How to Eat Healthy on a Budget in 2025: Part 1

Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Wages are staying the same. There are whispers of a recession. You, like many others, may wonder if it’s even possible to eat healthy on a budget. Well, where there is a will, there is a way. In this two part series, I will tell you all the ways to achieve this from beginning to end.

Time Is Money

Some of these tips shared in this post will save you money, but it will cost you more time. When you have young children to care for or work a very demanding job, paying a little extra for convenience is certainly worth it. Whatever your situation may be, take these recommendations for eating healthy on a budget with a grain of salt (pun intended).

Pre-Shopping

Take Inventory

Keep a running grocery list. Place it on your fridge or have a designated note on your mobile device. Add things on it when your running low so that when you go shopping, you know exactly what to get before it’s completely gone.

Menu planning will help too. You’ll know exactly what you’ll be cooking for the week, so you can keep that in mind as you shop. Plus, you won’t end up buying food you have no specified use for.

Eat before you go shopping. When you’re hungry and you see the plethora of beautifully stocked food on the shelves, that hunger spice will make everything in sight look delicious! Unless you are incredibly disciplined, you will end up buying something that you did not meal plan for and add it to your list at the last minute. Don’t fall for it!

Store Ads/Coupons

Store ads are listings of prices for items at a particular store. They literally help you pre-shop by giving you the ability to browse and compare prices between different stores..

Coupons are vouchers that can be redeemed for discounts. Couponing is an entire subculture and to get really good at it, you need to invest in a lot of time. Subscribe to youtubers such as One Cute Couponer to learn about couponing in your spare time. When using coupons:

• Be sure to carefully read the coupon. Sometimes it lists specific products for brand, a product purchase limit, or a certain weight of the product that you can not exceed in order for the coupon to be valid when checking out.
• Check the expiration date. You don’t want yo put in all that work just to find out that your coupon expired!
• Some coupons are only redeemable at certain stores.

Both of these money savers have digital and paper formats. Paper coupons are found in the mail or in the local paper newspaper. Store ads are placed strategically in the store lobby. Digital resources for coupons and store ads are discussed below.

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps used for couponing and as store apps include the following:

• Ibota is an app that gives you cash back on certain items that you buy in stores.
• Flipp is an app that stores digital coupons for your favorite stores.
• Individual store apps such as Walmart, Kroger, and Family Dollar contain store ads and store coupons. They display deals, and even show you what’s in store based on your location.

When pre-planning is complete, it’s time to start shopping!

At the Store

Mobile Apps

Store apps also assist you in finding items at your store. Many major retailers include an item’s location in store when you search for them in the app. This is especially helpful if you’re shopping at that store for the first time. It saves time and lessens the chances that you’ll get distracted. Additionally, you can utilize your digital coupons by logging into your account in the app and scan the personalized barcode at checkout that was created while you clipped coupons.

Store Deals

Another thing that can be done inside the store is monitoring store deals. For example, some stores in towns near military bases tend to have special deals on the 1^st and 15^th of each month. Family Dollar has a $5 off anything over $25 on Saturdays.

A debatable store deal that is a hit or miss is choosing the store brand over the national name brand. Some store brand items are made in the same factory as national brands and the only thing that’s different is the packaging. However, some people really do prefer a specific brand of ketchup. Some of us have children who are picky eaters and only like certain brands of foods. In those cases, it’s worth spending the extra cash. But, if you’re buying something like iodized salt, it may make more sense to get the store brand version.

Store memberships are free or can be obtained by paying a yearly membership. Memberships allow you to shop in store at a discounted rate and receive exclusive deals that are not available to non-members.

Buy In Bulk

Sam’s Club and Costco members may be especially fond of this next tip: buy in bulk. It’s cheaper to buy certain items in bulk, though you have to be mindful. For most people it’s more economical to buy non-perishable items in bulk because if you don’t use perishable items in time, you’ll have to throw them out. However, if you meal plan around perishable items, you can still eat healthy on a budget and you get your money’s worth.

Choosing Produce

This next tip may surprise some of you. Choosing fresh fruits and vegetables may not always be the only nutritious option. The common school of thought is that fresh foods are the most nutritious compared to frozen foods and canned foods. That’s only true if they are in season. Therefore, frozen or canned foods may be the more nutrient dense option, even if they are not in season. The longer a fruit or vegetable is dethatched from the parent plant, the more nutrients it loses.

Another misconception, when choosing produce is that choosing organic food is healthier than choosing non-organic food. The current evidence science does not prove that this is true.

Click here to learn why conventional foods are just as healthy as organic foods.

You can buy food that is healthy on a budget by choosing produce on clearance. As mentioned earlier, the longer a food has been detached the parent plant, the less nutrients it contains so you are getting a less nutritionists food item. The sooner you use it, the better. This also goes back to meal planning; if you know you want to make a certain dish that night when you get home, consider buying the produce on clearance.

Receipts

Don’t misplace or throw your receipt away! You are losing out on money.

Before you leave the store, make sure you check your receipt so that you don’t get double charged for items and all your coupons were redeemed. When you get home, check the back of the receipt for store ads, business ads and coupons. You can also win cash back for your receipts by scanning them to apps like Swagbucks and Ibota. There may also be a survey at the bottom that you can enter to win a store gift card or some other cash value by completing the survey.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned above, there are so many things you can do to eat healthy on a budget during pre-planning and while at the store. In part 2 of this series, I’ll show you what can be done at home to continue to protect your health and budget.

Let me know in the comments below if you have tried any of these ideas!