How to Eat Well on a Budget

How to Eat Well on a Budget June 30, 2015

There is one thing that I really try to do and thats save money when it comes to shopping and feeding my family.  I live in a small town and the nearest large grocery store is and hour and half away so I do try my best to plan ahead and think about what my kitchen needs with being as fresh and healthy as possible  without breaking the bank! 1.Don't buy pre-packaged salad mixes! Pre packaged salad mixes are sure a                          convenience but I assure you that the convenience comes at a price. Most always            you can purchase 2-3 heads of lettuce for the price of 1 small bag of packaged                  salad mix and the head lettuce will be fresher and last longer. It takes about 1                  minute to rinse and chop lettuce so is it really that much of a convenience after all? 2.Grow your own lettuces and vegetables. I grew romaine, kale, chard, and other greens for about $1 each and the plants lasted me for months. You can grow in pots on your patio and don't need much space at all. A trick I had to extend the life of the lettuce was instead of cutting off whole head I would take off the leaves that were going to use for the salad that day and it would continue to grow. 3.Buy shelf stable foods in bulk. There are great deals on bulk foods at a local co-op or even Costco these days. Grains, nuts, seeds, baking flours, beans, lentils, rice can all be bought organic in bulk and store well for long periods of time. 4.Look for sales on healthy organic shelf stable staples such as olive oil, coconut oil, spices, jarred tomatoes, etc. and frozen meats and veggies and stock up for future use. 5.Make inexpensive vegetables, beans, and potatoes the main event in your dish and use sparingly the more costly items such as meats and other animal proteins. 6.Use leftovers to create a whole new meal the following day. If you bake a chicken use it for that night's meal and then take the carcass and any leftover meat on the bones to make a hearty soup filled with veggies and potatoes for the next nights dinner. 7.A little grass fed ground beef goes a long way. Instead of using a pound of beef to make 4 burgers how about adding chopped onions, spinach, quinoa, and fresh herbs and spices to the burgers as filler to double your servings. Use 4 burgers for your family dinner and make and freeze the rest of the patties for another night during the week. 8.Buy what's in season. When food is in season and from a local source it is much cheaper as quantity is more readily available and there are less transportation costs not to mention much fresher and healthier. 9.Look for online deals for large bulk and split the cost with a group of friends. This can sometimes cut the cost of certain items in half when you buy in large quantities. 10.Plan meals ahead of time so that nothing goes to waste. You can use similar ingredients in completely different meals.

 Every persons wants and needs are different and I'd much rather sacrifice certain material things and eat amazing live, fresh, healthy food. Its up to you to make your sacrifice for whats important to you!