Get the highest quality, most nutritious food without needing to pull the great train robbery. Eat well, and keep your budget in the black with these tips!
Eating healthy can be a challenge for a lot of people. But, one of the biggest concerns of many people is the increased costs associated with eating the best quality foods. While it’s true that, in our current food system, truly healthy (organic, non-GMO) foods are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, there are still a number of tips, tricks, and ways to eat healthy on a limited budget.
Buy In-Season Foods
Foods that are in season not only tend to provide more nutritional bang for your buck, but, because there is a greater abundance of in-season foods, they also tend to cost less than during the rest of the year. It can also be a good idea to buy extra foods that are in season and freeze them for later use.
Stock Up During Sales
Whenever you see a healthy food item (especially produce and fresh foods!) that is on sale, it’s a great time to buy extra and store it for a later time. Perishable foods can be frozen, freeze dried, or canned to allow them to stay good for the future.
Plan Ahead
When there is a plan in place, it provides structure. This allows you to know specifically what you need at the store and then use what you’re buying. Planning will cut down on the waste of food that you don’t end up eating and will also save you from last minute trips to buy convenient but unhealthy foods because you don’t know what to eat or what you have available to eat.
Double or Triple Recipes
When making food, it’s more efficient to make at least two batches at once and saving some either for leftovers the next day or a freezer meal for a later time. This will allow you to do less work for more reward and help you to stay in to eat rather than go out. Eating leftovers for lunch also helps you to cut down on eating out and saves money in the long run.
Buy Natural, Whole Foods
Buying foods in their natural form rather than packaged and processed varieties is a cheaper route to take. For instance, buying whole fruit is going to be cheaper than buying pre-cut fruit.
Cook Your Own Food
Staying in and eating foods you bought and prepared yourself is going to be cheaper than eating out and is cheaper than buying pre-prepared foods. This method is also much healthier.
Water
Water is not only the best liquid for us, but it’s also free (mostly) and therefore much cheaper than other drinks such as soda, coffee, or other common drinks. Skip the drinks and put the money into better foods instead!
Buy Bulk
Many stores now offer a bulk section, making many staple food items even cheaper. Foods such as beans, lentils, rice, oats, and nuts and seeds are much cheaper when purchased in bulk and can be easily stored for long durations of time.
Stay Organized
Keeping a clean and organized fridge and pantry will help you visually see all of your food to help prevent food from going bad before you eat it. This will save on money lost from wasted food.
Spice up the holidays with these oatmeal cookies!
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