Tips for Eating Healthier and Spending Less Money
Healthy and cheap, can that even go together? Yes! Eating healthy or vegan doesn’t mean you also have to spend more money. Even though meat substitutes are often more expensive than cheap bacon bits or mass-produced chicken. Also, a bottle of cola is still cheaper than a fresh smoothie, and you pay more for a bag of dried or fresh fruit than for a bag of candy. We know! So first a reminder:
Your cells are made from what you eat. Cheap fast food, but still want to stay young and beautiful? It’s a bit of a strange combination, right… Here’s the good news; eating cheaper often also means cooking simpler, healthier meals and less waste (less plastic). How? We’ve compiled the 10 best budget tips for you. Tested and approved.
1. Buy in Bulk
The basics of your dishes and where you get your calories from are (hooray) vegan, cheap, and healthy! Potatoes, rice, beans, oatmeal, grains. The less processed, the cheaper. So dry beans instead of canned. Simple rice instead of fancy lentil pasta. You can store these ingredients for a long time, and when you buy them in bulk, they’re even cheaper!
This also applies to fresh ingredients! When you go apple picking at a farm or ask at local supermarkets, markets, or greengrocers for large quantities, you often get a substantial discount. You can then freeze these ingredients. Win-win!
2. Supermarket vs Supermarket
Where do you do your grocery shopping? Are you a bargain hunter, or do you go blindly to the nearest supermarket because they have everything? It makes quite a difference where you shop. At a budget supermarket, they might have less choice, but the fresh fruit and vegetable section is often very good. You also pay much less at the Turkish supermarket on the corner than at expensive (organic) stores or large supermarket chains. And if you live near many farms, cycle past them. Often you can get fresh ingredients for a bargain.
Especially visit the market at the end of the day. Often you can get fresh ingredients there extra cheaply.
3. Freeeeeze
When you’ve stocked up on seasonal products at the market, the farmer, or the cheap supermarket. What do you do then? You freeze it! You can cut vegetables into pieces and place them in a freezer bag or container. The same applies to fruit. Ideal for smoothies, ice cream, or oatmeal.
You can also already make a banana bread (from all those ripe bananas), bake brownies, make a delicious pot of soup, and a big curry. Freeze these in portions. You’ll be very happy with this on days you don’t feel like cooking. You can also make juices or smoothies and store them in glass jars/bottles in the freezer.
And okay… A big freezer is a must.
4. Keep it Simple
This applies to several things.
- Keep your dishes simple. You don’t have to use 10 ingredients in one meal (even if the recipe says so). Ensure a good spice rack so you can flavor your food well, but one or two types of vegetables in a meal are still very tasty!
- Expensive ingredients or superfoods are often nice extras, but not always necessary. And if you’ve bought a bag of supergreens, seaweed, or nuts once, use it up before buying something new again. This way, you’re not stuck with 10 half-full bags/jars at home, and it saves you a lot of money because most of these superfoods can be used sparingly.
- Quinoa is fun as a breakfast porridge, but oatmeal can do just as well. Need sweet potatoes, but regular potatoes are cheaper? Then take those. Keep it simple, for yourself and your wallet.
- Keep it simple may also mean; eat less. A good diet tip: p You don’t always need an extra snack. An apple and a big cup of tea might just be fine.
5. Picnic, Potluck, Home Cooked
For a meeting, date, or outing, suggest everyone make something and bring it to the park. Super fun and a lot cheaper. Bad weather? You can also eat at someone’s home. A potluck is really American, but such a great way to eat delicious, healthy, and cheap. This way, not one person has to stand in the kitchen and do all the grocery shopping, but everyone can bring something tasty. You can even have an extra glass of wine because a bottle from the supermarket costs the same as one glass on the terrace. The same goes for all the cups of tea… Oh, and cooking together can also be super fun (and romantic)!
5. Meal Prep, Coffee Prep
Make a large pot of soup, curry, or other simple meals. For a few euros, you have a few days of delicious meals! If you prep ingredients and meals in advance, you’ll get through the week much cheaper. Going to the supermarket every day means you’re more likely to get ”extras”. Or you’ll be more inclined to get something outside the door….
Also prep smoothies and breakfasts, like overnight oats. And how many cups of coffee do you get outside the door….? You can also make a thermos of coffee or tea for on the go.
7. Buy Individually, Without Packaging
No waste, no plastic. Better for the environment and your wallet. So go to budget supermarkets, the market, or the Turkish supermarket. There are also supermarkets where you can measure out dried items like dried fruit, nuts, grains, legumes, rice, pasta, etc. yourself. Very handy if you need ingredients you don’t use very often.
8. Eat Fresh
Not all the pre-cut vegetable bags, but just 1-2 vegetables from the market. Half-processed foods are often the most expensive. Or the pre-baked bread rolls, cookies, and ready-made meals. It saves you a lot of money if you cut your veggies, mix herbs and spices, bake wraps or cookies yourself.
>> Make your own oat milk! This is really the best budget tip ever. For a pack of plant-based milk, you quickly spend 3 euros. Twice the cost of a kilo of oatmeal, which can yield ten times as much milk. How do you make oat milk? Check the recipe video here.
9. Buy in Season (and on Sale)
These two often go hand in hand. What’s on sale is often in season. Eating in season and local products is not only good for our health and the environment, but it’s also good for your wallet. When the snow peas aren’t grown entirely in Kenya, the mangos don’t have to be flown in from South America, or the strawberries don’t grow in expensive greenhouses, food suddenly becomes much cheaper. Enjoy kale from Dutch soil, apples from the orchard, and blackberries from the dunes.
10. Foraging, Sprouting, and Balcony Gardens
Super budget and also a lot of fun! Look for an orchard where you can pick apples, pears, or plums. Go into the dunes when it’s blackberry season and fill your containers. And if you’re feeling adventurous, try foraging for nettles and other types of leafy greens not found in the supermarket but are incredibly healthy. This can probably be done in the small piece of nature near home. Just be sure to study what’s edible and what isn’t, but this opens many (culinary) doors!
Growing your own food takes some energy and time, but it’s worth it. If you want to develop your green thumb, start your own vegetable garden. This can also be done on the balcony in pots!
The easiest thing everyone can grow themselves is sprouts! Sprouts are super expensive at the supermarket. They’re incredibly healthy and also very cheap if you grow them yourself. Buy a bag of sprouting seeds from the organic store and then sprout them according to the instructions on the package. In a few days, you’ll have lots of sprouts.
