Many of us who are striving to climb out of debt or grow to financial independence save money wherever we can. In today’s world of cheap processed foods it only makes sense for us to take advantage of the savings. But is that really the best choice?
Food is the information our bodies use to keep us healthy. This is one reason why more and more people are starting to eat clean.
What is “eating clean”?
Eating clean is eating good healthy food that is unprocessed or processed as little as possible. You eat things like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, organic or grass fed meats. You drink 2 liters of water a day, eat 5 to 6 times a day, and when you do eat – enjoy your food – don’t rush.
The question arises, especially when we see the word “organic”, is how can we eat clean, and stay in budget?
Ways to cut costs while eating clean
When you step into a health-food store the first thing you notice is the prices. For instance, my wife and I eat a lot of chicken. We typically go to Sam’s Club and get a large package of boneless skinless breasts for $1.70 a pound.
How much does it cost at Whole Foods? $10.99 a pound. So instead of buying the boneless chicken we went for the whole chicken which is only $2.99 a pound (still a good price).
Two things stood out about this chicken. First, it was already seasoned for us and cooked easily by putting it in the oven. Second, the taste of the chicken was so much better – more like the food I ate when I lived near a farm and got my food from there.
Health-food stores, like regular grocery stores, have sales, and coupons so by taking advantage of this in the same way you can save additional money.
Shopping at a health-food store is not the only way to eat clean. Your regular grocery store has things available for a much cheaper price. Staying away from the processed food is as simple as staying to the outside edges of the store, where the produce and meat departments are.
Another great place to go to purchase clean foods is your local produce markets. They cost less, are locally grown, and usually taste much better.
Sometimes the best way to save money though is to just get what you have always got. Many foods are just fine. Just be mindful of the ingredients on the packaging (if you can’t pronounce them don’t buy it) as well as what is called the “dirty dozen”.
Once you have bought your clean food you can stretch your money even further by making a large enough meal to freeze leftovers to eat on a later date.
Just in case you are concerned about being able to make every meal out of clean ingredients, I have found a few recipes for everyday life.
Breakfast:
Poached Eggs with Vegetable Hash
Sweet Potato Pancakes – Only two ingredients
Lunch/Dinner:
Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Mustard Sauce
Peppercorn-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Gremolata
Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Tomato-Parsley Salad
Dessert:
Grain-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I haven’t had a chance to make all of these but they all sound amazing.
Eating clean on a budget
We all want to live a happy and healthy life. We sometimes focus on the financial side of that happiness but truth is if we don’t take care of our health we will never be able to truly enjoy being debt free or reaching financial independence.
So take care of yourself, get your exercise and eat clean. While taking care of your health, take care of your wallet too by buying in bulk, when in season, and locally.
How does eating healthily affect your budget?
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Author Bio: Tyler Philbrook runs the blog I Am The Future Me. He talks about his journey from $29,000 in debt to becoming financially independent by cutting costs, making more money, and making good financial decisions.
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Editor’s note – to kickstart your clean eating regime, check out these resources and tools!
Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body
Clean Eating Cookbook & Diet: Over 100 Healthy Whole Food Recipes & Meal Plans
Magic Bullet NutriBullet: 12-Piece High-Speed Blender
*Affiliate links are contained in this post. Disease Called Debt is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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13 Comments
This is so true! When I see many of the posts about how people only spend $100-200 per month on groceries and it’s all processed food, I cringe. I spend more than that on fresh fruit and vegetables alone in any given month. Just like everything else in personal finance, you have to consider the overall impact on your finances. Saving hundreds on groceries isn’t worth costing you thousands on medical bills!
Our health is our greatest investment I agree. That’s one of the reasons I’m starting to take care of my health for the first time, even putting off making additional income to make sure I spend the time needed to get healthy.
Yes it’s true that you will spend more on healthy food than on the processed but you can still find good deals on good food.
Fortunately, eating clean isn’t all that difficult to do on a budget. I’m a big advocate of simply keeping it simple. A meat (doesn’t matter what kind) and a veggie for dinner is mostly all I have time to come up with anyway. It’s easy to head to the produce section and get enough vegetables for the week and by meat in bulk so it keeps the costs down. When eating to many processed foods, I get sicker often which means I have to buy more medicine and go to the doctor more often. Your health will make you pay up one way or the other and I would rather just give the grocery store my money and stay healthy.
True the healthier you are the less you spend on things when you get sick. And eating clean can be very easy if you shop for the right things. People get hung up trying to find things that are “quick and easy” and don’t realize the eating clean really can be quick and easy if you just put a little effort in.
I always choose a greener lifestyle because I not only become healthy but also can save much money from doing this. I feel greater about myself, particularly in health.
It’s really quality over quantity when it comes to health. Sure there are things that taste good that are cheap but how good are they for you? Are you going to be able to enjoy life and food when you get older based off what you’re doing now? Even if it does cost a little more money to do it it’s really a good investment. Not only that you can still do so with a budget and save for your future.
Tyler @ I Am The Future Me recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturday #138
It’s true that eating clean doesn’t have to be expensive. While it’s best to stick to the “outer aisles” of the market i.e. the produce and proteins, all packaged food is not inherently bad…but it’s a good idea to learn how to read the labels to screen out the products that have excess sugar, salt, saturated fats, and additives. I’m always amazed when I find that one serving of a processed food has more salt than is recommended for an entire day!
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…Retirement Realities That Will Shock Your System
Yea it always amazes me too, things like tomato soup even have more salt then you need.
At work. My boss gets sushi a lot which isn’t bad for you if you get the right stuff but when she soaks it in soy sauce with nearly 1000mg of sodium it’s not so good for her.
Eating clean can even be cheaper than buying the ‘ regular’ supermarket stuff! If you have some farms in your nearby environment, as we do, buying fruits, veggies and eggs there beats going to the store most of the time. You take out the distribution layer and you only buy what is in season. We don’t do this often enough by the way.
Also, when you eat healthy you probably skip the soft drinks, the sweets and take-out. Thats saves you a lot of bucks as well.
It will always be more expensive than eating just ramen or beans, but your health is too important to save money on if it isn’t really necessary.
Mrs. CTC recently posted…The Change You Want to See – Putting Our Financial Goals Into Perspective
I agree with the importance of eating healthy. I grew up near a huge farm and we would actually go pick the food than cook it. I have not eaten food that tasted so good since.
Tyler @ I Am The Future Me recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturday #138
I’m actually giving the Whole 30 a try in May and am very anxious about how it’s all going to go. And whether or not the sugar withdrawal is going to kill me.
Mel, I have some very close friends that have done whole 30 and have lost a ton of weight and have so much more energy. They have been on me for doing it too but I have as of yet to try it. Hope it goes well for you.
Tyler @ I Am The Future Me recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturday #138