Healthy eating always had the bad rep of being an expensive lifestyle choice that many of us can’t follow. What if we tell you that it’s not that hard to achieve after all?
In the long run, healthy eating can actually save you money and sometimes even prep-time if you pick a day to just do all the prep for the week. Healthy eating doesn’t mean you have to buy health supplements, it’s more about cooking delicious dishes based on real ingredients! Here are 6 reasons why healthy eating can help you to save some cash:
1. It’s all in the planning
Planning your meals weekly will help you decide what your breakfast, lunch and dinner will be so you won’t have to worry about what to have for your next meal. It will also help with budget and avoiding food wastage.
When you are planning your meals, take inventory of what you already have at home before jotting down your shopping list. Sometimes, you buy so many things like that can of tuna which probably has slip out of your mind because you store them deep in your cabinets.
If you’ve never tried meal planning before, give it a go with this template we found or create your own template to make your weekly meal planning easier.
2. There is the produce bargain section & discounts
Though most of the vegetables, fruits and other food products found in the discounted aisle are either expiring soon, has bruises or some defect, it doesn’t mean they’re not edible. If you are planning to use the produce immediately then why not get it at a cheaper price? You can cut the bruised section away and use the other sections to make your meals. Don’t forget, you can always prep and freeze ingredients too so that it lasts longer and you have some around when needed.
3. You can buy in bulk
Think of the produce that you must always have in your pantry that tends to run out pretty quickly. Is it rice, oats, spices and beans? You can shop in supermarkets that sell items in bulk to stock up on your staple non-perishable goods such as rice, wholewheat flour (If you bake a lot) and other dry food. Onions, potatoes and garlic last a while in the larder as well.
If your favourite olive oil is on sale, why not stock up on that too since you know you will be using them for your salads and stir-fries. It makes sense to bulk buy on essential ingredients that stores for long time when it’s cheap.
4. Leftovers will not go to waste
You can double or triple some of the recipes you are cooking so you can keep the leftovers for the next few days. A big batch of soup can be reheated and you can even add some noodles into the soup. Your leftover roast chicken can be made into a chicken sandwich too. The possibilities are endless, you just need some creativity.
5. You eat out less
Since you will be planning and cooking your weekly meals at the start of the week, you will have most of your meals covered already. So you don’t need to eat at some overpriced cafe to get the same food that you can make at home such as salads and sandwiches at a fraction of the price. Besides, eating at home means more time to bond with your loved ones, less travel time and you don’t have to pay for extras. Why pay more than RM10 for a not-so-healthy sandwich from a fast-food chain when you can make your own at the comfort of your home with extra chicken?
6. Less trips to the doctor
Think about it, when you start eating better food your mind and body will be stronger when faced with diseases or infections. You will save money on doctor’s appointments and medications which doesn’t come cheap. You won’t need to rely solely on numerous supplements to get your daily vitamins intake because your meals have got you covered. Of course, you can’t forget about your water and sleep too.
So you see, you don’t need to have a big budget to eat healthy. It’s all in the planning. You probably have some ingredients at home already and from there you can find some recipes which you can make in big batches to stock up on leftovers (remember, those can be frozen too). Buying non-perishable essentials in bulk will save you money in the long run. You spend less money by cooking meals at home and you take less sick days too. Healthy eating is not that expensive after all!
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