Healthy Eating On A Budget
Hey everyone, it’s Jaclyn here with Advanced Health. Some of you may have met me at the clinic and others may have seen some of my videos. For those of you who don’t know me yet here are 5 fun facts to get you started.
I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist through AFPA
I began my health journey as a patient of Dr. Ida Allen’s and have since fallen head over heels in love with the field and with helping others reach optimal health
I am married to my high school sweetheart- we have been together since I was 15 and we have two pups, I absolutely adore dogs- I would have 100 of them if it was possible :)
I am only 22 soon to be 23 years old.
I am a Certified Nursing Assistant, I am licensed to sell Real Estate in the state of Wisconsin, I have an associates degree in Accounting, and as stated above I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist.
So now that you know a little bit about me- let’s get to the real reason why I am typing up this article. Recently, I was snapchatting a friend about my grocery haul- weird I know- but it was a relatively healthy grocery haul and I was proud of that! Anywho- the snapchat I got back was “It’s so expensive”. Now this showed me yet again how much this misconception is still out there! If my friend has these feelings- I know others will too, so I decided it was a good time to write about it and maybe help some of you out!
Now- for anyone who knows me- they know I LOVE a good deal. I am constantly shopping for the best bargains- I rarely pay full price for anything and yep, you guessed it, this most often also includes my groceries! Now, I will say this, being 22- married- with a house- and bills, does not leave me TONS of room to buy the best of the best of everything however, I do buy mostly organic fruits and vegetables, and most of my food is healthy and NOT JUNK.
What if I was to tell you that I spend on average $125-150 on groceries every TWO weeks? Yes I realize it is just the two of us, however, I often cook for 4+ as we use the leftovers for lunches for my husband and I. Want to know my secrets?
Meal plan! Seriously- do it. I sit down once every two weeks and I plan out my meals for the next 2 weeks. I figure out what I want to cook, and I make a grocery list based on those items and what I need. Bonus tip- do this when you are not hungry and when you are in a healthy eating mindset. Planning healthy meals will be that much easier! When I don’t know what to make- I turn to healthy eating cook books, I search on pinterest, or I simply use google until I find ones that sound good. Don’t forget to give yourself some options for healthy lunches/snacks too!
Get everything you need for the week (two weeks if you’re like me) all at once! Don’t leave yourself the room to say “shoot I forgot this I will just run to the store”. How many of you are like me, you go to the store for one thing and come out spending $20,$30, or even more dollars?! Save yourself some money and just get what you need on one grocery store trip.
Always make a grocery list! This has helped me tremendously, I buy what’s on the list and nothing else because I know that is all that I NEED to make my healthy dinners, lunches, snacks, etc.
Check the local flyers! Every two weeks when I sit down to plan out my meals, I check out the most recent Trigs ad, I check online at the Aldi flyer, and I check out Golden Harvest’s Facebook page for any specials they have. It not only helps me plan my meals but helps me save money too!
I do the majority of my shopping at Aldi- THEY HAVE AN ORGANIC SECTION. I realize it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I am telling you, if you are trying to eat healthy on a budget, it is worth it!
If you have spare money in your budget- consider buying meat in bulk. My inlaws and my husband and I split a ½ of a cow every year. It is a chunk of money up front but it helps you save on the weekly grocery bill AND it is a better quality of meat then what you are buying from the store.
Now- maybe to you my grocery bill still seems high. But what if I was to tell you that I have not been sick in over 4 years, my husband has caught a cold only once or twice in about 4 years, and neither of us have been to the Doctors office for anything more than a check up in over 4 years. Your health is an investment! Paying a little more each week for healthy groceries is SURE to save you money over your lifetime!