Easy Tips to Eat Healthy on a Budget

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I know eating healthy is a struggle and everyone assumes that it is expensive, putting it out of their budget. It wasn’t until my husband and I comitted to a vegetarian diet for weight loss that I realized you can eat healthy on a budget.

In this post, I give you the tips I used to help us eat healthy on a budget. Its not as hard as you think.

If you don’t already have a budget or want to see if I have some extra tips for yours check mine out here.

Meal Plan

If you want to be successful with any diet, you need to learn how to meal plan. Meal planning not only helps with your diet but it can help you with your budget as well. Planning our weekly meals out before we hit the grocery store has saved us hundreds on groceries.

I usually sit down on Sundays and find recipes I want to cook for the next week. I go through the ingredients and see what I already have in the pantry. The things I don’t have get added to my grocery list.

This is also a good time to check the sales ad for the stores you usually use. Sometimes this helps me make recipe decissions.

When I get to the store, I stick strictly to my list and I am not as tempted with impulse buys this way. Impulse buys will get you in trouble with the budget.

Buy in Bulk

Usually once a month, I go to our local Sams Club (we don’t have a Costco close enough to shop at). I get all my bulk items here like the veggie burgers we eat. Doing this saves me money plus I get to stock up on toilet paper (I’m glad I do because I didn’t run out during the pandemic of 2020).

I don’t force my kids to eat the vegetarian recipes that we eat so I get them things they like here while I’m there. But let me say, my kids have tried some of the things we eat and they love them.

My favorite zucchini patty recipe has become their favorite now, too! (I included a link to it but I substitute the flour for whole wheat and the vegetable oil for grape seed or avocado oil)

Less Meat – More Veggies

I really didn’t realize what going vegetarian would do to our budget but it saves so much money. I notice that when I stay in the produce section how much money I save. I think its crazy how expensive meats have become over the years and I don’t miss this in my grocery budget at all!

Home Grown

Growing your own is a no brainer. We don’t grow much, only zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and strawberries. But this only helps to save us money when I don’t have to go buy these. Plus, there is nothing better than a home-grown tomato sandwich!

My kids also find it so rewarding to go pick their own food. It can be a great lesson for them. You don’t have to have a big garden. You can grow just about anything in a flower pot. My son grew squash in our flower bed one year.

Drink Water

Drinking water is healthier anyway, plus its so much cheaper. We are on a well so our water is pretty much free (and taste good). If you aren’t you can invest in a filter and filter your own. I promise it will still cost less than bottled water and you won’t have all the trash which helps the enviroment.

Sales Stockup

Watching the sales paper can add up to some really big savings. You can buy things at the discount price and store them or freeze them if its possible. At any given time I may have 10 cans of black beans in the pantry because they were on sale and this is a vegetarian staple at my house.

I also freeze fruits and veggies for smoothies, along with cilantro for recipes and cut up limes.

Beans Beans Beans

Don’t under estimate the power of beans. They are very inexpensive and packed full of goodness. They are one of the most underrated foods on the planet.

Beans are excellent sources of dietary fiber, protein, B vitamins and many other important vitamins and minerals. There is evidence showing that they can help reduce blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy gut.

We use beans as a filler or as a meat substitute.

Make Your Own

I like to make my own taco seasoning and cream of “whatever” soup at home. It’s so much healthier and it can also save you some money. Here is the Cream of Chicken Soup recipe I use. My favorite taco seasoning recipe is here.

Give it a try! I promise not only is it healthier but things taste better when you do it yourself.

Use Fillers

You can save some money by adding fillers into your meals. It doesn’t have to be obvious.

My kids have no idea the tricks I play on them, lol.

We use cheap (healthy) fillers with our recipes like black beans or rice. Black beans are a great source of protein and fiber so why wouldn’t you want to add that in.

Eat Your Leftovers

I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do but if you are trying to cut down on your grocery bill this is a must. And, if you are making healthy meals than eating the leftovers is a no brainer. I don’t mind eating them when I cook something delicious!

A lot of times I will make enough with dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. This keeps me from having to plan for lunch or eat out.

Shop Once a Week

I shop for groceries once a week because it makes meal planning easier for me and it also makes sure my fresh produce stays fresh. It is so much easier not to waste anything when I only plan for one week ahead.

You can also add in sale items when you plan this way. Checking the weekly ad for the stores I shop when making out my meal plan helps me save more money.

Buy Store Brand

I don’t have a problem in the world buying store brands.

The majority of the stuff we use is the Aldi brands. Aldi is by far my favorite grocery store. I save the most money buying their store brands.

Whole Foods

I have found that when my list consists of mainly produce that my bill is cheaper. The less processed the foods are, the cheaper they tend to be. So I have busted the myth that eating healthy is more expensive. The problem I was having with this in the past was what I considered “healthy”.

One example that I have switched to is instead of buying shredded cheese, I buy the cheese block and shred it myself. This one thing saves me a couple of bucks every trip.

You can also buy brown rice, which is a whole food that isn’t processed like white rice and it is cheap.

Meal Prep

Being able to meal prep makes sure I use all of what I buy and eat every bit of it. I will make lunches ahead and keep them ready in the fridge.

An example of a recipe I would use for this is the Chipotle Black Bean Burrito Bowl. This gives me 4 good lunches that are easy to take with me to work and also healthy.

I don’t think I could stick to my healthy routine without meal prepping.

Coupons and Apps

Coupons are one of my favorite ways to save money. I have discovered that most coupons you can get your hands on are not for healthy foods. I now make sure I use them wisely.

My new favorite thing is the Ibotta App. I have saved tons of money with this app. I have recently connected it to my walmart grocery pickup account and it automatically adds the savings to my account.

Dosh is another app that has saved me money. All you have to do is connect it to a card and every time you use it, the savings are added to your account. I tend to save on average $10 every time I go to Sams Club and I don’t have to do anything but use my card.

Amazon Subscribe and Save

I like a chocolate bar that I get from Amazon Subscribe and Save. They send me a case every 3 months and I can save 15% off the price plus it shows up on my door and I don’t have to do a thing.

There is no commitment and you can change or cancel it at any time. I have used it for things like dishwasher tabs and Clorox wipes (before the Pandemic 2020 shortage).

I hope I have been able to help you with some of my tips. Saving money is my favorite past-time.

Go follow me on Pinterest for more money-saving tips and have an awesome day!