By now, anyone who has watched the news during the last presidential election has heard complaints about “the price of eggs.” Grocery store prices have been on the rise long before the recent bird flu news. Pre-pandemic, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 2.2%. But by June of 2022, it hit a peak at 8.99%. However, by September 2024 (a couple of months before the election between former Vice President Kamala Harris and then-former President Donald Trump), the CPI had cooled down to 2.4%. Still, some consumers were (and are) feeling the hit every time the cashier told them their grocery bill total.

So what now? Groceries must be bought regardless, and consumers don’t want to buy cheap takeout for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While there are a few vegetables and fruits that can be planted at home during the winter months and beyond, here are a few more healthy meals on a budget to keep kitchen cabinets from going bare.

Skip Meat, Try Mushrooms

If the price of steak is too intense, consider substituting your meat dishes with mushrooms. Eat Meati is one of many plant-based brands proving that mushrooms can make a surprisingly tasty vegan steak or vegan chicken cutlet. While frozen vegan food can be just as pricey as meat, buying actual mushrooms is not. Anyone who can cook fried chicken can do the same with oyster mushrooms, which pack the same crunch and texture as meat, along with 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Mushrooms can take the place of meat in any pasta dish such as spaghetti and fettuccine, and pretty much any other meal with meat, including homemade pizza.

Skip Seafood, Try Garbanzo Beans

If seafood, even a can of tuna, is just becoming too pricey (and drowning in salt), consider garbanzo beans. This legume (also known as chickpeas) can be a substitute for a variety of seafood meals. One underrated option is the main ingredient in tuna fish salad or tuna fish sandwiches. After soaking garbanzo beans overnight, boil them for a couple of hours and mash them down with a food processor until they give the appearance of tuna fish. Add your usual mayonnaise, celery, onion and the seasonings of your choice, and now you have your own seafood platter. Eat it with toast, pita bread, crackers or on its own.

Skip Packaged Drinks, Buy Fresh Fruit

While some fruit is out of season, take advantage of sales counters and clearance sections where fruit is located in local grocery stores. Refrigerating strawberries and leaving bananas on the counter can too often lead to fruit going bad too quickly. However, if the fruit is frozen, it can be stretched out for refreshments and fruit smoothies. Pull the stems out of strawberries, wash them off and put them in a freezer bag to grab for later use as needed. Unpeel bananas and lay them on their side in a freezer bag (similar to hot dogs). Then, freeze them. By positioning them this way (instead of dumping them on top of each other), they’re very easy to remove and blend as needed. This fruit smoothie can be your breakfast meal on the go.

Skip Bags of Chips, Buy Popcorn Kernels

Microwave extra butter popcorn and other junk food may seem convenient to buy and eat when you’re ready to check out your favorite rom-coms or other movies ready to stream. The problem is they have so many other ingredients in them and are loaded with fat and sodium. Avoid guessing what else is in your snack bag. Just buy popcorn kernels and shake your own toppings on top. One container of kernels and a microwave popcorn popper (no extra grease or butter needed) will last much longer than the temptation to keep reaching your hand in one large bag of chips. Best of all, if you and your movie buddy don’t like the same toppings, you’re not stuck with each other’s choices.

Skip Packaged Trail Mix Bags, Buy Dried Fruit and Nuts

It may seem like paying anywhere from $10 to $15 for a bag of pecans or walnuts is high, but that’s also a pretty massive bag. Think of how many nuts you eat in one sitting. (It’s probably even less if you have to crack the shells.) While a snack bag of dried fruit and nuts may feel healthy, buying a bulk bag of dried fruit and the nuts will last longer. Additionally, you can make granola bars or breakfast bars out of them and skip the sky-high rates for a package of eight or 10.

Skip Canned Soup, Buy Lentils

It’s not that canned soup can’t be its own healthy meals on a budget. The problem is most brands are either bland or incredibly salty. And the ones that are any good can be anywhere from $6 to $8 for one can. You can easily buy those same noodles, that same sauce and that same meat separately. But a dry bag of lentils are so versatile that they can stand on their own individually, in a soup, blended in a food processor as a burger or baked into the shape of a bagel. Minced (or fresh) onions, minced (or fresh) garlic, black and red pepper, and optional vegetable broth is all you need to punch up boiled lentils. Add them as a meat replacement on anything or eat them on their own in a bowl.

Skip Bacon, Buy Imitation Bacon Bits

Even vegans and vegetarians can admit that the smell of bacon is still appealing. The problem is buying bacon can get expensive fast and feel like one package disappears with one breakfast meal. Instead of buying a bunch of packages of bacon, consider imitation bacon bits. They have the same crunchy texture and taste as bacon, but you can use less to get the same full feeling. For example, after making scrambled eggs and toast, sprinkle a handful of imitation bacon bits on the sandwich. You’ll be surprised how easy (and cheaper) this substitute is. Plus, they can be used on salads, as a pasta topping, in soups, on top of baked (or white) sweet potato fries (with optional cashew cheese), as an add-on to chili and in that lentil burger (mentioned above). A 13-ounce container of bacon-flavored bits (made from soy flour and yeast extract) can spread out for at least a month.

Shop With Purpose, Skip As Needed

Finding healthy meals on a budget doesn’t have to be hard. By befriending the produce section of the grocery store instead of darting to frozen foods and prepared meals, quite a bit of that grocery store bill will dwindle. Buying the right seasoning and dry ingredients certainly helps. Does that mean you will have to do a little more work on the cooking end? Sure. But your health insurance bills and checking account will thank you later.