It might sometimes seem uphill while attempting to eat healthily. Healthy eating on a budget doesn’t always go hand in hand. Finding healthy, inexpensive meals might be challenging.
However, things don’t have to be that way! Eating on a budget and being healthy may coexist if you know which meals are healthier for you and which are less expensive. Here are some suggestions for doing that while grocery shopping on a tight budget.
Eating healthily on a tight budget is possible, and it’s not as difficult as you may imagine. You only need to know where to go to get many economical choices for a healthy diet.
So, how can you consume a healthy diet without breaking the bank? Planning and strategic sourcing are essential. Planning your meals can help you avoid temptations like fast food and store tabloids' enticing “buy one, get one free” deals on harmful goods.
Smart sourcing refers to being astute in your choice of stores and products. There are a ton of economic methods to eat well without going bankrupt. This article covers a wide range of topics, including keeping a look out for hidden expenses like salt in processed foods and sugar in drinks. Cheap proteins that are great for meal prep include lentils and eggs.
These are proven ways to eat healthy on a budget;
Make a meal plan and grocery list
I am aware that writing lists and planning meals are not the most enjoyable activities, but they do result in healthy eating habits and cost savings. A shopping list may cut your food cost in half. Write down five to seven meals you want to prepare for the following week on a sheet of paper.
Then, using those suggestions and your current supplies, create a shopping list.
Shop just a few aisles
Your chance of making an impulsive purchase decreases the shorter the time you spend at the grocery store. Follow your shopping list strictly and just browse the necessary aisles. You will spend most of your shopping time on the store’s perimeter because you have prepared nutritious meals.
Don’t explore; quickly enter and exit the center aisles to get what you need. And avoid the whole pop, chip, candy, and ultra-processed food section. Don’t purchase food you wouldnât want to eat in your home.
Understand your costs
Do you know the price of the typical foods you often purchase? Knowing the costs of your go-to meals will give you the assurance you need to quickly decide what is and is not a good bargain. That’s a useful skill to have since shop signs and fliers aren’t always accurate indicators of real deals.
Frozen food may be used from your pantry.
Although fresh food is flavorful, it may be pricey and tasteless when it is not in season. Instead, use frozen and canned fruits and vegetables to save money. Fruits and vegetables that are frozen or canned have nutritional values that are comparable to fresh food that has spent too much time lying around in warehouses, transport vehicles, and refrigerators, and occasionally even better.
Another suggestion is to stock up on discounts to fill your freezer or pantry. It is fast and simple to divide and repackage a considerable tray of meat into practical serving portions. While vegetables may be readily boiled and stored for months, fresh, seasonal fruit on sale can be cleaned and frozen.
Use the production and expiration dates
When you are purchasing, it is a good idea to check the Best Before Dates (BBD). Look for the product with the farthest BBD if you want the freshest item that will last the longest.
Consider purchasing products on sale if you want to save money since the BBD is approaching. You may often find excellent prices on high-quality food if you can utilize the goods right away or freeze them. Just keep in mind to use it soon away or freeze it.
Buy whole
You may spend much less money if you prepare meals in your own kitchen! Take into account the extra expenses related to food processing and packaging, as well as the manufacturer’s marketing expenditures.
The people that pay extra for that time and effort are the customers. Less processed options have the advantage of having a lower “cost per serving” due to the fact that they can come in larger packages.
Some foods cost less when they undergo less processing. Furthermore, compared to the bulk of processed cereals, whole grains like brown rice and oats are less expensive per serving. By buying less processed foods, which are often sold in larger quantities and have more servings per package, you may end up spending less money overall.
Purchase store brands
Almost every product is available in most retailers under generic names. To produce food that is safe, all food makers must adhere to guidelines. Although less costly, generic brands could have the same quality as other major names.
Read the ingredients list to confirm that the product you are purchasing is not inferior to the national brand or has any hidden allergies or additional substances.
Bulk purchases
One of the easiest recommendations you can give customers is this one. The bulk section of the grocery store has a lot of products, such as whole grains, oats, dried beans, nuts, and seeds (although many grocery stores temporarily stopped offering bulk bin items during the pandemic).
Because customers may purchase just the amount, they need rather than a set quantity of each item, this kind of shopping can surely save food expenses.
Another straightforward suggestion: Encourage folks to make their own trail mix using these nutritious essentials. They may then divide the mixture into separate servings using tiny plastic containers to control portion sizes.
Stock up while they’re on sale if you have favorite goods or essentials that you use regularly. Make sure it won’t expire in the meantime and that it will persist for a long. If you purchase something you’ll just end up tossing away, you won’t save any money.
Purchasing some items in bulk may help you save a lot of money. Bulk supplies of grains including oats, millet, brown rice, and barley are all readily accessible.
If you preserve them in sealed containers, they also last a very long period. The same is true for certain nuts, dried fruit, beans, lentils, and lentil products.
All of these are basic items that are reasonably priced and may be used in a variety of wholesome meals.
Buy seasonally
Healthy eating requires fresh food, but the price tag may up rapidly. Look up the seasonal offerings at your neighborhood farmer’s market and supermarket shop. Another suggestion: When you visit the farmer’s market later in the day, prices are sometimes reduced since vendors do not want to transport perishable goods home.
You may simply freeze fruits and veggies for up to 6 months, utilizing tiny amounts along the way if you wind up with a large harvest but won’t use them all. Nothing compares to enjoying those lovely summer fruit all through the autumn and winter!
Seasonal food from your area is often less expensive than out-of-season alternatives. It’s often also at its healthiest and tastiest. Produce that is out of season has often been sent from a great distance to get to your shop, which is bad for the environment and your wallet.
Buy vegetables in bags if you can, as well. That is often far less expensive than purchasing by the piece. If you purchase more than you need, you may freeze the extra or use it in the menu for the following week.
Purchase canned and frozen food
There are many more healthful goods than only fresh produce! Additionally, it’s important to use frozen and canned goods. In fact, keeping goods on hand at all times can deter customers from visiting a business throughout the workweek. By doing so, you could avoid making unwise impulsive purchases and save time and money.
Fruits and vegetables that have been frozen within 24 hours after being collected at their peak of freshness are sweeter and more nutrient-dense. If customers carefully pick options with a little salt and no added sugar, foods in cans may also be healthy.
You may bake or sauté frozen veggies, or you can add them to stews and sauces. Frozen fruit is always a terrific addition to smoothies, waffles, porridge, or yogurt (the same is true of the canned version). Artichoke hearts make a delightful side dish when sautéed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. In a grain salad or stew, canned beans may increase the amount of protein and fiber.
Purchase dry legumes and beans
Dried beans and legumes (like lentils) are among the most nutrient-dense and cost-effective plant-based protein sources on the market. In the bulk department, you may buy them in 1-pound bags or in lesser quantities. People who develop the practice of making a batch of these meals every week learn to value their endless adaptability.
Add them to salads, stews, and chilis, as well as soups and stews. For a bean dip or sandwich spread, how about a fast purée with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice? And last, my personal favorite: Roasting beans in the oven, much like chickpeas, results in a crispy, flavorful snack.
Choose your animal protein
When shopping, look for less expensive meat, poultry, and seafood options. For example, choose chicken thighs over chicken breasts. Roasting a whole chicken and using it in various meals throughout the week is the easiest way to save money per pound and get the most use out of an item.
Overnight in a slow cooker, less expensive cuts of meat, such as beef chuck or hog shoulder, may be cooked to perfection. A large batch of pulled pork may be the foundation for many meals during the course of the week and can also be divided into smaller portions and kept in storage for up to three months.
When choosing seafood, check the frozen or canned fish sections. Salmon and tuna in cans both include essential fatty acids and minerals that are important for a balanced diet. Adding tuna to a salad or making salmon cakes are easy and affordable methods to enhance your seafood consumption.
The freezer section may also include frozen portions of pre-portioned salmon or fish. Since they thaw quickly and can be swiftly cooked on the stovetop or roasted in the oven, they are great to have in your freezer.
Home cooking
It may be less expensive to cook at home than to eat out. In most cases, you are feeding a family of four costs the same as dining out for one or two individuals.
So, instead of opting to eat out at the last minute, make it a practice to prepare meals at home.
While some individuals like to prepare food for the whole week on the weekends, others just prepare one meal every day. You can also know precisely what components are in your food when you prepare it yourself.
Avoid shopping when you’re hungry
When you shop when you’re hungry, you’re more likely to deviate from your list and make a spur-of-the-moment purchase.
You could often seek processed meals when you’re hungry even if they offer fewer healthy nutrients than whole foods. Additionally, because they are often not on your list, they are also bad for your spending plan.
To ensure that you won’t be starving when you get to the shop, try to have a piece of fruit or another healthy snack before you go.
Use coupon deals
Use coupons properly to maximize your financial savings. Coupons are a terrific method to save money.
Sort through the high-quality bargains and stock up on essentials like cleaning supplies, nutrient-rich meals, and other things you know you’ll need.
You may spend more of your cash on nourishing meals if you reduce the cost of household supplies.
Create a garden
Growing your own produce is a great method to save costs and guarantee that you always have access to fresh goods. If you don’t have a yard to set up a garden, many fruits, vegetables, and herbs may survive in pots on patios or balconies.
If you always have a supply of fresh veggies at home, you could spend less money at the store. Even though you won’t be able to grow a “money tree” in your yard, it will seem that you did because of the extra money you’ll be saving.
Utilize leftovers
To save time and money, large meals may be prepared in advance. The leftovers may be eaten for lunch or added to other meals. By preventing you from dining out on days when you don’t have time to make a meal from scratch, having leftovers may enable you to save money.
For another supper, you may also freeze leftovers in single-portion amounts. Avoid putting the whole dinner plate in the refrigerator when keeping leftovers. To provide you with lunch for one or two days, portion it into a number of high-quality reusable containers.
By doing this, you’ll make mornings more manageable and avoid giving in to temptation in the drive-through.
Don’t overlook the freezer if you have a lot of leftovers! Put anything you think could go bad before you can eat it again in the freezer. When planning your weekly menu, keep those frozen meals in mind.