Clean eating on a budget
Yes, clean eating on a budget is possible. I always want to find the best produce for the best price. This is one thing I’m very passionate about as I hear so often that people don’t eat healthy because it is expensive and I feel this is not the case. I have complied some tips to help you eat healthy a feel great without spending a fortune. With these tips there is no excuses to say healthy food is expensive.
1. Become members of your local health food shop.
You will find that many health food shops offer a once a month discount day, it may only be 10% off but at least it’s a saving. On this day you can stock up on supplies that you will need for the rest of the month.
2. Eat foods that are in season.
Although I love to eat strawberries all year round it may not be the wises thing to do when trying to budget. I keep a list of seasonal produce close by so I can remember what I should be buying and when.
But you can probably notice what’s in season when, when you’re at the supermarket as out of season fruit and vegetables will be imported and at a higher cost. As I have grown up and live on a farm it is one important thing for me to buy locally grown foods to support Australian farmers.
3. Shop at markets.
Not only will you find the produce fresher and cheaper shopping at markets are fun, you can walk around and look at all the produce and pick what you think is best. I would much prefer the market as you won’t find the mark up price like you find at the supermarket.
4. You don’t always have to buy organic.
If your budget allows you to buy organic then that is fantastic, but I believe that eating any fresh fruit, vegetables and meat is a great step to living a healthy life. Fruit, vegetables and lean meats are a much better choice than processed foods that are deep fried and loaded with sugar.
If you were wanting to start introducing organic foods into your diet you can follow the dirty dozen and clean fifteen fruit and vegetables.
5. Buy meat in bulk.
You may find that there is a company close to you that sells whole lambs or beef. This will allow you to buy in bulk and freeze so you may only need to buy meat every few months. The other option is to buy meat when it is discounted down at the supermarket when they’re used by date is getting close.
You will find my freezer is full of discounted meat. A large chest freezer is important if you decide to buy meat in bulk.
6. Plan your meals for the week.
Planning your meals and going to the supermarket/market with a clear list is the perfect way for you to stay on track. You don’t want to be buying food you don’t need, if you buy too much it can go off and go to waste so It is important to have a clear list and stick to it.
7. My final tip is to never go shopping while you’re hungry.
This is the worst idea to go to the supermarket while you’re hungry. Only this week I went to a bulk food supplier and ended up with bliss balls and chocolate things that were defiantly not on my list. To do this you will avoid falling into bad habits and putting things in your basket that you don’t need. This will reduce the cost of your groceries from adding unnecessary food into your basket which will probably lead to binge eating.
These are the tips that I follow and you will find the majority of my recipes include basic vegetables; fruits and cheaper cuts of meats that will help you keep you weekly grocery bill to a small amount.
