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Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

March 23, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

You’ve cut down on your electricity use, you’ve called all of your credit card companies to reduce your interest rates, you’ve stopped going out with friends.  You’ve cut every where you can cut, but money is still tight.  Next, you take a look at your grocery money.  Luckily, there are many ways to cut corners and still eat good, nutritious food.  Consider these healthy foods to buy when broke:

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

You’ll want to buy food that costs relatively little but packs a nutritional punch and also fills you up.  People tend to go for carbs because they’re the cheapest, but if you’re mostly eating carbs and not rounding out your meal with protein and vegetables, you will feel hungry and you won’t be eating nutritiously. Due to this, it’s great to use a Vitamin C supplement because it is cheap and provides health benefits.

Frugal Protein Sources

There are several inexpensive protein sources.

Eggs

Eggs are cheap, typically running 10 to 20 cents per egg.  In addition, they’re versatile and can be used for many different meals.  Better yet, each egg has 6 grams of protein, helping to satiate you.

Dry Beans

Dry beans typically cost $1 a pound and can be used in a wide variety of ways.  A staple in many cultures, dry beans contain typically 6 to 8 grams of protein per half cup cooked serving.  They also supply potassium and many other vitamins and minerals.

Peanut Butter

Healthy Foods to Eat When Broke
Photo by Olia Nayda on Unsplash

Peanut butter is routinely $2 to $4 per jar, and per 2 tablespoon serving, it has 8 grams of protein.  It’s also packed with potassium and fiber.  Plus, it tastes great!

Cheap, Nutritious Vegetables

Greens

Most greens are cheap.  Usually the cheapest one is kale.  Kale is full of fiber and packed with Vitamin C and K.  You can use it in any recipe as a replacement for spinach.

Spinach is a bit more pricey to buy fresh, but if you buy it frozen, you’re likely to find it for $1 to $2.  Keep in mind, frozen spinach is already cooked, and cooked spinach is much more dense than fresh.  Frozen is the way to go when your budget is tight.

Carrots

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke
Photo by Harshal S. Hirve on Unsplash

Carrots are full of beta-carotene, and you can usually buy them for less than $1 a pound.  Eat them raw, in soups, or spiralize them in place of noodles.

Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the most frugal vegetables in the store, typically selling for .39 to .99 cents a pound.  Like kale, it’s full of Vitamins K and C and fiber.

Healthy Starches

Rice

Brown rice typically costs around $1 to $2 a pound, but one pound can make many servings.  It can be served with almost any meal, and it has a healthy serving of fiber and B vitamins.

Potatoes

Potatoes are typically a frugal choice as they run .50 to $1 a pound.  While Russet potatoes are full of Vitamins B & C (if you eat them with the skin on), sweet potatoes are even more beneficial.  Like carrots, they are packed with beta-carotene and other vitamins, and they are full of fiber.  We love them roasted in the oven.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal contains many vitamins and fiber and tends to fill people up more than other grains.  It makes a perfect hot breakfast, or you can mix one part oats, one part milk, and a dash of maple syrup for a breakfast muesli.  Just refrigerate overnight and seve cold in the morning.

Final Thoughts

If you’re on a tight budget or looking to cut costs, rest assured that these healthy foods to buy when broke are nutritious and will keep you satiated and satisfied.

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food, frugal, groceries

How to Feed Your Family on a Low Budget

February 8, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

If you have a low income or you’re paying down debt, saving for retirement or college, or just want to be a good steward of your money, you may want to keep your grocery budget as low as possible.  According to the USDA, the average cost to feed a family of four for a month based on their thrifty guidelines is approximately $646.80.  You may be wondering how to feed your family on a low budget and spend less than or equal to the USDA’s thrifty guidelines.  Doing so is challenging, but it can be done.  Here are some strategies that will help you:

How to Feed Your Family on a Low Budget

Cook at Home

Eating out will cost you more, plain and simple.  If you’re trying to keep your food bill in check, cook at home for all of your meals.  You’ll save hundreds of dollars a month by choosing to eat at home versus eating at a restaurant.

Get Back to the Basics

You can eat nutritiously without breaking the bank.  Find simple recipes that nourish your body and save you money.  Some examples include vegetarian soup, noodle soup, chili, spaghetti, etc.  Make sure that you serve a generous side (or two or three) or fruits and vegetables to stretch your main dish.

Use Low Cost Proteins

How to Feed Your Family on a Low Budget
Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

If you’re on a budget, you likely won’t be eating steak.  Instead, go for the cheaper types of proteins such as ground meat, chicken legs and thighs, beans, tofu, and cheese.

Use Healthy Carbohydrate Fillers

When you’re eating carbs at a meal, choose the least expensive but still nutritious carbs such as brown rice and sweet potatoes or Russet potatoes.  Remember, carbohydrates have a place in your meal, but you likely don’t want the majority of your meals to be based around carbs.  Instead, also focus on fruits and vegetables.

Consider Growing a Veggie Garden

If you’re able, consider growing a vegetable garden.  You don’t need a lot of space to do this.  If you have no space, consider an herb garden that you can grow on your kitchen window sill.  If you’re in an apartment or have a small yard, you can grow some veggies in pots on your patio or balcony.  Be creative!

Utilize Frugal Websites

Have a few frugal recipe websites in your repertoire to save.  Sites like Budget Bytes, Good Cheap Eats, and $5 Dollar Dinners have delicious, healthy, frugal recipes.  Consult these sites regularly for new ideas.  All of these sites also have vegetarian recipes, which will help you save by limiting your meat consumption.

Make a Few Freezer Meals

If you make a meal and have ample leftovers, consider freezing some of it.  Also, when you make a meal, you can intentionally make extras by doubling the recipe.  Then put one serving in the freezer.  Freezer meals are the perfect way to help you save money when you have a busy day and don’t have time to cook or when you have an unexpected event such as a child who is sick so you can’t get to the store.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to feed your family on a low budget is possible, you just have to be strategic when it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning.

 

 

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: frugal, grocery

4 Ways TV Watching is Hurting Your Finances

February 3, 2020 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

There’s nothing better after a long, hard day of work than to kick back and watch your favorite television show.  However, what you consider to be a harmless way to unwind may be affecting your wallet in ways that you hadn’t even considered.  In fact, there are 4 ways TV watching is hurting your finances.

4 Ways TV Watching Is Hurting Your Finances

Expense of Cable

At the most obvious level, you’re paying money to have the television set, pay for the cable, and use the electricity.  If you still have cable, you’re likely paying $60 or more for the privilege of watching a wide variety of channels.  That is at least $720 a year.  If you’ve broken up with cable, congratulations, you’re saving yourself some serious money.

4 Ways TV Viewing Is Hurting Your Finances
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

However, you likely pay for Netflix or other similar programs.  You might be spending as little as $11 a month on this, so you’re looking at approximately $130 a year, much better than paying for cable.  While you can pat yourself on the back for this smart move, know that watching shows is still costing you money, but in different ways.

Unrealistic Expectations

Watching television shows and movies can fill you with unrealistic expectations.  While you may make a modest salary and be in the market for a modest house, thanks to shows like House Hunters, you expect a large master suite, a perfectly manicured lawn, and a three car garage.  Your expectations have been elevated outside the realm of your own budget thanks to television.

Likewise, you may see characters like Rachel on Friends struggling to make it working as a coffee shop waitress, yet she wears glamorous clothes and has a nice New York City apartment.  This is not reality, but television isn’t about being real.  It’s about selling a dream, and most of the audience accepts the dream at the cost of their own finances.

Takes Time Away from Other Pursuits

The average American aged 35 to 49 watches five hours of television a day! (NY Daily News).  That is 35 hours a week.  Imagine all of the other things you could do with that time.  You could invest your time in growing your income, whether that means a side hustle, going back to school to increase your future income, taking online classes, or reading a book.  Your time could be used in so many other productive ways.  Plus, advertisers would not be able to reach you as they reach those passively watching television, which means you’d likely keep more money in your pocket.

Health Issues

Finally, those 35 hours of passive television watching can take quite a toll on your health.  Not only are you likely to indulge in unhealthy snack foods while watching television, you’re also not exercising.  Years of excessive TV watching can lead to an increase in weight and health issues.  In fact, according to CNN, researchers discovered that “for every additional two hours people spend glued to the tube on a typical day, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 20% and their risk of heart disease increases by 15%.”

While watching television may seem like a harmless pastime, keep in mind how much it’s really costing you.  If you want to relax, consider grabbing a book instead or hanging out with friends.

How much television do you watch?  Do you agree that T.V. viewing is affecting your finances, or do you not feel it has an effect?

 

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: frugal, television

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