6 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget
Can you still eat a healthy diet, even on a restricted budget? Absolutely!
With a little up-front planning, you can save money without sacrificing nutrition.
In this post, I’ll share my top tips for saving money on healthy eating, including:
How to avoid being misled by food marketing labels
Knowing your budget and planning your meals around it
How to save money at the grocery store
Where to find the best prices on healthy foods like fresh produce
Assistance programs to bridge the gap
Be Wary of Processed “Health Foods”
Many of the so-called “health foods” that you’ll see in the grocery store are really just less junky junk food (a cookie with the label “low fat” or “less sugar” is still a cookie).
They’re also crazy expensive! One box of “healthy” cereal can cost as much as $7 or $8.
In my opinion, most processed health foods aren’t worth it, especially when you’re on a budget.
My advice is to avoid processed and packaged health foods and, instead, aim to eat foods that are as close to how they come from nature as possible. This means the majority of your meals are made up of vegetables, whole grains, and a lean source of protein.
Many people mistakenly believe that it’s too expensive to eat healthy when you’re on a budget. But with the right planning and strategies, you can give your body the fuel it needs without going broke. Check out my 6 tips below.
1 Know Your Budget
Take a look at your budget and figure out how much money you can afford to spend on food. Decide how much you will spend and set that much aside each week or each month for getting food.
2 Plan Your Meals
Once you know your budget, it will be helpful to plan ahead of time what you or your family will eat for the next week or couple of days.
In general, each meal should follow the Healthy Plate Model. Half of the plate should be vegetables and the other half of the plate should be split between either a starchy vegetable or whole grain product and a lean source of protein:
To fill out the different sections of the Health Plate, save money by following these tips:
Try as much as possible to use items you already have in your kitchen (as long as they are healthy). For example, if you have some meat in the freezer and rice in the pantry, plan your next meals to use those items. Make a grocery list from the additional items you need that you don’t already have.
A great way to save money is to plan your meals around coupons and sales:
Many stores send promotional ads and coupons in the mail—so make sure to check through your mail and keep a lookout for good deals. You can also do a quick search online for coupons and deals at your local stores.
Sales flyers are usually posted mid-week at the store’s entrance, in the newspaper, and online. For this reason, I usually do my grocery shopping on Wednesdays and Thursdays to try and get the best deals.
Stay up-to-date on sales by joining your store’s loyalty program. Signing up is usually free when you provide your phone number and email address. Many stores send weekly email updates to notify you of promotions and discounts.
Keep your coupons organized and easy to find! Create a system that’s easy for you to maintain and allows you to get to your coupons quickly and hassle-free. Many people keep their coupons sorted in a binder, index card organizer, or envelopes with the contents sorted by item type or alphabetical order. Go through your coupons every few weeks and throw away any expired ones.
Check at the customer service desk at your supermarket and see if the store will match the price of other stores’ coupons (many stores do this, as long as the coupon is for the same item that you’re buying).
You can also save money by planning your meals around vegetables and fruit that are in season. Use the Seasonal Food Guide website www.seasonalfoodguide.org.
3 Make a List
Once you have your meals planned, make a grocery list based on the items you don’t already have in your kitchen (and the items you plan to use coupons for).
It’s a good idea to keep a running list of needed items on your phone, on your refrigerator, or in your wallet or purse.
Having a list and sticking to it alone will save you a bunch of money over “going in blind” at the grocery store. But there are a few things you can plan for that will save you even more money.
Keep in mind that you only want to buy the amount of fresh foods that you’ll be able to use before they spoil.
Consider purchasing frozen or shelf-stable items. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often picked at the peak of freshness and are a great, nutritious alternative to fresh produce—especially if you plan to use the items for cooking. Remember that you can also freeze many fresh items yourself to make them last longer.
If meat items are on sale, I’ll often buy more than I plan to use in one week and freeze the extra meat to use in my next week’s meal plan.
Shelf-stable items like canned vegetables, fruits, meats, and dry cereals & beans (like rice, oatmeal, lentils, etc) are also a great alternative to fresh produce that last a long time. Keep in mind, however, that canned items tend to have a high sodium content, so you’ll need to monitor how much you eat to avoid overdoing it on the sodium.
4 Save at the Store
While you’re at the store, stick to your list as much as possible!
Also make sure to eat before you go to the grocery store. Shopping while hungry can make it harder to stick to your list, and you’ll also likely end up buying less-healthy items.
When you’re at the grocery store, try to stay around the outside-edge of the store where you’ll find the fresher whole food items (ultra-processed pre-packaged food tends to be in the center of the store).
While you’re going down the aisles, make sure to look up and down at the top and bottom shelves. Grocery stores tend to display more expensive items at eye level, so check above and below in the aisles for better deals.
Use your list and coupons as a guide while shopping, but also keep an eye out for coupons and sales promoted in the store.
Compare prices between brands to save even more money, and check the per-unit price on the price label. Sometimes different brands will package different amounts at different price points (for instance one 24-oz jar of spaghetti sauce may cost $2.99 (a per unit cost of 12 cents per oz) while a 32-oz jar costs $3.25 (a per unit cost of 10 cents per oz). If you can afford the extra 26 cents, it would be a better deal to go with the 32 oz. can.
Also note that store brands (often called “generic” brands) can save you a lot of money and often are nearly identical to name brand items for a fraction of the price. Again, check the per unit price to see what’s the best deal.
You can also find good prices outside the grocery store, like at farmers markets & stands, ethnic markets, and dollar stores. Wholesale clubs (like Sam’s Club and Costco) and retail supercenters allow you to purchase items in bulk for a fraction of the per-unit price that you see in the typical grocery store.
Here are a few more tips for saving at the store:
Saving on Vegetables & Fruit
You can save on salad greens by purchasing the leaves in bunches rather than purchasing pre-bagged mixes (which tend to cost more and spoil faster).
Large bags of frozen vegetables and fruit are often less expensive per unit and can last a long time between purchases. Use only the amount that you need for your meal prep, then store it in the freezer between uses (make sure to seal the bag or container tightly to avoid freezer burn).
Keep in mind you can also save a lot of money looking outside the grocery store for produce—farmer’s markets and farm stands offer fresh fruits and vegetables often for a lower price than what you’ll find in the grocery store. The produce will also likely be more fresh and nutritious than what you’ll find in the grocery store. Grocery store produce is often picked before it’s ripe and stored in warehouses for days or even weeks before hitting grocery store shelves.
Saving on Grains
Look for discounts on bread that is on clearance. You can often make the bread last long enough for use by storing it in your refrigerator or freezer at home. Fresh-baked day-old bread is also often offered at a discount.
Regular rice, oatmeal, grits, and other grains are often less expensive and more nutritious than the instant varieties.
Saving on Dairy
You can save on Dairy items by purchasing larger containers. Just make sure to get the largest amount that you can use before it spoils. You can also freeze a portion of what you buy if you won’t be able to use it before it spoils.
Keep in mind that Ultra-pasteurized milk often has a longer expiration date and will last longer before spoiling.
Saving on Meat
Certain cuts of meat (such as chuck or bottom round roast) are less expensive and contain less fat than other cuts (such as sirloin)
Check at the meat counter for specials and deals to save.
Buy meat in bulk to save per unit, and simply freeze what you don’t plan to use in the immediate future.
5 Saving Money At home
When you get home, store fresh produce, meat, and dairy immediately to preserve freshness. Prepare the meals in your plan as soon as possible. When you’ve finished cooking, store the meals in entree containers in the refrigerator so that you can easily grab, warm up in the microwave (if necessary), and eat right away.
6 Check Out Assistance Programs
Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP)
If you or your family are low-income, you may qualify for one or more benefits of the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) provided by the USDA. If you are eligible for SNAP and have school-aged children, they qualify for free lunch and breakfast. For more information, call 1-800-221-5689. You can also visit www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-directory to find your local SNAP office.
For more information on the SNAP programs, check out the SNAP-Ed Connection webpage. This is a great resource for SNAP Partners, Educators, and the Community, with information on healthy eating, saving money on food, and over 600 low-cost recipes in both English and Spanish. For more info, visit www.fns.usda.gov/snap/snap-ed.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
If you’re a low-income woman who's pregnant, breastfeeding, a new mom, or have children under five years old, you may be eligible for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/wic.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
Another great resource for low-income individuals and families is The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). This is a Federal program that provides food to low-income people. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/emergency-food-assistance-program.
The Bottom Line
Don’t fall for the idea that eating healthy is too expensive. There are many, many ways to eat healthy for a low cost. But it doesn’t happen without planning and awareness. Use the strategies in this post to save money and fuel your gains with nutritious food at every meal.
Keep in mind that it takes practice to get really good at saving money on healthy eating. So maybe pick one or two strategies to try at a time, and practice them until they become solid habits. As you build more and more of these things into your weekly and monthly routine, little by little you’ll be able to eat healthier and save more.
