I know that healthy eating is usually consideredĀ “more expensive” than unhealthy eating, and it’sĀ true in many cases. Organic produce is more expensive than conventionally grown produce. Pasture-raised animal productsĀ are more expensive than factory farmed animal products. And good luck dining out at an organic, raw food restaurant āĀ the prices can beĀ astronomical! However, eating healthier doesn’t have to break theĀ bank. When youĀ makeĀ healthy eating a priority in your life, you willĀ most likely cut-back on some other expensive habits, such as dining out often, buyingĀ fancyĀ calorie-laden coffee drinksĀ or greasyĀ snacks at the movie theater, and sipping onĀ overpriced cocktails. Improving your health now will likelyĀ mean less costly doctor visitsĀ for you in the future, too! It’s a total win-win. While youĀ should seeĀ significant savings by making theĀ changes above, today I want to discuss how you can save on yourĀ grocery bill right away.Ā BelowĀ are my eight favorite waysĀ to stay “financially fit” while working toward your healthy eating goals:
- Stick to a meal plan. Not only does meal planning help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals, it also helps you stick to your budget. When you know exactly what you want to cook for the week, and bring a list to the store of exactly which ingredients you’ll need, you’re less likely to over-buy food and end up with wasted groceries.Ā You can use my weekly dinner plans to help you get started!
- Don’t shop hungry.Ā Shopping hungry almost always ends in impulse purchases. Everything looks SOĀ appealing when you’re starving! I’ve totally been guilty of buying something to eat on the way home from the grocery store, but those impulse buys are almost always more expensive thanĀ snacking on something at home. If you must shop hungry, choose a piece of fruit to take home with you as a snack instead of an expensive convenience food.
- Keep it simple.Ā In my experience, healthy eating is really expensive when people are first starting out because theyĀ want to dive-in and try specialty ingredients and convenience foods that are similar to their old favorites. In some cases, the convenience foods aren’t any healthier than their deep-fried counterparts,Ā and you don’t need fancy-schmancy ingredients to make truly delicious, healthy food! Stick to whole foods without a label, and make your own salad dressings,Ā dips, snack bars, and puddings asĀ healthier and cheaper alternatives to packaged snacks. My recipe indexĀ is chock-full of quick and easy ideas for you!
- Shop seasonally.Ā You’ve probably heard that it’s always better to eat seasonally and locally, but one of my favoriteĀ benefits of this practice is that it saves you money. WhenĀ produce is in season, its supply is at its peakā making it easier and cheaper for farmers to distribute to your local store. Those savings get passed on to you!Ā As an added perk, your food tastes better and is at its peak nutrition, too.
- Opt for frozen options when possible. I rarely ever use fresh fruit in our smoothies, because organic frozen fruit is alwaysĀ significantly cheaper.Ā I also often rely on frozen organic vegetables for my family when we need a super-quick weeknight meal. I can throw together a stir-fry in just 10 minutes using frozen vegetables! (I’ll often pre-cook rice or quinoa and freeze it, along with my favorite curry and pesto saucesĀ ā I freeze them in ice cube trays for easy portioning!)
- Cut back on meat and dairy. Some of the most expensive items at the grocery store are animal productsā especially the organic, pasture-raised variety.Ā My family isn’t vegetarian, butĀ we do eat many vegetarian meals at home because they are flavorful, nutrient-rich, and much more affordable than a meat-centered meal every night. If your family relies heavily on meat, you might want to tryĀ using a little less at each meal to lowerĀ your grocery bill, and make up the difference by adding extra veggies to your plate!
- Shop around.Ā It’s rare for me to shop at only one grocery store each week. I usually start off at a local store that IĀ know to be the cheapest.Ā But if it doesnāt have everything I need, I’ll stop by a second store.Ā Be sure to take the time to shop around to find which stores carry the cheapest and freshestĀ options for you!
- Know the “dirty dozen.” It’s not always practical and affordable for everyone to buy organic,Ā so familiarize yourself with the Environmental Working Group’sĀ “Dirty Dozen” list to know which crops are most heavily sprayed with pesticides. Aim to buy thoseĀ items organic,Ā andĀ save money on the rest of your produce by shopping the more affordable counterparts. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re going to eat the skin (like applesĀ andĀ bell peppers), you should buy organic, and if you’re going to peel it (like onionsĀ and avocados), you can get away with the conventional versions.
- Shop online for specialty items. I know, I know! I told you not to buy specialty items in step #3. However, as you settle into your healthier lifestyle, there are certain specialty itemsĀ that make life easier and tasterā like chia seeds, hemp hearts, and raw cacao powder. Sure, you can find these items at your local health food store, but they are often much more expensive. (I like to use theĀ Amazon app on my phone to price-compare!) Buying in bulk can also save you money. I often buy my cacao powderĀ in three-pound bags, which lasts me quite a while!
For more grocery savings, check out these savvy shopping tips from Chase!
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Reader Feedback: Do you have any additional budget-friendly tips to share?
I have been following your blog for years! After dealing with fertility problems for the past year, your healthy and fun recipes has made it easy to change my diet and live a healthy life style. You have inspired me to talk about my own experience and my passion for nutrition and healthy food! Check it out at wholesomecoconut.com!
Meat is sooo expensive… I do the same! My husband travels a lot so he often has meat dishes when he’s here. And when he’s gone my son and I eat more vegetarian. Another thing I’ve started to do is make my own stock! It’s so easy! I just save all the ends of my carrots celery and peels of onions and leeks in a freezer bag. When it’s full I throw it all in crock pot for the day. Then freeze in I scuba trays and store in freezer bag. I always have steady supply of stock on hand now!
*ice cube trays*
What a genius idea!! I’ll start doing that tonight!!
Throw in some thyme, bay leafs, rosemary or whatever you happen to have handy. Salt and pepper if u wish. Then strain it in a fine mesh strainer. āŗļø
I make lots of bone broth with organic bones to get goodness from meat without the price tag and make things like sauerkraut from scratch which is super cheap but amazing for the body š
Fresh ginger would always go bad on me before I could finish it up. Now, I peel and mince the whole thing and freeze in a jar so that none gets wasted. It’s also a huge time saver to have minced ginger ready to go!
You can put thin layer of minced ginger or garlic on Saran Wrap and roll up (to take out air) and freeze. It’s easy to unroll and break off the amount you need
These are great ideas. I go to local farmers markets plus when I go to the grocery I look at the seasonal produce as well. Thank you for posting this. Some of these ideas I didn’t know about. I appreciate it so much.