12 Ways to Eat Healthier for Cheap!

Before you get too excited, let me tell you that saving money on healthier foods would take some time and dedication. It's always easier to just walk into the store and buy whatever you want without thinking about what you're putting into your mouth. But since we do want to enhance our health, we should be willing to make a few sacrifices.

If you are willing to commit to your health and focus on buying healthier foods, then read on. Believe it or not, eating healthier is not more expensive than eating crappy!

Step #1 - Clip Those Coupons
Yes, yes, I know, this is something we're not looking forward to! But when you could get $100 worth of food for AT LEAST half that price, then your time clipping those coupons would have been well spent.

My wife is a BIG coupon guru (maybe not as extreme as those folks who could get hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of food for almost nothing). I always love it when she could get quite a bit of food for half the cost. She would get excited telling me what she got for free, how she got a great deal on something, etc. She doesn't believe in paying full price for anything if she could help it.

Couponing does take some time. You have to get your newspapers, search online for coupons, shop at stores during their sales, and be willing to travel to several stores instead of getting everything in one store. If money is more valuable than time, then couponing would be just for you!

Step #2 - Hit Those Discount Stores
You could shop at a pricey supermarket or head to Wal-Mart. Okay, some of us don't like shopping at discount stores because we don't like the employees there, the long lines, and some of the people who shop there. But if you could overlook those minor (yes, I said MINOR) imperfections, then you could find some great deals on healthy foods.

In my area, the Dollar Tree sells frozen fruits for, of course, ONE DOLLAR! Frozen fruits are just as nutritious, if not more so, than fresh fruits. When fruits are picked, they are frozen within hours, thus preserving their many nutrients. Unless fresh fruits are locally grown, they could lose a lot of their nutritional value through importation.

Here's a good rule to follow: shop at the major supermarket chains during their sales, and shop at the discount stores when those big chains don't have their sales. My wife has chosen a major chain over Wal-Mart before because she was able to come out cheaper with the store's sales or with a coupon she had.

Step #3 - Dry Over Canned
Dry beans, peas, rice, and pasta are CHEAP! You could buy nearly a week's worth of these things for under two bucks. These items are also packed with minerals and protein! The biggest drawback on buying these items dry is that you have to soak them in water first. Pasta and rice could cook quickly by simply throwing them in boiling water, but beans and peas need to be soaked for a while. Canned or packaged rice, pasta, beans, and lentils are easier and quicker to cook. But they are also expensive and high in sodium.

Step #4 - Cook Your Oatmeal The Ol' Fashion Way
You could get a generic canister of oatmeal for under two bucks and have a week's worth of servings! Add some honey, sugar, or some Agave nectar, a few blueberries, and you've gotten some awesome oatmeal! The packaged oatmeal such as Quaker's isn't just more expensive, but the serving sizes are low. I usually have to eat TWO packets of oatmeal instead of one.

Step #5 - Generic Over Name Brand
I have to admit that generic doesn't always taste the same as the Name Brand stuff. But they usually have the same amount of nutrients. If you get a generic orange or a Name Brand orange, would one be better than the other? They are both oranges!

Step #6 - Eat When You're Hungry
Eating too much cost money! Period! If you're in the habit of eating whenever you have the urge to, then you'll eat your wallet to the bone! Eat when you're truly hungry, not when you have a craving.

Step #7 - Choose Plant Protein Over Animal Protein
This step may not go well in my household any time soon as my wife NEEDS her meat! But if it's no big deal, choose plant-based protein such as beans, nuts, brown rice, and lentils. Meat is usually expensive, unless you could buy in bulk.

Step #8 - Cut Down On The Snacks
Chips, candies, etc., are simply filler foods. They provide no nutrition and they don't curb hunger for long. You also tend to eat all of the snacks in one sitting. How many of you could finish a big bag of Doritos in one day? Those things cost two bucks, and they do nothing for the body. Cutting down on the snacks would save you a surprisingly amount of money to spend on healthier foods.

Step #9 - Water Over Juice
Water is FREE....okay, not really. You either have to pay a water bill or pay more rent if you live in an apartment where utilities are included. BUT water still comes out cheaper than buying juices and sodas. If you can't do tap water, you could make a small investment in a filter or getting bottled water AND refilling your water bottles at a store. If you need flavor in your water, get some Crystal Light or other water flavorings and sprinkle just enough to add some flavor to the water. Crystal Light, for example, has several packets of flavoring. I don't use the whole packet, but just enough to put some taste to the water. Or, buy lemon or lime and squirt some juice into it. Not only is water healthier, but it has NO unnecessary calories (except for the little bit of calories from water flavorings).

Step #10 - Cut Down On Take-Out
You could spent almost $10 worth of food from McDonald's and eat everything in five minutes, or spend that money on food that would last you a week. Every time you miss eating out, you're saving at least five bucks. You could put that five bucks to food that would actually do your body some good.

Step #11 - Pre-Plan Your Shopping
If you go into the store and buy whatever you're in the mood for, you'll wind up draining your bank account. But if you already have a list of things you want, you will tend to ONLY get those items and keep your budget in check.

Step #12 - By In Bulk
Whether it's shopping at a warehouse-like supermarket like Costco, BJ's, or Sam's or scooping your coffee beans in a plastic bag instead of buying a whole canister, you'll tend to save a few bucks by getting bulk. The big drawback about this is that not everybody has the money to spend on bulk. But if you have the money, buying in bulk could save you from buying more of the same food for a while.

Keep in mind that I didn't touch on organic versus non-organic. We all have to start somewhere, and not everybody could get everything organic, even though that would be ideal. But a non-organic pasta meal would be better than something you would get from fast food
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Eating healthier is doable. Anybody who is willing could do it. Just put in a little time, do things one at a time, and pretty soon, your fridge and pantry would be shocked with nothing but healthier foods.

Aiyo A. Jones, M.S.
NCSF-Certified Fitness Trainer
Raleigh, NC
www.21dayhealthchallenge.com