Re: Living healthy without going broke

@HalliwellSister

Personally I tend to shop at Cheaper stores such as Walmart or ALDI'S ..... Aldi's is a such a great and affordable store for mostly any budget. I have found many things for Half the price as most other stores...... I know lots of people are into "coupon-ing" these days, but I don't tend to see alot of "coupons" for The "Healthy" Stuff, like fruits and veggies.

I try to set aside a budget for food, stick to the same types of foods throughout the week, Start with your main staples such as Chicken, fish, Soup (whatever you feel your meals will be made up of that week) and then add in the extras like fruits/veggies. I tend to also shop at places that offer BOGO, (buy one get one free) My Publix tends to do a lot of BOGO.

I also tend to Pre-portion my food...... pre-portion and then pre-planning "what" you are going to eat for the week and then pre-paring your foods/meals ahead of time also helps cut down on eating "outside" of your budget. (If you are Pre-pared, then there won't be a need to stop and get something that you can't afford or get yourself off track). It will be interesting to hear others comments as well~~

Save seeds, grow your own food. Idk, that's what I've been doing.

With food allergies costs are crazy. I've found instant rice noodles recently which I'm about to stockpile lol #college.

Rice and potatoes are good but I've found that buying bagged potatoes hasn't been worth it past few months.

One thing I'll buy "too much" of is pasta sauces because the left overs can be great on different meals. I use some sauce and cheese on waffles because I don't care for sweets early in the day.

I will write out a list of groceries that I need and go shopping.

I shop mostly at Aldi and Publix. Publix is good for Buy 1 Get 1 deals and sales. I also try to avoid buying a lot of processed foods. For a healthy snack mix, I buy nuts and dried fruit at Aldi and mix up my own. When something I use a lot is on sale, I tend to buy more than I need and store the rest. I always have lots of tomatoes, beans, rice, pasta, and chicken and vegetable stock. If you slowly do this every shopping trip, you can build up a well-stocked pantry. In the summer, I buy a lot of fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market. I'll freeze extras for the winter. I use a lot of tomatoes so at the end of the summer when the tomatoes are looking pretty ugly, I buy a bunch to make my own tomato sauce to freeze.

@HalliwellSister

i buy in bulk , also make a list of groceries that i need , check the prices of different super markets and then buy from the cheapest and high quality

I make a list and stick to it (most of the time). My grocery lists aren't that intense. I eat A LOT of produce, but honestly- it never runs me that much. Most people may argue that Giant is expensive, but I get a lot of personalized coupons from them in the mail, as well as coupons to load on my card. It's also a mellow place to be for me (social anxiety). Their produce always looks great and they do end up having great sales. They also have huge bags of frozen veggies that end up being a better deal. I also love their organic store brand. I also go to Trader Joe's here and there. I'm not a fan of Walmart. I also don't hit Aldi for produce because (around here anyway) it's usually on its way out and doesn't last at all. I do love Aldi for their organic store brand. I like getting rice, quinoa, and things like that from them. Though our Aldi was just hit with an armed robbery recently, so I've been paranoid... I won't lie, lol. I'll even say I do hit Whole Foods once in awhile, because they have some amazing sales here and there.

I think it's all about checking circulars. I'm not saying drive around God's green Earth for groceries, but do a little homework. That Flipp app has all the circulars in it to help you out! Or justs stick with whatever store you like the most and buy accordingly. I also use cashback apps for that things I shop for. Ibotta seems to be the best for me. It's minimal, but it adds up. Every penny counts for me!

And I forgot to say-- Farmer's Markets in the spring/summer if you have them available! The produce is so cheap and so fresh!