Eating healthy is key for my mental health.
If I start feeling depressed or anxious one of the first things I do is change my diet.
A healthy diet can have a huge impact on how you feel and if you’re struggling with your mental health I urge you to change your diet.
I am lazy and I find eating healthy to be a total pain in the butt but trust me it is so worth it in the long run.
I know eating healthy can be expensive so here are my tips on how to eat healthy when you’re broke.
Eat What’s on Sale
Our local grocery store has buy one get one free special each week.
I always stock up on non-perishables like rice and quinoa when it’s on sale.
I also get whole wheat bread when it is BOGO and put it in the freezer.
Buying food on sale can be hard if you’re really freaking broke but it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Use Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save money. If you’re like me and you hate paper coupons check out the Ibotta app.
All you have to do is unlock the rebates for the products you’re going to buy and then take a picture of your receipt with your phone.
I love Ibotta because it’s super easy to use plus they will give you $10.00 just for trying it out.
Waste Nothing
Make sure you cook the food you buy before it goes bad. I am actually pretty terrible at this.
I tend to buy a lot of perishable food and some of it will go bad before I can eat it.
When you’re buying perishable food it’s always better to error on the side of less than too much.
You don’t want to end up throwing out your hard earned dollars.
Eat Leftovers
Make sure you eat everything that you cook.
If you’re just starting to cook it can take a while to get the proportions correct.
I hate to cook so whenever I make a meal I always try to make a lot so I can have leftovers to take for work lunches.
A lot of times I eff this up though and make wayyyy more food than I actually need.
Freeze It
If I realize I made more food than I will be able to eat in a week I will put it in the freezer.
Not all foods freeze well so this won’t work with everything.
Don’t put any vegetables with high water count in the freezer.
Things like lettuce and cucumbers will be soggy and gross when you defrost them.
Buy Frozen Vegetables
Frozen vegetables are picked at optimal times during the season and can actually contain more nutrients than fresh produce.
Plus you don’t have to worry about it going bad. Frozen vegetables make it super easy to always have healthy food on hand.
Wait for the sales and then stock up.
Don’t But Pre-Chopped
Pre-chopped vegetables cost way more than whole vegetables.
Make it your policy to always chop everything yourself.
I have been trying to learn some basic cooking skills this year.
I’ve found videos on youtube about chopping vegetables really helpful.
I had no idea there was a correct way to cut an onion (is this just me?).
I hope this article gave you some ideas about how to eat healthy when you’re broke. If you’re looking for more resources check out my other posts on mental health and self-care.
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