Tips for Cutting Costs while Eating Clean

This is part of my pantry. It isn't glamorous, but it's semi-organized. 

On these shelves are some of my best tips for cutting costs while still eating clean. 

I've always had an interest in healthy eating, and practiced it more or less (the less being CHEESE!) But now that we've got kids to think about, we have really decided to kick ourselves in the ass and create even better habits. The myth is that to eat a healthy, whole-foods, non-processed diet, you have to spend exorbitant amounts of cash. Lucky for you (but not so lucky for your excuses), this myth is just that--a myth. 

True, the start-up costs of healthy living can be heftier than the usual generic boxed garbage. There are always coupons and mark-downs on garbage, and rarely on produce or items in the natural foods section. Just remember this: YOU VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLAR. If you're willing to spend a little more at first and commit to buying quality food, you are promoting health with your money and your choices. The more people who do this, the less the good stuff will eventually cost, and the less demand for garbage there will eventually be. Simple. Maybe I'm idealistic. Maybe I should live in Ann Arbor. (I wish!) But I believe it's possible to change things, and I believe that every person is a cog in the wheel. I also believe that we will see a shift to a more natural approach to life, as diseases caused by diet and lifestyle continue to rise and healthcare continues to get more cray-zay. 

SOME TIPS TO EATING CHEAP & CLEAN

(and they don't involve extreme couponing!)

1. Make your own marinara sauce. You can find recipes just about anywhere, but the premise is simple: garlic sauteed in 1 tbsp. olive oil, a can of crushed tomatoes, & spices. I use fresh basil and marsala cooking wine and crushed red pepper, but anything goes. The longer you simmer, the better it gets. But the best part is that it's a fraction of the cost of quality jarred sauce, especially if you stock up on tomatoes when they're on sale. The other ingredients only cost you the first time, then they're on hand for a while. Minced garlic can even be purchased in little glass jars that keep in the fridge for years. The lycopene and nutrient content of canned tomatoes can be even better than fresh, especially in the off-season, but there's no reason you can't use freshly crushed tomatoes instead! The cheap jarred sauce, BTW, is loaded with sugar and shit-tons of ingredients, and IS NOT healthy. If you are used to this trash, you may find that your homemade sauce tastes a little unsweet to you. Keep experimenting with ingredients, and remember that your tastebuds adapt. 

2. Stock up on stock! I use low-sodium organic vegetable broth in a myriad of recipes. It can replace lots of fattening stuff. You can make your own, too, with veggie scraps, for even more  of a bargain, but I'm a little lazy about it. Use the Red Laser app on your phone to compare prices in different stores, or buy in bulk. Soups are easy and cheap, and can be frozen, so this is a great pantry staple. 

3. Buy dried beans. My local Kroger store has bins in the natural foods aisle, with beans and rice and nuts and even dried cereals. These are a fraction of the cost of canned, as you aren't paying for packaging. They take longer to prepare, as they need to soak, but if you make a big batch you will have them on-hand for meals in a pinch. 

4. Invest in some Tupperware or BPA-free containers for beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, rice, etc. This will enable you to forgo the packaging and buy the bulk/bin stuff, and store it nicely.  The more you can buy this way, the less you will spend in the long run. On average, I spend about 1.29 for a can of beans that will last one meal; for 3 pounds of dried (which will yield approx. 3 times as much once soaked, and will last many meals), I spend about $5.00. The savings is even bigger for other items, like brown rice or granola. 

5. Stock up on cheap pantry "meal bases." If you do this strategically, buy on sale or in bulk, etc., you should mainly only be doing your weekly shopping for fresh produce. For instance, pasta, rice, beans, stock, canned tomatoes, potatoes (no, they're not the freakin' devil unless you eat them daily or fried), even sweet potatoes--these are relatively cheap and can be sold in large portions. They can be the basis for any meal. Bread can be bought in bulk on sale, and frozen (or home-made!). 

6. On weekends or off days, make up a few batches of the above staples and put them in the fridge. If you have some whole grain pasta or brown rice already made up, you will be more likely to grab it and toss it with some veggies and herbs for a healthy meal, than to run to Toxic Hell when you're pinched for time. This will lessen your excuses for spending on fast food meals and later dumping your rotten produce because you "didn't have time" to use it. 

7. Buy the off-brands of freezer and sandwich bags, and paper towels. The only thing I buy namebrand is cling wrap, because I always waste my generic roll when it sticks together, and the namebrand generally doesn't stick. I like my food to be of the highest quality, but I could care less what brand of sandwich bag I use. If eating healthy is expensive for you, think of the things you can do without. Another trick is that if you use a bag for half a cucumber for one day in the fridge, and then you use the cucumber but have half an onion to store, use the same bag. I even go so far as to rinse and dry my bags that haven't been soiled by their contents, and reuse them. I'm not a complete psychotic cheapo, and I do this more for the environment than for saving money, but hey--every penny counts!

8. Make bigger batches of meals and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. I used to always throw out leftovers. Now I take them for lunch or repurpose them (for instance, stir fry can go into the next night's fajitas). 

9. Plan your shopping trip before you go. I am a list-a-holic, I know--but I think it's really helpful to divide my list into the sections of the store, and only put on my list what I am going to use that week. I sit down with my recipe books and get a rough idea of what I want to make; then I look at what needs used up, what I have on hand, and what I'll need. When I go to the store I try my damndest to stick to my list, and I don't traverse aisles in which I don't need anything. 

10. Find out which stores have which products for the best prices, and plan your trips accordingly. For instance, my beloved frozen Cascadian Farms squash can be found at many stores in the town where I usually shop, but is cheapest at Meijer in another town. I don't get it unless I'm at Meijer, nor do I make a special trip. (I used to, though!) If I'm at Meijer, it's an item I specifically seek out to stock up on. I generally know where I will find my favorite items for the best price, so if there's a major difference, I won't buy it except in that store. (I've never been a haggler, although all you hagglers out there might be able to try price-matching!)  Red Laser, again, is a good app for comparing prices. Lately I have been going to the Kroger that has another (more health-oriented) market just across the street. I get my cheapies at Kroger, and the other stuff across the street, and I don't have to make two trips. 

11. Make friends with the farmers market. Seriously! My biggest surprise in this journey is that local, organic produce sold at the farmers market is not only affordable, it's usually downright CHEAP. Not to mention it tastes better, is better for you, AND is better for the environment. Just this weekend I visited a local market and bought two heirloom tomatoes, a bunch of swiss chard, a bunch of kale, two zucchini, one summer squash, two eggplants, and a dozen peppers for seven dollars. The people selling their wares are so excited about what they've grown, and like to answer your questions and give you tips and recipes. Much better than buying junk off a truck from God knows where in the produce department, with no clue how long it's been sitting there or what chemicals it's been doused in. 

12. Freeze your produce. I am SO doing this this year, especially because we have some major life changes coming up and I'm unsure what our new budget will be like in the winter. There are tips online for how to do this. (For instance, veggies should be blanched first.) This way, you're not spending a fortune on out-of-season produce, or having to resort to something nasty in a can. Frozen vegetables at the store are actually very healthy, as long as the vegetables are the only ingredient--but once again, you're paying for packaging. Buying local and freezing reduces all of those extra costs. 

13. Plant a garden. This is another one I am serious about doing next year. In my reading, I've come across many statistics that show families with moderate-sized gardens save $700-$900 per year on groceries. Not only that, but you'll also be doing your part for the environment. I am looking forward to teaching Reese (and myself!) to appreciate the beauty of nature, and what better way to do this than to grow our own produce?

14. Take a cooler. My husband is the champion of this, because he works long hours in an ambulance. He doesn't use this as an excuse to subsist on junk food, and you shouldn't either. The last time we went on vacation with a long car ride ahead, we packed hummus and veggies and canteens of water. You will be less tempted to stop at a roadside restaurant or rest stop for junk food to "refuel." We rationalize by treating ourselves to a quality restaurant or two on vacation, and save our money by packing the rest of our meals. 

Remember, generic sugary fake food may be cheap in the short run, but PLEASE consider the cost to your health. It may be difficult to think long-term enough to get past the fast food cravings, but if you can hold out for a while and give it an honest try, you'll be SHOCKED how much better you will feel, how much your cravings will subside, and how compassionate for yourself, for your kids, for others, and for nature you can become. 

My best advice is this: Be creative. Do your research. Don't dismiss your health on the false pretext that health is unaffordable. Can you afford to lose it? 

Any tips of your own? 

Lindsey.