Parents today have a tough job. They want to provide healthy meals for their kids, but they don't want to spend an arm and a leg to have them. Healthy meals can be expensive, but the prices of junk food are far more. Initially, junk food may look like it cost less per calorie. 100 calories from a doughnut (about 0.70)is less than 100 calories of broccoli (can run about a couple of dollars). However, eating 100 calories of broccoli is much more filling than 100 calories from a doughnut, which is probably only a few bites. In addition, the long term costs of the doughnut will be 10 or 20 times the cost to the family than eating the broccoli.
So, how do you save money on healthy food? Here are 5 ideas and solutions to saving money.
Find or write healthy meal plans. Planning ahead what your family will eat is the number one way to save money on meals. When you know what you are going to eat, and plan according to the weekly sales, you aren't stuck with throwing together food that is going to cost more.
Don't always go for organic. Organic food does cost more. Save your money by purchasing only organic food that matters. Fruits and vegetables that you eat the skin on is a good place to spend your money. Organic cookies, probably a waste!
Eat at home. You will automatically save money when you choose to eat your family meals at home, rather than eating at a restaurant. The food will be healthier because you can control what goes into your food like sodium, fat, and sugar. Find healthy recipes online and fill your kids healthy plates with foods from all the food groups.
Use a shopping list. Heading out the store without a shopping list is like letting a child lose in a toy store with $100. Make a list according to your meal plan and stick with it. Don't be distracted by the bakery or the candy at the check out register.
Feeding your kids healthy food can be affordable and possible. Start paying attention to where your food dollar is going, and make it count.
Finally, have a budget. Without a budget, you can't know how much you've spent, or how much you have left to spend. If you only have $100 per week, take that money out in cash, and once it's gone, stop spending.
Article comments
1 - Guy
Amy, your last point is really the key. " ... and once it's gone, stop spending."
The best way to do this is using an envelope for the food money. Each paycheck put the amount designated in the household budget to last until the next paycheck.
Gobs of money will be saved doing it this way.
Thanks for the article, Amy!
2 - Igor
Guy is right. That's the easiest and most surefire way to control expenses.
3 - Maria
Thank you for this article. Yes, indeed organic food is the trend now, but it is not always the most convenient and we don't know how "organic" it is.
At home you control all the ingredients and also the expenses when you do shop with your shopping list at hand
4 - GBMAXX
Many families don’t go all organic. Many veggies such as onions, cabbage, broccoli and many others are safe grown conventionally and if purchased locally in bulk, they can often be purchased at near wholesale prices. But Guy is right,controlling expenses is key.