Don’t let cost be the reason you fall off of your New Year’s resolutions! Eating healthy foods on a budget takes a little work, but it can be done! Here are some ideas to help you continue down the road to wellness.
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Healthy Foods on a Budget
Several years ago, my pantry looked completely different than it does today. I had processed Mac and Cheese, cans of all kinds of things, and a very large stash of Milky Way Bars.
Then after a few very scary episodes, I got the diagnosis I wasn’t expecting, I was allergic to dozens and dozens of foods. So, I did what any rational, mature woman would do. I went to the grocery store, walked down every aisle, and cried my eyes out over the foods I could no longer have.
From then on, it’s been a journey. We cut out processed sugars, preservatives, and most processed foods, and I cut out wheat. We aren’t “super healthy,” and we don’t eat a perfect diet, but we do eat real, unprocessed foods, provide our bodies with healthy fats, and make everything from scratch. September of this year will mark ten years since I’ve eaten anything that I haven’t made myself (no eating out).
I won’t say that I don’t have occasional cravings, but I can see how much our health has changed over the years and I wouldn’t give that up for any Twinkie. Now I’m able to eat everything I had issues with, in moderation. It’s amazing how food can change your life!
Real, unprocessed foods are expensive. Or at least that’s what you may think. One thing that we’ve learned since starting our journey is how to keep our grocery budget low and still be able to afford our yummy healthy foods. It takes a bit of work, but it is possible! Here’s a list of my top 23 ways to buy healthy foods on a budget.
Ways to Eat Healthy Foods on a Budget
1. Plant a garden as big as you have room for.
Yes, homesteading 101, plant that garden! Even if you live in an apartment you can plant a garden, it just takes a few flower pots or totes. Our goal this year is to have to buy as little produce as possible over the next winter, so my garden is going to be as big as I can manage.
2. Start buying your meat in bulk.
There are many sources to buy meat in bulk; from the membership stores to local farmers. Check the newspaper, Craigslist, or ask in Facebook groups to find someone who might be selling meat. Here’s a great detailed post on Buying Meats in Bulk.
3. Don’t buy “healthy junk food”.
I buy the occasional crackers and snacks for my hubby’s lunches ONLY when I can get them for 75% off the retail price or more. (Aka, less than the cost and time of me making it myself)
Tip: If you feel the need to have these snacks, it’s much cheaper to make them at home. Like these Brown Rice Crackers.
We eat mostly vegan/organic these days. I make most all of our breads/bars/desserts from scratch and make my own biscuit mix each week. Organic basics are very expensive. Most of my main dish recipes call for a lot of expensive spices. I do grow what herbs and spices I can. We also buy all our own water, which is distilled. I save all cooking water from veggies and pastas. It will keep for at least a week in the fridge. It can be used to cook beans, soups, and stews, and the pasta water is great for thickening sauces. We don’t buy/use high fat milks, butters, or shortenings. We only use plant-based fats for health reasons. I buy only the occasional “emergency” prepared frozen organic pizza or meal. Our diet is very expensive, but 3 of us have at least two chronic autoimmune diseases, and I feel it’s very important to do my best with our food consumption. We do eat lots of leftovers.
Tejas Prairie Hen, Little House Living reader
4. Search for deals in random places.
I find some great deals on healthy and organic foods in odd places, the discount grocery stores, the bread outlet stores, and even the regular local grocery stores sometimes have great markdowns on organics. You truly never know until you look! Make sure to shop these places in the early morning while the discounted items are more plentiful.
5. Keep it in season.
When buying your produce, make sure to look for what is in season at the time to find the best prices. Raspberries aren’t going to be cheap in the winter, but you should be able to get a great deal in the spring, stock up then, and freeze extras for later.
6. Forage your area.
If you don’t have any edibles in your own yard, ask neighbors if they are going to use all the fruit on their trees or berries on their bushes. There is also a great website called Falling Fruit, where you can search for great foraging areas in your neighborhood. I learned that I can pick fresh mulberries in my town! Hunting or fishing is another great way to “forage.”
7. Ask your grocery store what they do with old produce.
Call your local grocery store and ask for the produce manager, ask what they do with old food, and if you can pick it up. Many times, the food is too wilted to be able to salvage, but it still makes great animal feed, and I don’t turn down free animal feed!
8. Buy pantry staples in bulk when it makes sense.
Not everything is good to buy in bulk, but with many dry goods and things you go through quickly, it just makes sense to save money by buying larger amounts. My favorite foods to buy in bulk are Beans, Brown Rice Flour, Rice, Oats, Raw Sugar, Olive Oil, Minced Onion, and Minced Garlic. You can read all about buying in bulk and storing bulk foods on our Buying in Bulk page.
9. Buy the produce that is cheaper per pound.
We love all kinds of fruit at our home, but it doesn’t make sense for me to buy a $4.99 per pound container of strawberries when I can buy organic bananas for $0.99 a pound. It’s still fresh, healthy produce.
10. Have fun in the frozen foods aisle.
Buying frozen organic produce is one of the best ways to save, especially in the winter when cheaper fresh produce isn’t available. Frozen foods are generally picked at the peak of ripeness and flash frozen, so they have all the nutrients intact. We are frequent buyers of frozen peas and broccoli especially!
I buy a lot of frozen produce. And what I do buy fresh I prep and freeze so it doesn’t go to waste. Its just me so its hard to go through a bunch of stuff in one week!
Angela, Little House Living reader
11. Know when the best sales will be on specific items.
Stock up on butter in the months when it’s going to be the lowest price all year, buy blocks of cheese shred, and freeze them when you find them on sale.
12. Make your list ahead of time.
As with ANY grocery budget, make your shopping list ahead of time (based on your Meal Plan!) and know what you are buying when you get to the store. Don’t be tempted by items that aren’t on your list and don’t fit into your budget. Take cash with you in the amount that you can spend and leave your cards at home.
13. Make yourself a promise before you go into the store that you will only walk around the perimeter of the store.
All the aisles in the middle are just filled with items that you don’t need to be filling your cart with anyway!
14. Have several meatless meals each week.
Meatless doesn’t have to mean less filling or less protein. Have breakfast for supper (eggs, French Toast Casserole, and hashbrowns) or a big bowl of lentil soup. Some of our personal favorites are bean bowls and loaded baked potatoes.
15. Harvest bone broth.
One of the healthiest foods you can add to your diet is bone broth, and it doesn’t cost anything to make since you take it from the food you’ve already purchased for other things! We eat bone broth every day, added to meals.
16. Shop at farmer’s markets.
In the summer, when the produce is plentiful, add to your healthy food stockpile by shopping at the farmer’s market. Even if you grow a garden, they are great for things that didn’t produce as well as you thought they would or plants that didn’t grow. Before you go, read this post on Making the Most at the Farmer’s Market.
We buy mainly in bulks at local farmer’s market and if you go at the end of the day and ask for bulk price. You will get AMAZING deals! Farmer’s don’t want to go back with their produce, and give good discounts on very ripe produce, which are usually very yummy and have more nutrients!
Ida, Little House Living reader
17. Cook one-pot meals.
One-dish meals and crock pot meals are a blessing! You can add cheaper cuts of meat to meals and soups, and no one will be able to taste the difference. Plus, they save time in the kitchen, so they are a double bonus!
Tip: For something different, try this Potatoes, Green Beans, and Chicken Sheet Pan Supper.
18. Look for a CSA or bulk buying source.
I shop for a large portion of my monthly groceries from Azure Standard, a coop that delivers to my area. Ask around for what comes to your area or see if there are any great CSAs available at Local Harvest. You can often get much better prices by shopping this way, AND by not shopping at the store, you are removing the temptation to add extras to your cart.
19. Buy the whole food instead of the other versions.
At various points during the year, apples may be cheaper than applesauce; strawberries may be cheaper than jam. Buy the whole food version and make your own at home!
20. Use coupons and store discounts when possible.
Since my local stores don’t really do much for coupons, I’ve already found other ways to save. For example, when I buy fresh produce, I get discounts on gas. Not a direct savings on my grocery budget, but another way to save that comes about from buying food!
21. Re-grow food you already bought.
Many foods can be regrown on your kitchen counter, and you can reap the benefits over and over without having to buy more food! Check out this post on Re-Growing Store Bought Veggies.
I’ve also found out there is at least 10 foods that can be grown Inside. – Just the other day, I decided to check out the green onion I had in the refrigerator & was about the throw away – instead I put it in a glass of water. I noticed the next day that it had sprouted a new stem(green), yesterday I noticed it continued to grown from morning to evening. I’ve been like a kid watching things grow……. And saw just how easy it will be to grow some things inside.
Bets, Little House Living reader
22. Make a deal in your household that nothing goes to waste.
Yes, you can always feed scraps to the chickens, but it would still be better on your grocery budget if you used those scraps in your own diet. Here are some ways to Use Up Food Scraps and how to make Garbage Soup.
Whatever green vegetable (spinach, kale, etc.) I buy will be used the whole week until it is gone. I find that it doesn’t go to waste. I will use it for salads, stir frying veg. with rice, meatless tacos or smoothies. I also include several meatless meals throughout the week and we drink a lot of water which saves money.
Trinity, Little House Living reader
23. Finally, don’t feel like you need fancy, expensive meals.
Yes, we do eat the occasional steak, but it’s very, very occasional. As in Christmas or someone’s birthday. Try to focus on healthy meals you can make for Under $1 Per Serving.
24. Try some imperfect produce.
I’ve ordered from Misfit Market several times and always received a large amount of produce with my order and a great variety. I love that the produce is all organic! If you are interested in ordering, be sure to use the code COOKWME-RN9PGR to get 25% off your first box.
The list may look a little overwhelming at first, especially when you are new to buying healthy foods. But start by trying a few things and see what it does for your budget, add in a few more, and watch your grocery bill shrink down!
One of the biggest things to remember is to make sure you are Meal Planning, so when you do bring all the food home, you know what you are going to do with it and don’t let it go to waste.
More Ways to Save Money on Food
- How to Deal With Food Allergies On a Budget
- How Condiments and Spices Can Save Money
- 12 Simple Ways to Save Money on Groceries
- January 2020 Eat From the Pantry Meal Plans and Grocery Budget
What are some of your best tips for getting healthy foods on a budget?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.
This post on Healthy Food on a Budget was originally published on Little House Living in January 2014. It has been updated as of January 2024.
