Living on a Budget: Eating Healthy

For those of you who know Colby and I, you know two things we love are food and traveling. I have already shared how to travel on a budget, but today I’m sharing some tips on eating on a budget. When we did an overhaul to our diet last year, we had to get creative with how to eat healthy and not spend a fortune.

Grocery – Find the best grocery store in your area that has the most nutritious items for the best price. For us, that is Sprouts. I know on Wednesday, it is their ‘double ad’ day so the weekly specials from the prior week and the following week apply. This means Wednesday is shopping day for me! Double the bargains!

Sale –  We buy things when they are on sale.  I gear our recipes towards what is on sale for the week. Of course, I always get the staples, but one week we might have strawberries, the next it might be blueberries, etc

Bulk –  On the topic of sales, when there is one I buy things in bulk that I can freeze or store. Example: Sprouts has their grass fed beef and wild-caught fish on sale once or twice a month. Same for things like organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, nuts, etc. Anytime there is a sale I make sure to buy lots!

DIY Products – Make your own products when you can.

• Butters – We make our own nut butters: sunflower, cashew, peanut, and almond butter. It saves about 40-50%. The added bonus is there is no additional sugars or unhealthy ingredients.
• Beans – Buy and cook your own dried beans. It’s tremendously cheaper and you avoid the BPA from the cans. I cook them in bulk and freeze them for later.

Price shop – Use a smartphone app to scan and find the best price on an item. You can also take a picture of the price and size of an item and compare it once you are at another store. Soon you will know which products to buy at what store.

Online Items – When buying items online, like super foods or vitamins, shop around. Check out sites like drvita or vitacost. Then google “drvita.com + coupon code”. Retailmenot is the best site with coupon codes. 9 times out of 10 there is a coupon code. Always avoid shipping costs.

Fertility Diet – When we were seeing the acupuncturist she told us to cut back on the meat. Because we started buying higher quality meat which is much more expensive, we were on board with this! We have nights without meat where we eat Organic Quinoa – which is not only delicious, but also very budget friendly and healthy.

Grocery Ads – Check ads online. Some places, like Wal-Mart, price match competitors ads. I don’t shop there often, but a tip for those who do.

Coupons –  Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target all have coupons online. I don’t do a lot of couponing, because I don’t have time, I’m not organized enough, and coupons don’t work that well when the majority of what you eat is fresh produce, meat, and nuts. For those of you who do want more couponing advice, check out The Krazy Coupon Lady.

Organic – We buy organic when the price is affordable. Here is a good list of items to always buy organic.

I hope this encourages someone that you can eat healthy and do it on a budget! Happy shopping and eating!