Health and budgeting go hand in hand. In this article we shall discuss how you can adopt a healthy diet while keeping to your budgetary plans. A little research, a plan, and some storage essentials can go a long way to ensure you are supporting your health and budget plans through a healthy and sustainable diet. Here is how.
Seasonality
First tip is to carry out some research as to which foods are in season each month. The price of produce and fish varies drastically depending on whether they are in season or not. Avoid buying fresh food which is not in season.
Lists and planning
Once you know which produce is in season you can make a list of five to ten main meals which you might want to keep on rotation for that month. This will help you gather which non-perishable foods you need for the month and hence allows you to buy these products in bulk. Plan your main meals for the following week and make a list of all the ingredients which you need to top up on accordingly. Having an idea of some snacks, desserts, and breakfast meals you might feel like during the week / month will also help you get in the right nutrition on a limited budget. Planning will also have you reduce your take-outs which are both more expensive and possibly less nourishing than a home cooked meal, especially when you are on a budget.
Limit your trips to the grocery store
Not only does this save you time but it also helps you limit fuel costs and impulse buying.
Plan a monthly shop for the non-perishable items, a weekly shop and one top up shop a week for perishable food items.
The monthly shop
The purpose of the monthly shop is to buy non-perishable items in bulk either from the producer / packer or from larger supermarkets. When we pay for a food item we are also being charged for its packaging and transportation costs. Buying in bulk helps reduce both. When you buy directly from the producer / importer / packer you are also cutting the middleman costs. Large supermarkets pay less for their products than smaller grocers because they get a larger amount of each product. Furthermore, their larger size allows for more variety and hence possibly cheaper brands. Items which you can buy in bulk with your monthly shop are the following:
- Dried legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Sauces
- Oils
- Seasonings
- Sugar, tea, coffee, chocolate powder
- Dried milk
- Flour
- Sweets and snacks
The weekly and top up shop:
The weekly shop should consist of foods which perish faster or take up a lot of your storage space. These include:
- Frozen animal cuts
- Frozen fruit and vegetables
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Butter
- Canned food
It should also contain half the amount of a week’s worth of fresh / perishable foods. These include:
- Fresh animal cuts
- Fresh dairy products example milk, ricotta, yoghurt, goat’s cheese
- Fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, and fish
- Bread
The other half is to be bought on your top up shop.
Specialized shops
Buying your fruit, vegetables, meat and fish from specialized vendors or markets will ensure that you get a good quality product at a cheaper price. Build a rapport with the salesperson and ask about offers, what is in season, if there is any safe but damaged produce which they can give you for free or at a reduced price and for their advice on what to go for to stay within budget – which leads to the next point:
Loyalty
Find shops which you know you can trust and stick to them. Most food markets offer loyalty cards which can help you save money on the next shop. Additionally, it helps you build a valuable relationship with the owner / salespersons of the shop. This can be an asset as they are more likely to help a loyal customer in need than a stranger.
Batch cooking
When preparing a meal, do not cook for only one sitting but prepare extra portions either for lunch the next day or to freeze for a rainy day. This is another tip which can help reduce take-out costs and improve your nutrition.
Save on time and electricity / gas costs by preparing ingredients you will be using repeatedly during the week / month once in bulk and refrigerate or freeze the portions which you will not be using on the day. Hence, if you are going to have rice on Monday and Wednesday, boil enough rice on Monday to have for Wednesday and freeze / refrigerate the extra portion to have it at hand on Wednesday. If you are making a Bolognese sauce prepare enough for 2 or even 3 sittings and freeze the excess for the following week.
When using the oven, try and make use of all / most of its shelves by cooking a large batch of one meal or two meals / ingredients at one go.
- Using the same sauce, bake a dish of pasta and another dish of rice
- If you are baking a pie, use the other shelf for a frittata for lunch the next day
- If you are roasting chicken and potatoes, use the other shelf to roast some extra vegetables for lunch / dinner the next day.
Stick to home made as much as possible
While store bought sauces, burgers, pizza and pies might save on time, they are really not worth their cost. Pasta sauces, burgers and pizza are very easy to make. Go for onion and garlic powder instead of the fresh option if you are pressed for time. Pasta sauces, burgers and pies, pie filling and pie pastry freeze well and can therefore be cooked / prepped in large batches when preparing any for your main meal to have at hand when you are in a hurry.
Breakfast cereals are quite expensive. Look up some breakfast ideas and recipes which make use of cheaper ingredients such as oats, whole meal flour and bread, instead and meal prep your breakfast on a less busy day of the week. Overnight oats with milk and fruit, banana-oat pudding, peanut butter-jam sandwich, egg sandwich and simple fruit with yoghurt are some very cheap and nourishing breakfast options.
Make sure you store your food safely and appropriately
A lot of food gets wasted because it is either stored in the wrong container / temperature or because we forget about it until it starts smelling.
Use airtight containers when storing flour, grains, and pulses. Do not leave dry ingredients in opened packets. Doing so attracts insects and the food and pantry can easily get infested within days, especially in summer. Not only does this incur added food costs but it can also be costly to get rid of an insect infestation.
Organize your fridge and freezer. Separate the highly perishable foods from the less perishable foods as microbes can travel from one product to another. Avoid putting highly perishable items in the door as it is the area most susceptible to temperature fluctuations. Dedicate each shelf to specific products and try to keep to the same system. One way to do this is to have a shelf for leftovers, one for deli and one for dairy, the door for sauce jars, jams, nut butters etc. and to divide the produce drawer with some foil to have a section for vegetables and a section for fruit. This helps you remember what is in your fridge and where to find it, hence lessening those forgotten foods and reducing the time the fridge is left open (both as a safety and a cost-effective measure).
Keep your fridge and freezer clean. No need to go overboard. A simple monthly decluttering, and quick wipe down will ensure that you get rid of any rotten foods left at the back of the fridge and any mouldy food droppings. While you are at it look at the use by dates of items which have been in the fridge for longer than a month. If they are about to expire think of meals, you can use them in the next time you are planning your weekly meals.
Budget on money but not on taste
Spice things up by using dried herbs and spices and seasonal fresh herbs. Make use of the free Maltese celery and parsley to give your dish more flavour. Use the world wide web to learn how to flavour your meals with herbs and spices.
Add some zest by making your own desserts and have fun with it! Flour, sugar, oil and salt are some of the cheapest ingredients you can find. Look up some quick and easy recipes and batch cook / prep some desserts for the week or month if possible.
Conclusion
It is possible to nourish yourself with a healthy, varied and balanced diet while still keeping to your budgetary goals. Plan your meals, write grocery lists, buy fresh food only when in season, buy in bulk when possible and store your food properly. Look up some recipes which make use of cheap ingredients to add some variety to your diet and add some zest by learning more about herbs and spices.