Making Healthy Choices on a Budget

The daily trip to the grocery store has many people rethinking that trip that was once upon a time not something one had to worry about.  With the increasing rates of living standards, food prices have increased as well.  Also, people who receive food stamps are limited to what they can buy, so with food prices increasing they too must rethink what they will buy as well as making it last.  So I was able to do a little research with the help of the Alberston’s grocery store website, and found how one might budget themselves if they were on food stamps. 

In class we came to the conclusion that, on average, someone on food stamps has up to $22.75 that they can spend a week on food.  As a young grocery shopper I try to make good habits of making healthier choices, but it is also more expensive to eat healthy.  So I tried to find a few things that could last a week on $22.75, at the same time trying to make it somewhat of a healthy diet.  I found under an Albertson’s brand name you can buy Chicken Max Paks for only $4.95.  The Max Paks include your choice of thighs, drumsticks, or breasts; all of which range from four to five pounds.  Also under an Alberston’s brand name you can buy a pre-packaged garden blend of fresh vegetables for $3.99.  This package includes 18 oz. of vegetables.  Under the Heartland brand you can buy 12 oz. of organic spaghetti pasta for only $2.99.  Also including carbohydrates, you can buy 14 oz of Oroweat Bread (7 Grain) for $3.09.  Albertson’s Natural Oats & Honey cereal is $3.49 for 16 oz.  Along with cereal, a half gallon of Albertson’s Fat Free milk is $2.59.  After purchasing all of these products you would still have $1.65 left over, which could probably be used towards some kind of snack or juice. 

These products may seem like alot for only $22.75, but we still must keep in mind that it needs to last at least a week.  So being able to proportionize your meals is very important, as well as eating in moderation.  People on food stamps could very well go to the common fast food restaurant each day to keep their budget under control, but it’s just not a healthy way of eating or living.  So just by doing a little research we can still find a few good buys.