Healthy eating can be expensive. I know many times I’ve struggled to eat healthy whilst having a food budget to stick to. Sometimes one of the biggest struggles can be just affording to eat healthily. Yes not buying the chocolate bars and other processed foods will help, but that will only take you so far. So without further ado here are 10 things I do to eat healthy on a budget and to save myself some money on my food shop.
1) I Work With What I Have
Sometimes it gets to the end of the week and I really don’t have a lot left in. So what I do is check to see what healthy ingredients I do have left. Then I type the main ones into google along with “healthy recipe” and hey presto I have meal ideas. I made a yummy quinoa dish doing just this. I can pretty much guarantee they’ll always be something delicious I can make out of the most random of ingredients. Google is your friend.
2) Plan Ahead
Every day check what needs eating today and in the next few days. If you learn to think ahead and don’t waste anything it will save you a lot of money. There is a reason some people swear by meal planning. I’m not one for meal planning, but I came to realise we were wasting money by letting food go off before we had a chance to eat it, now I check daily for what needs using up.
3) Get Inspired
There are lots of great resources for eating healthy on a budget. YouTube is a great place to find healthy and budget-friendly meal ideas. Pinterest is good too. There are also Facebook groups for people trying to eat healthy on a budget.
4) Go Frozen
Frozen veg and fruit is picked when it’s at it’s best and then frozen to seal in all the goddess so you don’t lose the nutrients. It’s usually a lot cheaper too. Freeze any food you’re not going to get a chance to use before it loses its freshness. Waste nothing and you’ll save a fortune.
5) Search For Discount Codes
There are always special offers on so it’s always worth going online to see if there are any discount codes available before you do your food shop. Always activate cash back on your account too. I never go out my way to buy from a shop just so I can claim cash back (totally counterproductive) but it’s always worth activating in case you do end up shopping there. Also ensure you join any loyalty schemes too, they really do add up and help.
6) Use Leftovers
Vegetable peelings and be used to create stock cubes. Extra portions can be taken to work. Herbs that are starting to turn can be placed in olive oil and frozen in ice-cube trays. Get adventurous with your leftovers.
7) Fruit Picking
We do this at the end of every Summer which not only saves us money but the kids love it. It makes for a lovely fun Sunday afternoon.
8) Grow & Swap
Start growing your own veg. We grew parsnips last year and they came back this year too without us doing anything. We also have a huge rosemary bush and as much as I like rosemary I ain’t ever going to use it all. So we swap with our neighbours. She gives us tomatoes and green beans and we pass on parsnips and rosemary. If you don’t have a neighbour then ask on Facebook if anyone wants to do food swaps.
9) Be Aware Of Offers
Sometimes offers will waste us more money than we save. Buy one get one free isn’t a good deal if the free one will go off before you use it. It’s even less of a bargain if you wouldn’t have bought the item if the deal wasn’t on. Be selective on what offers you take.
10) Increase Your Veg
Having more vegetables and less meat, fish and dairy will save you money as well as being really healthy for you. Meat, fish, and dairy are really expensive compared to veg, pulses, beans, and rice. Try Meatless Monday if you’re not used to going without meat to ease yourself in. I promise you there are loads of delicious meat and dairy-free recipes out there.
