o i know exactly what u mean, i am a stay at home mom with a family of 5 and a very limited grocery budget but being a little bit of a health freak i have learned everything i need to know about buying healthier choices, 1. jlieter (please forgive me if i mispelled ur name) is right aldi's has great store brands and cheaper prices. 2. always buy in season and on sale the in season stuff is usually cheaper and fresher. 3. frozen is a great alternative, it actually contains more of the vitamins and nutrients we need because it is picked then frozen, the longer a fruit or veggie sits on the shelf the more nutrients it loses. 4, portion control! a big thing because we tend to eat more than we should but if u keep the portions withing serving range u will see that the food lasts for the amount of time that it should. 5. yes buy in bulk...many staples such as chicken, ground beef/turkey etc...are sold in big bulks especially if u live next to a meat store the biggest one here in chicago (not sure where u live) is moo & oink...they sale something called meat packages and for as little as 30 bucks u can get all the meat u need for a month! so if u can find something like that...6. cook as often as possible...food tends to last longer and is cheaper to cook because leftovers from the night before can double as lunch the next morning. 7. eat breakfast....u tend to eat less throughout the day after eating a full breakfast...a norm when im not getting up early to go to school is scrambled eggs, whole grain muffin, 2 bacon strips, oatmeal, banana, fat free milk, yogurt and juice and possibly some hot tea...that sounds like a lot of food but it really does go a long way! the slimfast products i learned to buy the powder, it takes a little more work because u have to mix it but u get more servings at a lower price. that is all i can think of for now so i really hope that it helps u!

I felt the same way as you do right now. I learned how to buy healthy food and still stay in my budget. My secret is to by frozen fruits and veggies. I know that they are not quite as good, but they are in a close second. You have to be careful with the fruit because it is a little sour, so eat it dipped in plain vanilla yogert to avert the tast. You can also try stores like Aldi's, they always have great low fat store brands, and they are usually cheap. My next suggestion is to stock up when it is on sale. For instance when krogers has a sale on chicken i stock up and bag it individually so i can heat up as much or as little as i need. I do the same thing with fish, and fruits and veggies. This helps for me to keep things around the house that are good for me. You may have to eat a lot of a certain fruit one week, but just remember that hte next week will bee something new. Also for the slimfast stuff, walmart makes a great store brand, and the powder shakes are slightly cheaper than the already made shakes. My last bit of advise are cupons. I am a cupon clipper, but i only clipp it if it is something that i would normally buy. Otherwise it is a marketing tool to get you to buy something that you dont need. That takes some motivation, becase what girl doesnt want to buy a new tub of lipstick :) Let me know if you need any furhter encouragement!! I am here for you.

So here Iam again, trying to lose weight . Its a never ending battle!!! Ive gained 20 pounds since april!! I cant say no to carbs or sweets!! I think that healthy foods are expensive and theres no help for me!! Ughhh!!! what am i gonna do?? Help!!