Healthy Eating on a Budget: Your Tips

Since it’s Labor Day, I thought I would give myself the day off and let you write a blog post for me.  (Thanks!)  A few days ago on Facebook I posed the question, “What tips do you have for eating healthy on a budget?”  Here’s what you’ve given me so far.  Add your tip in the comment section.

Thanks for giving me the day off!
Healthy Eating on a Budget: Your Tips

Don’t go shopping when hungry! – Jordan Bernal

Try an organic produce home delivery service. – Jessica Harris

Buy fruits and veggies in season.  Cook from scratch.  Do freezer meals. When your favorite healthy foods go on sale, stockpile.  Avoid eating out.  We paid off 100K of debt doing these tips! – Dee S.

Have a garden. – Melanie Matteoli

Watch for produce sales. Buy extras (like berries) when on sale and freeze yourself if your family enjoys smoothies. – Julie Mansfield

Make a list and stick to it! – Deedee Burnett Smith

Eat seasonally. Don’t throw away veggie stems; they make an excellent veggie stock for rice and soup! Find a local butcher. They have excellent insight and helpful tips! – Stephanie Howard

Pick your own fruits and veggies in season and freeze or preserve. – Stacie Gregory

Buy from the bulk area! – Tamara Lukie

 

Your turn!  What tips do you have for healthy eating on a budget?

  • Savina September 2, 2013 at 11:09 am

    Use meat sparingly. Either make some vegetarian meals or use meat to accent the meal instead of to star the meal.

  • Kathy September 2, 2013 at 11:45 am

    1. Buy meat on sale and freeze.
    2. Base your week’s menu on what is on sale in the grocery ads.
    3. Always plan ahead – I plan our menu a week out. I consider this preventative to turning to a frozen processed meal or going out to eat at the last minute (as we did for many years – I learned the hard way!)
    4. Cook proteins ahead and freeze – I just wrote a post on this: http://ordinaryred.blogspot.com/2013/08/prep-ahead-proteins.html
    5. Make 1-2 meatless meals a week.
    6. Stretch the amount of meat with beans. i.e. when making tacos, use half the amount of chicken or beef and add black beans. No flavor is compromised.

    Enjoy your day off!!!

  • Kathy September 2, 2013 at 11:46 am

    FYI… love the carts photo!

  • Stephanie M. September 2, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    Go back to your roots!!
    As a matter of fact, my MIL and SIL and I are canning produce picked up from farmers! I have wonderful memories of watching and “helping” my grandmother with this as a little girl.
    ClWay cheaper and A WHOLE-lot more wholesome being without preservatives. We are also investing in buying farm raised chicken and cows — this requires a lot of space in your freezers but both meats are cheaper and healthier.
    My suggestion is DON’T GO IT ALONE! Pick the minds of a few girlfriends or family members with experience or that can try these things with you. You can save money this way too because the large up-front cost can be divied-up!
    Today has been a great delight and it doesn’t feel much like work because I’m bonding with my new family! I’m so grateful that my SIL is extremely enthusiastic about saving money and healthy living– it’s incredibly inspiring!

  • Kate @ Indulgent Wellness September 2, 2013 at 7:57 pm

    Compare prices and keep track! I can’t remember anything about pricing off the top of my head, but whenever I consult my price list it helps me remember when I can save $$ by shopping sales versus buying at a bulk store.

  • Danielle September 3, 2013 at 11:15 am

    Make a weekly menu and make your grocery list directly from that list. Don’t buy what’s not on your list! You’ll always have home cooked meal and you won’t have any waste.

  • Doug September 3, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    Surprisingly, what I thought would be an ordinary diet, turned out to be very inexpensive. Before my friend showed me a few product recommendations and articles at http://www.refreshrestart.com/ , I was pretty oblivious to some of my options for losing weight and eating healthier. Paleo diet has been working great for the last month.

  • Caroline September 3, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    In order to stick to my budget I first have to have a plan. When I don’t spend time meal planning we end up eating out a lot and that blows through the budget really quickly. We eat much healthier at home too so I would prefer to eat at home. I also find that shopping with cash versus my debit card helps me makes smarter choices. I only buy what we need rather than what looks good. Something about handing over cash rather than swiping a card changes my shopping habits.

  • Danica @ It's Progression September 4, 2013 at 9:02 am

    great tips!
    We just aim to cook/eat-in as much as possible and save eating out for special occasions – it saves SO much money and is obviously a lot better for our health, too!