Summary: Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive, especially when it comes to making your own food versus eating out all of the time. Learn more in this article.
One of the biggest excuses I hear from people about healthy eating is about how expensive it is compared the packages of ramen or fast food that they purchase. One thing I have to remind them is that the money they spend on eating healthy is saving them money on healthcare later. In addition – eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive, especially when it comes to making your own food versus eating out all of the time.
Today I’m going to share four of my favorite tips for eating healthy on a budget!
- Meal plan. Whenever I don’t meal plan I usually end up buying my lunch or dinner, or running to the store for things I need more than once a week, resulting in buying things I didn’t really need. By putting together a meal plan, you not only cover all the meals from the week, but you have a specific list of what you need from the grocery store, keeping you from buying unnecessary items.
- Include vegetarian meals. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, you should always include some meals in your weekly meal plan without meat. Meat is definitely more expensive than vegetarian protein sources, so save yourself a little money by trying something new out, like lentils or beans, and definitely use eggs – they are a great source of inexpensive protein!
- Shop deals. Going to the store for broccoli only to see that asparagus is on sale? Go for it. Shop the sales and be flexible in your spending. Just don’t buy something only because it’s on sale! Be sure it’s replacing something on your list!
- Buy foods you like. Sometimes we buy food we think we “should” eat – like a big box of mixed greens – and then we never end up eating them because it never sounds good (guilty!). Be sure when you make your meal plan, you’re making foods that you will actually enjoy, and therefore want to eat, saving you from letting food (and money) go to waste.