Eating Healthy for Less

You can prepare low-cost meals for you and your family without compromising your health and wellness goals.

With the cost of food continuing to rise, it may seem almost impossible to buy healthy foods and stick to your budget. Maybe fruits and vegetables seem too expensive to include in your diet or maybe you’re searching for less expensive foods, regardless of health implications.

But it doesn’t have to be either/or. You can eat healthy while still maintaining a budget by planning ahead and following a few simple tips.

Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

Create a budget. This expense tracker can help you see how you’re spending your money when it comes to food. Track your expenses for a month and see where you can reduce costs. Maybe your fast-food runs are adding up to more than you think.
Cook more at home. Eating takeout, getting food delivered or going out to eat can really add to the amount you’re spending on food, and it’s often less healthy than what you can make at home. Try preparing make-ahead meals for dinner to avoid spending money on fast food. Check out this list of easy budget-friendly recipes to try.
Plan your meals. If you go to the store without a plan, chances are, you’ll buy things you don’t need and still end up ordering food or going back to the store. Try to meal plan for a few days or an entire week at a time. To save money, combine ingredients to use in more than one meal. For example, it’s cheaper to buy a family pack of chicken, so use it to make chicken fajitas one night and a chicken and vegetable stir-fry the next.
Shop smart. As you’re meal planning, check out what’s on sale and what coupons are available that week. You can often get deals by getting a shopper’s card at your local store or downloading the store’s app, especially on store brands, which are usually priced cheaper already.
Eat less meat. Eating plant-based foods is not only good for your health but also for your budget. Consider eating vegetarian meals one or two days a week. Check out Simple Ways to Eat More Plants for some recipes and ideas, like this recipe for a black bean and quinoa burrito bowl.
Use frozen or canned produce. Let’s face it, fresh produce can be expensive. If you live alone, it’s hard to justify buying a whole carton of strawberries or head of broccoli. Oftentimes, frozen and canned produce can be just as nutritious (just be sure it isn’t canned in syrup). You can use frozen or canned produce in smoothies, on top of yogurt, in your oatmeal, for stir-fry, and more.
Check out farmer’s markets and farm stands. Depending on where you live, see if you can find a farm stand or a farmer’s market for your fresh produce. In-season produce can be much cheaper when you buy it this way.
Avoid buying highly processed foods. Highly processed foods are some of the most expensive and the worst for your health, as they often are filled with sugar and sodium. You could make a homemade treat like this berry pudding parfait instead of buying store-bought cookies or cake.
Put in the work. Stores know we are often rushed and short on time, so they provide ways to save time, like pre-cut veggies and fruits, and smaller, ready-to-go packages of meat. But these products are often much more expensive. Find time to work in the kitchen one or two days a week. For example, buy a family pack of chicken and take time to cut it into cubes and cutlets for different nights of the week.
Grow your own. More and more people are turning to community or home gardens to save money and eat healthier. Even without a yard, you can use pots to grow produce on a patio or a windowsill. You can purchase inexpensive seeds for things like tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers and more. Check out this advice if you’re considering growing your own garden.
Explore helpful resources to get started.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has several nutrition-related resources, including healthy recipes and cookbooks, step-by-step cooking videos and much more.
- This VA handout includes a list of budget-friendly foods to add to your grocery list, as well as two days of recipes to use for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- VA also has information and support for Veterans who are experiencing food insecurity. Reach out if you need assistance to access healthy food for you and your family.
- MyPlate offers Shop Simple, an app that helps you find local cost-saving opportunities and tips for preparing budget-friendly foods.