Eating on a Budget

Diet and Nutrition
1

Hey im a discus thrower going to college and I am having problems eating healthy with the abount of money I have for food. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for eating a healthy diet and building strength on about $200 per month for food. I can shop at costco as well as maceys. my main concern is energy… my energy has been very drained as of late and I attribute that to my lacking diet. Another issue is the fact that I can get to the store about 2x per month getting a ride with a roomate. I am looking mostly for ideas on shopping techniques and meal planning on a tight budjet. if anyone has experience or ideas I would appreciate input. thanks Derek

2

I know at costco you can get pasta and ground meat in bulk relatively cheap compared to standard supermarkets. Thats what I like to eat a lot of… oatmeal can be cheap solid energy source with its low gi carbs… tuna and eggs are pretty money for cheap protein sources

as for shopping strategies what i do is plan out roughly what i eat during a day and buy enough for 2 weeks… i really dont give a shit about eating the same thing over and over day in and day out i just need to bulk on a budget.

3

Derek,

I actually put together an article on this a few years ago for John Berardi’s site. Check it out:

http://www.johnberardi.com/updates/sep272002/na_budgeting.htm

I’ve got a bunch more “strategies,” but these should be good for starters.

EC

4

thanks guys, eric I like that article… I definately need to budget and I have been too lazy so that will be a good starting point, and ill check out the grond beef at costco, I already buy that 9lb oatmeal box which is great.

5

lerch,

There are 5 consistant things I buy at costco. Tuna (chunk light $4.50 for 4 lbs), Broccili and cauliflower (big bags), frozen chicken breast (Skinless), big cans of mushrooms, and eggs (both whole and egg beater type).

You can also get frozen strawberries and other fruit. I dont usually get there ground meat due to the fact they dont tell you how lean it is. I will buy the occasional roast. OH, and Avacados, they usually have a good deal on these.

Hope that helps. The tuna is a real help for me. I go through a can a week usually.

Phill

6

I do most of my grocery shopping at Costco. Some of thing I buy include: whole oats, natural peanut butter(2pack), almonds, whole wheat bread, fruits, salmon, tuna, lowfat cotage cheese, nofat milk, unsweetened applesauce(I mix some with oatmeal for flavor) Of course there is more but these are the main healthy things I can think of. The good thing about Costco is most of the stuff comes in bulk so it will last you longer.