A recent article in U.S. News lists 7 foods to eat "if you're broke." Some of the ideas were good, but the article ends up talking about a couple who ate $2 protein bars every three hours throughout the day, plus some pudding. Aack. That adds up to $600 per month just for the protein bars--hardly a good suggestion for someone who's "broke".
Granted there are some other articles that are excellent, such these:
What healthy food to eat if you're broke, also this and this and this article
(Un-healthy) food to eat if you're flat broke and only have microwave; also this article
What to eat if you're living on the streets (hopefully you won't need this!)
What to eat if you're broke but picky
It's possible to eat junk food when you're poor--but it's also possible to eat very nutritious foods for the same amount of money. You still have a choice. Unfortunately, ignorance is often linked to poverty, which of course means poor people are more likely to eat non-nutritious junk food.
So this inspired me to make my own list. It's admittedly similar to the articles referenced, but includes a few additional items, all of which are healthy:
Cheap, healthy foods to buy:
1. White rice (or preferably brown rice if you can handle the taste).
2. Bulk dry beans, lentils (my favorite), split peas, pearled barley, couscous, rolled oats, quinoa, etc.
3. Potatoes; sweet potatoes/yams (if on sale); celery, onions, carrots etc.
4. Salad greens of all types (not bagged, and not iceberg)
5. Eggs
6. Cabbage
7. Bagged (or steam-able) frozen vegetables, all types
8. Canned mackerel (super healthy & cheap; tastes like sardines; good on bread)
9. Spaghetti & big jar/can spaghetti sauce (when on sale)
10. Large flour tortillas (for burritos)
11. Flour (possibly with yeast already included) for baking bread in breadmaker
12. Lime or lemon juice to add to your water; this reduces any craving you might have for soda pop
13. Turkey burger (when on sale; substitute for hamburger, or mix with hamburger)
14. Ham & chicken when on sale
15. Bananas (a great snack or breakfast entree)
16. Bulk popcorn (an inexpensive snack)
17. Other fruit (in season or on sale)
18. Small quantity of instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated or condensed milk, and egg substitute (to eliminate wasteful "emergency" trips to the store)
Things to own:
1. Used bread maker (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)--if you're into that sort of thing
2. Big pot or stock pot, and big frying pan (so you can make and freeze many portions)
3. Used large crock pot (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)
4. A hot air popcorn popper (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)
5. Lots of small plastic containers with lids for frozen storage
6. Lots of useful utensils: measuring cup, knives, wooden spoon, spatula, cutting board, etc. (thrift store)
7. A deep freezer or a refrigerator with a decent size freezer
8. Access to some good, cheap, simple recipe books; or some cheap recipes online
Strategy:
1. Buy in bulk
2. Cook a bunch at a time. Otherwise, you're wasting time. Time is money.
3. Freeze lots of "leftovers" (to the extent that you have freezer space).
4. Shop at discount grocery stores. (Aldi's or Save-a-lot etc. are better choices than Walmart.)
5. Stock up on stuff that's on sale and advertised on the front page of grocery flyers.
6. Make full use of crock pot with easy crock pot recipes (or just dump stuff in & see what happens).
7. Print out these kitchen cheat sheets and keep them handy in the kitchen (spice sheet on top).
8. Occasionally make a whole bunch of burritos and freeze them--meat, bean, breakfast, whatever).
9. Become knowledgeable about spices; keep a good selection on hand (see cheat sheet).
10. Learn how to properly chop an onion. Also how to saute or caramelize them. Onions are your friend. Really.
11. If you must eat at restaurants occasionally, then keep paper coupons in your glove box or electronic coupons in your smartphone. Find "2-for-1" or similar deals if there are two of you.
Super cheap 2 lb bread recipe for bread maker (reduce ingredients for a smaller loaf):
(This proves a bread recipe doesn't have to be complicated. Don't buy expensive bread maker mixes.)
4 cups flour (up to 1/3 of this can be whole wheat flour)
~1.5 tsp salt
~1.5 tsp yeast (if not already included in flour)
1 3/4 cups warm water (or maybe slightly less)
Dump in the bread maker and forget about it! You can also bag up multiple bags of the mixed dry ingredients to make it even easier. And you can add anything else you feel like, if you're adventurous.
Granted there are some other articles that are excellent, such these:
What healthy food to eat if you're broke, also this and this and this article
(Un-healthy) food to eat if you're flat broke and only have microwave; also this article
What to eat if you're living on the streets (hopefully you won't need this!)
What to eat if you're broke but picky
It's possible to eat junk food when you're poor--but it's also possible to eat very nutritious foods for the same amount of money. You still have a choice. Unfortunately, ignorance is often linked to poverty, which of course means poor people are more likely to eat non-nutritious junk food.
So this inspired me to make my own list. It's admittedly similar to the articles referenced, but includes a few additional items, all of which are healthy:
Cheap, healthy foods to buy:
1. White rice (or preferably brown rice if you can handle the taste).
2. Bulk dry beans, lentils (my favorite), split peas, pearled barley, couscous, rolled oats, quinoa, etc.
3. Potatoes; sweet potatoes/yams (if on sale); celery, onions, carrots etc.
4. Salad greens of all types (not bagged, and not iceberg)
5. Eggs
6. Cabbage
7. Bagged (or steam-able) frozen vegetables, all types
8. Canned mackerel (super healthy & cheap; tastes like sardines; good on bread)
9. Spaghetti & big jar/can spaghetti sauce (when on sale)
10. Large flour tortillas (for burritos)
11. Flour (possibly with yeast already included) for baking bread in breadmaker
12. Lime or lemon juice to add to your water; this reduces any craving you might have for soda pop
13. Turkey burger (when on sale; substitute for hamburger, or mix with hamburger)
14. Ham & chicken when on sale
15. Bananas (a great snack or breakfast entree)
16. Bulk popcorn (an inexpensive snack)
17. Other fruit (in season or on sale)
18. Small quantity of instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated or condensed milk, and egg substitute (to eliminate wasteful "emergency" trips to the store)
Things to own:
1. Used bread maker (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)--if you're into that sort of thing
2. Big pot or stock pot, and big frying pan (so you can make and freeze many portions)
3. Used large crock pot (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)
4. A hot air popcorn popper (about $5 from a thrift store or garage sale)
5. Lots of small plastic containers with lids for frozen storage
6. Lots of useful utensils: measuring cup, knives, wooden spoon, spatula, cutting board, etc. (thrift store)
7. A deep freezer or a refrigerator with a decent size freezer
8. Access to some good, cheap, simple recipe books; or some cheap recipes online
Strategy:
1. Buy in bulk
2. Cook a bunch at a time. Otherwise, you're wasting time. Time is money.
3. Freeze lots of "leftovers" (to the extent that you have freezer space).
4. Shop at discount grocery stores. (Aldi's or Save-a-lot etc. are better choices than Walmart.)
5. Stock up on stuff that's on sale and advertised on the front page of grocery flyers.
6. Make full use of crock pot with easy crock pot recipes (or just dump stuff in & see what happens).
7. Print out these kitchen cheat sheets and keep them handy in the kitchen (spice sheet on top).
8. Occasionally make a whole bunch of burritos and freeze them--meat, bean, breakfast, whatever).
9. Become knowledgeable about spices; keep a good selection on hand (see cheat sheet).
10. Learn how to properly chop an onion. Also how to saute or caramelize them. Onions are your friend. Really.
11. If you must eat at restaurants occasionally, then keep paper coupons in your glove box or electronic coupons in your smartphone. Find "2-for-1" or similar deals if there are two of you.
Super cheap 2 lb bread recipe for bread maker (reduce ingredients for a smaller loaf):
(This proves a bread recipe doesn't have to be complicated. Don't buy expensive bread maker mixes.)
4 cups flour (up to 1/3 of this can be whole wheat flour)
~1.5 tsp salt
~1.5 tsp yeast (if not already included in flour)
1 3/4 cups warm water (or maybe slightly less)
Dump in the bread maker and forget about it! You can also bag up multiple bags of the mixed dry ingredients to make it even easier. And you can add anything else you feel like, if you're adventurous.
No comments:
Post a Comment