Eating Healthy On a Budget

Eating healthy on a budget can be achieved easily enough. There are so many ways, just needs a little bit more focus…

Budgeting is all about the amount of money you’re spending on the foods you’re buying to stock up your fridge and kitchen cupboards with.

Although you’re eating healthy on a budget, you should choose organic for certain foods. They’re not always more expensive, especially if you go to a farmers’ market. In fact, they are likely cheaper from there.

In particular, eggs should be free-range or organic. Milk, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables should be organic too.

Eggs and milk do not necessarily cost a whole lot more than their non-organic counterparts.

For example, in my local supermarket there’s only £0.25p difference between non-organic eggs and their organic counterpart. With the milk, there’s £0.40p difference. That difference is worth a whole lot more for your health.

How to Compare Prices

Compare prices and package sizes to get the best value for money. You’d be surprised, but sometimes, bigger packages are not always cheaper than smaller packages in the long run.

So, divide the number of grams or kilos or litres of the bigger package by that of the smaller package. How many of the smaller packages can you get out of the bigger package?

Multiply that number by the price of the smaller package. Now compare this value to the price of the bigger package. Which is cheaper? The cheaper one is better value for money.

Watch for any specials or “buy one, get one free” offers. Sometimes at the supermarket, you may find that smaller packages are on sale or that there is a special on them; while the bigger package is being sold at normal price. Sometimes it’s the other way round.

Either way, do the quick calculations and draw your conclusions from them. You don’t have to do the calculations mentally; most phones have a calculator nowadays.

More and More Tips…

Try to choose fruits and vegetables in their season, because they’ll be cheaper than when they are out of season.

Many food supermarkets and food stores keep loyalty accounts and customer cards, and give money-saving coupons from time to time. Take advantage of those too. Set up an account with them if you don’t have one yet.

It may be better to be regular at a particular supermarket so that you can get loyalty discounts.

If you are eating healthy on a budget, shop in bulk from wholesale stores. Some of them require memberships or accounts with them, and sometimes charge a nominal membership fee annually. Shopping from such stores are usually worth it and work out cheaper in the long run.

Try to buy fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets. They not only work out cheaper, they are usually fresh too; which is good for your health!

Don’t buy ready-made meals, it is cheaper to buy ingredients and cook them yourself at home. Plus they would usually have processed stuff in them anyway, which you want to avoid for your health.

Avoid buying on impulse. Otherwise you end up buying things you didn’t plan for. Stick to your list and plan your food shopping list upfront.

The most important things you want to buy are fruits and vegetables, as they are the most nutrition-packed foods you can buy. So pick these first before other foods.

As you would have seen, eating healthy on a budget doesn’t have to be hard. You just have to know what you’re doing and stay focused, and you will win easily enough.

The information here is for general guidance only.
Talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle.