I’m not going to lie and say that being healthy is cheaper than being unhealthy (specifically for buying food). A lot of times fresh produce is more expensive and you can eat all the calories you need for the day with a $3 box of pop tarts instead of tons of low-calorie fruits and vegetables. But eating healthier food is definitely cheaper in the long term (not having to eventually pay for blood pressure/ diabetes medications or loads of hospital bills). Plus doesn’t eating healthy make you feel better, more productive and thus possibly made more money? Follow my top 5 tips if you’re trying to stay healthy while on a budget!

1. Aldi!

No I’m not sponsored or anything- just such a huge fan. This is my #1 tip because shopping at Aldi really helps me save so much money. If you didn’t know, they’re a German store (Lidl also is) that’s dirt cheap! They cut corners to bring you cheaper food by making you bring back your own cart (hence the quarter), bag your own food, and bring your own bags. This means less costs for the company and so they can charge less on the food. And they have so many great healthy, cheap options that are actually fun! I’ve been buying up all they’re chocolate hummus and dark chocolate sea salt granola lately, and I’ve noticed they’re 50% cheaper than Whole Foods! They don’t have too much produce but they normally have a lot of the basics that can help you get through the week (berries, bananas, mixed greens, broccoli, etc) for dirt cheap! Right now strawberries are just $1.20!! I could devote a whole post just to Aldi, but I just encourage you to try to do your grocery shopping there for 1 month and you’ll notice the difference in your wallet.

2. Buy the “On Sale” Produce

This one is so easy, but many people forget to pay attention to which produce is displayed at the front- this is the produce that’s on sale! It’s normally the produce that’s in season (which means it’ll also taste better). I normally try to buy a couple of random vegetables and fruits that are on sale and use it as snacks or salad or roasted vegetables throughout the week. I know that fresh produce can get pricey, but if you can be a little flexible in your meal or snack-planning and buy the ones that go on sale- you can really stretch your dollar and have healthier, more fresh snack options!

3. Meal Plan

Yea I know, some people really don’t enjoy meal planning but I feel like so many people don’t realize how it can actually help with budgeting. Think about it- if you go to the grocery store just to get “some food for the week,” what do you really end up buying? Do you utilize everything you buy? What happens to the food you don’t use? Does it go bad? Do you throw anything out? Do you end up having to go back to the store mid-week? If you are able to carve out 30 mins (at most) to think about all the meals you’ll eat the the week (including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) and then write a grocery list according to those meals, you can go to the store and buy exactly what you need. You won’t buy food that you aren’t going to eat, or may go bad because you planned that you are going to eat them this week (and produce should last in the fridge for a week).

4. Make a list out of your “extra foods”

This tip kind of builds off of the previous tip. Let’s say you make your grocery list and you need a box of quinoa for some chili, but you don’t need to use the whole box- that’s money sitting on your pantry shelf that you should be using, right?? Before you make your meal plan for the next week take a survey of what foods you have in your fridge, freezer, or pantry. Could you use any of these in your meals for next week? Could you make a salad for lunch with the leftover quinoa? Or roast those leftover sweet-potatoes for dinner? Or what about that frozen edamame? Maybe use it as a snack this week instead of buying more carrots? This way you don’t have to keep buying more food and you make sure to use up what you have already bought.

5. Grow your Own Herbs

I honestly feel like the most expensive ingredient to buy when I’m trying to make healthy, tasty recipes. And no matter hard I try, I can never really find a way to use up the herb the next week. I mean those things can really rack up when you’re pay $3 for a little box and your recipe calls for 3 different kinds! If you just bite the bullet and buy some little pots, dirt, and your own herbs you will save sooooo much money. My basics to always have are basil, mint, oregano, parsley, and cilantro.

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