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There’s no doubt that unhealthy food tends to be cheaper and more readily accessible than healthier choices, but the reality is that junk food can cause expensive medical problems later on. Fortunately, a little planning ahead can help you get the most potential out of your budget and your banking accounts. Use these ideas to help buy healthy food and groceries when on a budget.
1. Compare Store Deals
Take a few minutes and look at the ads when the stores send them each week, and then check to see which meats are on sale. Whichever has the cheapest one that is still of quality is the one you’ll shop at that week. Unless you’re vegetarian or vegan, that’s your main protein source, so you’ll want to base your weekly budget around that.
2. Choose Fruits and Veggies on Sale
Don’t have a list of must-have fruits and veggies before you go in; that’s how you trick yourself into spending more than you want to. Instead, check out which items are already on sale after you get to the store, and plan your meals around those.
3. Be Creative
Substitutions are part of the deal when you prioritize your shopping budget. If a recipe calls for red peppers but you could only get yellow peppers on sale this week, then you can make a simple swap and try something new. If you forgot an ingredient, see what you have on hand that will make a reasonable substitution, so you save money by not going back to the store.
4. Compromise
You might have already guessed this, but compromise is another huge factor when shopping on a restricted budget. Your favorite type of apple may well be Gala, but if the Granny Smiths are what’s on sale this week, then that’s the type you should grab.
5. Buy in Bulk
Depending on where you shop, you can save huge amounts of money by buying in bulk. Say, for example, your local grocery store normally has small amounts of packaged chicken for $4.99 a pound. But if you go for the bulk superstore, you might be able to find several pounds of packaged chicken for just $1.99 a pound.
6. Consider Frozen Vegetables
Fresh vegetables are hard to beat in terms of convenience, but the truth is that frozen vegetables are just as tasty and nutritious. They don’t add much more preparation time to cooking, and they’re often cheaper than their never-frozen counterparts. It’s a win-win!
7. Eat Everything You Buy
No matter what you decide to get on your weekly shopping trip, make sure you eat absolutely everything. You don’t have to be down to the bare shelves when you go back, but if you buy what you won’t eat, you’ll waste money re-buying meals you already spent money on.
The Bottom Line
No matter what kind of foods you plan to buy, be sure to prepare for your approach with a well-thought-out plan. As long as you’re no longer in the mindset of “more is better,” you’ll be on your way to finding the best high-value healthy foods.
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