Eating Healthy on a Budget

I have cancer. That means I have two requirements that create added expenses in my life, and there is nothing I can do about them.

I need to pay for medical care. That means whatever insurance doesn’t cover (which in my case, is a lot) as well as co-pays, medications, and support equipment such as my rollator and my oxygen supply.
I need good nutrition. This is essential if I am to survive the cancer.

There is not much I can do to cut down on treatment costs and imaging services. I started a GoFundMe that I use exclusively for out-of-pocket medical bills, which helps.

The area that I can keep my expenses under control — groceries.

I do have requirements due to my health issues that make it tricky, however, to stay on budget. But I’ve got some tricks to make it work!

When I was younger and healthy, I probably ate pretty badly a lot of the time. Looking back, this was a mistake. Part of it was my own ignorance about good nutrition. Part of it was being an engineer who often worked long hours and then just grabbed takeout or microwaved a frozen meal.

I should never have done that, and I certainly can’t afford to do that now.

Unfortunately, buying organic produce, pastured meat, and wild-caught seafood is expensive. Fortunately, I save money by mostly cooking my own meals. However, treatments like chemo sometimes make it hard for me to do this. They either sap my energy or interfere with my balance so much that I can’t stand near a stove.

Therefore, when I cook these days, I make enough food to last for several meals. I’ll then put enough in the fridge to last for 3–4 meals, and then store the rest in a couple of mason jars in the freezer.

I rotate the mason jars so that I end up having some variety in the meals I thaw out. When my health allows it, I’ll cook several meals in a row, freezing a portion of each. Right now, I have a jar of chicken soup, 2 jars of venison stew, a jar of lentil-kale soup, and 2 containers of Thai veggie curry in my freezer. Each jar makes 2–3 servings.

This, along with food brought over by kind friends gets me through the times when I am physically unable to cook.

It’s also a way to save money if you don’t have a large family. Or at least not waste food. So let’s put it at the top of my list of ways to eat healthy on a budget:

You save money when you buy in bulk. So it’s better to buy a 5 pound bag of organic carrots, for example, then individual carrots. That means that you’ll be making a large pot of your carrot-ginger soup. If you have a large family, it might get devoured in just a couple of meals. If you’re single — freeze half of it and thaw as needed.
Eat mostly vegetables. This is a healthier diet for most people, and it’s also less expensive. By veggies, I mean non-starchy ones, like broccoli, spinach, onions, peppers, cabbage… many of which also have anti-cancer properties. Make sure to add healthy fats and to eat healthy starches and animal protein in moderation.
Avoid processed foods. It’s healthier and cheaper to make your own soup vs. buying it in cans. Or making your own cauliflower crust vs. buying a frozen one. I have even started make my own electrolyte blends for pennies on the dollar.
Cook most meals from scratch. I break this rule after chemo, though, when I typically get take-out. However, I still try to keep it as healthy as possible.
Grow your own herbs and veggies if you can. I have a large enough patio area that I can grow a few plants in pots so I can harvest most of my own herbs (which tend to be expensive at the store) and also a few veggies like tomatoes and peppers that can also be pricey. There are hardy varieties that grow well in pots in my area, as does kale and Swiss chard.
Cook meals with friends. I don’t do this much these days due to dietary restrictions, but when I was paying off student loans, one way I was able to save money — a friend and I would cook a quantity of something. For example, we’d make a pot of chili and cornbread. That would keep us fed for several meals that week. It allowed us to buy in bulk and split the labor. We’d take turns choosing the recipe which kept it interesting.
Fasting. This is something I had to do due to my cancer treatments — I had read that fasting for 2 days prior to chemo or radiation could greatly reduce the side effects and increase the effectiveness. That was my main reason for doing it, but I also found it saved me money. Of course, then, after chemo, I’d order take-out…

That’s the final point to keep in mind. It’s OK to give yourself an occasional break from being disciplined. It’s easier to stay on track the rest of the time if you have one meal a week where you let loose a little. At least, that is what works for me.

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This post was previously published on Shefali O’Hara’s blog.

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