Frugal AND Healthy Eating?

[james.hendrickson]

So, i went to Kroger and got some bagged salads, cheese, tortillas, salsa and chips, carrots, grape jelly, a loaf of whole wheat bread, etc.

I was able to hack a bit off the bill using coupons and I'll likely scan the receipt for a bit of Amazon credit.

Oh and while we are on the topic. The latest receipt scanning app that actually pays decent is called Frisbee.

[disneysteve]

So, i went to Kroger and got some bagged salads, cheese, tortillas, salsa and chips, carrots, grape jelly, a loaf of whole wheat bread, etc.

I was able to hack a bit off the bill using coupons and I'll likely scan the receipt for a bit of Amazon credit.

Oh and while we are on the topic. The latest receipt scanning app that actually pays decent is called Frisbee.

Bagged salads are way more costly than buying the ingredients yourself. However, that's only true if you'll use them before they go bad so you have to balance those two things.

Coupons are rarely an actual savings because they are mainly for nationally advertised brands. Even after the coupon "savings", the store brand is still typically cheaper. Make sure you're comparing prices, not just fooling yourself into thinking you're saving money by using a coupon.

If you look at my cart in the supermarket, you'll see few brand name products. It's typically filled with a lot of fresh produce, fresh chicken, and store brand items.

[james.hendrickson]

Bagged salads are way more costly than buying the ingredients yourself. However, that's only true if you'll use them before they go bad so you have to balance those two things.

Coupons are rarely an actual savings because they are mainly for nationally advertised brands. Even after the coupon "savings", the store brand is still typically cheaper. Make sure you're comparing prices, not just fooling yourself into thinking you're saving money by using a coupon.

If you look at my cart in the supermarket, you'll see few brand name products. It's typically filled with a lot of fresh produce, fresh chicken, and store brand items.

Good points Disneysteve - what I'm finding is there rarely a real difference in quality between store brands and name brands. The coupons are stuff like 50 cents off Kroger eggs, $1 off two packages of Kroger cheese or $6 off a total purchase of $60.

Of course they are all designed to you to spend more...but I eat eggs and cheese anyways, so its working out okay.

I've also been hitting the discount rack. People are weird about packaging sometimes. A lot of people won't buy dented cans or boxes of pasta that have a tapped up rip on them. The food is just as good, even if the packaging is banged up.

[bjl584]

Having a garden and doing extensive canning helps tremendously to keep costs down.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Juicing or blending is a great way to eat healthier. Everyday I make either a smoothie or juice. Imagine chewing everything on the left vs drinking the cup on the right which is so easy to drink. Not visible but inside the blender on the left is 1 flax seed oil pill, 1 multivitamin, & 1 calcium 600 mg pill blender into the smoothie mixture. Also, I added 1 teaspoon of honey to sweeten it a little. Often I'll add lowfat frozen yogurt for a creamier taste.

[james.hendrickson]

You know, I never thought about adding a multivitamin to the smoothie.

[disneysteve]

You know, I never thought about adding a multivitamin to the smoothie.

No benefit to doing that vs just taking the vitamin pill normally.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I beg to differ. Swallowing the pill whole often I wonder if it completely dissolves in the stomach. In fact once I dropped a flax seed oil pill in a glass of water and it didn't dissolve fully after a few hours. On the other hand the blender pulverizes the pills.

[kork13]

I beg to differ. Swallowing the pill whole often I wonder if it completely dissolves in the stomach. In fact once I dropped a flax seed oil pill in a glass of water and it didn't dissolve fully after a few hours. On the other hand the blender pulverizes the pills.

Well, at least give it a comparable test ... the stomach has a pH around 1-3 (highly acidic, vs. water with a pH of ~7), plus it also has the physical sloshing & movement within the stomach/intestine. So a legitimate test would be to use white vinegar in a jar, and shake it up a few times every hour. Plus, stuff you eat typically stays in your GI system for 12-36 hours, so there's plenty of time for a pill/tablet/gel to dissolve & get absorbed.

That said .... I totally agree with smoothies! It's one of our favorite ways to integrate extra veggies & fiber into our diet, especially for the kids. Spinach, carrot, oatmeal, protein powder, milk/yogurt, frozen fruit, chia, whatever else strikes our fancy.... that is a very common feature with our meals, especially the less healthy ones. Ex: we pair pizza nights with these smoothies, and our kids love it.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Good points kork, I didn't factor in the stomach acids. Chia seeds does a weird number on smoothies transforming it into a jelly-like substance. I'd rather just gulp down chia seeds with water drinking it as fast as possible before it turns into jelly. As for juicing I love carrot juice but I notice that I turn orange, I literally turn orange sort of like an umpa-lumpa color, lol.

[crazyliblady]

DS nailed it -- buy in bulk, buy in season, do your own prep & cooking, start with unprocessed/minimally processed ingredients. The other points about farm share baskets are great, my family has done that the last couple years & had alot of fun learning/trying new recipes to use them with. Also, if you don't already, learn the typical unit prices ($$ per ounce, per pound, per 'each', etc.) on the common ingredients you purchase often. That's how you'll really know if you're getting a good deal on an item, or if the grocery is just blowing smoke calling an item "on sale" when it's merely a smaller container, or marked down from an inflated price.

Another big one: Learn your seasonings -- what they taste like (both cooked & raw/minimally cooked), how to combine them, how to contrast flavors, and how to enhance or tone down flavors. I can take the same chicken breast & do a dozen different meals simply by changing what spices/herbs/seasonings I use. Start adding in sauces, and the culinary world is at your fingertips.

As a recommendation -- a great cooking book worth a read for anyone looking to cook more skillfully is "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" by Samin Nosrat. It's less cook book & more instruction manual on learning to manipulate the fundamental elements of a dish. The book was suggested to me by a friend, and it really is excellent.

Great comments about seasonings and how to use them. Here is a good, basic list of herbs and spices and how to use them. https://www.udel.edu/academics/colle...pices-on-food/

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I need to incorporate more smoothies for veggies in our diet. But what you have on the fresh veggie side QMM is not cheap. Just want to point out. That a bag of brussel sprouts which is 1 meal for my family of 4 is $6 plus the bacon I tend to add to it. Or the bag of asparagus, again one meal. Tonight carrots roasted is about $5 for the cute color bag. Every dinner the veggies are pretty expensive. I also bought steak on Saturday for $70 for 4 of us. Way cheaper than eating out but still not cheap. Steak 1x a month. Fish 2x month, not counting if I do sushi. Then chicken ground beef, lamb, etc. Then adding in a veggies eating healthy is very pricey.

I probably should figure out how to garden.

[VanessaKruze]

Balancing frugal living with healthy eating can be a bit tricky. One thing that's worked for me is buying in bulk when there are sales on healthier staples like beans, whole grains, and frozen veggies. Meal planning also helps me avoid impulse buys and waste. Plus, cooking at home can save a lot compared to eating out.