Eating healthy for low cost
Stacie at Building Nutrition posted an excellent article about how you CAN eat healthy food for low cost, where she highlights four meal-plans prescribed by the USDA and how much you should expect to pay for groceries each month based on a singles, 2 adult or 2 adult/2 children families.
These plans assume you’re making fresh food at home (ie cooking your own pasta, making your own sauces, etc.) and not dining out or getting fast food. Obviously we’re not budgeting enough for groceries ($200 per month), but I think it’s because we budget $200 per month for dining out for dinner and $100 for lunch each month.
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This seems to be the constant struggle…cheap food and eating healthy. It’s almost as deep a struggle as good vs. evil, okay, maybe not quite. Every time I go on a healthy diet I feel like I am spending more money. Then again, Ramen Noodles aren’t exactly the picture of health!
I agree that it seems a struggle diet vs. health. I do buy a lot at Costco and I eat pretty minimally for breakfast and lunch (lots of cheese sticks, cereal, almonds, and bananas). Eating out is what kills me both ways, but I try to keep that under control too (says the guy who lost 85 pounds between 2002 and now).
FD: I expect Stacie will talk about that topic more on her site. More ways to get your veggies, etc. within a low budget.
I am glad to see that you budget that much for eating out too. I always feel like I spend too much on food. We have been eating out a lot less, and dining in. I must admit, I am actually more satisfied with the food that I cook at home.