Article: Eating Healthy On A Budget

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Eating Healthy On A Budget

By: Judy Turner

We all know that we need to eat better but isn’t it frustrating that

the healthier you try to eat the more money you seem to spend? It

doesn’t have to be that way. Here are just a few tips to help you

feed your family nutritious meals without breaking your budget.

1) Plan your meals around the sales. Stores routinely rotate sales

items every 6 weeks so plan accordingly and stock up. Is chicken

breast on sale this week? Instead of buying 1 pack purchase several

packs, separate into family size portions and freeze. If you

routinely purchased only what was on sale (besides the perishables

you need each week) you will soon have a well stocked freezer and

pantry as well as a smaller grocery bill.

2) Avoid purchasing boxed foods. Most boxed foods are full of

preservatives and trans fats so it is best to avoid them. Do you like

the convenience of boxed foods? There are several good cookbooks and

recipes online for making homemade mixes to keep on hand. Everything

from homemade cookie mix to macaroni and cheese and more. Put these

mixes in a pretty jar with the directions to prepare and it also

makes a nice frugal gift!

3) Use coupons wisely. How many times have you gone to the store with

a fist full of coupons only to come home spending more than you

planned? The key to saving with coupons is to only purchase the items

you would normally use anyway. You will also find that the store

brand may still be the better bargain. If your coupons are used at

the same time an item is on sale you may also end up getting it for

next to nothing, if not free!

4) Do a coupon exchange. Check with family and friends who get the

Sunday paper and exchange coupons for ones you can use. That way you

can really stock up when your favorite items are on sale and you have

coupons.

5) Buy produce in season. It will taste much better and you will

usually pay less. Also in the warmer months be sure to take advantage

of farmers markets for low prices on produce. Buy items like peppers

and onions when on sale, chop them and freeze them for quick recipes

during the week. Zucchini can be shredded and frozen for zucchini

bread and other recipes.

6) Make your grocery list and stick to it. Beware of those impulse

buys!

7) Shop after dinner. You wont be tempted to pick up take out because

you are too tired and hungry to cook when you get home.

8) Shop alone whenever possible. Nothing blows a budget quicker than

when your kids are with you! You will also get out of the store much

quicker which will actually save you money.

9) When buying meat think of recipes where you can get more than one

meal out of it. Meatsauce is still satisfying with half the amount of

ground beef. Slice up other cuts of meat for stir fries or to put on

top of a nice salad and you have a quick healthy meal.

10) Don’t be loyal to just one store. Most grocery stores have

certain items priced really low to get your business. If you have

several grocery stores in your area try and take advantage of what

deals each store has to offer.

11) Have breakfast for dinner once in a while. An omelette, toast and

fresh fruit is very economical and very quick to cook on a busy

night.

These are just a few tips to help you save money while eating better.

I hope that you find some or all of them useful for your family!

Article by:

Judy Turner

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