Low-Fat Eating on a Budget

Here are some tips for combining budget conscious shopping with the low-fat eating plan to keep your options low cost, tasty, and low fat.

Keep in mind your Max Daily Fat, which was provided to you during your nutrition consultation. Remember that all fats count!

Bringing it Home Under Budget

  • Plan Ahead – Create a list of meals that can be made with what you already have on hand. “Shopping” in your kitchen minimizes the number of items you need to spend money on.
  • Use It All Up – Think of additional meals you can cook with each ingredient. Bag of potatoes – a potato can be baked, made into low-fat potato soup or a mashed potato side dish
  • Try Meatless Meals – Meat, poultry, and seafood will often be the most expensive items. Meatless meals that use other protein sources, like beans, can save money.
  • Lower Convenience Costs – Reduce the number of pre-cooked items on the shopping list which are usually more expensive. Bouillon powder is usually cheaper than buying broth. Dry beans are usually less costly than pre-cooked, canned beans
  • Stock Up – Take advantage of sales to stock up on non-perishable items: dry milk powder, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, canned goods, frozen fruits and veggies. You can also stock up on fresh items that can be frozen for later: veggies, fruits, bread, bagels, tortillas, milk (works for cooking and baking, but not drinking) and low-fat cheese.
  • Shop on Wednesday Nights – Lifehacker.com states that the best time to shop at a grocery store is usually Wednesday night when the new circular ads come out, but the store might still honor the previous week’s sales, allowing you to shop the sales from current and previous week’s circulars. Call the store first to ask what their policy is.
  • Try Low-Cost Grocery Chains – Deep-discount grocery chains can offer plenty of healthy options. Just be sure to check the store’s payment policies, as they may differ from traditional grocery chains.
  • Shop the Store Brand – The quality may be the same at a lower price.
  • Look for Coupons/Vouchers – A great way to use a coupon is on an item that is already on sale. Double coupons and online coupons are also ways to save.
  • Think about Drinks – Items that are in single serving bottles and cans are going to be more expensive. Cut out sodas/fizzy drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, teas and bottled water from your shopping list or look for ways to make drinks at home for less money.

Making it Last

  • Nature Made – Plan meals using produce that keeps well naturally. Onions, potatoes, carrots and apples will last a long time if stored properly
  • Store it Right – Storing food properly allows you to make it last as long as possible. Consider freezing items for longer storage times.
  • Use Portions – This allows you to stretch your foods as far as they were planned to go. Portion out foods according to the recipe serving size. Break out a big bag of snacks into individual bags.
  • Keep a Snack Stash – Set aside planned foods that everyone understands are the “go-to” snack foods.

Making it Fast

  • Make Extra and Use Leftovers – Double a recipe and save the extras. Freeze leftovers, then pull out another day for a fast meal – just heat and eat!
  • Cook the Whole Package – When making a meal that uses rice, beans or pasta, cook the whole package, then freeze the rest to use as an ingredient in another meal. Pasta needs to be slightly undercooked to be frozen and reheated for another use.
  • Have a Cooking Day – Keep one day a week where as much prep work and cooking is done so meals come together fast during the rest of the days.

Making it Tasty

  • Check for Favorites – When planning meals, ask everyone in the household, “What are some meals you would like this week?” Not all requests will be met at every meal, but there will be something for everybody throughout the course of the week.
  • Open Up to New Recipes – A quick search online for “budget meals” will expand the meal options. Local libraries will likely have budget-minded cookbooks as well.
  • Use Seasonings – Many dry herbs and spices can be bought inexpensively. Some ethnic grocers may offer the spices of their cuisine at cheaper prices.

TOP 10 BUDGET CONSCIOUS LOW-FAT FOODS

  1. Plain Oatmeal
  2. Generic Dry Breakfast Cereal
  3. Canned Tuna in Water
  4. Sliced Bread
  5. Frozen Vegetables
  6. Potatoes
  7. Apples
  8. Rice
  9. Skimmed Milk
  10. Dry Beans*
* Use sparingly if you are sensitive to the gas forming effects of beans