Cutting back on grocery costs while trying to eat a healthy diet can be difficult. If you shop smart and prepare ahead of time you can still eat healthy while saving money at the grocery store.
How to Save Money on Groceries and Eat a Healthy Diet:
Make Weekly Grocery List
Once a week plan out one week’s worth of meals. Don’t forget snacks! Get your local supermarket sales out and plan meals around what’s on sale. Make a grocery list of everything you will need for the entire week and then go shopping. Don’t forget to use coupons for items on your list. Don’t buy junk foods! Search out fruits and vegetables on sale for snacking and side dishes. Be sure you check out the reduced produce section. You can find ripe produce at deep discounted prices. The majority grocery stores also have a clearance meat section. You can get absolutely good meat for up to 75% off the normal sales price!
Eat More Frozen Vegetables
Frozen veggies are nutritious and are cheaper than any veggies in the produce isle. Supermarkets frequently place frozen vegetables on sale and offer buy one get one free’s. Stockpile frozen vegetables when onsale. Frozen veggies are convenient to have on hand. They are a healthy addition to soups or microwaved for a quick healthy side dish. Frozen veggies can be defrosted chopped fine and sneaked into childrens foods.
Shop In The Outer Isles Of The Grocery Store
Stick with produce, meats, fish, and dairy. Choose “whole” foods.
Grow Your Own Foods
If space allows, plant a garden in the spring, even if you only have space for a few containers, planting some bush tomatoes or cucumbers will save you a bunch of money. If you have a big enough space for a full garden, plant all your favorites and get your kids involved. Give each child their own cucumber plant. Your kids will take extreme pride in having grown their own vegetables and will be more likely to eat it too.
Prepare meals at home
Eating out adds up and can be expensive, especially if you have a family to feed. Fast foods are often fried, contain too much sodium and contain very little nutritional value. “Healthy and Lite” menu choices are often even more costly than full fat choices. Trying making a healthy version of your preferred restaurant meal at home. More often than not you can cook the same meal for a small percentage of the price and you will have the bonus of leftovers that can be taken to work for lunch.
