Skip To Content
  • Viral badge
  • win badge

30 Easy Ways To Eat Healthier On A Budget

Because it really shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.

Eating well doesn't need to cost a ton. So we asked healthy food bloggers and members of the BuzzFeed Community to share their tips for eating healthy without breaking the bank. Here's what they said:

1. Buy in-season fruit when it's cheap, and freeze it for later.

2. Or center your weekly meals around whatever's in season.

3. Buy things like whole grains, beans, and spices from the bulk bins.

4. And invest in a set of transparent jars or containers to store those bulk groceries.

5. Buy a Bluapple to make your produce last longer.

6. Wash your berries and rinse them with white vinegar and water to make them last longer.

7. Invest in a slow cooker for easy, healthy, large-batch meals.

8. Hit up your local farmers markets for fresher and cheaper options.

9. And don't make it a priority to buy organic unless it's on the Dirty Dozen list.

10. Don't buy precut veggies. Save money and chop them yourself.

11. Plan out your meals and make a grocery list before you go shopping for food.

12. Roast an entire chicken at the beginning of the week.

13. Buy bags of frozen veggies to use in your meals.

14. Check out the prices at your local Asian markets.

15. Pack up and save all leftover fruit and veggies for another time.

16. Stock up on eggs in your refrigerator. They're cheap, high in protein, and can be used in a ton of healthy recipes.

17. Find ways to use old produce.

18. Compare current prices of fresh, frozen, and canned options of the item you're looking for.

19. Buy the store brand if it's cheaper.

20. Drink hot or iced tea and coffee instead of juice and soda.

21. Buy frozen veggies and roast them instead of boiling them.

22. If you have the space, grow spices and veggies in your own garden.

23. Try buying your groceries online.

24. Stock up on a few frozen healthy meals for busy nights when takeout is pretty much inevitable (and more expensive).

"Frozen meals can be a healthy and cheap lunch. I use Healthy Choices Café Steamers — they have great flavors, and it’s all-natural food!"

veronican4bc1b2997

25. See if you have a produce distributor that sells to the public at wholesale prices.

26. But don't buy in bulk from wholesale outlets unless you know you'll use all of it.

27. Keep stocked on rice and beans.

28. Buy on-sale meat just before the expiration date — then rewrap it and freeze it.

29. Download an app to help you find coupons and rebates.

"The Ibotta app is a good way to get rebates on your grocery purchases, and a lot of times they have options to get money back on stuff that's not name-brand, like produce, eggs, and milk. They also have a rebate in there for a discount on the protein powder I like to use."

—Becky Martin, Facebook

"My favorite coupon app is Checkout 51. You take pictures of your receipts, get cash back for certain products, and once you hit $20, they send you a check in the mail! I go on before I go shopping and add in a couple things to my grocery list that are on Checkout 51 that week."

Summertimeselfies

30. Or an app that helps you find the best prices across different groceries.

"The Flipp app is really good for looking at flyers around your area. You can search for specific groceries you’re looking for and they’ll show you all the flyers that the item appears in so you can compare prices at different stores. You can also save all those items to one list to help you gauge what you’re going to get so you don’t ~accidentally~ spend more than you meant to."

amyworden

Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Want to be featured on BuzzFeed? Follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!