But aren't _____ expensive?

I get asked a lot "Doesn't ____ cost a lot?" or told "I can't afford eating healthy." Well, I'm going to try to break it down for you so you can see that it really doesn't have to cost a lot to eat healthier.

Let's use this salad that I just made for lunch:

Breakdown:
½ chicken breast = 148/2 = 74 yen
1 spinach bundle = 188/8 = 24 yen
¼ sweet potato - 138/4 = 35 yen
¼ big tomato = 76/4 = 19 yen
½ avocado = 98/2 = 49 yen

Total: 201 yen

 
I'm full and feel satisfied after eating that meal. I'm pretty sure that beats the price of an Obento or eating out. Plus, I still have a ton of food left that I didn't use to make more meals.

So here are a few tips and things to keep in mind while shopping:

Think about the future
One of the biggest things to consider, is how buying these foods is an investment for the future. You can either buy an obento that is good for one meal, or a bunch of veggies, fruits, nuts, and lean protein that will last you a few meals for a similar price.

For example, I just bought these 5 tomatoes for 380 yen (This isn't an infomercial, I swear XD):

Crickets, Kat! That's a lot to shell out for 380! Actually, reader, it's not! These are really big tomatoes. With the recipes that I make, I can use each one for 4 meals.
So, let's break this down:
380/5 = 76 yen for one tomato
76/4 meals = 19 yen for each meal with tomatoes

That's pretty cheap if you ask me.

Other foods that may seem expensive, but last for a few meals: Broccoli, Spinach, Cabbage, Lettuce, Chicken Breast, Bananas, Almonds, etc.

Buy in Bulk when there are sales
Avocados are a good example of wanting to buy in bulk. Groceries sell them for anywhere from 98-198 yen. Whenever I see them on sale for 98, I buy 5 to 6 at a time. If I can, I like the buy at least 1 that is ripe and ready to eat and then buy a few greener ones that aren't yet ripe. That way, they'll be ready when I'm done eating the ripe one and ready to eat.
So, I buy one that's ripe, keep one or two on the counter to ripen, and store the rest in the fridge.

Other foods to consider to buy in bulk when on sale: Apples, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Frozen Blueberries, Frozen Green Beans, Eggs, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots

Look around for sales and/or the cheapest place to buy foods at different groceries
I go to about 3 different grocery stores to look for the best prices. For example, Kazun (right by Seijo Station) has frozen blueberries and green beans on sale for half price on Fridays. They also usually have bananas on sale on Thursdays. Ozeki by Kaldi in Soshigaya (about a 10 minute walk from campus) usually has sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and apples for a better price than Ozeki. If I'm more desperate, I go to the Supermarket about 20 minutes from campus to pick up avocados and bananas that are always on sale and stock up.
Look around. Stock up. If this means more walking for you, you're welcome. XD

Remember Sale Days
Again, Kazun usually has bananas on sale on Thursdays and they always have all frozen foods for half off on Fridays (Blueberries and Green beans!). The grocery stores you go to probably have something similar.
Also, every evening, Kazun puts out a basket or two of miscellaneous foods on sale because they want to get rid of them. Sometimes, I find apples for 50 yen each or broccoli for half off.
There are also days where Kazun has chicken for 38 yen/100 grams. Holy cheap.

Store foods to keep them fresh
Since I only use some of the foods like tomatoes, onions, chicken, avocados, etc. at a time for each meal, I need to store them in containers to keep them fresh. Yes, this does mean that the vegetables and fruits will lose some nutrients. (If you didn't know, after you cut up a fruit/veggie, they start losing their nutrients.) However, it won't be a significant amount.
Daiso sells containers like these:

I am constantly using these to store the foods that I need to save. They're the best for keeping things like avocado halves, tomatoes, onions, and chicken fresh. Plus, they double up as an obento box. Get a few of these in different sizes for different foods to store.

As for cabbage, I usually reuse the wrapping it comes in or use aluminum foil to wrap it. For spinach, I usually use it up quicker and can keep it in it's original plastic bag. However, you can store it in a zip-lock type bag to last longer. Same goes for carrots.

Apples are great to store in the fridge. To me, they taste better cold anyways. They last forever in the fridge, too.
I also store my eggs in the fridge.

Bananas - Separate them from the bundle. This will increase their shelf life! ^___^ The more you know...

Sweet potatoes - After cutting off a slice, I just put it in the fridge, uncovered.

You buy it, you'll probably eat it
That means if you buy cookies, you'll probably eat the cookies. But that also means if you buy fresh food, you'll probably also want to get your money's worth and eat those fresh foods, especially since fresh foods expire.

Also, remember iherb.com! This also has to do with thinking about your future meals. The foods you buy from this site will last you and be an investment for your meals ^___^. I know it's hard to spend money at once, but this will save you in the long-run.

I hope this helps you guys with shopping a bit! =^.^= Please let me know if you have any questions. ^___^