Posted by Tula Karras on Wed, Mar 31, 2010
I can't believe I'm admitting this in a public forum, but here goes: I was laid off last December. My company had to cut a huge percentage from their budget and because I was part-time, I got the heave-ho. I've landed on my feet, but the transition was rough. I'm sure many of you can relate—whether you've been let go or had your salary or benefits cut back, or are simply trying to save for the next economic dip, times are tough all around.
For me, the easiest place to trim expenses is in my food budget—my rent isn't flexible (Is that my landlord I hear cackling all the way to the bank?) and my health insurance premiums weren't negotiable. The fact was, I'd been spending WAY too much going out to eat, ordering takeout and buying groceries with good intentions, only to later watch the produce go bad before I got around to eating it. And though I've become thriftier, there's room for improvement. Here's the catch: I didn't want my health and diet to suffer. So this week, I challenged myself to spend no more than $60 on groceries and to keep my diet nutritious. [I arrived at the $60 figure based on the average percentage spent by a household on food, adjusted for a single person and for living in New York City, where prices are at least 20 percent higher than the rest of the country.] That meant no fast food, no boxed mac 'n cheese, no empty calories. I would try to include the foods that dietitians recommend most, such as fish, low-fat dairy, and lots of fruit and veggies…or, as we also know them, the most expensive items in the supermarket.
It has been an interesting week filled with, ups, downs, and cravings. I've stopped mindlessly snacking and I've even lost a pound. Here, my top 10 tips on how to eat healthfully without spending a lot of money. I'd love to hear your tips—please post!
1. I literally could not afford empty calories. I went to the store armed with a rough list of ingredients for my week's meal-plan:
Breakfast: Whole-grain cereal, fruit (two pears, bag of tangerines), eggs (half dozen), six-pack of whole-wheat English muffins.
Lunch: Salmon salad (salmon steak, head of greens, cucumber), Wasa toast snack (Wasa toast, ricotta, peanut butter, grapes), PB&J
Dinner: Salmon salad, pasta, Beans and Noodle Soup (four nights)
Sounds measly, right? I figured that if I shopped wisely, I'd have enough left over to buy a couple extras, like popcorn, a healthy frozen burrito, some canned chili, juice. I was wrong. I walked out of the supermarket for the first time in my life with no chocolate and zero snack items. It was going to be a rough week.
2. Every food has to multitask. Because I was on such a limited budget but still trying to meet my healthy-eating goals, I couldn't afford to buy something that only offered a single (or zero) benefit. Peanut butter? Check (protein and healthy fats). Ricotta? Check (calcium and protein). Eggs? Check (protein, lutein, folate, vitamin A). I also needed foods I could use in a number of ways. Just like those fashion magazine stories where you have five items and get 20 different outfits, I had to take my shrunken grocery list and cobble together 35 different meals. Eggs are great for this—you can scramble them for breakfast and hard-boil them for a luncheon salad. Ditto spinach: Great in soups, stir-fries and salad. And peanut butter is perfect for dipping, spreading and spoon-licking in moments of weakness.
3. Organic? Fuhgettaboutit. This was one of the hardest things for me to give up, but it's impossible to eat organic and save money. The two exceptions: Organic canned tomatoes and organic whole-grain cereal, both of which were as cheap or cheaper than their non-organic counterparts. From a taste standpoint, I didn't notice much of a difference—the conventional produce didn't taste chemical-y or pesticide-ridden. That said, in a few weeks I plan to purchase this exact grocery list but choose all organic ingredients to see how much more I end up spending…and if it tastes any better as well. (Stay tuned!).
4. Convenience foods? Not a chance. Most things in life are a time/money tradeoff, and food is no exception. I'm addicted to those pre-washed mixes of lettuce. But they are twice as expensive as buying a big ol' head of lettuce and washing it yourself. Diced canned tomatoes are more expensive because they've done the work of chopping for you (shortcut: Buy whole and grind them up in a food processor). And making a huge pot of bean soup (I used the Black Bean and Noodle Soup recipe on The Best Life site, substituting vegetable broth for the water and adding ¼ cup lemon juice to jazz it up) is way cheaper than buying it premade in cans. So yes, you'll have to block out an extra hour a day for food prep, but you will see the savings pile up.
5. Eat…and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. I didn't realize what a luxury a varied diet was until this week. The first four days were fine—I had enough to eat a different breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Days 5, 6 and 7 were like Groundhog Day. Another egg breakfast sandwich? Bean soup again?! I'm sure that if I kept this up, I'd get better at carving out a varied meal-plan, but if I see one more tangerine I'm going to fling it out the window.
6. Nothing went to waste. Speaking of flinging things out the window, you can't do this when you're on a budget. I've become a hoarder. I'm scared to throw anything away for fear of going hungry. My fridge is now home to a number of leftover containers harboring: ¼ cup of veggie broth; 10 grapes and a smidgen of ricotta for tonight's Wasa snack (this combo sounds weird but it's the best healthy snack I've had in years—I used peanut butter instead of almond butter because it's cheaper); half of an English muffin; and a sad, wilted bunch of spinach.
7. I lost a bit of weight. I wouldn't recommend this experiment for weight-loss purposes alone, but if you have trouble keeping a lid on your snacking, you will lose a couple pounds, because…there are no snacks in the house! Of course, you can get creative and desperate—I ate peanut butter straight from the jar on several occasions. But my trigger food is cheese, and I only had money to buy a five-ounce container of shredded Parmesan, the cheese called for in the bean soup recipe.
8. I had to shop at the least expensive store...and paid in the form of lower quality. This was perhaps the worst part of the experiment. There was no strolling through Whole Foods, no running to the convenient corner deli. I had to purchase everything all in one trip at my local, bottom-of-the-barrel grocery store. This was fine for packaged goods and dairy, but the produce was sad and limp. Poor-quality produce is a problem on two fronts: 1) It's not as tasty or nutritious; 2) It doesn't keep as long. My bean soup contained no carrots because they went bad before I got around to making it on Day 4.
9. I ate more fruit…but suffered on the veggie front. It's easier to buy cheap fruit in bulk and have it keep, but not so with the veggies. Also, the vegetables that I like to eat are expensive—asparagus, tomatoes (actually a fruit), sugar snap peas. I settled for salad greens and collards, but it wasn't enough to meet my daily quota.
10. You will end up breaking your budget by going out to eat. I was pretty strict when it came to eating at home, but I couldn't turn down a lunch with an editor (for work reasons, I promise!) or dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, whom I don't get to see too often. So I busted my budget by about $20—not bad considering how much I could have spent eating out. But I should have factored that in from the get-go—leaving me with $40 to spend on groceries, but two fewer meals to buy for.
All told, I survived, and I developed some smart habits I'll take with me into the coming weeks. But I'm going to allow myself some wiggle room when it comes to fresh veggies and a more varied diet of protein sources. And dark chocolate is going back on my list. Life is too short not to spend a little extra on something that makes me so happy.
Posted by Willow Jarosh on Mon, Apr 20, 2009
I like to buy larger quantities of some foods, like dried beans and whole grains, because it's more economical. And some things just come in larger quantities, like the dried coconut I bought to put in the reduced-fat oatmeal carrot cookies I just made. I usually empty the larger bags of food into re-sealable bags when I get them because they stay fresher for longer that way. But then I have the problem of not knowing the nutrition information, which was posted on the original packaging.
My solution: I've started cutting the nutrition facts panel off of the box and placing it in the bag with the food. It seems so simple (and it is!) but I'd never thought to do it before. It works like a charm and takes away the guesswork of trying to figure out the nutrition stats of unlabeled bags of food. Plus, if you tend to buy foods in bulk, like brown rice or even the peanut butter that you grind yourself at the store, you can print the nutrition info out online or take a picture of the label on the bulk bin at the store and copy it onto a label for your food at home. Try it the next time you buy bulk!
Posted by Janis Jibrin on Fri, Apr 17, 2009
Your daughter calls to let you know she won't be home for dinner. Your husband has been getting home late, and your son likes to eat early. Sound familiar? While life may make it nearly impossible to sit down to a nice family dinner every night, it's worth trying to get the gang together for a meal as often as possible. Research shows the old-fashioned tradition is good for your family's health.
The more dinners eaten at home, the healthier the family—it's a simple fact proven over and over again. In fact, one study from Harvard University in Boston found that children who ate at home most often consumed about 50 percent more fruit and vegetables, and less fried food and soda than those who ate at home less frequently. As a result, they had a lower intake of saturated and trans fats, and a higher intake of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Although more than half of the 9-year-olds surveyed ate family dinner daily, the rate dipped to only about a third for 14-year-olds.
Not surprisingly, it's a lack of time—for both parents and young adults—that seems to keep us out of the kitchen. In fact, a survey from the University of Minnesota found that men and women ages 18 to 23 complain they don't have the time or the cooking skills to prepare meals at home. That's not only bad for your wallet (takeout and restaurant meals are often more expensive than home-cooked), it's also bad for your health: Just like children who eat at home, young adults who eat in at least once a week took in substantially less fat and saturated fat, and consumed more fruit and vegetables and fiber than those who said they cooked just one to five times a year.
More fiber and less fat aren’t the only benefits. Home-cooked meals can also boost brain power. Children who frequently eat dinner with their parents get more A's and B's in school than children who have just two or three family dinners weekly, according to research from Columbia University in New York. This together-time can also keep your kids out of trouble: Some research indicates that teens who eat family meals are less likely to smoke, feel depressed or abuse alcohol and drugs.
Ready for the best part? You don't have to be Julia Child to pull off a family dinner. Try these easy tricks, and you'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time.
1. Rely on prepared foods. Pick up a rotisserie chicken, a bag of salad greens and some whole-wheat rolls. You now have all the fixings for healthy dinner.
2. Graduate to simple recipes. Once you feel a little more comfortable in the kitchen, test yourself out on some easy recipes. (TheBestLife.com has a great recipe database with hundreds of easy-to-made dishes.)
3. Enlist help. Have your children run the greens through the salad spinner and/or set the table. This will help you get things done, and get them used to working with food and being in the kitchen.
4. Turn off the TV. It's not only the food, but the conversation and bonding that make family dinners so important. So turn off the tube, sit back and enjoy the great company and tasty meal!
Posted by Sidra Forman on Thu, Apr 09, 2009
We all know why experts recommend cooking at home instead of heading out for a meal—home-cooked dishes are usually healthier and more diet-friendly. Plus, they're a lot less expensive, too. But if you're a cooking-phobe, you probably find that you just don't have the ingredients you need to whip up a tasty meal. And while many people say they don't like cooking, even more say they can't stand grocery shopping.
Of course, food shopping doesn't have to be frightening or stressful. Try these tips to breeze through your next shopping trip:
Go to the same store. The first time you walk into a grocery store, it takes forever to find anything. But after a few visits, you'll start to know your way around. And before long, finding what you need will be a cinch. Try to find one store you like (one that's closest to your house, is newer, has the best produce selection), and stick with it.
Shop during off-hours. Nothing is worse than standing in line or fighting through a crowd of carts after a long day at work. Try going after dinner on a week night or early on a weekend morning when it's not as busy.
Do delivery. Many stores provide grocery delivery for a nominal fee.
Find a farmers market. Heading outdoors to do your produce shopping can be a welcome change from the fluorescent lights and overcrowded aisles of your supermarket. To find one near you, check out Local Harvest.
For more great healthy eating advice, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Heather Jones on Fri, Apr 03, 2009
You can pinch pennies and still fill your cart with healthy picks using use these tips, which come from my ebook, The Grocery Cart Makeover (www.grocerycartmakeover.com).
1. Log on. Check out websites like mygrocerydeals.com or even the site of your local grocery store to find sales and coupons. A savings of $10 per week adds up to $80 over two months. For double savings, pair your coupons
with a weekly store sale and bag serious bargains.
2. Be loyal. Most grocery stores have loyalty programs—join and receive
personalized savings on the things you buy the most. Some stores even
offer discounts on gas, free movie tickets, airline miles, and more!
3. Make a list. Build a weekly menu, then construct a grocery list based
on the foods you need for your menu. Shopping from a strategic list
ensures avoiding extra trips to the store for forgotten items, and it
also keeps your goals in clear view, cutting the temptation to buy
extras not on your list.
4. Plan weekly trips. Go more than once a week to the grocery store, and
you'll end up with expensive and empty-calorie extras you don't need.
But if you shop every other week, you won't be able to stock up on
healthy fresh foods, like milk and produce. Once a week is just right.
5. Go solo. Whether it's your sweetie or your toddler, bringing companions to the store makes it harder for you to stick to your list and
can add up to extra cash at the checkout.
6. Stick with the basics. Commit to a cart full of healthy foods and leave the rest on the
shelf—it's a mindset that will save you money and keep your health on
track. Filling your cart with mostly processed, empty-calorie foods will cost you—not only cash, but your health, too.
7. Look high and low. Some grocery stores stock their most expensive
items at eye level, so scope the shelves up and down where you'll
likely find the less expensive store brands and sale items. Store
brand secret: Generic replicas are often made by the name brand
companies.
8. Go meatless. Substitute beans, tofu, eggs, nuts, or peanut butter for
meat two to three times a week. Meatless protein substitutes are often
less expensive and healthier, too.
9. Chill out. Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great nutritious alternative to fresh. Frozen is just as healthy as fresh because fruit and veggies are flash-frozen shortly after harvest, preserving the nutrients. Same goes for canned vegetables without added salt and fruit canned in their own juice.
10. Be a windowsill gardener. Fresh herbs add flavor without fat and sodium, so use them generously. But buying fresh herbs in the grocery store can add up quickly, and they tend to go bad faster than you can use them. Buy a potted version and cultivate your own healthy garden to save yourself some money.
What you put in your cart is like making an investment; while junk food is risky, healthy bites are a safe bet for the long-term. In the end, filling your cart with nutritious picks is a much better bargain then filling it with junk. And if you use these tips, you won't have to spend a fortune to fill your fridge and cabinets with diet-friendly fare.
For more tips on losing weight and saving cash, check out TheBestLife.com.