Hacks for Healthful Eating on a Budget
If you’ve ever thought healthful eating is expensive, you aren’t alone! Especially in Australia with the recent wild weather and its impacts on the farmers, meaning that the likes of green beans and even broccoli have increased in price. Well, my friends, I’m here to let you know that eating yummy, nourishing and satisfying food doesn’t have to be pricey!
Here are some really easy tips you can use for affordable healthful eating on a budget.
1. Plan ahead
Before going to the supermarket, write a shopping list of what you plan to buy. Some people even like to plan their meals out for the week. This will help you avoid buying an unnecessary items (and will also help cut back on food waste).
2. Ignore the fancy marketing
People often think healthy is expensive because they automatically think of fancy products in the health food isle (chia cacao bliss balls and paleo bars anyone?). More often than not, the health claims on these products are misleading and a clever way to get you to spend money on unnecessary ‘superfoods’, when something like an apple and some almonds is just as, or actually more, wonderful.
3. Take note of specials
Supermarkets often have special deals on things like rolled oats, canned tomatoes and legumes - stock up on long life products like these while they’re on sale. There are also times of day and days of the week that offer cheaper prices - buy fresh wholegrain bread (e.g. wholemeal, rye, spelt) from your baker at the end of the day; and buy meat close to its used by date, cut it up and freeze it for use later. Also try to avoid shopping on the weekends, which tend to be the most expensive. Another tip is to shop outside the supermarket - it isn’t always the cheapest…try your local farmers market instead!
4. Notice the seasons
Fruit and veg that are in season are much cheaper. Simply search for seasonal produce in your state online to see what’s available (here’s an excellent guide). You can also buy things when in season and freeze them for use at a later date - e.g. freeze fruit and use them as additions to smoothies or baking, freeze veggies for later use in soups/stews, and juice lemons or limes and freeze in ice cube trays to add to meals.
5. Grow your own
Grow your own herbs, lettuce, and other veggies from kitchen scraps. Did you know that you can grown tomatoes simply by planting the seeds in soil? You can also grow shallots if you plant some of the roots. The same goes for most seeds and roots! Here’s a great resource that has more suggestions.
6. Make friends with frozen veggies
We tend to think that frozen veggies aren’t as nutritious as fresh, however they’re often higher in nutrients as they’re harvested and frozen during their peak, locking in their nutrients. They’re an excellent and easy addition to all meals.
7. Two words...bulk and freezer
Buying and cooking in bulk often equates to spending less as well as saving time (e.g. buy bulk bags of dried legumes and brown rice and cool a big pot of dahl or a big veggie bake). Freeze extra portions and you’ll have easy ready-to-go meals whenever you wish!
8. Get smart with protein
Meat can be pricey and it doesn’t need to accompany every meal. Other protein sources like legumes are incredibly cheap and go a long way, not to mention they’re nutritional powerhouses with the likes of fibre, B vitamins and more. Cook up a pot of soup or stew and add lentils or chickpeas, or make Mexican beans, or minestrone. If you do want to add meat to a meal, cheap off cuts can often be bought from your butcher (here’s a handy guide).
9. Make your meals exciting
The easiest (and in my opinion also the yummiest) way to make any meal exciting is by adding herbs and spices. A jar of spice will last a long time, as will dried herbs (or, as mentioned above, grow your own herbs). Add these to whatever you’re cooking to immediately liven it up. Here are some of my favourite combos - cumin and coriander in pumpkin soup, cinnamon and ginger on tofu, paprika and chilli with black beans, basil and oregano in a tomato based sauce, paprika and thyme with chicken, turmeric and cinnamon on potato or cauliflower.
10. Download these apps
Frugl and WiseList are fantastic apps. They compares the prices of various supermarket items at your local supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA) so you can see which stores have the cheapest prices for your supermarket items. They also have other great features too - including creating your own favourites list of your go-to foods and a barcode scanner.
Olio is also an awesome app. It hasn’t quite taken off in Australia yet (all the more reason to get it and help increase its use), but overseas it’s an absolute hit! The idea is simple - users post anything that they’re not going to use ( half a head of cauliflower, lunch leftovers, a loaf of bread, etc) and others in their area pick up the product so that it doesn’t go to waste. I absolutely love this idea for uni students, single parents, and all sorts of people. It’s an excellent way to build connections in your local community too!
So, there you have it folks, some top tips for healthful eating on a budget. Hope these come in handy!