Save Money Eat Healthy Food

It's the economy, I don't have money, I can't afford it, fast food is cheap I have heard many excuses as to why people aren't eating properly. It frustrates and pains me to see these excuses damaging bodies and bank accounts. I will show you that not only are quality foods accessible, they are affordable. Take it from me, starving student, starving artist, starving filmmaker, are all just excuses. I am a well fed student, artist, and

As a recent college graduate living out of the house - jobless, surviving on student loans for the past two years - I never had to live on ramen noodles and tang. Through college my dinners consisted of steak, chicken, or fish (I love salmon), with rice, pasta, or potatoes, a leafy mixed-green salad, and grilled vegetables, with a glass of wine or beer. And yes, I still ate breakfast and lunch.

It really is EASY to save money on quality food.

Budget: A budget is imperative to spending properly. Think of your kitchen as a business, or each meal as a mini-production. No business owner (or producer) will go out with a blank check and start filling up on resources without a plan. They isolate and list everything required to manufacture and distribute their product within a SPECIFIED spending limit. Set your price, make a list and adhere to both.

I know I can comfortably purchase my groceries for $60 per week. Less than $10/day for 3 meals plus snacks. I routinely come in under budget (around $48), allowing me about a $10 cushion should I want an extra from time-to-time. I live with my Girlfriend now, and we alternate grocery duty every other week. I still aim for $60 and regularly come in under budget, averaging about $30-$40 per week.

Extras: I classify anything I don't need as an extra (ie. Alcohol, chocolate, bakery items, more expensive foods, etc.). Extras are not essential, but they are fun to have. It's very humanizing to have these things, but in moderation. There's only 1 extras slot so chose wisely.

Remember: You will not have to replenish every item you buy, every week. Many items carry over to the following weeks, thus alleviating your shopping bills and freeing you to fill other needs. It's a matter of stocking then replenishing as you go along.

Savings Card: Every major grocery store offers a savings card. Get it, it's free. I routinely save around $20 per visit just from using my savings card. For example, Ralph's is great about providing cuts for its card members.

They keep track of your spending points and issue a cash back gift certificate every few months; along with useful coupons. Mine is typically $6 - $9. Now more than ever, stores are rewarding shoppers for loyalty. Find the store that satisfies your budget and get your card.

Shop Around: Loyalty doesn't mean using one store for everything. It really doesn't make financial sense to do so. One store doesn't usually do everything well. For a long time, I had been overpaying on produce. I was getting very frustrated with the quantity, price, and quality of produce in my local Ralphs. It was awful. So, I started shopping around.

With help from my girlfriend's mom, I learned of Sprouts Farmers Market. It is a permanent grocery store, specializing in locally grown produce. This store is quality and quantity. I make it my sole produce stop. With no loyalty incentives, no cards, this store doesn't need it. They are the best produce providers in the area, however that's where it stops.

If I were to buy packaged goods and meat with my produce, I'd end up losing my savings. Stopping at two stores for shopping is not as time consuming, nor annoying as I once thought; especially when you know the layout and enter with your plan in hand.

I currently live in the city, so Sprouts is only accessible when I go down to visit the Girlfriend's family (which we do weekly). Los Angeles has many temporary farmers markets which sprout up in the area throughout the week; this supplements the times I can't make it down. Farmers markets are host to the best tasting, largest portioned produce at very little cost. Find farmers markets in your area, by searching: 'Certified Farmers Market, [city name]'. Los Angeles Certified Farmers Markets.

Stock Up: Prices constantly fluctuate. When you come across one of your staple products at a reduced rate, stock up. It makes sense, right? Buy low, and don't buy high. Many items can be accumulated and saved for later use: Coffee, chips, cereal, toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, paper towels, canned goods, sandwich bags, trash bags, even meats, milk, and breads with the help of a freezer.

Freeze: Don't be afraid to freeze. Freezing allows you to save money on perishables by enabling you to stock up and take advantage of deals. As long as you freeze before the expiration date, your food will taste fresh after you cook it. Freezing is also a good way to save food if you know you can't eat it before spoiling.

I regularly freeze steak, chicken, fish, milk, bread, tortillas, and juice without degradation to the quality of the product. Meals just take a little planning to ensure you'll have necessary food items thawed in time to eat.

Avoid Packaging: Stay clear of prepackaged, proportioned food. You'll pay highly for it. This is where effort comes in. Boneless-skinless chicken breasts will cost 3 times more than buying the large platter of bone-in breasts. I can purchase chicken for under $6 per week as long as I put the effort in to separate the meat from skin and bone.

I package them in store brand resealable sandwich bags and toss them in the freezer. The same goes for steak and fish. It is simple to do, and doesn't take too long. Most importantly, it saves me money.

If you can't stand handling raw chicken (like my girlfriend), the solution is simple. Still repackage the individual breasts (or two to a bag) and freeze them; you can wear clean dish gloves for this. When you're ready to cook it, just thaw, cut away the skin and cook. After it's ready, the meat will pull away from the bone rather easily.

Note: Avoid pre-sliced, pre-shredded cheese. Save the cash and buy the block. You'll get far more and it will last you longer.

Good food is all around us, don't pay premium prices for logos and packaging. If you can't afford it, don't pay for labor. Put in a few minutes of effort and reap the benefits.

Coupons: Look at the Sunday paper's advertisements. Skim through the junk mail. You'll find store specific offers along with manufacturer's coupons. Many of these can be coupled with other offers and savings cards to keep more money in your pocket. Admittedly, we just started utilizing coupons. It's kind of a hassle, cutting, collecting, and organizing, but we recently found it's far worth it.

This week we had to restock a lot of our 'inventory'. Toiletries, produce, everything. We let it dwindle to almost nothing. We got $80 worth of Ralph's groceries for $40. Not too bad for clipping some ads.

Effort: It doesn't take much. Shopping in this manner is a lifestyle change for those who don't pay attention to cost and quality. If you can't see yourself driving to two stores per grocery trip, at least start with a savings card. Pay attention to the price tags and look for better deals; they're usually on the shelf next to the item you're holding. Many stores will even break down the price per oz, or price per unit. This really helps when comparing two products and differing quantities.

The tools are provided for us. We just need to look a bit closer.

It's a Progression: I never expected to be the guy with a handful of paper clippings at the register. I never expected to be the bargain hunter. I hate stores, I don't like other shoppers. I want in and out quickly. I started with a card and got addicted to saving.

It's actually fun now to see how much I can save (dorky, yes). Even better, I don't spend much time shopping at all. I know the aisles, I know where to hit and I get out.