Increasing food prices have more and more shoppers looking for ways to save money at the grocery store without sacrificing nutrition. For those of you who fall into this category, you'll be happy to know that eating healthier foods can actually save you money. Savings can come from reducing portion sizes, and from buying fewer of the high-calorie foods that tend to increase the amount spent at the grocery store.
People tend to spend a lot on those "extras" -- foods that add calories, but little nutritional value, like sodas, bakery items and chips.
There's no magic formula to buying or cooking healthy foods on a budget. It takes a little planning and creativity. But if you think of the rewards -- better health and more money -- you'll find it's worth the effort. After all, health is wealth! Here are a few ideas that will save you a little green (while also being green lights themselves):
Wait ... there's more! You can get more for your money if you consider the nutritional value of food for the price. For example, sodas and flavored drinks deliver mostly empty calories and could easily be replaced with less expensive sparkling water topped with a splash of a 100 percent fruit juice.
When comparing food prices based on the number of servings you'll get, along with the food's nutritional contribution, you'll find many healthier foods give you a big bang your buck. For example, a pound of peaches yields three to four servings. So when you divide the cost per pound, the cost is usually quite reasonable. Here is a list of a few healthy foods you can find in your grocery store for under a dollar that reap huge nutritional rewards.
Prices may vary based on the store, location and time of year.
Apples
➢ Price: Approximately $1.99/pound.
➢ Great for: Snacks, salads and fruit salads.
Canned Beans (low sodium)
➢ Price: You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1 on sale.
➢ Great for: Salads, soups and chili.
Yogurt (lowfat or fat-free)
➢ Price: 60 cents. This is usually the price for an 8-ounce container of yogurt.
➢ Great for: Smoothies, yogurt parfait, dips and dressings.
Eggs
➢ Price: You can buy about a half dozen of eggs for $1
➢ Great for: omelets, frittatas, egg salad sandwiches for lunch
Follow Joanna Dolgoff, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joannadolgoffmd
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Really cheap and fresh are cabbages (white, Savoy, red, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, etc), root vegetables *rutabaga, red beets, carrots, turnips, etc.) and veggies and fruit in season - right now is berry time!
Alexa Fleckenstein M.D., physician, author.
People in various regions eat snails and larvae as well as fish, beans and roots that are highly toxic unless properly prepared.
So trying to say that any one food is "BAD" for everyone is just plain silly.
Seriously, I thought this was going to be an article about inexpensive healthy food choices and where to find them. Instead, what I got was a farce.
I bought a couple of packs of dollar store tea towels for cleaning cloths. They work fine as dusters, for cleaning up spills and washing woodwork, and I just wash them with the hand towels or socks that I occasionally bleach anyway.
Paper towels are for draining bacon or cleaning up the cat's hairballs.
Have to say the post are much better than the artical
Frozen Banquet dinners are usually .99 cents and Banquet chicken pot pies a often 2/$1.00.
You'd know that if you had ever been genuinely poor.....which you obviously haven't been, since you're so judgmental.
Oh, and exactly who has to "learn to deal"? Where did "ftp2k112244" say they were cooking for anyone but him/herself?
For the record, Alaska has one of the strongest economies in the nation. Unemployment here is quite low compared to the national average. Oh, and it doesn't "cost so much" to "live out here" and even if it did.....you couldn't be more wrong that everybody can just "move." Adults have obligations and responsibilities; like caring for nearby elderly or sick relatives, keeping kids close to the extended families that love them, and staying in a community where they have a support system. The choice to move is not a wise choice in many scenarios.....especially if it's just based on greed!
Are you a teenager?
Furthermore, how is it that you've decided you can universally decide for other people whether internet access is a necessity or not? Has it ever occurred to you that some people WORK on the internet?
When I realized that quite of bit of food cost goes into packaging - I stopped buying pre-packaged foods and other items, and came up with quite a bit more work. Not to mention the investing cost involved with non-BP packaging in which to store the food (2nd hand stores are my friend). I don't mind the work involved, I am a great fan of fewer doctor visits and greater mental and physical health (priceless).
Focusing only on the price of a few foods and offering a vague nod to the myriad health benefits is relating a miniscule piece of the entire picture to people who are completely devoted to 'fast, cheap and easy'. Your article preaches to the choir without offering anything of honest value to those who think unwrapping a $1 burger from paper is physically and mentally challenging.
Buying in-season produce is often cheaper than frozen (I won't buy canned due to sodium content and gosh-awful texture/appearance). But frozen vegs are a good and healthy alternative.
Whole Foods is very pricey, except for their bulk section. They sell beans, rice, pasta, and grains in bulk for cheap, and their herbs/spices in bulk are the best deal in town.
Form a co-op with family, friends, and neighbors and bulk shop for everyone at one time.
Our adhoc co-op has found a couple of website grocers (meier, is one I think - not sure of spelling) and if you order over a certain dollar amount they waive delivery charges. That's a big deal out here in the middle of nowhere. One time they were liquidating this huge supply of King Arthur flour for about 1/2 price. We're all still working our way through that. Haven't seen them do that, lately, but their inventory is always changing so go to their site at least once a week.
My sister helped teach the cooking part of a life skills course for young urban mothers and part of the course was showing that it was cost effective to team up with one or more other moms to take the bus to the supermarket and taxi home with a week's worth or whatever the fridge and cupboard could hold without spoilage. Especially convenient if one mom watched all the kids and gave her list to the shopping moms.
But remember to cook your beans well! Undercooked kidney beans are toxic. Ten minutes of boiling is all it takes, though.
That's a very good point - especially for single mothers. See the posts directly above. I don't know how "connected" your neighborhood is, but if you can find one person to organize online shopping it can be a real boon. Our little co-op has two hard working, single mothers, and we're able to save a weekend day for them by coordinating their shopping needs with our own. I hope you can find something like to help you.
http://captbecker.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/pelosiville-pea-soup/
http://captbecker.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/a-steakhouse-style-seafood-entre/
http://captbecker.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/fried-rice-for-tough-times/