My Tips on How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

'he who does not economize will have to agonize' - Confucius

I don’t know about you, but my dollar sure does not go as far as it used to at the grocery store these days.

And a common thing I hear people say is that it is hard to eat healthy with the price of food these days. But the food companies sure make it easy to eat unhealthy, don’t they? But that is a post for another day.

I have compiled a few tips and tricks on how to eat healthy on a budget. These may be some repeats that you have already heard before and maybe a couple new ones, but reminders are always good.

Don’t Over Complicate Your Food

Keep your meals simple. The less ingredients your require, the less money is spent preparing the meal. Sometimes we feel that we have to add a lot of ingredients for food to taste good. We just need to have the right foods and the right seasonings.

Cook at Home

Buying take out and eating out is pricey. If there is a certain dish that you want from your favorite restaurant, figure out and experiment how to make it at home. And when cooking at home, make extra that can be reheated as leftovers or frozen for a later date.

Shop Sales

I have vivid memories of my parents scouring the local grocery store flyers and scoping out the best prices. Then on Saturday mornings, heading out to stock up. Today, most grocery stores have an app, or online flyers that show all the sales, but I find that because they are online, we forget to use them. Remember they are there and start shopping the sales.

Buy in Bulk

When shopping the sales, buy in bulk if you can. Especially meat and dairy, which tend to be the most expensive. And they can both be frozen for future use. Many stores will also have ‘caselot’ sales, which would work for canned products like vegetables, or soups, or ‘buy one, get one’ sales.

Shop in Season

When it comes to buying fruits and vegetables, buy in season if possible. This is when the price will be at the lowest because they have an overabundance of stock to sell. This is important especially when buying organic as these foods tend to be higher in price but sometimes when purchasing them in season, they can be less expensive then the conventional product. Buy these fruits and vegetable in bulk and freeze or preserve for future use.

Preserving foods is great way to stretch your dollar and enjoy foods all year round. Making pickles, canning tomatoes, making salsa, or relishes is how our ancestors did it. It may take an additional expense in the beginning buying all the requirements, but will pay off in the end. And much healthier than many processed store bought items. There are lots of recipes and videos online to show you how.

Stay Away From Ultra Processed Foods

I know you have heard this one before - Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles. Although cheaper in some instances than whole foods, you usually end up eating more of theses foods, which means you will spend more. And they are usually not the most nutritious.

Shop Your Local Farmer’s Markets

I say this one a lot. Not only are you helping the local economy, but you are taking out the middle man in the process. And this can lead to lower prices for your meat, fruit and vegetable purchases. Local farmers usually farm more sustainably, meaning less chemicals, non GMO and they may not be certified organic, but organic in their farming processes. Get to know them and ask questions direct from the source.

Meal Plan, Make a List and Stick To It!

This tip speaks for itself. When you meal plan and stick to the list, then you are only purchasing foods that will be consumed. And there are many times that you can use items for more then one meal.

Hope some of these tips help to stretch that dollar a little further next time you go to the grocery store and still allow you to eat healthy.

Got any tips to add? Let me know in the comments.

Danni