Healthy Eating on a Budget

With the current economic crisis in the world today there is a lot of talk about saving and budgeting. Economic crisis or not, I am always thinking of ways to save (it’s my hobby)! So we have all heard that healthy eating is expensive so here are some ways to eat healthily on a budget:

Coupons, coupons, coupons! I’ll be honest, I clip coupons. I have at times saved as much as $15 from coupons. I am selective and I only clip coupons that are $1 or more, I also only clip coupons for products I use. The trick is remembering that I have them and not letting them expire.
Use a Grocery List. I find that if I have a grocery list I buy the items on the list and I don’t buy on impulse. A list also helps me get out of the grocery store faster (I am not a fan of grocery shopping).
Buy Generic. There are few things where I have brand loyalty (automobiles is one). I like trying new stuff and I am always doing so. You won’t know until you try. I will definitely try generic brands and if I don’t like them, then I will buy the brand name (hopefully with a coupon).
Buy in Bulk. It is not always wise to buy in bulk if you are going to use it all, so I stick with items that don’t perish easily. I’ll go to Costco and buy oats, tuna and items that I know won’t waste because it spoils or gets stale. I really, really, really hate going to Costco and try to get out as quickly as possible. One of my pet peeves is people who leave their carts in the middle of the aisle and are busy sampling! I also hate paying for the annual membership $50 for a membership to get a discount on food is expensive in my opinion.
Buy Fruits & Vegetable on Sale. We all know that fruits and vegetable are full of vitamins and minerals and are better than processed foods so you are not wasting your money on empty calories. I find that when they are on sale they more likely to be fresher. My mother takes this to an extreme; she only buys whatever fruit is on sale. So if grapes are on sale this week at the grocery store, she will buy grapes and next week if it’s pineapples, she will buy pineapples. Since she will eat almost any fruit known to man, she buys whatever is on sale!
Shop the “Outer” Ring. Grocery stores keep the junk food in the middle aisle and you are most likely to find the fresh produce, meats and diary around the perimeter. Stay way from the aisles with the processed and junk foods!
Eat out Less. Enough said about this. Eating out is more expensive!