Based off of experience I can admit that healthy food isn't the cheapest. That means it can be difficult to eat sometimes. But that doesn't mean that there aren't ways you can eat the way you want too without breaking the bank. Here are some tips I learned on the way.
PLAN YOUR MEALS
Meal planning is really a time saving method , but it also saves you money in the long run. It can be quite a doozy especially if your on a tight budget. But planning everything out alone has made the biggest difference in reducing my food budget and staying on track eating healthy foods. Meal planning allows me to make some foods ahead and have them available for lunches or even better left-overs.
Whether its veggies for the week, breakfast tomorrow, lunches or dinners planning ahead of time is a step towards eating healthy. Plus it’s a great way to make sure your actually eating everything you buy, minimizing waste.
PREP IN BULK!
Buying and prepping certain foods in bulk can save you a TON of cash! Grains like rice, millet, barely and oats are available in bulk and keep for a long time if you keep them in airtight containers this goes for beans, lentils and dried fruit.
Next – I’ve found this especially helpful with regards to meat. I LOVE to order meat packages from the butcher why, you’ll get quality meat for a great price. Grocery stores usually sell commercially processed meat they also tend to leave their meats out for at least a week. I have even seen stores try to slash the price of meats in half to sell it before their expiration date.
TIP : Many foods are available in bulk for a way lower price. They keep for a long time in airtight containers as well as freezer bags (for meat). They can be used in a variety of healthy, inexpensive dishes.
TIP : You can also prepare large amounts of ground beef, chicken breasts or any other meat you have around and structure your meals for the week around this.
PACK YOUR LUNCH
Your mid day meal shouldn't cost you your health or a fortune. Brown bagging doesn’t have to be boring either. It’s also way healthier than eating out.
Have you ever wondered how many calories are in a fast-food burger and fries?
A Double Whopper with cheese, large size fry and large size Coke at Burger King hits a staggering 2,100 calories and 100 grams of fat. That’s all your calories and more than your share of fat for the day in just one meal!
A home packed turkey sandwich on wheat bread with baked potato chips and an ice tea totals about 500 calories and about six grams of fat.
NEWSFLASH eating out is expensive! Have you ever really considered how much you spend on takeout ? The average meal : $7.00 (and that’s on the low-side) multiply that by 20 (the approximate number of working days in a month).
That’s $140 a month, and almost $1,700 per year.
BUY FRUITS AND VEGGIES THAT ARE IN SEASON AND OR FROZEN
Food grown in season is cheaper and taste better. Root veggies in the winter, Apples and squash in the fall. Broccoli and berries in the summer.
Frozen produce is great to use when cooking, making smoothies, or as toppings for oatmeal or yogurt.
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.
Reducing produce waste is a great way to save money.
Whats not in season has often been transported halfway around the world to get to your store, which is not good for either the environment or your budget.
Also, buy produce by the bag if you can. That is usually a lot cheaper than buying by the piece.
If you buy more than you need, you can freeze the rest or incorporate it into next week’s meal plan.
TIP: 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
STOP BUYING JUNK FOOD!!
Cut all that junk food and fast food out your diet. You would be amazed at the amount of money you spend on soda, snacks, candy and pre-packaged foods. Despite the fact that they are barely nutritious they also end up being pretty expensive.
Now when going to McDonald's, Wendy’s, burger king etc it doesn’t take a genius to realize they don’t use the best quality foods. You can tell by the rubbery patty and limping lettuce and extremely chewy chicken.
They use the cheapest parts of the meat to make your food so half of the time you don’t even know what part it came from let alone what type of meat your actually eating.
Bonus Tip: Lets be honest healthy & budget don’t mix well. If you really want to eat healthy you’ll have to put money down. Put the bottles and blunts down for a while. Take care of your body.