Studies have proven that eating healthy greatly improves your mental and emotional well-being. It can help you look and feel better, while improving your memory, concentration, and overall performance. But finding healthy food that is both affordable and wholesome can be a challenge.
When time and money are in short supply, it can be tempting to pick up something quick from a fast food restaurant. While a fast food meal is often filling and convenient, these foods tend to be loaded with empty calories, added sugar, preservatives and lacking essential nutrients.
With these money-saving tips, you can enjoy healthier living without breaking the bank. By consuming more food grown in your local community, preparing meals at home, and reducing food waste, your household’s health can improve, and you’ll save money along the way.
1. Invite a friend
When you’re eating on a tight budget, it doesn’t mean you have to eat alone or suffer through unappetising meals. You can make any meal more enjoyable and healthy by making it a social experience. Even the simplest meals become better when shared with others. Whether you cook for an entire family or live alone, you will find ways to make inexpensive meals easier and more enjoyable by making them social events.
Shopping for groceries and preparing meals with your children is an excellent way to teach them about different foods and cooking techniques. It is also a great opportunity to make sure they are reading food labels so they know how much sugar, salt, and fat a food contains. A trip to the grocery store with a roommate or friend is also an efficient way to catch up without falling behind on errands.
Nothing beats the feeling of talking to a friend or a loved one over a meal prepared with the freshest ingredients. These kinds of shared experiences improve the quality of our lives. If you're living alone, invite a friend, coworker, or neighbour over for a good old-fashioned sit-down meal.
Plan a dinner party with friends and split the costs. Cooking with others can be a fun way to deepen relationships, while splitting the costs makes it cheaper for everyone, and being in the company of others prevents overeating out of boredom or loneliness.
2. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Learning how to create a grocery budget or grocery shopping list is a great way to save money on food. There are a number of resources available online and on smart phones that can help you save money on food and make healthier choices. You can not only make sure you buy the right food by creating a grocery budget, but you can also use these tools to ensure your purchases are healthy.
3. Waste not, want not
It's not just a matter of throwing away these meals. If they're uneaten, they will end up in landfills or make other people sick. Plan your meals and make extra so you'll have leftovers for the following day. These can also be frozen, so you’ll have a home made meal waiting for you when you need it.
4. Love your freezer
Frozen fruit & veg aren't as popular or commonly used as fresh produce, but frozen versions are often more nutritious and lower cost than fresh fruits and vegetables. They're picked at the peak of freshness, packed without added salt or sugar, and then flash-frozen to retain their nutrients.
5. Skip the expensive brands
The truth is that you can almost always save money by selecting the cheaper brands, but often there's not much difference in terms of ingredients. Not only will you save money, and thus make your budget stretch further, but you'll also be able to try something new.
6. Swap meat for veg
We all know that it's important to eat a balanced diet, yet meat keeps appearing at the top of our shopping lists — even despite how pricey it is. Why not try to diversify your shopping list with plant-based ingredients like vegetables and tofu instead of meat? It is also a great idea to set up a few meat-free days throughout the week or on weekends to lower your costs.
7. Take stock
Know your ingredients. This really is the key to avoiding food waste. You may discover you have enough ingredients needed to cook up a meal. Schedule a weekly menu based on the ingredients you have and avoid purchasing extras.
8. Don’t sacrifice flavour
If you’re looking for cheap but yummy meals, choose slow cooking to break down cheaper cuts. This is a cost-effective way of creating tasty meat dishes at a lower price. The longer you cook tough meat, the more tender it becomes, resulting in an improved meal at a lower cost. Good slow-cooked meals are able to absorb all the qualities of the piece of meat they are cooked with, giving them a better flavour and texture.
9. Portion control is key
Why is it hard to say no to the second helping? Adhering to a smaller serving-size works wonders for your waistline and bank account. Measuring out and weighing ingredients when cooking helps you save money while also keeping portion sizes in check.
Small changes to your diet can be hugely beneficial. We hope the above tips inspire you to make healthier changes to your diet and save you money in the process.
