23 Aug Summer Camp Week 10: 4 Things You Need to Do to Eat Well On A Budget

The 4 Things You Need to Do to Eat Well On A Budget

By Jenna Kohler, Certified Health Coach & Basil Bandwagon Team Member

So, you want to eat “healthy”, but “healthy” food costs too much…

You had good intentions to stock your refrigerator with delicious, organic, local fruits and veggies, but instead ended up with a cabinet full of peanut butter, jelly, and boxed macaroni and cheese…

Or, you did go out and fill up your shopping cart with lots of great healthy food, but you spent your whole paycheck…

Sound familiar? We get it. And we’re here to help. We know how hard it can be to find the time and resources to make healthy living possible. Because – let’s face it – no one can afford to get sick and everyone has the right to feel good in their own skin.

So far this summer, we’ve: improved our gut health, protected our skin, relieved stress naturally, healed insect bites, improved our fitness, learned about quality supplements, upgraded our “good fat” intake, redefined our use of food as medicine, and boosted our immunity. But Summer Camp wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t cover one of the most important exercises of all: learning to tone your budget!

So, take it from us – follow these four simple tips to balance a healthy body and a healthy wallet:

PLAN AHEAD:

Make routine trips to your grocery store – with a list in hand. If time is limited, spread your trips farther apart with quick stops for just perishables scattered in between. Create a reusable list based on a core set of staple items for your household, according to your dietary needs and preferences. Assess what you have in stock before finalizing your list and heading to the store – re-buying items you already have in stock could result in food spoilage, which is an unnecessary cost to bear.

If you can, spend some time researching sales at your store before your routine trips. When you know ahead of time about good deals, you can make quicker, more informed choices.

Finally, be sure to account for food prep/cook time in your schedule. Buying a bunch of bulk raw ingredients for a great price is awesome, but not if they’re going to spoil sitting at home unprepared while you venture out to grab take-out in a hurry!

PREPARE YOUR OWN FOOD MORE OFTEN:

While eating out might be convenient, it certainly isn’t the best choice for your wallet. So, be conscious about how often you do go out to eat. Consider putting a limit on the amount you spend in a given month, or the number of times you eat out in a week. When you do go out, make smart choices. Often you can find great quick-service local eateries offering quality, local food without large price tags. (Like our Farm to Market Café!)

Preparing your own food can offer enormous cost savings. Common misconception is that it’s a time-consuming process. The truth is, yes – it can be. But, it doesn’t have to be. Pick two days a week to cook and prepare meals and snacks. An hour or two of your time on a Sunday and Wednesday, for instance, can save you hours more throughout the week by repeating the same process.

BYOW: Invest in a fun, QUALITY water bottle like our Hydroflask products. These bottles come in fun colors and keep your drink at the perfect temperature so you can stay refreshed all day long. Bring the bottle with you every time you leave the house. When you get thirsty, not only will it keep you hydrated, but it’ll save you from reaching for a $1 for the vending machine.

SHOP SMART:

Buying foods in bulk can be a great place to start. Nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, baking ingredients, nut butters, spices, herbs, coffee beans and teas are all offered in bulk. Bulk foods – or “scoop your own” foods – can be offered at lower prices because they do not use expensive packaging and branding. They are a great way to shop for a variety of reasons:

1. If you have a recipe that calls for a small amount of cinnamon, bulk is a great solution – because you can purchase only what you need.
2. If you have a large family that goes through many peanut butter sandwiches weekly, bulk is a great solution.
3. If you have food allergies and like to make your own trail mix with raw ingredients of certain proportions, bulk is a great solution.

Bring your own shopping bags! Basil Bandwagon refunds customers 10 cents for each bag used during a purchase. Do the math – if your family of four uses 10 bags each week, that’s a $1 savings/week, which equates to over $50/year. FREE MONEY, folks! Need we say more?

Subscribe to our Basil Bandwagon email list here! We frequently email awesome coupons. Also, look for sales in store and online. You can find our sales flyer at the entrance of our stores as well as on our website.

If you know you will use it, opting for the larger choice of the same product is almost always more economical.  And as a bonus, if there is a product you use frequently or in large quantities, let us know you’d like to special order a case, and you’ll receive 10% off!

PREVENT SPOILAGE:

Air-tight glass containers and jars can help preserve your food purchases at home. For produce items, consider purchasing specialized produce bags to store fruits and veggies in within your refrigerator. They are specially designed to extend the life of your fresh produce so that it doesn’t spoil before you get to it.

Lastly, if you are a frequent traveler or infrequently home, opt for frozen fruits and vegetables rather than fresh. They are a better investment for you and will remain available for preparing any time!

For more money-saving tips and tricks, come visit our stores to speak with one of our friendly team members.