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 Eating Healthier on a Budget

 

Hello friends,

We’re in the first full week of the new year, and like many people, you may have made a resolution to eat healthier — only to feel a little sticker shock at the prices of fresh produce and meat at the grocery store.

So today, I’m borrowing a few lessons from my grandmother’s generation.

During the Great Depression and World War II, food was often scarce. During the war, many items were rationed, and nothing went to waste. People learned how to stretch what they had, not out of trend or choice, but out of necessity.

Today, grocery store shelves are full, but rising prices can still make it difficult to stay on budget — especially if you have a medical condition that requires certain foods. One of the simplest ways to stretch your food dollars, inspired by my grandmother’s kitchen, is to lean into dry goods.

Dry goods include foods like dry beans, rice, and pasta. Her pantry always held staples like flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Now, before the diet rules jump in — rice, pasta, flour, and even sugar are not “bad” foods. When used in moderation and thoughtfully, they can absolutely be part of a nourishing way of eating. Rice and pasta work beautifully in soups, and flour can be used as a simple thickener for stews.

Which brings me to another thing I borrow from my grandmother’s generation:
soups, stews, and casseroles — good old-fashioned comfort foods.

If your first thought is, “I don’t have time to cook from scratch — it’s easier and cheaper to buy prepackaged meals,” let me share a little secret. You can make your own prepackaged meals ahead of time, so on busy nights you’re still able to put together something quick and nourishing.

Here are a couple of examples from my own kitchen.

For my husband’s favorite dish, Chicken & Rice, I measure out the rice and place it in a sealable sandwich bag. I measure the spices and place them in a small snack-size bag. Then I gather a couple of 10.75-ounce cans of Campbell’s cream of chicken and mushroom soup. Everything goes into a paper lunch bag labeled “Chicken & Rice,” along with the date I put it together, and it gets stored in the pantry.

For burger soup, I gather all the ingredients ahead of time. I measure the barley into one snack bag and the spices into another. I then gather the canned ingredients, bone broth, and tomato sauce and place them in a plastic grocery bag. The dry ingredients go into a larger food storage bag, and everything is kept together. I tie the handles securely and tape on a label with the recipe name and date.

Another great way to stretch your food dollars is by making your own seasoning blends — like taco seasoning or stew seasoning — and storing them in clearly labeled airtight containers.

Bonus tip: Make extra servings of your meals and store them in the refrigerator or freezer for later in the week. This saves you time on busy nights and ensures that you always have a nourishing meal ready to go — doubling your food value without doubling your work.

Stretch Your Food Dollar: Homemade vs. Boxed Meals

Even with all the convenience of prepackaged meals, making your own can save a surprising amount of money. Let’s break it down.

Boxed Meal Mixes (like Hamburger Helper)

• Cost per box: $1.50–$3
• Most recipes suggest adding your own meat and veggies, which increases the total cost.
• Single servings are small, and you can only make one meal per box.

Homemade Prepackaged Meals Using Bulk Staples

• Ingredients: dry beans, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, broth, and spices
• Cost per serving (without meat): ~$0.75
• Add a little meat (like ½ pound of ground beef split over 4 servings): ~$1–$2 per serving
• Prepare multiple meals at once by portioning ingredients into labeled bags — a little upfront prep stretches your ingredients across many meals.
• Freeze or refrigerate extras for easy meals later in the week — another way to save time and money.

Meal Type	Approx Cost per Serving
Boxed Helper-style meal	$1.50–$3 (plus meat/veggies)
Homemade rice & beans or pasta meal	$0.75–$1 (without meat)
Homemade meal with modest meat	$1–$2

Why it saves:

• Bulk ingredients go a long way — a 4 lb bag of dry beans or a 10 lb bag of rice provides dozens of servings.
• Homemade meals give you control over portion size and ingredients, and you can adjust to your family’s tastes.
• Preparing your own “prepackaged meals” ahead of time, and freezing or refrigerating extras, combines convenience and savings.

Pro tip: Label each bag with the recipe name and date, so you always know what’s inside and when it was made. It’s like your own little pantry of ready-to-go meals!

If you’d like a copy of my free booklet, “Grandma’s Kitchen Secrets: Volume I,” head over to my Contact page and fill out the form.

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