4 Simple Ways To Eat Healthy on a Budget

It's a common belief that eating well is expensive. Sadly, that’s sometimes the only thing stopping people from trying.  What many people don’t realise is that this way of eating can actually not only be affordable but it can work out to be even cheaper than the standard modern-day diet. 

There are a lot of ways you can save money while eating well and consciously. Here are 4 tips to get you started:

1. Plan your meals and shopping list ahead of time

The old saying, ‘fail to plan = plan to fail’ holds a lot of truth in affordable eating. If you walk into the supermarket or health food store without a list or ideas in mind, chances are you’ll grab a whole bunch of random stuff and end up with a bigger than expected bill, as well as having a higher chance of wasting food.

Spend a little bit of time to sit down and plan a few staple meals for your week. It’ll work in your favour for your health and your wallet. You could even challenge yourself to a weekly budget so then you really have to think about what you reach for on the shelf. Believe it or but but this can actually be quite a fun challenge! 

2. Explore your local markets

Shopping at local markets can make a huge difference to your food bill. Plus, choosing food that has travelled less food miles will be both helping out the planet and supporting local farmers. Another bonus of market shopping is that you can cut down on a whole heap of plastic, just be sure to have your own bags with you.

And to hunt down the best deals possible, wait until the end. Most produce stalls will reduce their prices or offer deals towards the end of the day so they don’t have a lot of excess stock. However, the only downside of this tip is that all the best stuff might be sold out so you may not have as much variety to choose from.

If you're in Brisbane or Ipswich, be sure to sign up to the loyalty program for Market Organics (our Rocklea and Ipswich cafes are located within the stores). They have such prices on organic produce and you'll get a weekly text message notifying you of the weekend specials. 

3. Embrace frozen fruit and veg

You really can’t beat fresh, organic produce - that’s no secret. But when you're living on a budget, frozen produce is a fantastic, next best option. You can pick up a 1kg bag of mixed veges from the supermarket for only a few dollars.

And the convenience of not having to peel and dice all your veges is also a huge bonus. Simply sauté the veges with some sauce and beans, add some rice, and you’ve got yourself a healthy, very budget-friendly meal.

4. Get creative in the kitchen

If you want to sustain a healthy and affordable way of eating, you’re going to need to enjoy it! There are so many different ways to make affordable and delicious plant-based foods so you never have to feel like you're missing out. 

There are a million and one recipes on Pinterest for a variety of affordable, vegan meals. You don’t need to know a lot, you just need to nail a handful of recipes and keep rotating them. As you get good at those you can add in a new one. For some extra tips, keep an eye out for our cooking demo events where we share our top tips and recipe secrets. 

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Have you got any tips to share for healthy eating on a budget? Tell us in the comments below!