Hello feathers! I'm on a really tight budget these days and am struggling to keep my grocery bill down and my fridge full of healthy food. Right now it feels like I pretty much survive off of miso soup, eggs, and kale. What's on your weekly list? How do you keep it in check price wise?

I avoid much in the way of grains, and sometimes I have trouble affording quality proteins without relying too much on beans, which feel a little starchy to me. I wish I could say I'm buying salmon and blueberries every week, but for me it mostly looks like this:

dry beans
sack of onions
sack of carrots
kale
salad greens
carton of eggs
Nancy's yogurt (ahhh an addiction)
jalapenos
garlic
cilantro
whatever fruit is on sale (grapefruits right now mmmm)
walnuts
a cruciferous vegetable

Then I'll buy either tofu, chicken thighs, or lean steak as needed for the week (about four times)

What's on your list?

My grocery list is huge since I shop for 6 people.

But, I can list things that would still be on my list even if I lived alone.
baby spinach (or frozen spinach)
salad greens
red lentils (dried)
pintos (dried)
chickpeas (dried)
1% milk (for coffee, bread making, and yogurt)
cottage cheese
feta cheese (a little goes a long way in salad)
frozen berries
fresh fruit, whatever's on sale that week
carrots
onions
garlic
broccoli
tomatoes
cilantro
red or green peppers
whole wheat flour (for bread and tortillas)
basmati rice
eggs (when I can deal with eating them)
small quantities of nuts and seeds and raisins (for making granola)
oatmeal (granola)
dried coconut (granola)
veg oil
maple syrup
balsamic vinegar
dijon mustard

Hey!
I live alone and am gluten free! Here is my list!

Perrier
Orange Juice (I cut the juice 25% juice 75% perrier)
Bok Choy (asian vegetables are super cheap and delicious in stir fry)
Arugula
Lemons
Zucchini
Asparagus
Canned Tuna
Red Lentils
Store brand rice crackers
President's Choice Blue Menu tzatziki *might be a canadian thing
President's Choice Blue Menu Black bean dip * ^
Eggs

I have a Hubby and two small kids, but I won't post the stuff that they eat and I don't (e.g. cheese poofs and marshmallow peeps lol). I avoid grains except rice, and we try to eat paleo most of the time. My "healthy" grocery list generally includes:

- Romaine lettuce
- Spinach
- Berries of some kind
- Apples
- Nuts of some kind
- NutThin crackers (love those suckers)
- Rice bread (I can't give up sandwiches)
- Tomatoes
- Coconut oil
- Ghee or butter or both
- Boars Head deli meat/cheeses (not the healthiest thing to eat, but convenient for me)
- Nitrate-free uncured bacon
- Whole chickens (if on sale). For someone on a budget, these can be had relatively cheap and freeze well.

I buy most of my meat at the meat market, and generally buy:
- A beef roast
- Few steaks
- Ground chuck (we eat this by the truckload: burgers, spaghetti, chili, meatloaf, meatballs...)
- Ground pork (for Asian meatballs)

I keep backyard chickens, so my eggs come out of my yard. lol

Some notes on budget shopping:

- I buy meat on sale always. I keep it in the freezer until I need it.
- I pre-cook a lot of foods. Like, I pre-cook ground beef and then freeze in baggies. When I want to make chili, I just pull it out of the freezer, add the stuff, and I'm done. No PITA of browning the meat.
- I buy in season. I like organic stuff, so we eat few berries throughout the winter (then it's mostly apples). But when summer comes, we'll eat more because they'll be cheaper.

I live in another country so prices can't be compared but when I lived on a tight budget I had to get creative also .

A few things that weren't mentioned yet:
- Canned chickpeas (if you invest in a jar of tahin you could make your own hummus!)
- Red bell pepper for a snack
- Whole wheat udon noodles (just use half a portion when I stirfry veggies)
- Cucumber, lots and lots.
- Peanutbutter

How I dealt with not having a lot of money was really stretch out the good stuff I bought. I have greek yoghurt with half a fuji apple for breakfast. Fuji apples are expensive, but I just use a bit less. The greek yoghurt is the same. I just use half a portion. Added bonus is that I eat less because of it. But I don't notice it. I realised that I used to portion based on what I thought a serving should look like. But now that I've changed that, I notice it doesn't matter much to me if I am done with my breakfast after 8 bites or after 12... if you know what I mean.

My grocery list is kind of bad but i'm working on it:
Raw and frozen broccoli
Frozen spinach
No salt added green beans
94% fat free popcorn
Seaweed
Lettuce
Fresh salsa
Ground turkey breast but I'm going to try out ground chicken breast because it's cheaper
Seltzer water
Plain Greek yogurt
Dry roasted peanuts
No sugar added fruit bars (Popsicles)
Bottled water
Reduced fat cheese
Eggs
Frozen fish


Price wise I keep it in check by foregoing some of my snacks and buying the essentials in bulk on sale so I don't have to worry. Also I will eat the same meals over and over again.

Vegetables
Romaine Lettuce
Spinach
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Celery
Cucumber
White mushrooms
Radishes

Meats
Salmon
Tilapia
Shrimp
Mahi Mahi
Tuna
Chicken Breasts
Lean Beef Steak

Dairy
Low Cal Butter Sub
Egg Beaters

Drinks
0 Cal 0 Carb Flavored Water
Pepsi Max or Diet Dr. Pepper


Ummm... that's about it. I am on Medifast so this is for my Lean and Green.

Here's Mine! When I'm alone, I won't include the crap by boyfriend eats

Fiber1
Plain 1% yogurt
1% milk
Eggs
Egg Whites
Canned Tuna
Chick Peas
Oatmeal
Carrots
Hummus
Kale
Mixed salad greens
Apples
Grapes
Berries
Bananas
Peanut Butter
Rice Cakes
Rye Bread
Agave Syrup
Coffee
Soda Water
Apple Juice
Lentils
Goat Cheese
Pesto
Whole Wheat Pasta

God boyfriends and the crap they eat! I live with mine and three other male roommates, and it can get tough. I swear their (lean, of course) bodies are mostly made of triscuits, beer, and quesadillas.

These items are all "regulars." I tend to grocery shop twice a week and buy only for myself:

5-minute brown rice
Whole wheat "light" bread
Red bell peppers
Spinach
Parsnips
Mushrooms
Japanese sweet potatoes
Spanish onions
Spring mix bagged salad
Oranges
Blueberries
Goat cheese
Greek yogurt
Chicken
Beef
Salmon
Eggs
Peanut butter
Half and Half
Green tea
Coffee

Here is mine lately. I am coming off of a rather indulgent pregnancy so I am trying very hard to be good.

Black beans
100% wheat bread
sweet potatoes
apples
cilantro
chicken breasts
lean steak
various leafy greens
broccoli
bell peppers
chicken broth
kashi go lean
zevia cherry cola
mixed nuts
greek yogurt
organic red pepper soup
lentils

This thread is making me hungry.

for my self ... (because I too have one of those boyfriends who can eat anything and does not gain a pound lol at least he's very supportive and does his own grocery shopping and cooking so I can stick to my diet)


Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Garlic
Green Beans
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Onion
Spinach
Tomatoes
Zuchini

Skim Milk
Eggs
Cheese

Frozen Chicken Breast and Haddock Filets from Costco

(I follow South Beach)