shred. Discard liquid
• Put meat back in crock pot and add enchilada sauce, garlic, green chilies and brown sugar.
• Cook for 30-60 more minutes. If there is excess liquid drain some off.

Copyright © YourHomeBasedMom

I served my pork over cheese covered tortilla chips, but it can also be served in a taco, burrito, or salad. To garnish, I made homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. Both are really simple. I make a small batch of both (only enough for the one meal and maybe the next day for lunch) because the leftovers don't save for more than 24 hours and they are easy enough to make again in a hurry.

Guacamole: Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl

• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 tbsp chopped onion 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

Pico de Gallo: Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl

• 1 tomato
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 2 lime juice
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

My total cost for the pork (feeds my husband and I for several days worth of meals and can be frozen if leftover) is about $8. Add in the cheese, chips and toppings, and your at about $12 for at least 10 meals worth of food. That's only a little over $1/meal and it's totally delicious! This is one of our favs!

Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs dry tortellini pasta (I found this for about $2 at Winco)
• 2 cups chopped spinach (I used a bag for $1.68 at Winco)
• 2 tomatoes, diced (about $.50)
• 1 small onion, chopped (about $.65)
• 1 large chicken breast, shredded ($1.50) - notice the meat is sparse
• 2-3 chicken bullion cubes to taste (I usually buy these in bulk, so I don't count them in the cost)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional) - this is a more expensive item that can be used if you find a little extra room in your budget.

Directions:

Boil the chicken in a small pot of water until fulled cooked, then drain and shred. In a different pot, cook the tortellini in about 5 cups of water, bullion, and pepper. Add the vegetables after about 5 minutes. Pasta and vegetables should all be tender when finished (about 12 minutes total for tortellini). Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. 

So the total cost for this meal is around $7 and it makes enough for about 8 bowls of soup. That's less than $1/meal! And it is a flavorful and hearty soup perfect for winter. 

Alright, so I hope maybe you might believe me now that frugality is possible. Maybe not. I know everyone's budget is different, but I think we can all benefit from being a little wiser with our pennies, and who knows, you may even come to enjoy it! 

-Kamie