Most people in the United States are looking for ways to save a dollar or two where they can. That said, one of the arguments heard most against healthy eating is “it is so expensive.”
First, lets dissect this for a minute: it is much, much cheaper to eat healthy in the present than in will be to pay for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in healthcare and prescriptions later. It is guaranteed that eating healthy today will be much cheaper than buying insulin or blood pressure medicines tomorrow.
That point made, eating healthy can be done a well-planned budget. Some ideas:
-Eat less meat! This is good for your wallet and your health. Buying a $2.00 bag of dried beans is much less expensive (and will last for far longer) than buying a $10 steak. Sometimes you get the steak. But, more often than not, get the beans. The cost alone is worth it. When you add in the high fiber,extra nutrients and lack of saturated, the proof is in the, well, beans!
-Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are frozen at the time they are picked making their nutrient retention only slightly behind fresh fruits and vegetables. When you add in the fact that they’re cheaper at the time of purchase AND they won’t spoil, it’s a win-win situation.
-Shop sales! Couponing can be time consuming and, unless you’re one of those power couponers, it seems like there is very little payoff for all that work. Looking through circulars or at a grocer’s website allows you to know which meats, dairy, vegetables, etc are on sale that week. You can plan a menu around that at this point.
-That said, make a menu for the week and shop by that list. This is cliché, but it is for a reason. It works. Knowing there are a couple of new recipes to try this week (that will also be used as leftovers) works wonders in knowing exactly what to buy and exactly what will be eaten that week. This means you will not waste money buying things that will go to waste and it means you will have things that go together for a meal. (It is common to walk into a grocery store, spend $100 and get home and magically seem to have nothing to eat or cook, right?)
Happy (affordable) shopping!
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