Eat Well and Spend Less: Saving Money on Healthier Foods

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When I started on my living healthier journey, food was a big part of what I wanted to change. It was a bit discouraging at first, as it seems eating healthier means you spend a lot more money! I didn’t give up, though, and as I continued, I realized that while eating better did cost more, you can still save money when it comes to eating healthier.

Decide what your priorities are.

Are you looking to simply reduce your eating out expenses and cook at home more? Or, are you wanting to spend your money on organic produce? Wherever you are on the spectrum, figure out what is most important to you. If you are trying to go gluten-free, then that needs to be the first thing budgeted for on your grocery list.

For our family, we choose to spend the bulk of our money on grassfed meats, real butter, farm eggs, and raw milk. Right now, with our budget (and the fact that we live in an area where organic produce is rare), we rely on the dirty dozen to purchase our fruits and veggies. Our family is also reducing the amount of gluten we eat, so gluten-free products are also make our shortlist.

Use coupons.

Yes, you can save money on natural and organic products. In fact, we have a brand-new weekly feature rounding up the best in Natural and Organic Printable Coupons. I also try to post the best daily deals that feature organic, natural, and gluten-free products.

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Eat at home.

I know not everyone is a gourmet chef; I’m not either. But I have found that cooking my own meals, rather than eating out, has saved our family a ton of money. And if this idea sounds completely foreign to you, that’s okay! Try cooking one or two meals a week and go from there. It won’t be long, you will be a natural… or at least it won’t be so scary! And, if you need a few ideas for easy meals, here are five frugal meals that are tasty, and won’t put a dent in your budget.

Buy fruits and veggies when they are in season.

Not only do they taste MUCH better when they are in season, but they are MUCH less expensive! It costs extra money to ship produce in when it is out of season. Buy buying local, in-season fruit and vegetables, you are getting the most bang for your buck… and the best taste for your palate.

Consider growing a garden.

I have failed miserably at this the last few years, but I am determined to eventually have a great garden. Ha! Even if you only have a few pots on your back porch, think about planting a few seeds. There is nothing better than a fresh-picked tomato, or spinach right from your own backyard.

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Buy in bulk.

The options for buying organic and natural products are increasing. You can now order produce in bulk from Azure Standard and Amazon. Costco carries many organic options, and our family purchases hormone-free chicken from Zaycon. While buying in bulk is a great way to save money overall, it can cost a lot of money upfront, so be sure to carefully work it into your budget.

Save in other areas.

Each week, we show you how to work the drugstores with our $5.00 Challenges. And while $5.00 may not get you all of your health and beauty items, these challenges show you how to get the most for your money.

What are your tips for saving money on healthier foods?

This month, the Eat Well, Spend Less ladies are talking about Food Resolutions. Read more great tips, ideas, and recipes here:

Written by: Amy Norton
Amy is a youth pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom to three girls, ages 8, 6, and 3, and has a baby boy on the way. When she’s not writing at Kingdom First Mom, you can find her cooking, getting crunchier by the day, and trying to stay on top of the laundry. She enjoys writing about her homelife adventures at Amy Loves It.

Comments

  1. says

    These ideas work, trust me! Also, if you can find a Great Harvest Bread & Bakery in your area, their healthy, fresh-made breads taste fabulous. Another thing we do to make eating healthy at home really fun is have “Special Dinner Sundays”. Each Sunday myself and one of the kids prepare a new, healthy dish and dessert for the family. It gets their creative juices flowing as we search the Net or Cooking Light for new recipes, and the family is always excited to “taste test” the new meal and decide if it will be a part of our regular meal menu.

  2. says

    We had a very frugal, healthy meal today for dinner. HOmemade muffins and baked potatoes with homemade salsa, butter and cheese. Sometimes we top it with bacon too, but you don’t have to. To feed 5 of us tonight cost under $3. I meant to peel and slice carrot sticks too, but forgot and no one was hungry when we were done with our muffins and potatoes, so no big deal! Great ideas you have here.

  3. Sorilea says

    My husband works as a miller for an organic flour mill, and his boss came to him last week with several studies detailing the negative effects of wheat on the body. His concern was in trying to find ways to prevent income loss from these findings. If you do your homework you’ll find that grains are not good for you, and are actually very poor in nutrition in comparison to fruits, vegetables, and meat sources. Grains have a debilitating effect on the digestive tract, leech vitamins and minerals from the body, and gluten perforates the digestive tract allowing toxins to enter the body.

  4. says

    Thanks for the link to coupons for natural and organic foods. We eat completely gluten free and keep the cost down by eating as many naturally gluten free products as possible instead of trying to replace all that we ate before. Besides, the prepackaged gluten free food is often filled with sugar and other less than desirable ingredients.
    Steph´s last blog post ..For the Days You Get Nothing Done

  5. says

    Great, simple ways to save money and eat healthier! Since 2005 I have been cooking from scratch and trying to eliminate pre-packaged and processed foods. It was intimidating at first but so easy now and a lot healthier (and cheaper!). Thanks for sharing!

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