Oct 15, 20182 min read

Eating well on any budget

Updated: Aug 11, 2024

No way, eating well and on a budget is next to impossible! Or is it possible? Most people believe eating healthy on a tight wallet is an anomaly. There are simple tips you can follow to penny save while nourishing your body.

Times are tough and eating healthier might feel next to impossible, but careful planning and simple steps can go a long way.

Plan

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

― Benjamin Franklin

Make a list before you shop. Check out local grocery store advertisements to see when bargains hit.

Add legumes

Substitute #legumes for meat twice a week and save on your cholesterol and wallet. The estimated cost for most beans range between $0.60 and $3.00 and can come dried or canned. For example, 1 can of black beans offers 3 servings, with a serving size of 1/2 cup, providing 7 grams of protein. Other examples of legumes are soybeans, peas, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, #mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover.

Eat In

Buy or harvest seeds and plant a garden.

Use your money to buy seeds or harvest the seeds from your fruits and vegetables to use for your garden. Eating out is costly, plan to eat meals at home. Prepare meals in larger quantities and freeze meals for later.

Be a smart shopper

Be careful of sales gimmicks.

Buy foods in bulk. Look for buy one get one free or unit specials but be careful not to be tricked into buying pricier items over thinking you're going to save a few dollars. For example, if you see buy one get one free for 16 ounces cheddar cheese and the cheese is $6.00, then you would be getting 32 ounces of cheddar cheese for $0.19 an ounce. Furthermore, if there is another deal featuring 2 for $6.00 for 16 ounces of cheddar cheese and the original price is $3.50, you're still paying $0.19 an ounce and the marketing tactics convinced you to buy a second item, instead of one.

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