Eating better is high on most people's list when it comes to things they want to change. Here are my 10 tips for clean eating on a budget to make it happen!
Most people say that one of their goals is to eat healthier foods. Parents want the best for their kids, and most people want the best for themselves. But, unfortunately, a lot of people feel like they can't afford to eat healthy foods.
Been there.
One of the reasons I didn't think I could afford good quality foods was because I was shopping at a "brand name" organic grocery store... you know the one. Our grocery bill while eating well used to be $1000 a month for two people!
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So then we started eaten poorly because we were trying to save money. There were many times that I bought cheap (really cheap) food because it's all I thought I could afford.
But I could have afforded much better food, I just didn't know how to spend my money properly. It's a lesson that I had to learn many times over before it stuck, and it's a great lesson to learn when homesteading - how to balance what you want to do or have with the resources you have available to you.
Fortunately there are a few simple tricks that you can use to keep for family eating well for very little money.
Now my family of two eats an all organic diet for less than $200 a month.
These ten tricks will help you start feeding your family, however large or small, better foods for less money.
10 Tricks for Clean Eating on a Budget
1. Learn to be full
This one takes some practice. We’re just not accustomed to listening to our bodies anymore. We’re always on the go-go-go and don’t take the time to eat. So we shove the food in our faces and end up feeling stuffed.
We’ve forgotten what it feels like to just be full. Cut what you are eating in half for a few meals and see what your body thinks.
Your body is going to want more food. But most times it’s a mental craving, not a physical craving.
*This is not intended to be medical advice and you should consult with a doctor before doing anything crazy with your diet or nutrition.
2. Stop snacking
Again, mega difficult to stop cold turkey.
Do it anyway.
Snacking wastes a ton of money, and packs on the carbs. It’s ok to be hungry between meals. In fact, when you’re hungry that meal is going to taste a whole lot better!
3. Looks for deals on meat
Find the untrimmed brisket at your local grocer and have them grind it for ground round.
My grocer sells brisket for around $1.75/lb – this is much better than the $3-5/lb that ground round sells for. Brisket also has the proper balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids… plus, the taste is so rich that you’ll never go back to regular ground round.
I make meatloaf, hamburgers, chili, taco meat… pretty much everything with brisket. It’s amazing. I bought one pound of ground round for a dish I wanted to make when the grocer was out of briskets… it was terrible and we threw it away.
So I guess what I’m saying is, go get a brisket!
Also, be sure to buy whole meats, not deli meats or overly processed meat. They are way more expensive for what you get, and they are loaded with filler.
4. Buy nutrient dense veggies
When you’re trying to eat well, most of your money goes to produce.
Learn what veggies sell for the least amount per pound and plan your menu around those things.
For example: One head of organic red cabbage costs me about $2.50. I can chop that one head of cabbage up, along with one yellow onion, and sauté it in butter for a delicious side dish that yields 10 servings.
Compare that with one head of organic iceberg lettuce for $3.25 and you see my point.
5. Weight prepackaged food
Seriously. Do this. Even if you feel silly, do this.
I regularly find “5lb” bags that are between 3 and 6 pounds.
Make sure you’re not losing money, and you might even get a little extra for the same cost!
6. Buy in bulk when you can
This one is simple enough, but it does take a bit of pre-planning.
We eat raw cheese and I try to buy it in bulk every 6 months.
The 8oz block from the local grocer is $5.99, but when I buy it in bulk it’s only $3.40 (I buy 20lbs at a time).
These little savings add up, but you do have to plan for the large upfront cost for each order. Plus you need to be prepared to store things appropriately.
7. Make a meal plan and stick to it
Making a meal plan is actually one of the most important things when it comes to eating healthy… whether you’re trying to save money or not.
If you don’t know what’s for dinner there is a high likelihood that convenience will win out over health.
Avoid this issue by always having a few meals in the freezer that can be tossed in the oven and ready in less than an hour.
Related: Make a custom meal plan in less than 2 minutes with this free tool!
8. Reduce sugar, it's expensive.
Sugar is costly, to both your health and your pocket book.
Reducing the amount of sugar you buy will drastically reduce your food bill.
And I’m not just talking about a 5lb bag of sugar, though I’m including it – I’m also talking about all foods that contain sugar, natural or otherwise. This includes fruit.
Cutting down on sugary foods will also help reduce cravings for snacks between meals. I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy a nice chocolate chip cookie now and again (or whatever dessert your family likes best), just be smart about it and don't go crazy :-)
9. Like what you buy
Liking what you buy is not the same as buying what you like, so take those ding-dongs out of the cart!
This just means that you need to be realistic about what your family will eat.
If you find a great deal on turnips but no one in your family will eat them, what’s the point? You’ve wasted your money and now you have to deal with a bunch of rotten turnips.
Try new things (at a reasonable pace, don’t buy ten new things to try in a week, that will most likely be a waste of money) and keep track of what your family loves, likes, and is willing to eat.
10. Don’t overbuy
Just like with number nine, you need to be careful not to waste food, money, or refrigerator space.
When you put all these steps together, you will naturally keep the waste to a minimum, but if you ignore them you will find yourself overspending and not being able to eat everything you bought before it goes bad!
There you have it!
Ten tricks for clean eating on a budget. They are simple enough and yet sometimes they are so difficult to stick to!
It is worth it though – My food budget was about $1000/month before we implemented these tricks. Now it’s $200 or under. Quite a savings and the food we eat is of much higher quality.
[…] the past I’ve shared my top 10 tips for cleaning eating on a budget. Number 3 is to stop snacking. Difficult to follow? Maybe, but it worked for us and has worked for […]