When I first started my fitness journey, I didn’t automatically think about how much I was spending. But as time went on that changed when I increased how many times I was eating daily. I needed to figure out how to eat healthy on a budget.
It’s easy to think in order to be healthy you have to spend a ton of money. It’s not the case. There are so many ways to budget your healthy lifestyle and save money like you will with your waistline.
Here are the tips to eat healthy on a budget
Keep it simple
You’ve heard it before, keep it simple. No need for a 20 ingredient recipe with items you need to order online because no local store carries them. You can keep it simple with searing and baking protein. No need to getting fancy especially in the beginning. Keep it basic when you think protein, healthy fats like avocado, cheese and oils and carbs.
Make a list
I am a list queen, on paper and electronic. I try to always check to see what’s in my pantry first so I don’t wind up with duplicates. Remember part of the goal is healthy meals on a budget.
Then I scan the grocery store ad or ads online to see what is on sale for the week before going to the store. I do my best to purchase fruits and vegetables that are in season to help cut down on cost.
Do it yourself
Premade packages of food, fresh or frozen, are convenient but also expensive. They can be convenient but not worth the expense. Most of the time you can make them cheaper yourself.
If you’ve been reading my blog you know I love meal prepping. I spend a couple of hours every Sunday preparing foods like red cabbage slaw and egg muffins for the week ahead.
I have bought myself a few kitchen gadgets I can use to keep me from spending a ton on lunches and cheating on my diet because of hunger or having no options.
Follow the deals
I have slipped on my couponing, but I do have a few secrets for snapping up some of the best deals. Ibotta is an app that I use weekly. It has all my favorite stores on it and I can easily get money back with everything I purchase by just taking a picture of my receipt with the app.
There’s no need for printing out coupons! After you pay and go home, scan your receipt and collect the cash.
I usually look through the app for the store I am going to ahead of time to see what extra deals I can score. Sometimes there are specific things like Sargento shredded cheese, Hot Pockets and Dreyer’s Ice Cream. But there are also opportunities to grab deals for any brand of dish detergent, coffee and strawberries. You’d be surprised how many things you already buy that you can get extra savings on.
You can sign up here with my link and get $10 right away just for signing up!
Limit specialty ingredients
So many keto and low carb recipes call for specialty ingredients, things like coconut flour and Erythritol. These ingredients, especially when buying them at specialty shops, can be expensive. Remember that you can be on a fitness journey without them.
What tips do you have for eating healthy on a budget?
As long as you have a cupboard full of spices, you’re good to go! Spices are cheap but have add so much flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Melanie, so true. I am always looking to try new spices. I always go down the spice aisle to see what’s on sale and pick one new thing once a month.
great tips. Ive been trying to get back on the healthier route but without breaking a budget of course 😉
I’m really bad at meal prepping because I always change my mind on what I want to eat on the day. However, like you, I have found that cutting out and replacing fancy ingredients in recipes has helped me cut down expenses. Here’s to a more experimental healthy journey.
Limiting specialty ingredients is a big one. I try to keep a list of unique spice and such I want to get for new recipes and when I see that I have a few check marks next to one I go ahead and buy it knowing I have a few meals to make with it. Usually it goes a long way 🙂
I love the idea of keeping it simple. I don’t think people realize sometimes that eating healthy can be kept simple. Often we like to stick to just meat and veggies!
Limiting specialty ingredients and keeping it simple is definitely huge! There are so many yummy recipes with a couple of ingredients anyone can make. Thank you for your suggestions!