I swear by sweet potatoes. They're cheap, can be cooked/boiled/baked and keep a long time at room temperature.
Store-brand generic frozen vegetables in "family size" bags will also tap down expenses. You may not have much variety at first, but after a few weeks you'll accumulate an assortment of them to mix around.
for now, lean cuisines and smart ones (from wal-mart range 1-2 bucks for lunch) may be convenient for you, just make sure to drink LOTS of water as the sodium is high, but I've been eating these religiously for months and still continue to lose 1-3lbs a week.
Rice, Vegetables, Eggs, Tuna (YUMMY and cheap!), Buy a pack of deli meat, it'll be worth it!
tuna, dry beans, barley, whole chicken when it's on sale (can cut it into pieces the day you buy it and then freeze it into usable portions), apples (there's always a type on sale it seems), carrots, frozen veggies (broccoli and cauliflower;store brand), pasta, rice. As you can afford it buy a different spice or two. Garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, basil and thyme will let you season just about anything. If you find you don't through bread fast enough and end up throwing it out freeze half the loaf. A lot of items end up getting thrown out if only one in the household uses. Twenty minutes on a plate is usually enough to thaw out a slice or two of bread, or pop it in the toaster.
My momma raised me on "meat that was on sale". She bought what was discounted, froze it for later.
Although people generally want to avoid starchy things, if you need some crunchy items around for soups, you can buy large cartons of unsalted crackers cheap. I prefer pretzel sticks, at 110 calories a serving they're at least better than potato chips and other high fructose corn syrup doodads. I find big tubs of them on sale at ALDI and WAL*MART.
Unsalted nuts can be bought in bulk too... and bought cheap at "untrendy" dollar stores or from ALDI. Even if all you can find are salted ones, just rinse them and you'll get rid of at least half the salt. There is no need to pay the overhead of an upscale grocer to stock something like nuts, which store for months and are basically the same stuff regardless of the packaging.
Semi-seriously, one of the things I am liking to learn about a better diet, is how much CHEAPER it is. I went for YEARS spending $4 or $5 a carton for preprocessed microwave dinners.
Watch for sales at the supermarket ! You can often find Lean Cuisine and other diet dinners on sale. At the stores I shop in they frequently have items buy one get one free. Buy fruits and vegies that are in season ( if there are any in MInnesota). Nonfat yogurt is cheap, low fat cottage cheese is pretty cheap. If you can find chicken on sale you can do many things with it, including soup that you could make on your day off. Roast the chicken save some for sandwiches or make chicken salad with low fat mayo. It can be fun looking for bargains and you will be so proud of yourself.
Beans, tuna, oatmeal, eggs---making soups at home that are broth based can be easy and super cheap too. Also, pride yourself on being flexible. Eat whatever fruit or veggie that is on sale and looks nice.
Eating out is much more expensive than planning your menu - make a menu for the week - shop from a list - you'll be surprised how much you save.
I was thinking the SAME thing! Whenever you are heading to eat out, take that money and put it in a jar instead and reach from something from your fridge. Stock up with items with your name on them at work if that's what you have to do. At the end of the week, you might have $20-$30 there for next week's groceries!
dollar stores are good for some items. i also like going to farmers market, the one i go to sometimes has bags of random veggies for like a dollar. plus you get to sample random stuff.
Dollar stores carry a lot of cheap stuff like nuts, soups, oatmeal, etc. Also, if you are near a Big Lots, you would be suprised what they carry in their food section. We have them in ND, so MN I would think has Big Lots too. They even carry Nutrisystem meals. Just be careful what kind you buy, some of them are terrible. They have a lot of Progresso/Healthy Choice soups, and lots of snacks like nuts. They also carry Kashi products. Lettuce is cheap, and you can dress up your salad with a lot of other veggies. I buy a lot of things in Bulk- like brown rice at Sams Club. It lasts forever!! Chicken breasts are a great buy there too, and you can freezer bag them into smaller portions.
I'm broke and need healthy food...help!!!
