Eat Well For Less                                                                                               Back to Food and Nutrition

I've been there.  I've done that.  I don't like spending unnecessary cash, and sometimes it's just not there to spend.  Over the years, however, I've recognized the importance of really eating fresh, wholesome foods.  I've made a concerted effort to make them the bulk of my diet, and I've found it doesn't have to be as expensive as we might think. Produce has a limited shelf life, and it costs more money to get it across the country to all the grocery stores.  It will always be a bit more costly than canned or boxed goods, but by sticking to items in season and watching for sales, you can get tons of great healthy food for limited dough. Chances are wherever you live apples, oranges, grapes and bananas are always in season.  This makes them affordable as well.  One of my local grocery chains offers certain day-old produce items at a reduced price.  It's best to find these sales in the morning.  I often get a large bag of fresh spinach or salad mix for $1.00 versus the full price of nearly $3.00 and there's usually no difference in quality.  All of my markets offer bagged apples at about $2.50 per bag.  Considering there are ten small apples in a bag, they average out to a quarter a piece.  I usually eat at least an apple or two a day, so it's a terrific value for me.  Take a little time to explore the prices and variety available in your market.  After a few visits you'll learn about the sales and find great value to suit your taste and budget. More information about natural foods can be found in the Food List

In the above image you can see the groceries I brought home from one trip to the market.  I only spent $24.13 on a big container of mushrooms  for salad and vegetable stir-fry, a huge bag of grapes for several days of snacking, a large seedless cucumber I'll use in salads and sandwiches, a huge head of broccoli and a large head of red lettuce, a bag of ten apples, six plum tomatoes, three oranges, three beets, a package of fiddleheads, and a bell pepper in four different colors.  I also picked up five garlic cloves to flavor my cooking.  The food will last me the better part of two weeks.  You can see both sides of my receipt below, and note the prices of each item.  And just think - $24.13 included the $3.99 for my People Magazine!