In today’s economy eating healthy for many of us is not a top priority when we have a tight budget. Meal planning and grocery shopping can be challenging and sometimes downright overwhelming with most healthy food choices are more expensive than food that is usually not as healthy. This has prompted me to share five tips we can all use to eat healthy on a tight budget.
- Make Your Food Budget Go Farther:
Nowadays it can be difficult to stretch your “food dollars” if you don’t understand how to budget. The great thing that we all have access to is the internet where there are discount and coupons that we can all use to find bargains. Many online retailers carry the same brands seen in grocery stores for discounted prices. This is sometimes unpublicized, but is a great way to eat healthier and stick to our budget.
- Cook at Home:
This is an easy and much cheaper option than eating out at a restaurant or fast-food establishment. Generally, when we cook at home we can cook for a family of four for the same price as buying dinner for two at a restaurant. Also by cooking for ourselves we gain the benefit of knowing what’s exactly in our food.
- Try Less Expensive Cuts of Meat:
We can still enjoy meat, even when we’re on a tight budget. Look for less expensive cuts of meat, like chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, and try different cooking methods, like the slow cooker, to make tougher cuts of meat tender and juicy. Also try to cook with a little less seasonings and drain the excess fat on your meat.
- Prioritize Eating Healthy:
This is probably the most important but underlooked keys when eating healthy on a budget. The fact of the matter is many of us don’t make eating healthy a priority when it comes to our finances. Once we first make a budget then take a look at how we are spending our money and consider what things are important to us. Then we will be on the right track to a healthier life.
- Shop Local:
There is a huge misconception that buying a your local farmer’s market can be extremely expensive than buying food from grocery stores I.e. Wal-Mart, Target and Kroger’s. This is typically not the case, especially if you are willing to buy in bulk and can, dry, or freeze the foods you purchase. When you buy in bulk you can not only save money but have a healthier food that you and your body will appreciate.
In the end eating healthy on budget can be problematic, but done properly can be achieved. Do you have any tips that you use to eat healthy? I would love to hear them in the comments below and if you enjoyed this post please share!
Copyright ©2016 Jay Colby All Rights Reserved.
Jay Colby 
I always make sure to eat seasonally available fruits and veggies. They’re cheaper, taste better, and are more nutritious when they’re in season. Don’t just stick with the same grocery list, something is always on sale.
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Very true & a great tip!
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Wow what an informative post. Yummy pics. Very nice. 👍 👍
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Thank you!
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Another idea is to eat more legume-based meals. I’ve found some really tasty recipes which feature beans, lentils, etc.
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Great idea I will have to look into that. Thanks for sharing!
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Good advice
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Thank you!
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☺ 🌷
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Great tips ! Love cooking at home 🙂
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Thank you & I do as well!
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Cool post! Some great tips
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Thank you!
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Thank you for sharing this information and visiting my blog:) I have been trying for some time to figure out how to eat healthier on a budget. Researching on my own began to be information overload haha. You’ve made it easy to understand and I am convinced it’s doable. Thanks again. Blog on!
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I’m glad you found it useful & thanks for stopping by!
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The problem I run into is that I try to buy mostly organic, non GMO, and that stuff is expensive, and not usually on sale or with coupons. I agree with the European way of doing things: high taxes on junk food and good prices on healthy, fresh produce. Not sure why our government isn’t helping us out with this.
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I understand completely buying most healthier is more expensive that other choices. But you bring up a good question “why our government isn’t helping”. I’m going to have to research and see if they have or our planing to help this problem. Thanks for sharing!
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Great post. I love cooking we always cook from scratch and been vegeterian all my life.
One thing to add know how store fruit and veg. Dont keep it in the plastic bag ..put it a paper bag. And in fridge if necessary. Keep fruit in fruit basket that has whole. Dont buy multi packs if you know you wont eat it all. Dont waste food if you can help it… or at least before goes bad give it to a homeless person… but becareful of over buying becausr its cheap… especially if you cant finish it.
Meal prep is a good way.
Know your food prices.. but know quality and fresh ness.. sometimes cheap veg and fruit wont last a day… so be mindful of that.. even that is a waste of money
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Great insight I always look for quality of my fruit & vegatables. Thanks for sharing & reading!
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We actually follow these practices ha..ha
nice post
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Thank you!
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Thanks jay for follow
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Your welcome
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Nice piece. With so much of our food processed these days, any attempt to develop healthy eating habits is a step in the right direction. Our diet has long-term implications for chronic illness, for instance, heart disease.
But achieving a healthy diet can be extremely difficult in the inner city. There are far fewer supermarkets available. The small “mom and pop” stores do not always stock fresh fruits and vegetables. And the cost may be prohibitive. Fast food chains which favor frying (not the most beneficial cooking method) many times offer the only affordable protein.
Some schools have been stepping in to fill the gap. Resources are often, however, limited. Government food programs (distributed through schools or foodbanks) are another source.
Food has become a complicated issue. Thanks for starting a dialog.
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You bring up a great point. This is an problem that I want to start a dialog to help find a solution. One question that I’m still trying to find a answer to is why does it all seem like in lower income areas there are always less healthy food choices. Thanks for reading & commenting!
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Community gardens, when someone takes the initiative to start one, can be a good source of free or low cost fresh fruits and vegetables. But they require a commitment by the community. Gardens have to be planted, weeded, etc.
Small “mom and pop” stores cannot afford the spoilage associated w/ fresh fruit and vegetables. Not everything fresh they buy will be sold before it is bruised or goes bad. Canned and frozen goods can stay on the shelves or in the freezer for long periods.
Fried food tastes good, even if it is not good for the arteries. Cooking w/ oil is traditional in certain cultures. Oil can actually be re-used, so is comparatively inexpensive.
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These are great tips. I’ve used them all at one point or another. I still use most of them. 🙂
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Great I’m glad you stopped by!
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My pleasure!😊
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Thank you I’m glad you found it helpful!
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Pingback: 5 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget — Jay Colby | Mindfulness Living
Great tips!! Thanks for sharing, Jay!
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Thanks for reading!
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Always enjoy reading your posts. Agreed it is a challenge to find healthy options on a budget. We are a family of five, and planning the weeks healthy meals, and cooking meals is a must to make the money go as far as possible.
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I definitely understand that’s why I wrote this to share some tips for people live on a budget. Thanks for reading!
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And eggs! Affordable & versatile :))
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Yea that’s a great suggestion thanks for sharing!
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Great post Jay!! For some reason I’ve only just discovered the farmer’s market this year (I used to get all my fruits and veges from the supermarket) and i’m probably saving $20 a week! And I find getting meat from a butcher instead of a supermarket is way cheaper as well. It’s totally possible to eat healthy on a budget 🙂
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Thank you & yes the farmer’s market is a awesome resource we can all use!
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Hi Jay,
Great outlook on eating healthy.
Did you know that adding the supplement Protandim to your daily intake decreases the bodies oxidative stress by 40% in 30 days. As well as increasing your lifespan by 7%?
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Thanks for these tips. Sometimes going to the supermarkets at certain times of day, you will find they reduce the prices on fresh fruit and veg which is handy. But it’s always good to support local, independent stores including butchers and have found that if you support local businesses and build a rapport with them, they will often go out of their way to help you regardless of what your budget is 🙂
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Reblogged this on Life & Soul Magazine.
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Great advice- I hadn’t thought about using less expensive cuts of meet. Lately, I’ve been getting 1/2 pound to a pound of meet and stretching it out over several meals with lots of veggies. Stuff like salads, fajitas, quiche, soups, and rice dishes work well that way.
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Good post, bro. Facts!
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Getting veggies in season or what’s on sale that week help us. I also have used a website called supercook-it tells you dishes you can make by what you have on hand, which lessens food waste. In the winter, we go for frozen veggies too. They are supposed to be as healthy as other produce.
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Very true using what you have can really help out in the long run.
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I know for me I have think healthy in the store.. my son an I try to care a list and stick to it.. but thanks for the tips..
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Thanks for reading!
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Great tips!
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Thanks for reading
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Great post! I am a nutritionist and I just started a blog where I will be talking about eating healthy on a budget, give advice on nutritional topics and post healthy and affordable recipes. Check it out if you need any extra advice! 🙂
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