So, it’s after the holidays and all of that happy holiday cheer has faded, leaving only the guilt of 2 solid months of over-indulgence in its place. I’m pretty sure that a huge percentage of people have some form of heating healthier {i.e. lose weight, get in shape, etc.} on their New Year’s resolution list. I know this time of year always makes me want to get back on track.
The one thing that truly stops people from eating healthier is cost. And believe me, I totally get it. After couponing for so long, it’s so hard to consider paying more than absolutely necessary for food. If the budget is holding you back from getting healthy this year, here’s a few tips to keep costs down without sacrificing on nutrition:
- Make a meal plan and stick to it.
- Have a vegetarian night once a week. Meat is pricey, cutting it out once a week for your entire family could save you up to $40 a month. I’m sure you wouldn’t turn down a $40 off coupon, right?
- Reprioritize. Easier said than done, I know, but what I mean is make healthy food a priority. Instead of buying boxed granola bars, set aside time each week to make your own. Along the same lines, decide which is more important, cable or healthy food? Only you can make the call.
- Don’t let any food go to waste. Use left-overs. I don’t know about you, but in years past, I have found myself cleaning out my fridge and dumping unused lettuce, etc. straight into the trash. No siree Bob, you will not catch me doing that anymore.
- Stock up when things are on sale. When you find a good deal on oats, buy 50 lbs. When avocados are in season and dirt cheap, buy ‘em up and freeze them.
- Remember the incredible edible egg. Pound for pound, eggs are an awesome whole food and a super cheap protein. {Especially if you have your own chickens!]
- Buy fruits and veggies in season. I know grapes are awesome for kids lunches, but you pay a premium to have them in January. Stick to what’s in season and usually on sale and you will still be able to eat fresh without breaking the bank.
- Make sure to check out the discounted meats and produce in your local grocery store. If you shop weekly and can meal plan on the fly, this can save you tons of cash.
- Buy in bulk. You already know I love to buy my spices in bulk, but there’s lots of other things that can save you money in the bulk section, like nuts and dried fruits.
- Buy frozen fruits and veggies. In the dead of winter, you can get fruits and veggies that were packed at the height of freshness for a fraction of the cost of the fresh stuff. Plus, I have found, with the right preparation, frozen veggies can be super tasty.
I used to put HOURS into planning my couponing trips, and it’s true, I paid pennies for food, but it wasn’t always the best quality. For me, quality food matters. If you have decided it does for you too, I hope some of these tips help.
How do you save money on real, whole foods?
~Mavis
debbie says
Marvis,
If I buy a lot of “fresh produce” it tends to sit around. I buy frozen and only a little fresh produce. We buy unsweetened cereal and usually can find it for 99 cents a box at Sharp Shopper. We go to Aldi, Sharp Shopper, and grow some fruits/veggies in the warmer months (nothing that will support us for a long term period, I’m still learning). I cook a lot of scratch and the kids don’t get to many ‘treats”. I don’t use many coupons (since some of the stuff we don’t use).
Leah Brooks says
Great list! Also, buy grains in bulk and grind them yourself. I buy 50# bags of corn, wheat, and spelt and make my own bread (with a bread maker). My kids sell the bread for $6 each and sell about 10 loaves a week! We also trade bread for eggs.
We invested in Tower Gardens 2 years ago so much of our leafy greens, tomatoes, etc are free (year round!). I became a distributor to cover my costs and ended up being able to retire from my hospital job.
We run a local organic co-op so we get a deep discount on fruits and roots.
We buy whole pigs and cows from our local farmer and get them at a discount.
Thank for all your posts, Mavis! They are so inspirational!!
Elizabeth says
Yogurt-homemade vanilla yogurt 5 quarts at a time
Granola, tea, turkeys (after thanksgiving)-discount store, buy in bulk
Chicken, meat-sales, buy in bulk, store in used cereal bags
Frozen veggies can really extend a meal
Buy potatoes, onions, apples and such in bulk and store in a cool, dry place-store apples separately
This year I’ve taken up canning and will increase my efforts this coming year.
I recently found out that dollar tree accepts coupons and have actually been getting certain things free or very very cheap
These were my successes for 2013
Sandy says
Buying the highest quality food I can afford is a priority for me. I laughed at your “what’s more important? Cable or healthy food?” I literally cut my cable to save the $120 a month that I was paying for TV – so I totally agree with you! (I bought a Roku and a digital antenna. Works great for me.) I’ve generally found if you can get a coupon for food it is usually a processed food. I buy good food and use it up, cook from scratch, and buy in bulk. I garden and in season I shop at the farmer’s market which tends to be less expensive than the grocery store. I typically do not eat grains or dairy and try to purchase only grass fed meat and I make it stretch. Yes, it takes planning and yes, it takes time, but as with most things in life you make time for the things that are important to you. I would never dare to tell others how to eat or spend their money but that’s what works for me. I’m delighted that you will be focusing more on quality food vs. “cheapest” food. I always learn a lot from your blog and I’m sure I will enjoy your journey!
pam says
I quit buying produce that wasn’t in season…..you’re right….way too expensive. Now I buy produce in bulk & either freeze it or can it….so what if we can’t have ‘fresh’ strawberries in the dead of winter…if you could call them ‘fresh’ that is! And this year instead of starting my seeds indoors (last year it was hit & miss), I’m going to start winter-sowing! I sounds so much easier than fooling around with lights, watering, fertilizing etc. here’s the website I got the inspiration from: http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/11/winter-sowing-101-6/ can’t wait to start in the next couple of days! Thanks again Mavis for all your wonderful stories and ideas, oh and of course your recipes!! love love love ya!
Amy E says
I have drastically cut down on wasted produce by planning a week of meals as soon as I get back from grocery shopping. That way, I don’t forget what I bought only to discover that it’s already gone bad by the time I find it. Lately I’ve been finding new ways to use leftovers better, like putting them into soup (fun to improvise!), topping homemade pizza, or chopping up and mixing fresh veggies into meatloaf. Also, if you have enough dinner leftovers to make a meal for only 1 person, freeze and label it. When you have a fee of them saved up, have a choose-your-own leftovers night where everyone gets to pick which one they want.
Rachel says
I haven’t cut back my grocery bill nearly as much as you, but I did start something new in November. I am only going grocery shopping two times a month. I didn’t know if I could do it, but we have been doing it for several months, and I haven’t broken down and gone to the store in between! The key is definitely to have your meals planned ahead of time. I do not specify a meal for a certain day, I just make a list of 14 dinners that I want to make in the next two weeks. I also have an extra refrigerator/freezer and a chest freezer in the garage, which has really come in handy. I know I am spending less from not buying extra things when I go to the store every week. I know some people only go to the store once a month, but I don’t know if I could make it last that long! I find that a lot of produce will stretch out for 2 weeks if it is in the refrigerator. I know I am also saving gas $$ too.
Mavis Butterfield says
Good for you Rachel, I would love to only go to the grocery store once every two weeks. Keep up the great work!
Cecily says
I glean and freeze what I can during the summer months and freeze everything that I don’t use fresh from the garden. Veggies frozen at the peak of freshness are way better than some of the “fresh” stuff in the produce isle. I also make my own bread and we have FFY (fend for yourself) night once a week where we use up leftovers.
Sharon says
I want to save money at the grocery store but finally accepted that I shouldn’t be the one to shop. I recently learned that I have many symptoms of ADD, which probably explains why I have a hard time following a list (usually can’t even find the list after I make it) and continually find all kinds of things that I didn’t “know” I needed until I got to the store. Solution? I send my teenage daughter to the store for me. She writes the list and goes to the stores. She buys both fresh and frozen vegetables, with a good brand of frozen veggies to eat at the end of the week so that we avoid food going bad. She has been learning along the way about saving – for instance, the signs at the store say that milk is $2.60 or so a gallon, but that is for the store brand. If you grab the name brand thinking they are all the same, you pay more than a dollar more per gallon. It works great for us!
yas says
bountiful baskets if it’s available in your area. The veg/fruit basket is typically a reasonable mix, and there are additional offerings as well – last year I bought 40lb boxes of various kinds of citrus and spent days processing it all into stuff like zest, dried peel, candied peel, juice, frozen juice cubes, frozen slices, peels-in-vinegar for cleaning, salted preserved lemons, and a lot of oranges eaten fresh. I even gave a bunch away because it was rather overwhelming… lol. But in the end it cost me less than 50cents/lb for the citrus. If you have the time/equipment/space (and like to do it), buying in bulk like that saves a ton of money. I kept track of costs for a while when I first joined, and it seems to be on par with the prices at places like costco and walmart.
grammyprepper says
I recently bought a vacuum sealer, and have been using that to seal and freeze leftovers. We buy our meat in bulk from a butcher shop–better quality and better price–Do the Farmers Market in the summer and blanch/freeze what we buy—Just lost my job, so stores have come in handy–working on the meal planning, I usually just plan day to day using what we have on hand, but still have to go to the store at least once a week for milk and bread–I’m not a baker, but guess I need to become one!