Healthy Eating on a Budget

Meal planning can be very beneficial for your health because it allows you to incorporate nutritious foods into your meals throughout the week. Eating nutrient-rich foods is a lot easier when planning in advance and making meals at home.

Meal planning also helps you stick to your food budget because when you have a plan for your meals you eliminate random purchases while you are shopping. You also save gas by making one trip to the store instead of multiple trips each week.

10 meal planning tips that can help you save money:

1. Pack your lunch. Preparing a lunch at home rather than eating fast food is a great way to save money – and it’s generally healthier! Keep it green by using reusable containers.
   
2. Eat at home more often. Meals prepared at home are usually more nutritious and less expensive than restaurant meals. Our meal planner will get you started.
   
3. Eat breakfast at home – it’s healthy and cheap! And, eating breakfast helps with weight loss.
   
4. Use food you already have on hand. Taking an inventory of the food in your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer is the best way to start your weekly meal planning. You’ve already paid for the food; build your meals around these ingredients!
   
5. Buy fresh produce in season—when it’s cheaper. You’ll pay more for food purchased off-season so choose recipes that use seasonal ingredients.
   
6. Make better use of the food you purchase and reduce spoilage by planning your meals for the week. Food that goes uneaten in your refrigerator is a waste of money. Read food storage tips.
   
7. Make all of your purchases in one trip to the store. Creating your weekly shopping list reduces your trips to the grocery store, which saves time, gas and money.
   
8. Build meals around sale items featured at your grocery store. Search our recipe database by ingredient to take advantage of what’s on sale.
   
9. Clip coupons only for foods you buy on a regular basis. Coupons won’t save you money if you buy things that you wouldn’t normally purchase.
   
10. Stock up on your cooking staples when they go on sale. That way you will have healthy food on hand for those nights when you don’t know what to cook.