A recent research study presented data which indicates that eating healthy adds on average $380 a year to the household grocery bill. This started a series of discussions about the viability of eating healthy if you are on a restricted budget.
My default reaction is to call shenanigans and start picking the study apart. Thinking about it further, I’ve reconsidered. Sure the study was done in a very affluent neighborhood where the default store options are Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The deeper message has gotten misplaced. How do you eat healthy on a budget? Is it really possible to do this?
Since I’m coming home to a fairly empty fridge, this is an excellent week to start this off and see how it works. I’ve set a target budget of $35 a week for food. This week’s purchases:
2.5 pounds of chicken breasts- $6.00
4 cans tuna fish- $3.50
4 bags mixed frozen veggies- $4.00
1 bag black beans- $.99
1 lb tomatoes- $1.97
Fresh mozzarella cheese- $4.00
3/4 lb stew meat- $2.75
Plan yogurt- $3.00
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I’ve got assorted frozen veggies in my freezer, and a selection of flour and grain products in my pantry. The idea is to mix and match to create interesting eating options, while also aiming towards healthy eating. It should prove to be interesting.
Clara Showalter 
This is a great blog idea, I’ll be interested to see where it takes you. I am both healthy and on a budget and have always found it a challenge. Two things that have consistently worked to help keep my healthy grocery bill down is eating fresh fruits and vegetables while they’re in season (and much cheaper) and buying in bulk when things are on sale (i.e. frozen vegetables, tuna, light soups). Good luck!
Thanks! Most of us who live healthy lifestyles have figured out ways to eat healthy on a budget. I’m realizing that the information isn’t as widely available as I thought it was. There’s info on eating hard core bodybuilding on a budget, or eating vegetarian on a budget. There’s not much that straddles the middle. I’m interested to see how this goes.
And I gotta multiply by four. 🙂 Keep it comin.
Oh this is good. 🙂 Ballpark what do you guys consider a “reasonable” grocery bill? Feel free to DM me if you don’t want to share with the masses.
Wow. I really don’t know. $80 a week is prolly all we can afford, but $100 a week is probably difficult. We just don’t have it figured out that accurately 😦
Organic cheese is very expensive, but “conventional” cheese is not healthy. Have you tried quinoa? It might work as a cheaper alternative to supply protein and calcium.
This is where things get fun. 🙂 The challenge is foods which are enjoyable and still work on a tight budget. Quiona is on the list. The interesting part of all this is the research. Ideal healthy options aren’t available at all budget levels. So where do you make trade offs? When the focus stays on ideal healthy options, it may scare people away when they can’t match that ideal. Food preperation requires some basic skills that not everyone has. There are people who struggle with cooking. It takes time, patience, and a willingness to eat your mistakes. 🙂