Healthy Eating on a Budget
By Michelle Hanson
My family and I are on a tight budget. I have to admit we live paycheck to paycheck and when it comes to groceries, it is no different. We have a $125 dollar budget for our family of 5. Our groceries and our budget would go farther if I bought ramen noodles and mac’n’cheese, but I refuse to put that in my cart. Okay…maybe not ever. I do bend sometimes–but needless to say, we don’t live on it. So how do we eat clean on a tight budget? Here are a few guidelines I follow.
- MAKE a LIST-Make a meal plan and stick to it! This stops me from putting extras in my cart that I may not need. I let my kids pick out a cereal from the organic section so they feel like they get to pick something too.
- STAPLES-Have staples on hand at all times to make extra snacks to help get through the week. By staples I mean protein powder, almond flour, applesauce, baking ingredients, etc. I always buy these items online at www.vitacost.com. They are much cheaper than buying them in store.
- PROTEIN EXPLORING- I eat different proteins throughout the day. I eat cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs for my meals, as well as protein shakes. Evening meals I have a real meat like chicken, lean beef or venison. Watch dairy items as they can be overly processed as times. I buy my eggs from local farmers who I know are organic and dairy I watch labels. Daisy has the least processed ingredients in their cottage cheese, and yogurt I only eat plain greek, because it has less processed ingredients.
- BUY IN BULK– Whenever possible buy in bulk. When we get our tax returns we put a portion of that money aside for buying a ¼ beef if we are running short in the freezer. We are hunters so we usually have venison in the freezer, but if we are running short we do buy some beef too. I also buy items like oatmeal, flax seed, chia seeds and extras at the local co-op. You can buy as little or as much as you need. This way I don’t have to buy a whole package and still have the ingredients if I need it for the week for a recipe.
- DIRTY DOZEN-Apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, sweet bell peppers, kale, summer squash. These are the produce items I always buy organic. Best place to go to is a farmers market because they are usually cheaper and you know that they are farm fresh—just ask them.
- CLEAN 13-These are the cleanest items you can buy non-organic. Asparagus, avocados, cabbage, cantaloupe, egg plants. grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, mushrooms, onions, papayas, pineapples, and bananas.
- FARMERS MARKET-Shop local fresh farmer’s markets. You can usually get good deals on local in season produce. If you go towards the end of the day, you can get good deals too.
- FIND DEALS-Shop dent and bent markets. We have a local dent and bent stores that have great deals on organic items. Eating clean still means non-processed boxed items, so beware of the “organic” craze. Buy staple items such as plain oatmeal, tomato pastes, and sauces organic. While organic cookies are better than regular cookies, they are still cookies and are not healthy for you.
- PREPARE or BEWARE-Packing your lunches, water or beverages, and snacks will not only keep you on track, but it will save you money. Being prepared for the week is a big bonus not only for meeting your goals, but it will keep you from steering left to the local drive thru or vending machine, and regretting a purchase you wouldn’t have made otherwise.
- WATER-The only liquids I buy for my family is milk, coffee and herbal tea. We don’t fall into the trap of always needing to drink other items instead of water. It’s really all they need if they are thirsty. This will save you money left and right, and your kids won’t get a taste for the sugar. It is better for their health, and will save you money at the dentist!
1 comment. Leave new
Thanks for sharing! This is an awesome breakdown for someone like me who would like to eat better but sometimes feels overwhelmed!