Is it possible to eat "healthy" on a £150 per month budget?

Cousin_Creditor

I have a separate budget of £5 per day for meals at work. So, this £150 is to cover two meals per day.

Is it possible to eat healthy on this budget? Is it possible to get the 5 a day as advised? I have struggled living alone and cooking food for myself and I'm starting to feel rather useless at life. Also, I don't know where to begin. 

[Deleted User]

Fresh root vegetables are less than £1 per kilo
Fresh fruit starts at around £1 per kilo
Tinned food is available for less than £1 per kilo
Pulses and grains can be bought for £1 per kilo
Flour is around 80p for 1.5kg
Milk less than £1 per litre
Six eggs can be bought for £1
Fresh meat starts at around £4 per kilo
Oils and seasoning don't have to be expensive.

Frozen food costs similar or sometimes even less.

Your £150 per month could comfortably buy 100-150kg of food each month.

Yes it's perfectly possible for one person to eat healthy. You could probably even feed a family of four at a push...

gwynlas

As above there are also cheaer brands of canned food such as sardines, tuna, plum and chopped tomatoes etc which are nutritious as part of a healthy diet.
The best thing to do is meal plan and bulk cook if possible having cupboard staples to avoid buying take aways and ready meals.

Penguin_

I think your budget of £5 as day for lunches is quite high if you're preparing food for lunch.

DullGreyGuy

Cousin_Creditor said:

I have a separate budget of £5 per day for meals at work. So, this £150 is to cover two meals per day.

Is it possible to eat healthy on this budget? Is it possible to get the 5 a day as advised? I have struggled living alone and cooking food for myself and I'm starting to feel rather useless at life. Also, I don't know where to begin. 

It's possible to do it for much less but it will naturally depend on your preferences, if a day without lobster isnt a day worth living for you then it'll be much trickier than if you are happy eating a low meat diet with large amounts of batch cooking. 

Cousin_Creditor

Ok and it isn't a problem that I don't own a freezer? 

Emmia

Cousin_Creditor said:

Ok and it isn't a problem that I don't own a freezer? 

That will make batch cooking trickier, as normally you batch cook and then freeze.

Cousin_Creditor

Emmia said:

Cousin_Creditor said:

Ok and it isn't a problem that I don't own a freezer? 

That will make batch cooking trickier, as normally you batch cook and then freeze.

Ok. Is the fridge possible if we're talking keeping it there for 3 days? 

Emmia

Cousin_Creditor said:

Emmia said:

Cousin_Creditor said:

Ok and it isn't a problem that I don't own a freezer? 

That will make batch cooking trickier, as normally you batch cook and then freeze.

Ok. Is the fridge possible if we're talking keeping it there for 3 days? 

Do you want to eat the same meal 3 days in a row?

Cousin_Creditor

Emmia said:

Cousin_Creditor said:

Emmia said:

Cousin_Creditor said:

Ok and it isn't a problem that I don't own a freezer? 

That will make batch cooking trickier, as normally you batch cook and then freeze.

Ok. Is the fridge possible if we're talking keeping it there for 3 days? 

Do you want to eat the same meal 3 days in a row?

I'm not fussed as long I get the nutrients. 5 a day etc. 

cheerfulness4

If you watch YouTube  'Befree, Befrugal' and 'Ali lives well on less' show you how to live alone on a very small budget and still eat very healthily. 'Befree' doesn't have a freezer either.

I found the recipe lists at the start of the grocery challenge pages were a tremendous help to menu plan when I was managing on a low income while we were getting out of debt years ago. They may help but as others have said your budget is very good if you plan wisely.