Eating Healthy on a Budget
With the economic situation in the world being what it is, it is important to find ways to eat healthy on a budget. It’s possible to purchase foods that are good for you and your budget; you merely have to plan ahead to get the best food you can for the money you have available.
Having a plan and sticking to it can help you get more food at a lower cost and allow you to prepare better meals healthier.
Here are some tips to help you succeed in eating healthy on a budget:
- Take time to make your meal plan. Search ad sales for each store in your area and decide your meals for the coming week ahead of time.
2. Make a list. Once you’ve planned your meals, write down everything you need for each meal. Check your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator to see if you already have some items. Make your grocery list and decisive to stick with it!
• Include what you’ll need for drinks, snacks, and desserts.
• Remember your preparation ingredients such as butter, flour, sugar, and spices.
• Replenish cleaning supplies.
3. Clip coupons for items you know you will use. Leave the rest of the coupons at home so you are not tempted to “save” money on unnecessary items.
4. Look for fruits and vegetables that are in season like this will often be cheaper than the non-seasonal selection. While you’re looking at the fruits and vegetables, see if there are any sales on these healthy, nutrient-rich foods.
• Choose large bags rather than individual pieces of fruit. The larger bags are often cheaper per pound.
5. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach because you’re more likely to buy items that look good rather than those on your list.
• If you can not go to the store right after a meal, take along snacks to help you resist temptation while in the store.
6. Buy items on the perimeter of the store first because these items are the healthiest choices. This will include fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products. The center items are processed or convenience foods. Not only are they more expensive, but they aren’t healthy.
7. Buy store or generic brands. There usually is not much difference in the way foods taste but you could definitely see the difference in price.
Other Ways to Eating Healthy on a Budget
- Make your own snacks for your family time away from home rather than allowing them to buy food from vending machines. Fresh fruit and vegetable sticks with dip are much healthier than the bags of chips or crackers that come from the machines.
2. Eat at home. Whenever possible, make your food from scratch and eat it at home. Not only will this give you more control over what you feed your family, but it also can save a significant amount of money.
• Eating out also encourages overeating because the portion sizes are huge.
3. Drink healthy. Finally, when eating healthy on a budget, do not forget to think about what you’re drinking. Expensive, sugar-laden drinks are the bane of your budget and against-productive to a healthy diet.
• Look for 100% pure juice.
• Drink low-fat milk.
• Drink more water.
• Cut out soft drinks.
If you follow these tips, you will soon discover the joys of healthy food and save you money in the process. You may need to spend some time preparing food, but the benefits are amazing!
