Recently, grocery prices have increased astronomically—in the past four years alone, there’s been a 25% jump. You aren’t alone in feeling like this sharp rise has made it impossible to eat healthy while sticking to your grocery budget.
But with a bit of planning, your dollar can stretch a lot farther than you might expect! Keep reading to discover our four tips to get the most out of your budget when buying healthy foods.
1. Use a Couponing App
It worked in the 90s and it works now! One of the best things you can do to save money on just about anything at the grocery store is to use coupons.
But don’t worry—you won’t have to flip through newspapers or diligently cut coupons. Most of the stores you shop at already have their own apps for sending out discounts and coupons regularly. You can also do an online web search for manufacturer’s coupons.
2. Plan Your Meals
Going to the grocery store without a shopping list or at least a basic game plan is always a bad idea. If you plan on buying a week’s worth of groceries, then you should plan a week’s worth of meals before you head to the store.
After you’ve decided on meals, making a list helps ensure you don’t forget any ingredients. But more importantly, a list makes it harder to impulsively grab items—which means you won’t overspend. Plus, not only will this help you save money, but will also prevent you from buying food that goes bad before you get around to eating it.
Another part of your meal planning should be to eat a healthy meal before you go grocery shopping. Studies have shown that people tend to purchase unhealthy foods when they go to the grocery store hungry. They also tend to spend more money.
3. Don’t Buy Processed Foods
Many people think unhealthy foods are a lot less expensive than healthy ones. The initial cost may be lower, but you can still end up spending more money on a weekly basis if you buy processed foods.
And because processed foods don’t have a lot of nutritional value, you feel hungry for more food much sooner. That means spending more money on foods that never truly satisfy you. Cookies, cakes, potato chips and frozen meals are a few examples of processed foods.
Healthy foods like fresh sprouts are packed with nutrients that keep you feeling full for longer, which ultimately helps stretch your budget. Always try to shop on the outer aisles of grocery stores. This is where you’ll find fruits, vegetables and other fresh, healthy foods.
4. Be Smart About Your Leftovers
You’re likely well aware of the fact that you can save money if you prepare your meals at home instead of ordering take-out. What you might not know is that you can still end up wasting money if you don’t prepare your food the right way. Always think about how many portions you’ll get from the recipe and the best way to store everything.
For example, let’s say you cook hamburgers and have extra ground beef. You can freeze the leftover raw meat for pasta sauce or tacos. You can also freeze any leftover burger patties. Just be sure to store everything in appropriate portions—like separating leftover ground beef into one-pound portions first.
Not only does preparing food this way help you save money, but it also helps you save time. You can simply unfreeze and heat the food when you’re ready to eat it, and you’ll have the perfect portion size.
When you combine these four tips, your ability to stretch your budget and still buy healthy groceries is huge! All it takes is a bit of planning and some space in your freezer.
About the Author
George Reynolds
Nature Jim's Sprouts Owner and CEO
Since 1996, George has been working hands on with all thing’s spouts, sprouting and sprouting seeds. He is also a natural health and well-being enthusiast who believes in the power of good health habits. George’s focus on healthy food, nutrition and exercise aligns perfectly with his many years of professional experience as the President of Nature Jim’s Sprouts and Reynolds Industries.
George firmly believes in the health benefits of sprouts and makes them a part of his daily diet. His favorite way to eat sprouts is raw and on sandwiches and salads.
Learn More
