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

DullGreyGuy

Emmia said:

FlorayG said:

This 'five a day' lark is mostly just made up, a way to get you to eat properly. In real terms, if you have one grape, one tomato, one lettuce leaf, pepper on your dinner and a strawberry for 'afters' you've had your five and that's sufficient variety for your biome ( this has been established by recent research). After that, you can fill up with carbohydrate or fat. I follow a low carb diet which people tend to think is expensive but I don't spend as much as £150 a month on my food. 
You WILL need to learn to cook, though, if you want to 'eat healthy' on whatever diet you follow

In Japan, I think the guide is 10 fruit/veg per day.

At one point it was 17 different but 13 veg and 4 fruit. 

They've had something similar for much longer though, 80s/90s it used to be 30 different things a day

bouicca21

I think we need to know more about OP’s life style.  Does OP like cooking?  Does OP have cooking skills ? Is the day job tiring with a long commute that leaves Op unwilling to spend time cooking in the evening?  And what about those £5 lunches 
.  Are they spent convivially with colleagues? Are they full on meals or meal deal type sandwiches and snacks? Is there a kitchen at the workplace?  Does OP eat at their desk?  Do they need to get away from the desk and if So is there somewhere pleasant to sit and eat?

Bluefairie56

I am vegan so  most of what I eat is fairly cheap. I tend to make a huge pan of something, portion it out and eat that. It really doesn’t bother me that I am eating same thing for 3 or 4 days but everyone is different. I tend to eat porridge every morning and on top of this go various fruit nuts and seeds so never quite the same.

Cousin_Creditor

bouicca21 said:

I think we need to know more about OP’s life style.  Does OP like cooking?  Does OP have cooking skills ? Is the day job tiring with a long commute that leaves Op unwilling to spend time cooking in the evening?  And what about those £5 lunches 
.  Are they spent convivially with colleagues? Are they full on meals or meal deal type sandwiches and snacks? Is there a kitchen at the workplace?  Does OP eat at their desk?  Do they need to get away from the desk and if So is there somewhere pleasant to sit and eat?

I don't really like cooking. I'd rate my few attempts from disaster to mediocre. I couldn't even handle a stir fry. 

Yes I work a 12 hour night shift so I'll be too tired to cook. Or too unwilling if it's a day off.

£5 lunches I'm looking at a Sainsburys Meal Deal. There is a kettle and a microwave though. 

bouicca21

OK.  Actually without a wok, even a stir fry can be tricky.

 So start with small steps. Try changing just one day.  I’d suggest having a go at spaghetti bolognese.  Buy ready sliced onions, a can of chopped tomatoes or a packet of passata (Sainsburys sell one with garlic which might be a good one to get) and a small packet of 5% mince. I’d add a stock cube. Whatever pasta you fancy (doesn’t have to be spaghetti).  Fry onion add mince and tomatoes. While it’s cooking boils some water and cook pasta.  Shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes start to finish.  You now have enough bolognese sauce to do at least two meals, possibly three.  A freezer would make life easier but the sauce will keep in the fridge for several days. If the third portion is small, take it to work  buy a baking potato, zap it all in the microwave, and that’s a lunch done.

If you can hack that basic tomato sauce then next time add some chilli to the onion and dump in a can of kidney beans,  voila, chilli con carne.

Even easier is what a friend does. She buys those meals for two, and uses them over two days.

For lunch, again small steps. Change one day. How about a pack of hummus, some pre prepared carrots or mini cucumbers, and either a carton of fruit juice or tea/coffee using that kettle.  Or a thermos of tea/coffee that you made at home.  Again this will probably do more than one lunch.

Working_Mum

What sort of food do you like to eat CC?

Do you have any health issues or concerns that you need to take into account with menu planning etc?

Are you working to a budget so would like to be frugal and economical whilst eating healthily?/

It sounds to me like you are busy, 12 hours shifts are long, so doing a little bit of prep would help you ensure you make healthy choices at mealtimes. 

I have two adult children and taught them how to cook basic things from being very young - these skills have reaped benefits tenfold so it may be worth your while giving yourself a challenge for 2025 and decide to improve your culinary skills. I find a lot of joy in cooking nutritious food for myself, family and friends.

There is a wealth of knowledge on this Forum who are lining up to help you succeed

shandyclover

I'm also vegan so this effects my budget etc. We definitely spend less and eat very healthily with room for occasional treats etc. Learning to cook a few favourite simple dishes will add to your savings as well as being much better for you. One of my children works long, unpredictable shifts with a lot of travel and I definitely get how difficult it is to cook on those days. She started practicing on days off and says it now takes her just as long to cook as stopping to pick up a ready meal. She puts the savings in her travel piggy bank and motivates herself that way.  I'd recommend Miguel Barclay's youtube channel.https://www.youtube.com/@Onepoundmeals/videos Easy, cheap, fast meals for one with ingredients available at most supermarkets. He also has a series of books that are very reasonably priced if you want to ask someone for a Christmas present.

teaselMay

Your food budget is actually £250-300 a month if you've a separate £5 for lunches isn't it?

So £150 for breakfast and evening meal, that doesn't to be honest sound much of a challenge.

Without being any sort of good cook, not healthy enough to stand and cook and also have large dogs to feed my total grocery budget, including the dogs is £150/month, so my food actually more like £100/month. Lots of fruit and especially veg included. Very little in my freezer most of the time, usually just a few days of dog meals and so lack of it wouldn't affect the budget. 

Don't get hung up on the 5 a day, that's a figure plucked from the air, eat a varied mixture regularly.

Nelliegrace

It is a challenge to have a healthy diet, working 12 hour night shifts. It seems to be just work and sleep, with no time or energy for anything else. 
In winter you can go for days without seeing daylight. It is a good idea to take Vitamin D tablets to help your immune system. 

Night shifts leave you feeling not just exhausted but jet lagged with the frequent changes in sleep time. To cope with the gnawing fatigue you crave carbohydrate and caffeine just to stay awake, then you can’t sleep when you need to sleep.

I packed a basic lunch box for night shifts. We rarely had time for our (unpaid) half hour lunch and tea break, so needed a few healthy snacks, a peanut butter or cheese sandwich, nuts, a hardboiled egg, a bit of salad, and some fruit, to avoid eating avoid eating sweets and biscuits. I took some herbal teabags and decaff coffee, just for a bit less caffeine every shift. 

I had my usual breakfast of porridge, made in the bowl in the microwave, when I got home in the morning, and a simple dinner of meat or fish with steamed vegetables in the evening before going back to work. 

We make a glass of milk kefir every day now. The instructions are on YouTube. It would have been so helpful when I was working, to help cope with the gut problems from working night shifts. 

JIL

Lots of my daughters friends recommend hello fresh and other meal kit delivery companies.  Apparently there are some really good offers.  
My daughter has had some recommend a friend offers and I have to say some of the food and recipes have been really good.
They are set out in an easy to follow way and all components of the dish are included. They also are quick to cook.

It could help you to gain some confidence in the kitchen. They do two people portions, her single friends, heat up a smaller portion for lunch the day after or they alternate over 4 days.