Posted January 18, 2013 by The Passion Posse in Fitness & Wellness

Guess What? You CAN Save Money While Eating Healthy Food! Here’s How…

“Eat Well, Save Money.” How? There are tips. For example… If it’s fruit and vegetables you’re after, then local farmers’ markets and shops are normally much better value and offer much better varieties of food too, simply because they cut out the middle man.

ith the economy in the state it is in, most people are finding they need to make some savings in their monthly budgets. They see the cost of their shopping going upwards and the size of their salaries going in the opposite direction and know that there is no such thing as job security these days. Consequently, people need to work out the easiest ways to make savings and cutbacks, something that is not always easy.

For most people this will be cutting back on their favorite restaurant, going out less each week or buying less clothes. But there is also another way to go about it, one that has benefits that are not just financial, and that is to start living, and eating more healthily. Taking care of yourself both through exercise and through healthy eating kills two birds with one stone – saving money and getting healthy.

Side Note: Are You Working Out?

Firstly, by spending more time doing exercise you will be taking up a lot of your day engaging in stuff that costs nothing to do. If you’re exercising when you’re not at work then you’re probably not going out as much which will save money (unless you join a really expensive gym of course).

Additionally you will probably find as most people do, that exercise is addictive. Once you start doing it regularly you don’t want to stop. And it has a knock on effect in other areas of your life. If you spend the morning getting fit you might find you’re less keen to go out drinking (and put back on all those calories) in the evening. Similarly, you might find that instead of spending the afternoon at an expensive football game, you now prefer going out on your bike instead.

Secondly, you’ll find that you want to improve your diet, and this is where the savings really come in. Making and preparing healthy food, unbelievably is a lot cheaper than buying in foods that are not so good for you.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to save money whilst eating more healthily:

Cook Everything Yourself.

If you buy your own ingredients from the store and prepare meals yourself you will instantly see a massive reduction in spending than if you regularly eat ready-made meals. This is especially true if you cook large portions for the whole family and leave enough leftovers to freeze and reheat later in this week.

Source: diana212m.blogspot.com via Abiola Abrams, on Pinterest

Cut Down on Meat.

Unfortunately meat is both expensive and not that good for you. Eating less meat and more vegetables and dairy will help in three ways. Firstly, you’ll notice a significant reduction in your monthly shopping bill. Secondly you’ll lose weight and feel a lot more healthy. And thirdly as a bonus you’ll be doing your bit to help the environment too as large scale meat production is one of the worst problems when it comes to global warming.

Start Shopping at Local Markets.

If it’s fruit and vegetables you’re after, then local farmers’ markets and shops are normally much better value and offer much better varieties of food too, simply because they cut out the middle man.

Source: crystalcartierphotography.com via Abiola Abrams, on Pinterest

Sign On with a Cooperative.

Alternatively you could join a local cooperative which organizes your shopping from local sources and then parcels it up and sends it on to you. By purchasing stuff regularly and in bulk you should see some massive savings.

There is one last benefit – by getting fit and eating healthy you will also save yourself a fortune in health care expenditure!

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Esther is a financial journalist and business blogger based in Chicago. She writes about all areas of personal finance affecting the consumer from tax relief to credit and store cards to where to find a good commercial receivable company.

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