Eating healthy, cheap

Sam

I don't have a car, so I'm largely unable to buy perishable foods like bread, eggs and produce.
I live in close proximity to gas station convenience stores that sell a bunch of junk food, although they do have ham so that's something...there's also a pizza place really close that does slices. Yech, I know, but a slice or 2 is the most convenient thing at this point.
My student union (and various other places around town) has healthy eats but it's not at a price I can sustain every day. And the seemingly the only place to buy produce are grocery stores and Target/Walmart which are all located on highways too far for me to walk.

If anyone has been in this situation please give me some tips. I don't want to be eating the way I do, and I'm feeling trapped in it.

Anarchia

Do you have a bike? I am by no means advocating you to try biking down the highway, but there's probably some grocery stores in your town that aren't on it. Also, stuff doesn't spoil quite as fast as you seem to think it does. People spend quite a bit of time in the grocery store with stuff unrefrigerated in their shopping carts with few ill effects if the item doesn't need to be frozen.

Also, it'll probably be a good idea to start cooking your own meals, which you seem to understand from mentioning produce. Quality home cooked meals are generally cheaper than preprocessed junk as long as you don't get too extravagant.

Improvolone

Take the bus or ride with a friend to the grocery store. There aren't many options for getting fresh food that doesn't involve the grocery store.

Thanatos

If all you're doing with them is hard-boiling, eggs last for weeks. Brown rice is a fantastically cheap, very non-perishable, fantastic for you food. Same goes for cans of tuna. I'm assuming you can tag along every once in awhile with someone to a Costco/grocery store? It'll take a high initial investment, but if you stock up on non-perishable things, in the long run, it will save you a lot of money.

onceling

If you have access to a deep freeze you could use the occasional large grocery run (as others suggest) to buy lean meats like chicken breast and turkey in bulk to freeze. You can also get plenty of frozen vegetables (beans, brocoli, cauliflower, peas) and frozen fruit. Blending frozen fruit is a great way to have some healthy sugars or for dessert.

Also you can freeze whole wheat bread. I have had great luck with those things you put in your vegetable drawer that extend the life of the stuff in there? Not sure what they are called but they do help a lot.

I don't think delivery is cheap, but I haven't tried it before.

CelestialBadger

Fresh eggs keep for ages - at least a week longer than the date on the container says. Tip: if you have had them a while, put them in a tub of water. If they sink, they are good. If they float, they are bad. I'm sure I have eaten month-old eggs with no problem using this method.

Can you get groceries delivered? It might help if you have housemates willing to order at the same time so you can split the delivery cost. It is often cheaper than you think, especially if you buy a lot of dried or frozen foods. Frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh. Frozen meat tastes exactly the same as fresh. You can freeze all types of bread. Milk also freezes.

Sheep

Thanatos wrote: »

If all you're doing with them is hard-boiling, eggs last for weeks. Brown rice is a fantastically cheap, very non-perishable, fantastic for you food. Same goes for cans of tuna. I'm assuming you can tag along every once in awhile with someone to a Costco/grocery store? It'll take a high initial investment, but if you stock up on non-perishable things, in the long run, it will save you a lot of money.

If there was some decent way to mix tuna and brown rice.

My mom makes a pimp tastic pasta salad with wheat pasta that goes great with canned tuna though.

Thanatos

Sheep wrote: »

Thanatos wrote: »

If all you're doing with them is hard-boiling, eggs last for weeks. Brown rice is a fantastically cheap, very non-perishable, fantastic for you food. Same goes for cans of tuna. I'm assuming you can tag along every once in awhile with someone to a Costco/grocery store? It'll take a high initial investment, but if you stock up on non-perishable things, in the long run, it will save you a lot of money.

If there was some decent way to mix tuna and brown rice.

My mom makes a pimp tastic pasta salad with wheat pasta that goes great with canned tuna though.

I take a can of tuna, dump it in a bowl of brown rice, and mix it with some awesome hot sauce.

There's no reason you couldn't do the same with salsa or soy sauce; of course, you have to like tuna to begin with (and I fucking love tuna).

cliffski

dude. potatoes are your friends. Spuds last ages if you keep them in paper (not plastic) bags, in the dark, nowhere too damp.
Maybe not mega healthy, but spuds bought in bulk are dirt cheap, and free of all the junk they add in junk food. get some tinned tuna and you can enjoy tuna in baked potatoes. mmmmmmmmmmmmm (hopefully with lemon juice pepper and mayonnaise)

SpongeCake

Also, get gardening or make yourself a salad box.

Precursor

You can also make mashed potatoes and grab a can of tuna, drain it and flake it into the potatoes along with some parsley. Mix it up, roll them into balls and flatten them on a baking sheet. Throw it in a hot oven for a couple minutes and you have fish cakes.

Also frozen veggies.

Rhesus Positive

If you must have red meat, look into buying offal instead - liver is cheap (at least in my local supermarket) and nutritious.

ElJeffe

If you want meat, chicken or pork in bulk are probably your best value. They can each be had for ~$2/lb, and a single pound is 2-4 servings of meat. If you want cheaper sources of protein, get some beans.

Definitely look into deliveries from your local grocer. Prices here range from $5 to free for delivery.

If you have to go yourself, as was mentioned, food doesn't instantly go bad. Unless you're going through really hot sun or trying to haul a bunch of ice cream, your food will be fine. But taking a bunch of meat and produce through even something like 90 degree weather for an hour should be fine, especially if you pack your bag smartly. If you don't have a bike, try to invest $20 and get a cheap, shitty one.

pinenut_canary

I second the brown rice and tuna. It is my staple. And it's versatile, too. As Thanatos said, awesome hot sauce. Sometimes, I fry an egg sunny side up and throw it on there with some sesame seed oil and soy sauce.

Legionnaired

One of the best threads ever.

My contribution:

1 Lbs Medium Shells
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
16 oz Frozen Spinach
2 Eggs
12 oz Mozzarella Cheese

Cook pasta al-dente while you thaw the spinach in a pan with a dash of olive oil on low heat. Drain pasta, toss with eggs, spinach. pour 1/2 cup of sauce into a pan, dump shells, dump rest of sauce, ad cheese.

Bake 375 for 45 minutes. Keeps for week and a half, at least 4 meals for a 6 dollar investment.

Lail

How far do you live from the closest grocery store?

Also, a lot of gas stations sell milk, eggs and bread, but of course they are going to be a bit more expensive.

Trowizilla

What kitchen facilities do you have? Surely you have friends that drive once in awhile; just mooch along with one of them.

If you can cook, stock up on dry beans (lentils, red, black, whatever), rice, and frozen veggies. Fresh veggies are better, of course, but frozen will last longer. Get some wheat pasta, too, and some cans of tomato sauce. With those, you can make curry, spaghetti, soup, stir-fry, pasta salad, etc.. Beans are amazing for you, incredibly cheap, and last forever, and you can pretty much put them in anything when you want some protein.

TexiKen

You're not trapped in the situation. Take the bus, see what the cost of a taxi would be to a grocery store (and buy in bulk to recoup the cost of the fare), or just have a friend take you when he goes shopping and offer to buy him or her a 12-pack of soda or something.