Five Tips to Eat Healthier on a Budget

If you’ve been following me on social media, then you would know recently my family has given up refined sugar. I thought we already ate pretty healthy, but I had been wanting to try out giving up sugar for some time now. Diabetes runs rampant on my father’s side of the family, and it starts at a pretty young age. I want to make sure that won’t be a concern of mine, so the first step was to eliminate all refined sugars in my home. I realized while shopping at the grocery store that sugar is in EVERYTHING. Salad dressing, mayonnaise, soup bases, even commercial almond milk. 

That means I have to make even more foods from scratch, and with fresh ingredients. If you didn’t already know, eating healthy can add up to be really expensive. Today I’ll share some ways I save money for my family, but continue to eat healthy while on a budget. 

1. Shop seasonal – When you buy fruits & vegetables that are in season, you save more money. Have you ever noticed when you buy berries in the winter they are more expensive? That’s because berry season is in early spring. Check out the vegetables that are in season, and buy them when they are at their lowest price. 
2. Shop Sales & Markdowns – At my local grocery store I like to check the natural & organic section for markdowns. Often I can find items that would be otherwise really expensive for half off or more. I look for these sales weekly. 
3. Plan ahead – Make a list and meal plan, then shop around that list. When I go to the grocery store indecisive about what to eat, I typically spend more money. If I have a list and stick to it, I know what I need and I can stay within those limits instead of throwing random goodies in the kart. 
4. Skip the juice & soda – Buying juice and soda will just make your grocery tab add up. My family mostly drinks water, tea and of course coffee! Yesterday I bought one pineapple for $2, then juiced it. We all had fresh pineapple juice with breakfast. Healthier and cheaper than buying it in a bottle from the store. 
5. Skip eating out at restaurants – My family enjoys a meal out maybe once a month, or only when we travel. Eating out can get really expensive. My family of 5 will spend over what I normally use for groceries in one week for a night out to dinner. Instead I will buy the items I enjoy eating at a restaurant and cook them at home. Turns out 10x cheaper, especially if I shop when there is a sale. 

I hope these five tips have helped you to save on eating healthy when shopping for your family! 

What are some other ways you save when shopping? 

Ashley