By Holly Rigsby on February 7, 2010

I am curious….If you are not spending your money on healthy foods that improve your health, increase your energy and decrease your belly fat ….What are you spending your money on?

Are you under the assumption that a eating healthy foods is too expensive?

While convenience foods may save some time and lead you to believe you are saving money… think again. The only thing these foods are doing is cutting your body’s ability to burn fat.

Yes you CAN continue to Eat Healthy – even when times are tight.

The secret to saving is….
To Think Outside of the “Box”

Replace the “boxed and bagged” processed carb’s and fake foods (cookies, candy, crackers, bars, instant meal deals) with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and a “splash” of real protein.

This is the most simple and best adjustment you can make that in a matter of weeks will lead to a loss of inches ~ not money.

Note: Before I jump into these tips….in order to use them successfully, you are going to want to use ever popular strategy called ~ Plan Ahead ~

Having a meal plan in place saves time, prevents stress and saves money for you only purchase what you know you will use. Our family strategy – Sit down at the dinner table and everyone shares meal ideas. Write it all out and POST it on the Fridge this way Everyone stays on track.

1 ~ Buy in Bulk

If you have access to a Sam’s Club or Costco -JOIN. The membership cost (about $30 – $40) will pay for itself as you save money from buying unsatisfying junk and pointless trips through the drive through.

Sure – a lot of Bulk items in these types of stores may appear expensive…and some are just not worth it – no, I am not willing to spend $20 on a box of granola bars.

I have however taken the time to scope out my local Sam’s and Costco and found where my money is best spent.

- Fresh Fruits
A Giant bag of apples is about $4

- Fresh Veggies
A huge container of spinach for $3 something – and in my local grocery – a smaller container is $6 – so I would be spending MORE money for LESS food!

- Protein
Whether it be a BIG old package of fresh Chicken Tenderloins for a mere $15 or a giant bag of individually wrapped and frozen fillets of fish – salmon, tilapia, orange roughy. Good quality lunch meats and cheeses are also fantastic – since I pack Tyler’s school lunch and sandwiches are a quick and easy meal for my husband.

- Frozen fruits and veggies
These speak for themselves.

Honestly – just one trip through grabbing just these types of items when compared to shopping in my local grocery would save me well over $20 a week – plus these foods LAST – See Tip 2 – so I am not constantly running BACK to my local grocery replenishing these items.

:: It’s a fact -the LESS time you spend in the grocery store – the MORE money you save.

If you do not have access to stores like these, look for bulk options in your local grocery or seek out discount grocery stores like Aldi – another one of my favorites and known for super cheap fruits and veggies.

2 ~ Cook For Multiple Days

If you want to save money on food – then change the way you cook your meals.

Instead of cooking one meal at a time, think of how you can cook in a way to eat multiple meals. This is also called “Cooking in Bulk”

This is what I do on the weekends for I have the time to get it done.

For example, I may take my $15 package of fresh chicken tenderloins and in 2 batches have it all cooked up in a mere 30 minutes.

Next – based on the meals we mapped out for the week – I separated the chicken into freezer bags with coordinating flavor enhancers – labeled the bags and stuck them in the freezer.

Ex:
1. Mexican Chicken – Chile ready tomatoes
2. Jamaican Chicken – frozen bell peppers, sliced pineapple,
3. Pomodoro Chicken – fire roasted tomatoes and herbs

The night before I pull the bag out of the freezer and allow it to defrost in the fridge. The next night – Reheat, serve with a side of veggies and dinner is served.

3 ~ Track It

Skeptical? Have a hard time believing these tips will help you save you money and help you lose those extra pounds and inches?

Then test it out!

Write down every time you spend money on something that goes into your mouth.

At the end of the week compare and contrast.

How much is spent on eating out?

- restaurants
- fast food joints
- vending machines
- sodas????

How much is spent at the grocery?

- whole food items
- processed foods

I not only do the same – but I also keep my grocery receipts and make note of what works and what does not.

Just like we all sat down to assess the other expenses in our lives when the economy took this turn…the money you spend on your nutrition plan deserves JUST as much attention as well.

Give these 3 Healthy Eating Tips a try and see what a difference it makes to not only helping you save money on eating better BUT you will also notice how much EASIER it is to LOSE Fat!

Check out Holly’s program Here

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