Eating Healthy on A Budget

FACT - you CAN EAT HEALTHY on a budget!

This is true now more than ever. Canada is one of the leading providers of fresh produce, because of this we are not importing all of our produces from foreign countries! NO IMPORT = LESS $$$. Look up local farmers markets and there is probably one within a reasonable distance! Now before anyone says “WELL NOT DURING WINTER THIS ISN'T AVAILABLE”. In some cases this is true but FROZEN is just as GOOD as fresh! They are frozen at their peak nutritional value, so you will get all the nutrients you need fresh or frozen! Not to mention frozen veggies are ALWAYS on sale somewhere!

If you are not a fan of frozen veggies you can try eating fruit and veggies in seasons! When they are in season we see and increase supply of the produce available meaning it is normally cheaper than off season produce! This also has great variety in the diet to make sure that we are maintaining the level of nutrients we need!

Eating on a budget can seem even more difficult if you work long hours or you are a student.  Buying things in bulk can save you some money in the long haul. Especially if it's meat! Meat can be frozen, therefore whenever I see a good deal on essential meat I will buy accordingly - If it is a GREAT DEAL i will buy lots, if it is a MEH deal I will buy a couple). When I get home I immediately pack the meat away in individual serving sizes so that when I want to cook a meal I don't have to dethaw the WHOLE package only what I need so nothing goes to waste!

WHO HAS TIME TO SIT AND COOK A MEAL three times a day every day! Not this girl! So I meal prep! This saves me money from buying pre packaged meals from Metro or Superstore that are OBVIOUSLY overpriced! It also helps keep me on track with eating properly! I pack a lunch box with meals and snacks that last me 2-3 days so that I know exactly what I have to eat each day in order to hit my goals. Meal prepping does not come easily to most people so I suggest using Pinterest for ideas and investing in some good tupperware for microwave safe meal prep containers (Amazon has some great deals). 

TIP: normally if you are looking at the price label it will tell you the cost of the item per lbs or kg so it can be easily compared (ie. buying in bulk vs buying individual).

TIP: Utilize price matching and student discounts! I CANNOT PREACH THIS ENOUGH! During university I would go to our local superstore to match what I needed so I only had to go to one play (save gas - save the planet haha) AND use my student discount which I believe was 15%!! Ask your local supermarket what their policy is, it is 100% worth it!

All this to say: buy LOCAL, SHOP the deals (Reebee or Flipp is great), eat in SEASON or FROZEN, buy in BULK if you can, and MEAL PREP!

Yours truly, 

Meg