One of the biggest obstacles that many face when trying to eat healthier is staying within their budget. With a bit of planning, you can eat healthy without sacrificing your budget. These tips will help you stretch your grocery budget.
Planning your meals allows you to take your budget, tastes and preferences into consideration. Going to the grocery store without a plan leads to impulse purchases and buying too much which can lead to waste.
Shopping sales can be a budget saver! Focusing on purchasing lean proteins (meat/fish) that are on a sale can be a major budget saver! If a particular great deal, meat can be frozen to use later too. Buying in bulk and repackaging can be a great way to save too.
Purchasing seasonal fruits and veggies often is more economical than buying out of season produce. Aside from saving $$, seasonal produce is often more nutritious as well. Farmer's markets can be a fabulous option too.
Make a list before shopping and stick to it. After checking sales ads, I make a meal plan for the week , check my pantry to see what I have already and then add ingredients that are needed to the list.
Premade meals are pricier! Taking some extra time to prepare food yourself. This also goes for precut and pre-peeled produce. You'll pay double for produce that's been prepped already.
Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables can be cheaper and last longer. Check labels for low sodium options, avoid fruit in syrups and vegetables with "added butter" or cream sauces.
Many loyalty programs allow you to clip coupons for additional savings when grocery shopping. Ibotta is another great app for money back on purchases. Flashfood App allows you to save over 50% on discounted food while also preventing waste (get $5 with link below).