Health Elevation… on a budget!

Part one – Planning and preparation

Do you believe that healthy eating has to be expensive? Well, in that case, it is time for some myth-busting – because with some careful planning and preparation on your part, elevating your health through nutrition CAN fit your budget!

In this post we will look at four steps you can take to plan and prepare for a healthy lifestyle on a budget.

Step 1: Plan your weekly meals

Before making a grocery list, sit down and plan your weekly meals. If you buy all you need for the whole week, you will be more likely to make fewer trips to the store during the week and only buy the items you need.

Here is a few tips to keep in mind when planning your weekly menu:

• Keep your schedule in mind – if you are going to be super-busy, it may not be practical to try and make elaborate dishes during the week. Either buy things you can use in recipes during “meal prep” and make these dishes in advance (for example, on the weekend) when you have time, or choose meals that you can easily prepare when you are short on time, like salads or even wraps/sandwiches.
• Plan to use leftovers in following meals – think about recipes that you can double or triple up and use servings in multiple meals. For example, cooking extra chicken that can be used in a salad one day, and in a stew the next. Keep in mind that cooked foods can spoil quickly, and it is better eat it within 3 days or store it in the freezer.
• Using a worksheet or template to plan your weekly meals can be incredibly helpful – you can find the Health Elevation Nutrition weekly meal planner printout for FREE at the bottom of this post. Keep them at hand for when you want to plan a week of budget-friendly healthy meals.
• Some handy ways to lower the cost of meals while increasing nutritional value, are to add legumes to meat dishes (for example by adding lentils to your spaghetti bolognaise), making soups or stews with seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs, and adding more plant-based meals to your weekly rotation.

Step 2: Go through the kitchen

Go through your kitchen cabinets to see what you already have. I know from personal experience that it is so easy to spend unnecessary money on products that is actually already in the house. Make a note of what is already at hand, and plan to use these products in your weekly meal plan.

Step 3: Make a grocery list

You are much more likely to enjoy healthy meals if you have healthy ingredients in the house. Having a grocery list at hand will not only ensure that you have all the ingredients for the healthy foods you planned for the week, but it will also help save money by preventing you from buying things you don’t really need.

Organising your shopping list ensures that you don’t forget anything. For example, organise your shopping list by different food categories (produce, protein, carbohydrates etc.) or meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks). For a FREE template that you can once again download and print, see the bottom of this post.

Step 4: Decide where to buy

It may be a good idea to look for sales flyers before heading to the store to see where you will find the most value for money – most stores have their newest catalogs available on their website, in the newspaper or even on social media. Some stores also offer free loyalty programmes, which offer special offers and discounts to members.

From both a sustainability AND a budget-friendly perspective, farmers’ markets and farm stands are great places to get fresh produce at a discount.

Online farmers’ markets like www.farmfreshonline.co.za, www.locallygrown.co.za and www.wildorganics.co.za (all South African) even deliver farm-fresh produce to your door.

In the next Health Elevation on a Budget post we’ll be taking a closer look at practical ways to save money AT the grocery store… but until then, get planning with these amazing FREE resources: