As a young, single-income family, we know the pain of inflation all too well. When prices rise faster than income, it’s time to trim the extras and find ways to make each dollar go as far as it can go. Luckily, once you learn some tricks, it’s surprisingly easy to eat healthy on a budget.
As with most things financial, it’s all a matter of priorities. Only you can decide how to allocate limited resources for your family. However, here are the ways that we make it work!
How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
1. Cook at home for every meal
Easier said than done (especially at first!), but eating out is bad for your health and your wallet. Even if you’re eating off of value menus at fast food restaurants, your money will buy you food that will make you feel fuller and better for far less if you cook at home. Remember, when you buy food out, you’re paying for the food as well as the labor (and space and equipment) to make it.
Breakfast and/or lunch are especially important to make yourself. You can easily burn through $25-50+ per week eating out for just one meal, beverage, or snack a day during the workweek. It may be convenient to swing through the drive-thru on your commute or on your break, but it’s draining your wallet without providing you with the fuel you need to function.
Tip: Learn to make a homemade version of your favorite convenience foods. Compare how much you spent making the homemade version vs. the commercial option (don’t forget tax + tip), as well as how you feel after eating each one.
2. Avoid ultra-processed foods in favor of whole foods
Whole foods are almost always cheaper than ultra-processed foods, especially when you take satiety and nutrients into consideration.
If you need a cheap meal, foods like chicken (especially bone-in, skin-on lets, thighs, or drumsticks), canned fish, beans (dried is cheaper than canned), rice (not the instant kind), and fresh or frozen vegetables are the way to go. Those foods will provide more meals (that are also more satisfying) than a frozen pizza or any other ultra-processed dinner.
It’s not just about comparing cost per calorie. Ultra-processed foods will almost always leave you feeling sluggish and wanting more. Real, whole foods will fill you up and fuel you. Yes, they take more time to prepare, but the more real foods you can use (even if they’re frozen or canned) or meals you can make from scratch, the better.
3. Plan your meals
Meal planning deserves a post of its own, but it is essential for keeping your food costs down. If you don’t plan your meals, you’re likely to waste food. Wasted food is wasted money.
Before you shop, plan all of your meals for the week. I find that planning dinners is often sufficient for our family, as long as I plan to cook enough food to have leftovers for lunch and have some easy breakfast options that keep in the fridge a while (eggs, Greek yogurt, etc.).
4. Snack smart
If you and/or your family members snack, be sure to take that into consideration when planning your meals and budgeting as well.
As I mentioned above, processed foods are generally more expensive than real, whole foods. Same goes for whole foods designed to be “snacks.” For example, string cheese is more expensive than blocks of mozzarella. If you’re trying to save money, consider ways to replace ultra-processed snacks with whole food alternatives and “snack” foods with foods not marketed as snacks.
5. Take advantage of store loyalty programs
Depending on the stores near you, it’s possible to save a lot of money by signing up for free loyalty programs. Programs vary between stores. Some offer cash back, others offer fuel discounts, many have special pricing for loyalty program members. There also may be paper or digital coupons that only loyalty members can access. Any money you can save by joining these free loyalty programs is a win in my book!
Some stores also have paid memberships with various benefits. These may or may not be worth it for your family’s needs. Take a look at the cost of the membership and compare it with the savings you anticipate.
If you decide to get the paid membership, continue to evaluate its value to your family. Over the course of the year, keep track of how much you save with the paid membership (not including the free loyalty program’s discount). Make sure that it continues to be worth it for you!
6. If you tend to impulse buy, consider using free grocery pickup
Many stores offer a free grocery pickup if you spend more than a certain amount. It’s usually a relatively low amount, so it should be easy to hit that mark – especially if you’re shopping for the whole week.
This can make it very easy to stay within budget because you see the order total (give or take a few dollars) before checking out. If you realize you’re over budget, it’s easy to revise your cart.
7. Buy in bulk (and meal prep)!
Whether you have a large family or live alone, you can take advantage of bulk pricing. It’s almost always cheaper to buy things in larger quantities, but the trick is to make sure that none of it goes to waste! Here are some ways that I take advantage of bulk pricing without any food waste:
- Dry Goods: Grains like rice, beans, and wheat berries keep for a long time, so you can buy them in larger quantities without risking spoilage. I love to buy these from Azure Standard because their prices are often significantly lower than the grocery store, and they’re organic!
- Meat: Freeze it, either cooked or raw. Large cuts, like bone-in pork shoulder and whole chickens, can be difficult to defrost, so I like to cook those shortly after purchasing. Then I portion out the meat for future meals (usually 1-2lb increments) and freeze it. Smaller cuts, like individual cuts of chicken or ground meat, can be frozen raw, thawed, and cooked more easily. However, I find that bulk prepping a bunch of shredded chicken saves me a lot of time down the line!
- Fresh produce: It isn’t always easy to find bulk prices on fresh produce, but whole, uncut fruits and veggies are almost always cheaper than pre-cut (or single-serving) ones. Plan your meals for the week around a limited number of fruits and veggies. For example, you can eat broccoli as a side, on a salad, in a stir fry, and in a casserole without feeling like you’re eating the same thing every night.
8. Shop sales (and learn your store’s sale cycle)
Keep a close eye on the weekly ads for stores near you and familiarize yourself with the types of foods that generally appear. There will always be loads of processed foods on sale, but fresh food also gets deeply discounted. Grocery stores usually rotate through these whole food item sales in a somewhat (but not entirely) predictable way. I’ve found that’s especially the case for various cuts of meat and dairy/egg products. Stock up on these when they’re on sale!
If it’s something you use regularly that doesn’t spoil easily (or can be frozen), try to get enough to last until the next time you predict it will be on sale again so that you’re never paying full price.
9. Shop in-season produce
Fruits and vegetables often go on sale when they are in season. We like to rotate the fruits and vegetables we eat to match the season as much as possible. Of course, there are certain produce items we buy year-round. However, for produce we use for snacks or sides, we aim for seasonality as much as possible.
Not only does this save money, but it also means we get a great variety throughout the year. This helps us to avoid burning-out on or getting sick of particular fruits and vegetables. By the time we’ve had our fill, it’ll be months before we eat it regularly again. It also means we get fresher, better tasting produce!
10. Grow some of your own food
Does growing your own food sound unattainable? It shouldn’t be! Whether you live in an apartment or on a farm with acres of land, you can grow something!
For most herbs, a small pot in a sunny window is plenty. And fresh herbs can get VERY expensive in the store! Parsley, cilantro, basil, chives, and oregano are all wonderful garnishes, but can also be rather expensive as an ingredient when they’re called for. Grow your own so you can snip a few leaves here and there as needed!
If you have more space, growing any fruits and/or vegetables you like can decrease your food budget, at least by a bit. Lettuce is a great cut-and-come-again crop that requires only partial sun and minimal space, but can provide you with fresh salads whenever you want. Determinant cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, and strawberries can all be grown in containers or tight garden spots.
The best part of growing your own food is that it tastes better than anything from the store, often has more nutrients, and is far fresher!
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