Every trip to the supermarket is a shock to budget-strapped Americans. The cost of a grocery haul just seems to be going up and up. And that may leave many people wondering if it’s even possible to eat healthy without spending large, or making the Dollar General your go-to stop for nutrition. Food inflation can hurt your savings account even more if you require plenty of calories to power those herculean workouts.
Luckily, you don’t have to turn to ramen noodles and packaged mystery meats to get a lower cost meal on the table if you know how to shop and eat in a way that will stretch your food dollar. It’s not about doing without or feeling like you are being a cheapskate; it’s about making strategic food choices more often that will still let you nail your nutritional needs but with much less financial pain at the checkout counter. This is about eating to support health and muscle-building during times when you are feeling a little more strapped for cash.
Here are the best ways to slash your grocery costs but still eat like a champion. No coupon cutting required.
Be a Can Do Man: They (unjustifiably so) get a bad rap, but certain canned foods are a great way to slash your food costs while still getting the nutrition you need. Work protein-packed canned fish or chicken into more meals, use fibre-rich canned beans more often in salads and soups, and harness the powers of canned tomatoes, which are often more economical and flavorful than fresh options at the supermarket.
Embrace the Mighty Egg: At 25 to 40 cents a pop, nutrient-packed eggs are an inexpensive protein alternative to meat and shouldn’t just be for breakfast. Prices have stabilized after the 2025 spike caused by avian influenza disruptions. Eggs are perhaps the most cost-effective complete protein in the supermarket. There is no reason you can’t turn to scrambled eggs or an omelette for a budget-friendly lunch or dinner meal.
Spud Love: Most active guys should be including some carbs in their diet, especially on training days. The various guises of potatoes are a low-cost way to take in a bunch of high-quality carbohydrates to help fuel your body. If you buy bigger bags of spuds, you’ll save even more.
Choose Neglected Cuts: When you buy meats, turn to less-loved options such as chicken thighs, pork loin, and round steak, which can be cheaper by the pound than their rivals like chicken breast and beef tenderloin.
Subzero Heroes: When in season, buying fresh veggies and fruit from local markets is a good bet. But, as a general rule, frozen vegetables are often more nutritious, and frequently less expensive, than fresh produce that’s been sitting in transit and on store shelves for days. And while you are at it, forget about those pricey fresh blueberries—go with bags of frozen fruit for a bigger nutritional bang for your buck. Frozen veggies and fruits also come in handy if you’re cooking for just yourself, or if you don’t have the need to prep a lot of an ingredient like broccoli florets, cubed butternut squash, or pitted cherries at once.
Stretch Your Ingredients: Most every food you buy should earn its spot by showing up in two or more meals. It makes no sense to buy a bunch of cilantro and only use a tiny amount as a garnish for your tacos. If you are on a tighter food budget, versatility is the name of the game.
Raid the Bulk Bins: Without the added cost of packaging and advertising, bulk bins remain one of the best places to save some cash on grains, legumes, nuts, oats, dried fruit, spices, and baking supplies. Plus, you can purchase just what you need for a recipe.
Don’t Overlook Store Brands: Buying store brands can cut your grocery bills by an average of 30 percent, and items like canned beans and canned tomatoes are often nutritionally equivalent to brand names.
Look for Sell-offs: Every trip to the grocery store should involve a hunt for those items that have been priced down to sell. Stores will mark down prices of everything from salad greens to yogurt to steak when they are getting close to their best-before or sell-by dates. Taking advantage of this can drastically reduce the cost of your shopping cart. Remember that many of these label dates don’t mean that the food is unsafe to eat.
Shop for Cheap Swaps: In several instances, you can shop for cost-effective items that have a similar nutritional profile as their much more expensive counterparts. For instance, opt for flax seeds instead of more costly chia seeds. Purchase cabbage instead of overpriced salad mix. Old-fashioned peanut butter is just as healthy as pricey almond butter. If you are already getting enough protein in your diet, then traditional yogurt is a cost-saving swap for Greek versions. Canned fish can be a way to reel-in the same benefits of eating seafood, such as high-quality protein and omega-3 fats that you would get from crazy expensive fresh options. Not everyone has the budget for $20 a pound fresh tuna.
Don’t Overpay for Convenience: Everywhere in the grocery store, convenience costs. Slash your grocery bill by taking a do-it-yourself approach to food. That means shelling your own shrimp, shredding your own cheese, deboning your chicken, and chopping your own fruits and vegetables.
Root for Roots: Asparagus and tomatoes might be your favorite vegetables, but when out of season, these can put a big dent in your food budget. For this reason, frugal shoppers recommend filling your daily vegetable quota in the fall and winter seasons with root vegetables as excellent economical and nutritious choices. Sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabaga, parsnips and turnips, to name a few, are inexpensive vegetables that can be used to make soups, side dishes, casseroles, and even breakfast dishes like breakfast hash.
On top of that, some root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, can be purchased in bulk, which helps reduce the cost even more. And since they have a much longer shelf-life than more delicate vegetables (here’s looking at you microgreens), you can fret less about them spoiling and sending your money into the compost bin.
3 Low-Cost, High-Nutrition (and Flavor) Meals
All of these meals cost less than 10 bucks to get on the table and still deliver all the protein and other nutrition that fit guys need.
Maxim Chaploutskiy/Adobe Stock
Lemony Sweet Potato Fish Cakes with Red Sauce
These satisfying fish cakes harness the cost-saving power of canned fish, potatoes, and canned tomatoes. Consider serving with steamed frozen broccoli.
Makes 2 Servings
2 cups cooked, cubed peeled sweet potato
3 cans sardines, drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped red onion
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 grated or finely chopped garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
In a large bowl, mash together sweet potato and sardines. Stir in egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup red onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Shape the mixture into four patties.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the fishcakes and cook for 4-5 minutes each side, until golden brown crust forms.
Stir together crushed tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on High power for 30 seconds. Stir the tomato mixture, and heat for another 30 seconds or until warmed through.
Serve fish cakes with tomato sauce.
Olha Afanasieva/Adobe Stock
Egg and Bean Casserole
Eggs and beans give this easy casserole a wallop of protein. It’s the perfect make-ahead cost-friendly meal.
Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings
4 cups cubed crusty bread
2 teaspoons oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups chopped button mushrooms
1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup full-fat milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
Directions:
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place bread cubes in the bottom of dish. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and heat 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and heat another 3 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, tomato, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; heat 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and heat until thawed. Stir in black beans.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add bean mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour over bread in baking dish. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Heat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle more cheese over egg mixture. Bake casserole for 40 minutes, until edges are crisp and center of casserole is set.
FomaA/Adobe Stock
Pumpkin Butter Chicken
This riff on Indian butter chicken is low-cost comfort food. As a bonus, it’s packed with protein and hunger-smashing fiber. Pro tip: Having a well-stocked spice rack is a great way to add life to cheaper foods like canned beans.
Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings
1 tablespoon oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 lb. chicken thighs, cubed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, or until softened. Add chicken and cook until the meat is mostly cooked through. Stir in cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger, cooking for an additional two minutes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and salt; heat for 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas and toss to coat with the spices.
Stir in the coconut milk, pumpkin, tomato paste, and butter. Bring to a simmer and heat until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and serve garnished with cilantro and pumpkin seeds.
