So many people think that eating healthy is too expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! With very little time and effort, you can create healthy, delicious meals that are very affordable. Even if you already eat healthy, use these tips to reduce your grocery bill and save money every week!

Tips to Save Money Buying Healthy

When you’re trying to eat healthy, there are few things you can do that will help your grocery bill shrink overall.

1. Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk is one of the easiest ways to save money and keep the fridge/pantry stocked. But in order to really benefit from buying in bulk, you have to be careful and pay attention to a few different things.

• Make sure you have a use in mind for all of your bulk items. If you have a recipe that requires a specific ingredient that you don’t use all the time, it may not be a good idea to buy in bulk because you may not end up using it and it will just take up room in your refrigerator/cupboard until you eventually throw it away. Try to focus on things you use a lot or things that have a longer shelf life, like rice or beans, when buying them in bulk.
• Look for versatile products to buy in bulk. Things like potatoes, rice, or pasta can be used in a ton of different recipes and are much cheaper to buy in bulk.
• Consider stores that offer bulk items and whether their membership fees are worth the amount of food you’ll purchase there. If you only use your membership for a few things, it may not be worth paying for to save on the products you are purchasing.

2. Organic VS. Non-Organic

Many people have an all-or-nothing approach to health food and think that if they are “buying healthy” they have to buy everything organic. The problem with this mentality is when organic food really takes a toll on your wallet. Many people just give up because it’s too expensive to buy everything organic.

Well the good news is that this isn’t and shouldn’t always be the case. If you can afford to buy everything organic, more power to you! I applaud your efforts and financial commitment to eating healthy. However, for many, this is not the case. And that’s where the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen come into play.

If you’ve read my article How To: Speed Up Your Metabolism and Lose Weight, you know about these great tools. Every year, EWG puts out their list of the 15 cleanest produce that are realistically ok to buy non-organic and the 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables that you should definitely buy organic.

Using these tools, you can decide what foods you want to buy for your family and save money at the same time.

3. Buy Local/Buy Seasonal When You Can

Buying local is not just great for your local economy, but often, it’s much better for your waistline. Many local farm markets have the best of the best when it comes to healthy food, including free-range chicken eggs, hormone-free beef and chicken, and organic produce. You also have the added benefit of knowing exactly where your food comes from.

While your buying local efforts may be limited by your location, there are resources to help you find the closest farm markets to you. At Local Harvest, you can search for the closest farms and farmers markets to your zip code. Check it out today!

Another thing to consider when buying locally is where you live and what naturally lives there. For example, if you live in Maine or on the coast, lobster and seafood is going to be much less expensive than if you lived in Colorado. It’s also going to be less processed because it doesn’t have to travel as far. Try to use your local produce as much as you can to reduce preservatives and cost.

Buying seasonally can really save you money on your grocery bill. Seasonal produce costs less because there is more of it at that time and it’s not as hard to get and therefore costs less to ship and get in stores. Plus, many of the seasonal foods you crave, like pumpkin and apple, are cheaper in the fall, when you crave them.

4. Avoid Processed Foods/Convenience Food

Another difficult area for people when they are trying to eat healthy is taking the time to prep their meals. Yes, eating healthy does take a little more time and effort, but if you’re smart about it, it doesn’t have to take over your life. How To: Meal Prep and Save Money On Your Grocery Bill shows you how to do this, but there’s a big reason I recommend making the extra effort.

Foods that are more convenient, or faster/easier to make are usually terrible for you. They contain substances that make them cook faster, store easier, and last longer. Those additives and chemicals are not good for your body and counteract the healthy benefits you are eating the foods for in the first place.

When you buy convenience, you also pay for convenience. Have you ever walked down the grocery store aisle and compared the price of a premixed, “just add water” rice dish and a bag of brown rice? The difference in cost is incredible. And realistically, rice is not that difficult to prepare from the beginning. It just takes a little more time to cook. And this is just one example. Think of the savings that could add up if you applied this concept to every part of your grocery list.

5. Be Picky About What You Do Spend Money On

There are a few things that I think are worth it to spend a little extra on. One of these things is quality protein. Today’s store-bought protein is full of hormones and additives to extend the shelf life. When you can’t purchase your proteins locally, I feel that this is an area where you want to splurge a little to get the healthiest option.

Another tip for your splurge items is to spend a little extra on things that are nutrient-dense and things you won’t use a lot of right away. A good example is chia seeds. You can buy them in bulk online or at your local health food store, but they can be a little pricey. I would consider this to be a good investment though, because you are not going to sit down and eat the entire bag in one sitting. They are made to use a little at a time in smoothies, oatmeal, etc. So, even if you spend a little extra on them, they will last you a long time and you won’t have to make another investment in them anytime soon.

When you focus on saving money in other areas, you can afford to have a few things you splurge on and still stay in your budget.

What Health Foods Will Save You Money?

Aside from the tips I’ve already mentioned, there are a good number of health foods that are cheaper than others and can help you save on your weekly groceries.

1. Eggs – While it would be even better to get your eggs locally, or purchase free-range eggs, many grocery stores sell eggs for around $1.00/dozen. These are great to have on hand because they are a great source of protein, and are easy to make into a variety of things.
2. Brown Rice – While it may not be as popular as white rice, brown rice can be used in any dish that typically uses white rice, and provide much more nutrition and less preservatives and chemicals in the process. I love to use it for stirfry, Mexican dishes, or just as a side to chicken. You can buy a 32 oz. bag for around $2.00 or a 5lb. bag for $4.00.
3. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is great for making breakfasts, granola bars or healthy desserts. Better yet, you can buy a 42 oz. container for about $3.00-$4.00.
4. Beans/Lentils – These are great sources for natural protein and fiber. and can be added to tons of different meals. 32 oz. bags of dry beans typically cost around $3.50, and lentils cost around $2.00-$3.00 for a 16 oz. bag.
5. Whole Wheat Pasta – Be careful to watch the ingredients on this one, but you can buy organic, whole-wheat or veggie pasta for a very reasonable price. Whole wheat pasta typically costs around $1.50/16 oz. box.
6. Organic, Low-Sodium Chicken Broth – This is great for cooking rice or quinoa, not to mention soups and stews. The best part is that it is virtually the same price as other chicken broth, at around $2.50/32 oz.
7. Frozen Vegetables – These are great and carry more of the nutritional value of the vegetables than canned versions. Even the steamable, more convenient options run for about $1.00/bag, but I’m talking about the bulk bags of frozen vegetables, where you can buy about 3x the amount of the steamable option and cook or steam them yourself. We use a great little vegetable steamer we got for our wedding a few years ago and we love it! It saves us so much money on produce.
8. Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes – These are usually one of the cheapest things you can buy at the store, especially when you buy the 3lb. or 5lb. bags for $3.00-$5.00. Use them to make homemade french fries, dice them for roasted potatoes or slice them and fry them with onions. The uses are truly endless.
9. Apples – Apples are another great option to buy in bigger bags and save money ($5.00/5 lb. bag). However, apples are usually one of the dirtiest fruits when it comes to whether you should buy them organically, and organic apples can be a little pricey. While I would consider it a worthy splurge, you can purchase regular apples by the bag or buy them from a local orchard and wash them with vinegar and water to remove as many pesticides as you can.
10. Bananas – Bananas are one of the cheapest things you can buy in the grocery store. Our family goes through about 2 bunches a week and that’s just between my 1-year-old and myself. We love eating them for breakfast or using them in other recipes, like my Baby Banana Pancakes. At $.50/lb. for non-organic or $.60/lb. for organic, you can easily buy a week’s worth for $1.00-$2.00.

These tips will help you and your family save tons of money at the grocery store while still eating healthy foods. Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive. Try these tips and shrink your grocery bill today!