16 Genius Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget You Need to Know

It’s not all about kale. If you want to eat delicious healthy food but don’t want to spend a lot, here are some genius tips on eating healthy on a budget.

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I am an omnivore when it comes to food. I like to try different things and love to learn how to cook with entirely different ingredients. In my past I have gone through different stages of eating a particular way. My longest stage was as a vegetarian. I have also dabbled with cooking vegan food, raw food, low fat, gluten-free, and paleo.

These ways of eating were not diets. I still occasionally ate (organic free-range) steak when I was eating mainly vegan and a nice warm loaf of homemade bread when I was mainly eating paleo.

I’m not very into rules with food.

It was more that I wanted to learn about different styles of cooking and ways of fueling my body and seeing what works best for me. It was fun to learn how to make raw ravioli (aka rawvioli) with beet “noodles” and cashew “cheese” filling or learn to bake with almond flour or coconut flour.

Even though I’ve clearly been a terrible vegan and haven’t followed the paleo rulebook very well at all, I do have two main ways that I’m consistent with my cooking: healthy (or healthy-ish) and frugal.

One fun way to save money is by growing your own food – here’s everything you need to know to do that!

Why should you try to save money on foodI know that eating healthy on a budget is possible. Food is usually the third biggest expense for a household, after housing and transportation. Saving money on food will give you more money to pay down debt, put into investments, save an emergency fund, take a trip, and more.

It is possible to eat healthy on a budget even if you follow different diets. There are a lot of different ideas below, and some will work with your life and how you eat, and other won’t.

Pick and choose what feels right for you, and what works for your family. Adopting even some of the tips below will help you eat healthier while saving you money on food.

For extra tips to save money on groceries, even during the pandemic, read this.

1. Eating healthy on a budget: Oatmeal is a superhero

Oats are little nutritional powerhouses. They are very nutrient dense, high in soluble fibre, can lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and have more protein and fat than most grains.

Plus oats are super cheap. They make an excellent food to keep on your cupboard I’d you’re trying to eat healthy on a budget.

There are so many healthy ways to eat oats. Of course there is oatmeal. Overnight oats are an easy alternative to oatmeal. You can also add some raw oats to your smoothie to make it more filling and give you extra nutrients.

Related post: 5 Borderline Genius Ideas For Stocking The Pantry On a Budget

2. Eating healthy on a budget: Beans, beans, the magical fruit…

Protein! Fiber! Vitamins! Beans should be another staple if you are trying to eat healthy on a budget. Canned beans are cheap and dried beans are cheaper.

If you are thinking of buying dried beans but are intimidated about the soaking step, don’t be! You just rinse the beans under water, dump them in a bowl, cover them with water, and leave them in the fridge overnight. Super easy. They are ready to cook the next day.

If you want to buy dried beans but don’t want to soak, buy split peas or lentils. They can be cooked up straight into soups and sauces without the pre-soaking step.

If you need some bean-spiration, there are 20 yummy bean recipes here.

3. Eating healthy on a budget: Embrace the ordinary

I am someone who likes new novelty when it comes to food ( and basically, life). If I see an exotic-to-me piece of produce in the grocery store, you can bet that it will end up in my cart. I love trying new things.

However, if you want to eat healthy on a budget, one way is to embrace the ordinary when it comes to food.

I still buy delicious and more expensive produce like mango, persimmon, and star fruit. But when I’m looking to save money on food, I buy these foods on occasion as a treat, instead of every time I buy groceries.

I have learned to love the much cheaper produce options like apples, oranges, bananas, and carrots. They are all still delicious, healthy, and can be eaten in a variety of ways such as a fruit salad, smoothies, baked apples, etc.

Growing your own produce can also be a great way to save money on groceries. Here are 14 hacks you need to know if you want to garden on a budget.

4. Eating healthy on a budget: The incredible edible egg

If you want to know how to eat healthy on a budget and you are not a vegan, eggs are there for you. They are not just a breakfast food or something you use in baking.

Lunches or dinners of quiche or a frittata with lots of vegetables make a filling and satisfying meal and only cost a few dollars for the entire recipe. Having scrambled eggs with veggies for dinner is a great budget food option when you need a super quick meal on a week night.

Try this recipe for brie and spinach quiche – it’s delicious, inexpensive, and easy to make.

Eggs got a bad reputation in the ’80s and ’90s for being an anti health food, but that has since been debunked. They are a great source of protein and an average egg is only 77 calories.

Eggs are so inexpensive, with 3 eggs costing less than a dollar. I always make sure we buy free-range eggs. This adds such a minimal cost to a very cheap food, and it makes me happy to know the chickens are being treated humanely.

5. Eating healthy on a budget: Cook at home

Cook at home instead of buying healthy take-out or restaurant food. Choosing healthy options from fast-food places or restaurants is obviously better than choosing the artery clogging alternatives. But healthy food that someone else makes will always be more expensive than food you cook at home.

Invest in a few good pieces of cookware that should last decades, and you will save money on food by cooking more at home.

This inspired me to cook again when I was in a dinner rut, and I even lost a couple pounds with these meals too!

Over the last several years we have been switching over our cookware and bakeware to glass, ceramic, and cast iron. Good, basic, well-made pieces that will last a long time, and are also healthier to cook with than non-stick frying pans and non-stick bakeware.

Having cookware that I like to use instead of a scratched up old pan inspires me to want to cook more.

6. Eating healthy on a budget: Shop the periphery of the supermarket

We have been told this one for years as a tip for eating healthier, and with good reason. It works.

The healthier food is around the periphery of the store. This is where you will find your basics: bread, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats. These foods are either unpackaged/unprocessed or less processed.

The middle aisles are where you will find the more processed foods. They will have more ingredients per item, and you pay for the processing and the packaging with higher prices. To save money, shop mainly on the edges of the grocery store.

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, because oats and other healthy and cheap items can be found in the middle of the store. Oats for example are usually found in the cereal aisle, just down from the Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms. Avert your eyes to the Fruit Loops! Get the oats and keep moving!

7. Eating healthy on a budget: Grocery list

Make a grocery list and (generally) stick with it. Having a grocery list gives you a focus in the store. Knowing which healthy foods you are planning on buying makes it much more likely you will bypass the Twix aisle (I’m pretty sure that’s what that aisle is called).

Not only will you end up with healthier groceries because you planned it that way, you will save money by avoiding impulse buys and things you don’t really need.

I say generally stick with your grocery list because see the next tip below…

8. Eating healthy on a budget: Eat what’s on sale

Don’t be too rigid in your grocery list – take advantage of what is on sale.

I used to spend whatever I wanted on food. I was very frugal in all other areas of my life (like these budget-friendly exercise bike alternatives) but I just loved food so much that I gave it a pass and bought whatever I felt like eating.

My husband is very frugal when it comes to food (there are stories that won’t be shared on this blog!) and I think over the last few years we have balanced each other out. I now look for sales when I’m out food shopping instead of ignoring them completely.

When it comes to produce, try to eat what is in season.

If you buy berries throughout the year, you know what a huge difference in price there can be when the berries are in season versus not. Again, I used to not care about this at all, but now I try to get a huge raspberry/blackberry/blueberry fix in the summer when they are in season here. I still eat berries year-round, but I slow down my consumption, and try to buy them on sale.

9. Eating healthy on a budget: Cook larger meals

When you have time to cook a meal, try doubling that meal and freezing the leftovers. It is not much extra work to make double of whatever you are making – it is certainly not double the work.

Having healthy freezer meals available will make the choice to eat healthy that much easier when it’s been a busy day and you’re hungry.

These two lasagna recipes ( meat lasagna and vegetarian lasagna) both make a ton of food. They are inexpensive meals and they do not have to be calorie bombs. You can make both recipes with whole wheat lasagna noodles, and both recipes have less cheese than most typical lasagna recipes (don’t worry, they are still super delicious!).

When I am looking to healthify these lasagna recipes, I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. It tastes great in the filling, and gives a big protein boost! The vegetarian lasagna is packed with vegetables, including very inexpensive ones like zucchini.

You can even substitute “zoodles” for the pasta noodles to make a low-carb and budget-friendly option.

So many dishes including these lasagna recipes work well when they are batched up, and freeze well too.

10. Eating healthy on a budget: Eat leftoversThis should not be revolutionary, people. You have already cooked up a delicious healthy meal on a budget. You planned ahead and made extra to save for another day – go you! So eat those leftovers. They are not inferior food.

Past you thought ahead and gave present you the gift of time – you don’t have to make a meal tonight. Reheat those leftovers and enjoy them.