This is probably one of the most frequent questions that pops into my head (only behind Is it lunch time yet? and Why do I always drink 3 cups of coffee before 2-hour meetings?) Somehow, I have never gotten used to how much I spend on groceries each week. I consider myself a pretty healthy eater; I’d say the majority of my grocery cart is made up of items from the produce and dairy aisle, with a few canned goods and grains intermixed. Buying quality foods is such a vital part to living a healthy lifestyle. And for those of us who work out on a regular basis, it is even more important to eat right so you have the endurance and energy for a quality sweat-session. I think anyone who has tried to run 5 miles after downing a Big Mac, fries and a Diet Coke (yes, it makes me feel better about myself to get the Diet Coke) knows that greasy grub does NOT equal a healthy boost of energy.
So this is nothing new. We all know to eat our fruits and veggies and limit our Ben and Jerry’s and Tostino pizza rolls (hmm – those sound pretty darn good right now…). However, it seems that the best foods for you are often the most expensive. Many of us feel we have to choose between having a slim waist and having a slim wallet.
Not so, my friends – not so.
It was quite a shock to me when I first started grocery shopping for myself and spending my hard-earned cash on food just how expensive it can get. I remember the first night in my apartment and I went grocery shopping; I spent almost $200. I was sure that I was going to be broke in about 3 weeks. I quickly learned that maybe fresh tilapia and pineapple in January wasn’t the most cost-effective way to get my nutrients.
So I made some changes. I scoured the web for “cheap healthy foods” and “eating healthy on a budget.” And I while it took some time and effort, I feel I finally do a pretty good job of getting the biggest nutrition bang for my buck.
Some of my frequent grocery store purchase…
Pasta, preferably whole wheat. Cheap, easy to prepare (now that I can successfully boil water)…and usually can find on sale for less than $1, or about $0.15 a serving.
Eggs are an economical nutritional powerhouse if you ask me. And I eat them like Paula Deen eats butter. Limit yourself on the yolks and use half whole eggs with egg whites in fritattas and breakfast burritos. Here is one of my favorite recipes for Huevos Rancheros. No meat, just eggs and beans – and you still get nearly 16 g of protein.
Ask anyone who knows me well – I eat an insane amount of oatmeal. Honestly, I could (have) eat (eaten) it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a little ridiculous. However, you can get a 42 ounce can of oats for about $2.50 on sale – just about $0.06/ounce. Not a bad deal, not bad at all. And one of my favorite things to use in my oatmeal…
Pumpkin. It’s not just for pie at Thanksgiving. I ALWAYS have pumpkin in my cabinet. I frequently make this Pumpkin Oatmeal, and I’m a huge fan of this Pumpkin Bread, which comes out to just $0.24/slice (and 181 calories).
I use cinnamon like most people use salt – put it on everything. On my oatmeal, toast, coffee, apples, Cheerios – you name it. Bottled spices and extracts are a great way to boost flavor in foods without spending a fortune on fresh herbs. Not to mention, they have a MUCH longer shelf life.
So that is just a snapshot of some of the more cost-effective and healthy foods that frequent my pantry. A couple other tips I’ve picked up along the way…
- Shop in season: I love fresh produce, but I almost had a stroke when I tried to buy 2 small bags of grapes the other day and they rang up for $21. Not doing it. A great website I have bookmarked is this one, which gives a pretty extensive list of the best fruits and veggies to buy in-season. And keep in mind, frozen and canned fruits (without the heavy syrup) can be just as good for you, if not better, than fresh.
- Watch those sales ads: I have a Sunday morning ritual of drinking my cup of coffee, eating my oatmeal (shocking) and going through the Sunday ads to make my weekly grocery list. Most people don’t want to take the time to shop at multiple grocery stores, but if I can shave a few bucks off my bill by going to two grocery stores this week, you better believe I’m going to. Also – keep in mind Wal-Mart’s “lowest price guaranteed” deal; if Special K is on sale at Meijer for $2.50, Wal-Mart will honor that price. They even have the ads at each check-out, so you don’t need to bring them with (Yes, I was THAT girl. On a Saturday afternoon. With a line of 16 people behind me. You live and you learn…)
- Make a list: Actually, don’t just make the list – stick to the list. This is a challenge – one in which I often fail. And it’s never the nutritious items that are impulse buys. No one picks up an extra bunch of bananas; you pick up a bunch of mini muffins because they remind you of when you were 6 years old. Supermarkets are very strategic in where they place things throughout the store. Resist the urge to stray from your list and you will leave the store with less bulk and more cash.
Got some good tips on how to stay healthy AND be frugal when grocery shopping? Any good, healthy recipes that don’t break the bank? Share them with us. I want to make sure I don’t get burned out on oatmeal…
I shop at Aldi for my groceries for a few reasons. I hate big box stores, they are too large and too many people! It is also walking distance from my house in east Urbana.
My wife and I get groceries there for about $40-50 a week max. That includes a large tub of oatmeal like the one above, two gallons of milk, 3 dozen or so large eggs, bag of fish (tilapia, good for my high protein diet) and veg/fruit from the normally well stocked produce area. I get a large box of all purpose baking mix to make some waffles or pancakes to eat before long runs. They have many different types of pasta.
Of course, if you are picky about your brands then Aldi might not be a place for you, they have their own private brand but I bet you will love the savings each week and get over it.
Great ideas! I am a fan of Aldi too; they have a really great produce section, which I was pleasantly surprised about. And I think the whole brand-loyalty thing is important to address as well. When you buy the store brand, whether it is at Aldi, Meijer or Wal-Mart (Great Value), you are truly getting essentially the same product but at a cheaper price. Granted, you won’t find coupons for the store brand, but you are probably STILL saving money even if you use coupons! Check out this article on buying the store brand vs. name brand. What do you all think about this?? http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/october/shopping/store-brands-vs-name-brands/overview/index.htm
I like Aldis full money back guarantee and replacement of the product, not that I have ever had to avail of it.
There is very little difference between store and own brand. Even when you are a nutrition label checker, they differences are so tiny, same ingredients as well bar maybe one or two additives.
Eggs were $1.35 for a dozen large eggs in Aldi on University/High Cross this morning, won’t find much cheaper. I eat 5/6 most days easily!