Eating Healthy is too Expensive. Or is it?

Let Me Show You How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

You want to eat healthy but you think you can't afford it.

You've got bills to pay, school trips coming up, and your washing machine has just packed in. 

Getting more fruit and vegetables is way down your priority list. 

'Eating healthy is too expensive' is one of the top five reasons I hear for not eating healthily. But I'll let you into a little secret...

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive. It can be done on a budget. 

How?

I'll tell you...

Eating Healthy is too Expensive...Not if you Plan, Prepare and Cook your Meals

It's not sexy. It's not ground breaking. But it's the truth. 

Let me show you an example. It's actually my example. 

My food bill for the last month came to £350 (give or take).

Now that may seem expensive. Especially when it's in a lump sum like that. But when you take into account how many meals that covers, you'll see, it's actually not. 

So £350. 

That has covered the meals for my family. That's me, hubby and little K, for the month. 

That's 3 meals a day for the three of. There's also snacks, but we'll leave those for now. 

That's 270 meals in total. Although there have been a few meals out so let's call it 250, just to be conservative. 

£350 has covered 250 meals. 

Doesn't look so expensive now, hey?

And believe me, we don't skimp on food. 

All of our meat is free range, grass fed and organic. Eggs are free range.

Satay chicken, stir-fry, fillet steak and chips, Bolognese, burgers. They are all regulars in our week. 

I also go for easy, sometimes more expensive options like packet rice, pre-chopped chillies, ginger and garlic. So there is scope for reducing the bill further. 

All of this is possible because we plan, prepare and cook (the majority) of our food. 

While we were moving, this was a few months ago now, I wasn't quite organised enough to make lunches, so I had to buy them. 

Every day it cost me about £6. And that was using a meal deal. 

Over the course of a week that set me back £30 in just lunches. Over a month £120. And if I'd carried on £1,560 over a year. And that's for a soggy sandwich. 

Buying the ingredients to make a sandwich makes them much healthier, a fraction of the cost, and in my opinion, much tastier. 

By cooking your own food, you know exactly what is going into it. No preservatives to lengthen the shelf life. No non-food stuffs to chemically enhance the flavour. Just natural, nutrient dense ingredients. 

So start cooking. You won't be saying eating healthy is too expensive any more. 

Eating Healthy too Expensive - Not with these Tips

Bulk buy. Make the most of offers and meat and veg boxes. Fill up your freezer. It not only cuts down on cost, but also the amount of times you have to go to the supermarket.

If you haven't got the space yourself to bulk buy share it with friends. You'll have to buy more regularly but you can still make the most of the best deals.

Get cheaper cuts of meat. Shin of beef, brisket, minute steaks, all low priced but really tasty. They can be a bit chewier but the secret there is to slow cook. Just chuck it in the slow cooker before you go to work and come home to delicious goodness.

Bulk your dishes out with vegetables. Meat and fish are probably the most expensive part of your shop, so make them go further by bulking them out with vegetables. Carrots, onions, peppers and mushrooms all work well in a Bolognese. Throw in a can of tomatoes and maybe some Worcester sauce or balsamic vinegar and you've got a nutritionally packed, very tasty meal that will make quite a few portions.

Make your own sauces. Tomato based sauces are really easy - a can of tomatoes, some herbs and/or spices and cook down. Curry sauces can be made with stock, tomatoes or coconut milk.

Cook more dinner than you need and take it to work the next day for lunch. You'll not only save a tonne of money, you'll have some gorgeous lunches, keeping you feeling fuller longer.

Save for later...Tips to keep your food bill on budget

Eating Healthy is too Expensive - Not Any Longer

So there you have it.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive, nor does it have to be boring, tasteless or depriving.

Get in the kitchen. Experiment with your food. And most of all, have fun.

Give it a go and check out Muscle Food and Great British Meat Co. for bulk buying.

What's the first meal you are going to cook?

Save for later...Eating Healthy is Too Expensive. Or is it?

© e-Slimmer 2021