Eating Healthy on a Budget

Eating healthy on a budget can be really challenging. It isn't easy to stick to a healthy diet, and it certainly doesn't help that food prices, especially for fresh produce, have gone up so much in the last couple of years.  I've actually been working pretty hard at eating healthier these days - I have quit eating candy, drinking pop, and replacing meals with junk food like chips or chocolate. It has not been an easy change; in fact, it's taken about four months for my body to stop feeling like crap without the sugar!  I'm shocked by that, to be honest. I figured it was going to take a few days but it has been much longer. Now that I'm over that hump I feel great, probably the best I've felt in my life. But -- it isn't easy, and it isn't easy to do when you're on a budget, either.

It isn't impossible, though. I have some hints to help you out, some new recipes I'll be posting, and some tips on price-booking when I get the chance.  The first thing to know about eating healthy on a budget is that you save money but sacrifice TIME for the savings.  So while you can buy precut peppers and veggies to save time in the kitchen, you will pay for convenience.  This is true of most things, in fact.  Expect to spend about double your time in the kitchen as you start eating healthier for less money.  If you're an avid cook, or a frugalista already, then you may not end up spending too much more time in the kitchen after all.  If you're a chronic pizza parent, donut for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch type person, then your time is going to dramatically increase. You have the time!! Don't think you don't, even though the extra food prep time in the kitchen may feel like a burden as you start eating healthy. You are worth this extra time!  

If kitchen time feels too much like a burden, then by all means spend the extra money if it means you will actually eat the fruits and vegetables you need. Change is challenging, so do what you can to make that transition easier at first.  

Comments

[Anxiety And Depression]

It is really hard to eat healthy foods especially when you are on a budget..

[Megan]

Hi - it is hard to eat healthy on a budget!! I seem to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in order to make it work. The other benefit of my diet change is that I spend more money on good food, so I don't have ANY money to spend on dining out. That's helped with the healthy food choices.

[Chris]

How can eating healthy cost more money? Convenient food, prepackaged is more. One can buy a sack of rice for about $15 and it will last forever. Same with a package of oatmeal. It is way cheaper than the prepackaged flavoured kind. Canned veg and fruit not only is more expensive but does not even come close to the taste of fresh.

[Megan]

Hi Chris

Thanks for your comment! I agree with you completely about the oatmeal and the rice. Both of those things are much cheaper than the prepackaged versions.

For fruits and vegetables though, it can be difficult to get them at a reasonable price. Broccoli in my area is running about $3 per head right now, and fresh sweet peppers are $5 per pound (on sale they go down to $2.99 per pound). It's tough to get those fresh veggies when they take such a huge chunk out of your grocery budget, especially when feeding a family. One head of broccoli barely feeds my gang one meal.

Part of the problem too is the very low cost of unhealthy foods. Compare the prices of pop (99 cents per litre) to no sugar added fruit juice ($7 per 850 ml). It's a ridiculous difference. Add the cheap carbs up with lack of time, and it is a recipe for disaster. And to add to that, we need the life skills to cook all the unpackaged, simple foods, and the time to prepare them, and the ability to enjoy preparing them so we will do it all again at the next meal.

I find the concept simple, but the reality difficult. Some days, although I am trying to eat healthier, that box of macaroni and cheese or the pizza guy look really, really attractive! That's where the alternatives are needed.

[Carol]

You could also try growing your own veggies. Doesn't really matter if you grow them on a pot or your own backyard, like you said you sacrifice time for the savings but it will all be worth it after.

[Megan]

Hi Carol!

You're absolutely right about growing your own veggies. I'm a huge champion of that.

Tomatoes are super easy to grow, and carrots are awesome if grown in a bucket.

Check out www.OneTomato.org -- it is the website for the Non-Profit organization that I run, and it is dedicated to encouraging people to grown their own veggies.

Thanks for visiting.
Megan