Need diet advice because OMG, $1200 for groceries?!? Very Bad Day:(

[Elizabeth CM]

Let me start by saying that my husband got a summons today for that stupid HSBC loan he accepted when things got bad 2 years ago - before we started living so much more within our means.He got one of those HSBC checks in the mail... and cashed it. It has been a nightmare ever since, and they are just nasty.

Meanwhile, I've been living with LSE (Lupus, that thing House likes to rave about) for 13 years and it's been getting worse. My doctor suggested moving me to an "unprocessed" diet. The instructions read like a mortgage application! But it boiled down to mostly fresh produce, insane quantities of spinach, lots of beans and lentils, very little starch, and tons of "dark fruit" - like pomegranate juice, blueberries, etc. No MSG, no corn syrup, less salt, no white flour or white sugar...

I went with my list into Aldis and.... found maybe 5 things. So I went to the regular grocery store and bought a few more. Started stopping by Trader Joe's for things like hummus and beets. I never spent more than $100 - but still managed to spend $1204 for groceries last month!!!!!!!! That's for the 3 of us and the 2 furry beasts. That's more than $500 OVER my regular monthly budget.

The good news is that I lost 8 pounds, my BP dropped, and my white blood cell count hasn't been this good in 5 years. The bad news? Um... $$$$!!!

Has anyone out there found a way to eat healthy on a budget? Or any tips for finding cheap unprocessed food?

Right now, it's been such a crappy day...I don't feel right with any of my choices... I just want to cry.

[Early Bird]

Two thoughts: When I lived near an Aldi, I found lots and lots of 'regular' produce (peppers, cucumbers, apples, etc.) for good prices there.

And, try frozen foods. I even see frozen berries (at Sam's Club) for a lower price than fresh.

[frugalfoster]

First off..you have to be happy that it seems to be working...now..to find a cheaper way to eat... Do you have a health food store in your town...(not Trader Joes, that's to yuppy..but I love them)... how about a fruit and vegetable stand? Is there a place that sell's Bob's Red Mill products? They seem to be more reasonable if you can buy them in bulk. The longer you are on this diet, the easier it will be....you can do it...your health is worth it!!!

[Libby]

I suggest looking for your grains and legumes in bulk if you do use them quick enough to warrant that type of volume. I agree with the buying frozen fruits & veggies as well and for the produce, farmer market season is fast approaching. Also another avenue - do you have an asian market in town, maybe make it a weekly adventure/trip to shop there? Sometimes they're not pretty but the prices are definitely right.

Have you looked into making your own hummus vs buying premade? There's not much to it and plenty of recipes out there if you google them. Plus you'll know whats in it vs trying to read the label on some of the premade stuff.

HTH! Good for you for taking care of your health like that!

[krbshappy71]

The cost of the food has got to be less important than feeling this good after years of lupus, WOW!!! I knew a gal with lupus and the poor thing was in constant pain which then led to depression, if I was still in contact with her I'd give her your new diet suggestion.

Is frozen considered processed? How about if you buy what's in season and start freezing it yourself? Then you can start stocking up and have variety when its not in season.

Can you grow your own? Startup would be a little costly if you don't already have pots and plants but spring is coming soon! It could help out during the nice weather season, so you could sock away more money for groceries during the off season. Some people here have suggested growing lights and using a spare bedroom to grow plants, not sure if that is an option for you.

[Elizabeth CM]

It never occurred to me to make hummus - until recently, I never really ate it before. I am not a bean fan and started eating it in desperation, but have grown to like it. I will have to google recipes, now - thank you!!

My DH and DS are serious meat and potato freaks. So much so that I have been making 2 meals - mine and theirs. Hadn't thought about frozen, but of course - fruit smoothies are on my list so that would definitely work.

I am just outside CHicago, which has a Chinatown - are the Asian groceries hard to shop?

And yes - I have been relatively pain free. It's amazing, but I haven't finished my Tylenol bottle in the last 3 months. I just realized it the other day. It's amazing how much its actually worked, but I can't afford to keep it up like this

[Elizabeth CM]

oh, and krbshappy71 - thank you for the kind thoughts for your old friend...

[2ndGenGranola]

Has anyone out there found a way to eat healthy on a budget? Or any tips for finding cheap unprocessed food?

We have been on a pretty much unprocessed diet for about 7 years and have never spent that kind of money. In fact, I find it more frugal than a processed diet. Maybe you just need time to get into the habit of buying for this eating style? Some flexible menu planning that works around the sales fliers may help.

[mauimagic]

Congratulations on being on a pain free road!! The first month of adjusting to a new diet plan is always the worst IMHO!!! You'll also find (I hope ) that you won't have to make two totally different meals for dinner - the rest of the family will be able to and should be adding some of the great things from your food plan.

It's all a process and it will get easier and cheaper!! Be sure to let us know about your progress and discoveries!!

[monkeywrangler71]

Keep in mind also that this is a new way of eating for you, and that always costs more at first. You probably overpaid for some things, not knowing what a good price was yet; perhaps you also bought some things to get you started that you won't need to replenish every month.

You are basically learning to cook and grocery shop all over again, so don't panic. You probably weren't an expert shopper the first time you bought regular groceries either, but you learned the tricks as you went along and you will again.

I'm glad you're feeling better, your health is worth more than anything.

[Contrary Housewife]

I eat much the same way you doctor wants you to, and I do it from an ordinary grocery store. I get all my produce there,except in the summer when I grow my own lettuce and tomatoes. Yes, fresh blueberries are expensive, but they go on sale from time to time and as someone pointed out you can generally get good frozen ones cheaper.

Also look in the freezer case for juice mixes. There should be some 100% juice ones with no corn syrup. These will be more affordable than bottled juice.

You should be able to find an internet list of seasonal produce. Beets are out of season right now so they will be hard to find and expensive. I bought some last week and they weren't even very good. You might try canned ones. Spinach is coming into season and should be everywhere, it's been on sale a couple times recently around here. I love a good spinach salad with walnuts and balsamic.

The 2 of us with 2 cats eat about $300 a month, and we eat well. No processed food. I cook everything from scratch. The internet is full of great recipes.

You should try getting the rest of the family on your diet, or part of it. It will do them good, too, and there is no reason you should be cooking two different meals. When you all eat the same things it will help with the budget. When everyone has lentil stew and spinach salad, it is cheaper than making stew, and making burgers and fries too.

[Libby]

I am just outside CHicago, which has a Chinatown - are the Asian groceries hard to shop?

And yes - I have been relatively pain free. It's amazing, but I haven't finished my Tylenol bottle in the last 3 months. I just realized it the other day. It's amazing how much its actually worked, but I can't afford to keep it up like this

The Asian stores or area's sometimes aren't as pretty as say a suburban big name chain grocery store but sometimes they are. Depends on the city? But if you can get over the simplicity and somewhat less appealing appearance (sometime smells) - the no frills aspect actually costs less. Some of my friends who've never been to a Chinatown got excited at the street market feel plus the fact that sometimes you're able to haggle. If you become a regular, sometimes the store owners will give you free produce or other misc grocery items - and thats definitely a bonus.

The stores shouldn't be hard to shop, just expect cultural differences and new to you produce. Thats why I said make it an adventure.

One final tip - bring cash. When you pay in cash you sometimes get a lower or 'better' price b/c they don't have to pay for a fee for the debit/credit transactions. A lot of the old school type stores will/may only take cash.

[craftypam]

Let me start by saying that my husband got a summons today for that stupid HSBC loan he accepted when things got bad 2 years ago - before we started living so much more within our means.He got one of those HSBC checks in the mail... and cashed it. It has been a nightmare ever since, and they are just nasty.

Meanwhile, I've been living with LSE (Lupus, that thing House likes to rave about) for 13 years and it's been getting worse. My doctor suggested moving me to an "unprocessed" diet. The instructions read like a mortgage application! But it boiled down to mostly fresh produce, insane quantities of spinach, lots of beans and lentils, very little starch, and tons of "dark fruit" - like pomegranate juice, blueberries, etc. No MSG, no corn syrup, less salt, no white flour or white sugar...

I went with my list into Aldis and.... found maybe 5 things. So I went to the regular grocery store and bought a few more. Started stopping by Trader Joe's for things like hummus and beets. I never spent more than $100 - but still managed to spend $1204 for groceries last month!!!!!!!! That's for the 3 of us and the 2 furry beasts. That's more than $500 OVER my regular monthly budget.

The good news is that I lost 8 pounds, my BP dropped, and my white blood cell count hasn't been this good in 5 years. The bad news? Um... $$$$!!!

Has anyone out there found a way to eat healthy on a budget? Or any tips for finding cheap unprocessed food?

Right now, it's been such a crappy day...I don't feel right with any of my choices... I just want to cry.

I first want to say; you can replace money; you can't replace health. Do you have access to a produce stand? We have one real close to our house and another one with the same name a little farther, with much better prices. I suspect that as you go through this new way of eating you will find ways to cut costs. I think you can make hummus relatively cheaply. Good luck and keep us informed as to what you find out because I'm sure there are other people who need this info. I have also heard that if you go around the outside perimeter of the grocery store that is where the unprocessed foods are.

[imagine]

The secret I have found to eating healthy for less $ was Aldi's.

But you said that you didn't find much there.

I always get bagged Spinach there for 1.49 regular price but have gotten it for 49 cents there before. Carrots for 99 cents a pound, peppers are the cheapest I have seen there. They have great prices on fresh fruit ( tend to be something that is in season) last time I bought 4 pounds of oranges for 99 cents. that is less that 25 cents a pound (while the regular grocery store is selling them for 99 cents or more a pound)

I buy whole wheat pasta there

Hummus bough there for a treat from time to time ( my Aldi's always has it)

They had a special buy one Dark fruit juice a few days ago

eggs were 65 cents a dozen last week.

There Fresh caught Salmon( only ingredient is Salmon) is the cheapest I have found in the area

I buy roasted almond unsalted there For way cheaper then the grocery store.

I found that it take a while to learn how to shop at Aldi's. It is different then other stores. Since they one have one kind of everything if you don't go slow and really look then you miss things They also tend to box like items together. Like the Almonds have raw, roasted unsalted, salted, etc all in the same box.
All three of the varieties of whole wheat pasta are all in the same box. Once you learn where things are and how it is laid out it is easier. To find things.

Good Luck on your quest to eat healthier and within your budget.

[CampCrazyMom]

I'm just outside Chicago as well. I've been cleaning out all processed foods from my families diet, just for general health reasons.

I buy a lot of my bulk items at the Home Economist store in Westmont. They have great prices and I can buy as much or as little as I like.

Do you have a Tony's Finer Foods near you? I've found that they have the best produce in my area - in price & freshness. As well as selection. I only buy produce there and shop the loss leaders for meats.

I do purchase some things at Trader Joe's. Just a few that I can't get elsewhere. And even fewer things from Whole Foods.

We buy all our meat in bulk when it's on sale. I then package it up in meal size portions and freeze it. almost the same technique with fruits & veggies. What's on sale is what is served that week. I plan my meals accordingly.

There is an Asian grocery store. Whole Grain Fresh Market in Westmont off of Ogden Ave. You have to know what your prices are to shop there. Be aware of $$. I do like shopping there when I'm going to cook Asian dishes. Some of their produce is priced well. Not a big selection though.

Don't forget farmers markets this summer. Great place to get produce. I met one farmer last summer that was selling green peppers by the bag full for $3.00. Get to know your farmers!

Looks like you've gotten a lot of great information here. Let us know how the next few months go!