Healthy Eating: on a budget

The biggest excuse I hear all the time when it comes to healthy eating is, it is so expensive! True, groceries in general are expensive, in any household, they are one of our largest costs. I once read the average American should aim to spend $100.00 per month per person. So, for a three person household like mine, our budget should be about $75.00 a week. This is supposed to include everything household; food, cleaning supplies, beauty and healthy supplies and pet supplies. I won’t lie, we tried this for about a month or two and failed almost every week. We did, however, land on a budget that works for us. We spend around $100.00 a week on our groceries and household expenses, with me being a clean eater and even buying items for my hubby and toddler, who are not always clean eaters.

Here is how I do it:

My biggest ally in saving a buck or two is buying in bulk. Big Stores like Costco and Bjs are great for getting some organic and health foods in bulk at a discount. Buying bulk can be an expensive trip, so I try to plan and schedule this on a week that I already have a full stock of some of my smaller items. Things I buy in bulk:

• brown rice
• egg white cartons
• spices & extracts
• rolled oats
• frozen turkey burgers
• frozen chicken breasts
• frozen fish
• frozen vegetables
• baking supplies (whole wheat flour, olive oil, baking powder, baking soda, etc.)

Once I get a good bulk supply going with some of these items, I can make most of the meat last through the month, and the grains and baking supplies last me 2-3 months. I typically only have to go buy bulk items every other month, or maybe once a month when it comes to frozen meats. (I also do price compare, sometimes Kroger and other grocery stores are offering a better deal on meat than wholesale stores).

Making healthy eating affordable for me, all comes down to planning. On a weekly basis I alternate what fruits or veggies I am going to buy, so I do not go into the store and buy way to many and exceed my budget, where often times they will go bad. Personally every week I buy:

• a couple of containers of spring mix, some other leafy green or if I’m feeling really cheap, romaine hearts
• two fruit items : Normally I pick bananas plus either apples, berries or oranges
• grab and go veggies: carrots, avocados, grape tomatoes
• bulk bags of onions (every two weeks – once a month)
• bulk bag of sweet potatoes (every two weeks)
• bulk bag of garlic (once a month)
• Almond milk ( I like almond breeze and often times can find coupons, Kroger is the cheapest place I have found)
• peanut butter (every two weeks)
• frozen vegetables: broccoli, peppers (unless I am making stuffed peppers, I buy frozen for adding into recipes
• fresh meat: ground turkey or lean ground beef (all other meat, I buy frozen in bulk)
• greek yogurt (a big tub, normally every two weeks – once a month)
• dozen eggs
• stevia (a large bag, stevia in the raw, once a month)
• fat free feta (every two weeks)

The every two week items I try to alternate, so I’m not buying them all the same week. I will also say, I save money from our garden. We do have a large one every summer where I get veggies to use then and to freeze for later use. If you don’t have the land for a garden look into potted gardens on your porch or patio.

I also buy things for my little man, like his beloved goldfish and cheerios and whole milk as well as sandwich supplies and snacks for Mr. Anderson, all while staying in budget. I make most everything from scratch, so if I’m not eating just your basic raw items, I can make a recipe from the items I have on hand. I typically shop at Kroger, but Trader Joes has awesome produce prices as well as the best selection of frozen vegetables.

One thing to keep in mind when eating well is while a lot of those healthy additives; chia seeds, flax seeds, supplements etc. are all great for you, they are not necessary. If you are trying to save a few bucks I tend to either skip these if I do not have room in the budget, or turn to my old friend Amazon. If you are a lover of PB2 like I am, you can buy a bulk supply on Amazon for around $15.00 – $20.00 that would last me a couple of months as opposed to the $6.00 at whole foods for a supply that would maybe last me a few days.

I hope this helps you through your healthy lifestyle journey. When I was a newbie I did overspend when it came to groceries. I didn’t know what to buy and bought into every ‘superfood’ I could. I ended up throwing away a lot of fruits and veggies I never made it around to. Budgeting anything is about planning, it may be difficult in the beginning, but once you get into a groove, you’ll be eating well and keeping your grocery bill down before you know it.