The biggest complaint I hear from people when it comes to eating healthy is that the food tends to be expensive. Therefore, it can be completely understandable that eating well while being on a tight budget can sometimes be quite difficult.
However, there are some clear-cut actions you can take to become frugal and still eat whole, healthy, single-ingredient foods. And I’ve identified 7 cunning ways to help you get the job done.
1. Plan Your Meals in Advance
When it comes to saving money at the grocery store, planning is an absolutely must.
The best way to start is to use one day each week to plan your meals for the upcoming week. Once your meals are planned make a grocery list of what you will need.
Once your list is made out, scan your fridge and cabinets to see what you may already have. There are usually a lot of items hiding towards the back that may have been forgotten about that you can use.
Also, only plan to purchase what you know you’re going to use, so that you don’t end up buying more than you need and end up throwing away a lot of what you buy.
Action: Plan your meals for the week and make a grocery list. Only buy what you’re sure you will use, and check out what you already have in your cupboards first.
2. Stick to Your Grocery List
Once you’ve planned your meals and made your grocery list, stick to it.
It’s really easy to get sidetracked at the grocery store, which can lead to unintended, expensive, impulse purchases.
As a general rule, try to shop the perimeter of the store first. This will make you more likely to fill your cart with whole foods. The middle of the store often contains the most processed and unhealthy foods.
If you find yourself in these aisles, look to the top or bottom of the shelves rather than straight ahead. The most expensive items are usually placed at eye level.
Action: Stick to your grocery list when you’re shopping. Shop the perimeter of the store first, as this is where the whole foods are generally located.
3. Cook at Home
Make it a habit to cook at home, rather than eating out. Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating out. Generally, you can feed an entire family of four for the same price as buying food for one or two people at a restaurant.
Another great benefit to cooking your own meals at home is that you know exactly what is going into your food.
Action: Cooking at home is way less expensive than eating out. Some find it best to cook for the entire week on weekends, while others like to cook one meal at a time.
4. Cook Large Portions and Use Your Leftovers
Cooking large meals can save you both time and money.
Leftovers can be used for lunches, in other recipes or frozen in single-portion sizes to be used later on.
Also, leftovers usually make very good stews, stir-fries or salads. These types of food are especially great for people on a budget.
Action: Cook large meals from inexpensive ingredients, and use your leftovers during the following days.
5. Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry
If you go to the grocery store hungry, you are more likely to stray from your grocery list and buy things on impulse. Statistically, when you are hungry, you often crave foods that aren’t good for you or for your budget.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to try grabbing a small meal or healthy snack before you go to the store. This will help mitigate those unhealthy impulse purchases due to hunger.
Action: Shopping while hungry can lead to cravings and impulsive buying. If you’re hungry, have a snack before you go grocery shopping.
6. Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh fruits, berries and vegetables are usually in season for only a few months out of the year, making them rather expensive when out of season.
The nice thing is, frozen produce is usually just as nutritious. It’s also usually much cheaper, available all year, and is often sold in a variety of packaged sizes.
Frozen produce is great to use when cooking, making smoothies, or as toppings for things like oatmeal, yogurt or cottage cheese.
Furthermore, you gain the advantage of being able to take out only what you’re about to use. The rest will be kept safe from spoiling in the freezer.
Action: Frozen fruits, berries and vegetables are usually just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. They are available all year round and are often sold in large bags.
7. Use Your Coupons Wisely
Coupons are a great way to save some money. Just be sure to use them wisely.
As I am sure most of us are aware of, most coupons are made to promote and push unhealthy, processed foods. So make sure to sort out the good quality deals from the junk.
But, you can use coupons to stock up on things like cleaning products, hygiene products and other staples that you’ll definitely use. This way by cutting down the cost of staple products needed around the house, you will have more of your budget to spend on healthy foods.
Action: Coupons may be a great way to stock up on cleaning products and healthy foods. Just make sure to avoid the ones that involve processed and unhealthy foods.
Take Away:
You don’t have to break the bank to eat well. In fact, there are many ways to eat healthy even on a very tight budget. These include planning your meals, cooking at home, and making smart choices at the grocery store.
Also, keep in mind that “cheap” junk food costs you much more than the price tag at the grocery store. A repercussion of eating unhealthy comes with the additional cost of bad health, medical costs, medications and even reduced work capacity. So, even if eating healthy seems more expensive up-front, (which it doesn’t have to be), it’s well worth the price in the long haul.
Let’s be honest, you really can’t put a price on good health!
