How to eat healthy on a budget

Let’s be honest: healthy food isn’t the cheapest. In this post, you will find some tips for eating healthy even when you’re on a budget.

1. Plan ahead

Meal planning makes shopping easier, and more effective and helps prevent food waste. Check the fridge, the freezer and the pantry and decide what you exactly need to buy and make a shopping list. It might mean some extra work one day a week, but you will save time during the week and it will be beneficial financially as well.

2. Cook at home

Cooking at home is healthier and cheaper. You know what’s in the meals you eat and you can modify any recipe for your taste. Also, you can control the amount of food you cook, so it’s more cost-effective.

3. Compare prices

You don’t have to go from shop to shop to compare prices. Check prices only or study the flyers of different shops carefully when you plan your weekly shopping. It can also be cheaper to buy some items in bulk. Private-label items are often cheaper than well-known or more frequently advertised brands and they are often healthier as well. I read somewhere that the private-label chocolate of a certain shop I go to contains less sugar than the same kind of a well-known brand.

4. Don’t shop when you’re hungry

We tend to buy more items when we’re hungry. Furthermore, when you go to the shop on an empty stomach, it’s more likely to buy unhealthy, high-carb and/or sugary food, such as chocolate.

5. Buy seasonal food

Not only your wallet will be happy about buying seasonal food, but it’s also better for the environment. Seasonal fruit and vegetables can be grown locally, so it doesn’t have to travel thousands of kilometres, which makes it a more environmentally friendly option. In addition, you can support the farmers in your area by buying their produce. In my experience, it’s also a fun experience to look up seasonal recipes and experiment with new dishes as the seasons change.

6. Compare prices

You don’t have to go from shop to shop to compare prices. Check prices only or study the flyers of different shops carefully when you plan your weekly shopping. It can also be cheaper to buy some items in bulk.

7. Storage is key

Make sure to store your food properly, otherwise it can go bad sooner, leading to food waste and waste of money.

8. Leftovers

Don’t throw away your leftovers. You can freeze them or use them for other meals.

9. Buy frozen food

Well, I don’t mean pre-prepared processed food, of course, because that’s not very healthy, is it? There’s nothing wrong with frozen vegetables or fruit. They are frozen shortly after being harvested, so most of the vitamins stay in the produce, you can buy them all year round and they last long in the freezer, so you can buy them in bulk without having to worry about them going bad soon.

10. Substitute meat with other proteins

Meat is crazy expensive where I live, so I’ve been eating less of it recently and use high-protein vegetables to make my dishes. I often substitute meat with mushrooms, beans or chickpeas.

Do you have a strategy to save money when you shop? Leave your ideas in the comments section.