It’s no news that healthy meals can be quite expensive, but there are still ways to eat healthy on a small budget.
In this post, we look at some tips to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle while saving money at the same time.
Key Points
1. Meal Preps
The first and most crucial tip for eating healthy on a small budget is to plan your meals. Before purchasing food items, it is essential to have a list based on only what is needed. Also, you should check your fridge before making that list to ensure that you aren’t spending money on what you already have available.
Buy only what you will use so that you don’t end up wasting food. Even when you get to the grocery store, ensure you stick to the list, so you don’t get sidetracked and end up buying things you don’t even need and overspending money.
2) Cook Your Meals
Another good tip for eating healthy on a small budget is cultivating the habit of cooking your meals.
Eating outside will always be more expensive than if you cooked for yourself. Most times, the money that could have been spent to buy a meal can be the same amount that will be used to prepare for up to 5 members of a family.
You can choose to cook for the upcoming week on the weekend or cook one meal at a time; this is entirely up to you based on what your schedule looks like.
There’s always the benefit of knowing what ingredients are used in preparing your meal when you cook yourself.
It would help if you also cooked large meals so that you can have leftovers. Having leftovers is an excellent way to save money because you can make new meals from leftovers, so you don’t always have to buy more groceries too soon.
3) Don’t Shop When You Are Hungry
Shopping when you are hungry will lead to impulse buying, which means spending money you are trying to manage.
It is easy to get crave unhealthy and more expensive meals or snacks when you are hungry, so try to eat some fruits or some healthy snacks before going to the grocery store.
4) Purchase Whole Foods And Generic Brands
Whole foods are cheaper than processed ones; for instance, brown rice and oats are less expensive than other processed meals, and the price per serving is way more.
Then purchasing generic brands is also a great way to save money because generic brands are just the cheaper versions of famous brands; they offer the same quality but for a more affordable rate.
Many stores offer generic brands but ensure you go through the list of ingredients to be sure you are not buying something that is of lower quality than you are used to.
5) Don’t Buy Junk Food
You will be shocked at how much money you can save when you cut down on unhealthy meals. When you decide to calculate the amount of money spent on carbonated drinks and prepackaged meals and processed foods daily, you’ll be shocked to see how much money you spend. Aside from the fact that they offer very little nutrition, they are also costly.
6) Buy Cheaper Cuts Of Meat
Purchasing fresh meat or fish can be quite expensive, but you can get cheaper cuts of meat in various markets or stores. Buying large amounts of inexpensive cuts of meat to use for different meals can also save money.
7) Try Other Sources Of Protein
Look for other sources of protein like legumes, hemp seeds, eggs, or canned fish that can save you a lot of money other than buying only meat as a protein source. These additional protein sources cost less; they are very nutritious and have a longer shelf life, so they are less likely to go bad quickly.
8) Buy in Bulk
Buying food in large quantities can save a lot of money. Purchasing grains such as brown rice, millet, barley and oats, beans, nuts, dried fruits are all available in large quantities. They also last for an extended period when stored in airtight containers. Invest in buying large amounts of food that will last you for a long time.
Do leave a comment below if you have more tips.
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