When you are busy with studies, everyday challenges, and social life, you can hardly find time to think about what to eat. You may be inclined to go to a fast food joint for a quick meal, which is a terrible way to save money on food. But a tight student budget often forces students to make gastronomic choices that may harm their health. Still, it is possible to maintain a healthy budget and care about your wallet simultaneously.
Here are 8 Easy Ways to save money on food without harming your health.
1. Plan What You Eat
With food costs rising, it is important to create your meal plan at least a week ahead. This is important to be your primary step toward a healthy and cheap diet.
Planning your eating routine has many benefits. It will save you from impulsive buying choices at the grocery store when you are too busy in the middle of the week. You will have the opportunity to go shopping in advance and pre-cook your meals. As a result, you will be able to save money on food, and allow you to stick to your weekly budget and eat nutritiously and healthily without hurdles.
2. Opt for Cheap but Healthy Diets
If you control your eating habits, you will be able to save money on food and improve your health. It is reported that families who stick to weight-losing and health-issues-connected diets waste less on food.
When counting calories, you will reduce the overall amount of food you buy and save money eventually. You will also eliminate snacks, fizzy drinks, added sugar from your shopping list, adding both to your health and budget.
Meanwhile, including seasonal veggies and other nutritious products in your meal plan will make you a healthier and wealthier person as well.
3. Create a Weekly Shopping List
Shopping for food is another essential part of your diet that needs special attention. You need to get appropriately prepared to waste less money, but gain more food and benefits. Look at some tricks and tips to consider:
- Plan your food week and create a shopping list accordingly.
- Stick to your shopping list and your budget.
- Browse proposals in the supermarkets nearby before you select where to go.
- Never go shopping hungry to prevent impulsive buying.
- Opt for good discounts. You’d better buy a product with 50% off than going for a buy-one-get-one proposal and waste more.
- Buy food in bulk and cook the same way. This will save you money and time on cooking.
- Choose cheaper brands. Supermarket-branded products are usually of lower price and good quality comparing to globally known ones.
Consider that sometimes it is even better to go shopping online. There are online stores that will save you money and time and allow you to use student discounts that supermarkets cannot come up with.
4. Purchase Season Fresh Ingredients
There is no need to waste a fortune on a fresh pumpkin in spring or fresh strawberry in the middle of the winter. It is more beneficial to opt for seasonal products instead.
Explore the ongoing seasonal products and buy them for peanuts. But if you need something out-of-season for your beloved recipe, you can always opt for frozen, dried, and canned food. It will save you a ton of bucks.
Besides, frozen fruits, veggies, or fish are a great choice since freezing preserves all the vitamins and nutritional elements in food, allowing you to get the most out of it.
Meanwhile, you will waste less and be able to store the leftover in the freezer for later.
5. Pack Your Lunch
Another thing to consider is taking a packed lunch from home to work or school. Whether you head to work or university, it is more beneficial to take food with you instead of buying fast snacks in the cafeteria. This will enable you to eat healthily and while you save money back into your wallet.
Here leftovers from the last meals will be your safety ring. Wrap dinner leftovers in tortillas, cook a double portion of breakfast, heat yesterday’s soup, and put it in a thermos. Any option will be better than a burger or coffee and sweet bakery for double price.
6. Cook In Your Home Kitchen
Dining out or ordering food will diminish both your savings and health. So, another golden tip to save money on food is for you is to cook yourself.
Sometimes it is even worth handing your assignments to college essay writing services and spend weekends in the kitchen to care about your diet for a week or prepare a nutritious dinner.
Cooking at home is not only a budget-friendly option. It will grant you the opportunity to eat what you like, but not only what the nearby cafe offers, vary the products, and have some fun. If you are not a born chef, it is normal to start with easy recipes, one-pot dishes, and healthy snacks. As a result, you will be deliciously fed through the whole week and save a fortune.
6. Pack Your Lunch
Another thing to consider is getting a packed lunch from home. Whether you head to work or university, it is more beneficial to take food on you instead of buying fast snacks in the cafeteria. This will enable you to eat healthily and cheaply.
Here leftovers from the last meals will be your safety ring. Wrap dinner leftovers in tortillas, cook a double portion of breakfast, heat yesterday’s soup, and put it in a thermos. Any option will be better than a burger or coffee and sweet bakery for double price.
7. Eat Cheaper Cuts of Meat and Meat Alternatives
Meat and fish are a nutritious and essential part of your diet. Although it may be expensive, it is better not to skip such a good source of protein and nutrients.
When shopping for meat, you don’t need to look at steaks and prime rib only. There are very good cheap cuts of meat, such as chuck steak, flat iron steak, and beef shank, which will help you save money on food.
You can opt for some cheaper but neat meat pieces instead to make a stew or marinate and steam them. They are very tasty, and may take a little longer to cook to break down the fibers, resulting in meat that easy to chew.
You can also add vegan days to your weekly meal plan and eat meat alternatives. They are beans, soya, tofu, seitan and more.
This will allow you to save money, and get protein in your diet without eating red meat.
8. Grow Your Food
Another option to get fresh and cheap food, i.e., fruits, veggies, and herbs, is to grow them on your own. This will grant you great free-time activity and deliver pesticide-free fresh products as a reward for your efforts.
Grow cherry tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, cucumbers, and more on your balcony. But if it is too much for you to handle or you lack space. A window-sill box with growing herbs and microgreens will supply you with vitamins and free delicious additives to your meals all year round.
The Bottom Line
Eating on a budget does not mean buying processed food or eating fast food to save money. By taking care to plan ahead, shop wisely and cook smart meals at home, you can save money on food without harm to your health is not rocket science. You just need to take some time and approach your eating habits sensibly to save money on food.
Plan your eating, go shopping wisely, cook at home, and care about a healthy diet. This way, you will be prosperous and well eventually.
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