Eating Healthy on a Budget
Sometimes it can be hard to eat healthy on a budget when you see the prices of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. It becomes easier to justify buying the boxed mac n cheese that only cost 99 cents. Eating healthy can break the bank if you don’t know what kind of foods to buy and what to look for. Here are a few tips I have gathered along the way.
First, when trying to eat healthy but also trying to stay within your budget, it is important to plan out what you’re going to eat. Make a list of meals you want to eat that week and figure out what you already have a what you need. When you stay organized you avoid buying foods you already have around and buying too much of a certain food. Impulse buying is a real thing and when you have a grocery list it will help to keep you focused on what you know you need, instead of strolling through the store and picking up whatever looks good at the time.
Second, you need a mixture of carbs, fats and proteins in your diet. When you’re at the store buy the cheaper items that fit into those categories. For example, instead of buying shrimp or steak, buy canned tuna or frozen chicken breasts. Buy whole wheat pasta or frozen broccoli for carbs. And for fats, buy peanut butter or seeds.
This next tip is one of my favorites because its easy and cheap. Instead of buying fresh fruits and vegetables, just buy them frozen! You can get a bag of of frozen vegetables for a couple dollars compared to buying fresh vegetables in that same amount for about 5 or 6 dollars. And its easy when preparing. Most frozen vegetables you can just throw in the microwave for a couple minutes and they’re ready.
Now if you’re the kind of person that wants the fresh fruits and vegetables just make sure to buy the stuff that is in season. Bananas, for example, are almost always about 2 dollars for a bunch that will have about 6 or 7 bananas. When walking through your produce section, compare prices. Research fruits and veggies that are in season before you go grocery shopping so you know which ones to look out for.
This next thing most people don’t do; cutting coupons. Most of us get tons of these in our mail daily and just throw them away. But if you actually take the time to look at them, a lot of them have some great deals of the exact foods that you normally buy. This has saved people hundreds of dollars when going grocery shopping. Its time consuming but it works!
The next tip I have is buying in bulk. Look for sales and when you see them buy double what you would normally buy! Most of the time the sales are on things that can sit in our pantry for months and not go bad. So take advantage of the sale and stock up! And if meats are on sale, buy it and freeze it if you know you wont use it in time.
Rice and beans are so cheap! You can buy them in bulk and they will last you for a long time and not go bad! And the great thing about rice and beans is that there are endless options of how to make them. It doesn’t need to be plain and boring. Look up recipes on how to spice up rice and beans.
The final tip is to buy generic brands. When it comes to things like milk, eggs, oats, peanut butter, pastas and more, you really can’t taste a difference whether its the fancy brand or the store brand. And most of the time it can be a few dollars cheaper. Those few dollars add up when you buy the generic brand for most items.
Don’t let the excuse that eating healthy is too expensive prevent you from taking care of your body. There are plenty of ways to eat healthy and stay within your budget. You just have to stay organized, make a plan, and keep your eyes open for the things on sale.
Makayla Crowley
Student Worker
College of Health Science