Editor’s Note: This is one article in a special section on the role of money in a Christian’s life. Other articles in the series: "Biblical Principles for Financial Security" and "Gambling."

Eating Well on a Budget

by Tammy Darling

“Those low-fat, low-sugar foods cost so much!”

“I don’t have the money to buy all those fruits and vegetables.”

“It’s just too expensive to eat right!”

When you’re on a tight budget, grocery shopping can be a frustrating experience. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s a common misconception that cutting back on food expenses means sacrificing good nutrition. “With a little pre-planning, you can be a healthier eater on a budget,” says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., CNS, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Weight Management Center. “You can enjoy greater variety, avoid deprivation, and gain a shopping strategy that is both easy on your waistline and your wallet.”

The following are just some of the many ways you can be healthier and wealthier by getting wiser about planning meals and shopping:

1. Make meal menus before you shop. When you do your grocery shopping, go with a shopping list based on a meal plan for one or two weeks. This will help you think about good, balanced nutrition, and it will also help you control spending. When you go to the grocery store,  you’ll be following a specific plan, not following the whim of the moment.

2. Swap grocery lists with your mom or a friend. Here’s how it works: I give my mom my list and the money to cover it and she picks up my stuff. Then I do the same for her. This eliminates impulse purchases for both of us.

3. leave the kids at home. I have four children, and I have noticed that the amount of my grocery bill rises in direct correlation to how many kids come along. Add my husband, who loves to cook, and the bill goes even higher.

4. Go vegetarian—at least two or three times a week. One of the best ways to trim your food budget is by cutting out meat, fish, and chicken. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains will be easier on both your wallet and your waistline.

5. Use those coupons. I am a big fan of coupons. They regularly save me at least $10 at the cash register. While that may not seem like a whole lot, just multiply $10 by 52 and see how much it saves you in a year.

6. Shop intelligently at warehouse stores. There’s a debate about whether shopping at warehouse stores, such as Sam’s Club or Costco, is really cheaper. With our local Sam’s Club I’ve found many food items that we use regularly, such as spaghetti and oatmeal, are cheaper in bulk. Others, such as breakfast cereal, are often actually more expensive.

7. Preserve. Summer is the time to preserve fresh fruits and veggies for eating year round. Farmer’s markets are great places to stock up on inexpensive, nutritious foods. My mom hits the farmer’s markets for beets, green beans, peaches, cherries, and more.

8. Make soup. One of the least expensive and most nutritious meals you can put together has soup as the main course. Soup ingredients are usually inexpensive. Thicker soups, such as chili or split pea, contain lots of fiber, which is healthy and fills you up.
Soups containing dairy products add richness. Add your favorite bread and veggies, and you’ve got a great meal for a small price.

9. Get creative with what’s on hand. On weeks when our finances were spread thin, we’ve gotten creative. We’ve learned to use available ingredients, making substitutions in a recipe, combining leftovers, and sometimes digging deep into the pantry. We’ve come up with some surprises, and some pretty good new dishes.

10. Make good choices when eating out. Restaurants don’t have to wreck your budget, and they can be nutritious. Our family of six can eat at McDonald’s for about $20, but for just a few dollars more (by purchasing the all-you-can-eat salad bar) we can get healthier, more satisfying food at Hoss’s Steak & Seafood or Ruby Tuesday. In many restaurants nowadays, portions are so large you can eat half of the meal and save the rest for another meal the next day. And don’t forget the promotional coupons many restaurants distribute. The restaurant section of the Yellow Pages is a good place to start looking.

11. Budget meals don’t have to be boring to be good. With a little creativity, even dishes like macaroni and cheese and chicken noodle casserole can be turned into gourmet-like fare. We spruce up our macaroni and cheese by stirring in a bag of mixed vegetables and adding some herbs and spices. The kids love it, and they’re getting a serving of needed vegetables.

12. Eat those leftovers. Don’t let leftovers spoil in the back of the fridge, no matter how small the amount. We’ve saved just half a cup of breakfast sausage to use on a pizza the next evening. Leftovers are inevitable, so make the most of them. With a little ingenuity they can be the budget-conscious cook’s best friends.

13. Start a neighborhood food swap. If you do it for a six-day week, you’ll only need five additional families. Here’s how it works: Each family makes enough of one meal for their own family and the five other families. Yes, it’s a big meal. The upside is that you’re only cooking one day, and enjoying someone else’s cooking the rest of the week. In addition, the ingredients you use will be cheaper because you’re purchasing them in larger quantities. Of course you can do this with just two or three families on a shorter schedule. 

You don’t have to sacrifice nutrition to stay within a grocery budget. A little careful planning can yield both a successful budget and healthy, tasty meals.

(Originally published in the January/February 2008 issue of Lifeglow, the large-print magazine of Christian Record Services for the Blind)