The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

added 10/28/08

by Mary Saucier Choate
M.S., R.D., L.D.
Food and Nutrition Educator

Eating healthier does not have to cost more—really! This may fly in the face of what lots of people seem to think, but those eating a plant-rich diet know differently. Omnivores with plant-rich diets, vegetarians, and vegans realize—and USDA research confirms—that you can eat a nutritious diet “on the cheap.”

The USDA’s Low-Cost Food Plan contains fewer sweets and less sugar, along with more fruits, vegetables, and milk products than the average household consumes.

Compare your buying habits with the tips below to learn strategies that may keep your food budget and your healthy eating plans on target.

Snack Swap
Swap processed snacks for fruits, veggies, whole grains, and dairy. Instead of spending about $2.25 for chips and a soda—a salty, sugary, and fatty snack choice—consider one or two of these:

A 1-cup size crisp local apple (64 cents) or a sweet 8-inch banana (45 cents) will also fulfill half of your daily recommended servings of fruit.

A container of yogurt (80 cents) provides important calcium.

Sugar snap peas (85 cents for a one-cup serving) provide nearly half of your recommended 2½ cups of vegetables for the day.

Five whole grain crackers and two tablespoons of hummus will cost you only 90 cents, fill you up with fiber protein and important nutrients, and get some of those all-important legumes into your diet.

Dump Your Drink
Switch soda, bottled tea, or bottled water to tap water or tea made with your own teabag:

If you make the minimal investment in an easy-to-clean travel mug for water, you can save a dollar or more each time you fill it up rather than purchasing bottled water in a plastic bottle. Tap water is virtually free; a 20-ounce bottled water costs between 99 cents and $1.39 or more.

If you prefer a flavored beverage, making your own cup of tea is the smartest way to save from 80 to 99 percent over buying a bottled tea, since a tea bag costs only 6 to 26 cents a bag while a 16-ounce bottled tea costs $1.29- $1.99 or more.

Are you trying to wean yourself off soda? That’s a money-saver. A 20-ounce soda costs $1.39 and provides you with 240 calories and 16 teaspoons of sugar. Instead, try a homemade juice sparkler. Mix one half cup 100 percent juice (orange or grape works well) with 12 ounces of plain or flavored seltzer. This refreshing mix costs less than 50 cents, contains fewer than 80 calories, and provides one-half cup of fruit toward the recommended two cups per day.

Eat In
You don’t have to make bread from scratch or culture your own yogurt to save money on food (although those are excellent ways to save), but making your meals from “semi-scratch” can save you a bundle.

A restaurant burrito will set you back five to seven dollars, while you can make eight homemade burritos (tortilla, canned beans, cheese, spices) for under seven dollars.

You can go out for an oily, cheese-heavy pizza at $12-$14 or you can just as quickly make one with a pre-made shell, jarred sauce, lots of veggies, and the right amount of shredded cheese for fewer than five dollars.

Move Meat to the Sidelines
Think of meat—one of the most expensive items in your grocery basket—as an ingredient, not the main feature of the meal, and “beef up” these dishes with healthy vegetables! Consider the savings when you move the animal protein to a “contributing” instead of “starring” role:

A six-serving pot of beef stew (beef, carrots, potatoes, onions) costs $10.49 ($1.75 per serving). To serve six people a modest four-ounce portion of an inexpensive cut of steak ($6.59/lb.) would cost nearly $10 before you even add in the rest of the meal items.

Two pounds of boneless chicken breast costs eight dollars and will yield 8 four-ounce portions (before cooking). Add in the costs of a side vegetable and starch and you can see why a recipe such as Chicken and Broccoli Bake casserole is a better choice. The casserole contains the rice and vegetable for a complete meal for eight for $6.94 (87 cents per serving).

The stew and casserole provide protein along with some of the vegetable servings needed for good health, at a cost that is hard to beat.

Do You Want to Find Money-Saving Recipes Easily?
Try the USDA Recipe Finder database.

Search by the main ingredient you have on hand or by cost, menu item (soup, side dish, main dish, etc.), audience (older adults, parents of young children, Hispanic, etc.), cooking equipment needed, and cooking/preparation time. You can electronically print out a shopping list for the recipes you select. Nutrition information is included for each recipe as well. The money-saving recipes will give you lots of ideas to stretch your food dollars while providing good nutrition.

More Money-Saving Resources

Books:

• The Complete Tightwad Gazette: Promoting Thrift As a Viable Alternative Lifestyle by Amy Dacyczyn
• Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor Hough
• Frozen Assets Lite and Easy: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor Hough

Online:

• Five Dinners Under Five Dollars
• Labeled for Savings – Get More From Your Dollars at the Supermarket from UNH Cooperative Extension.