Hi Sweet Friends,
Ever since I started sharing my journey from Hot Pockets to whole foods, I’ve often heard that it’s difficult to afford a healthier lifestyle. I won’t argue with you there. Real food is pricier than processed food made in a lab or a factory. And you will certainly see a jump in the grand total on your grocery receipts. But over time you’ll get the hang of it, and I promise it will become more manageable. There’s always a silver lining, my friends—and the price “jump” can be more of a baby bunny hop.
Today I’m sharing my top tips for saving money on nourishing, plant-based foods. But before I dive in, I hope to inspire you with this one statement:
Do your best to invest in yourself today, your future depends on it.
Even on a limited income, we can each make small upgrades that have a massive impact on our health. And get this, your body will be so grateful that it will reward you tenfold. It will literally move mountains when you give it the slightest improvement. Now let’s get started!
Here are my go-to tips for nifty, thrifty plant-happy shopping:
1. Budget and meal plan.
First step, set a comfortable budget. Then, examine your fridge and pantry. I bet you’ve got a lot of goodies in there. Next, map out your menu with my easy meal plan. Don’t skip this step, hot shot. Kitchen champions succeed not because they are the best of chefs, but because they plan their arses off. With more experience, you’ll get the hang of it.
2. Buy bulk.
While navigating the grocery store head straight to the bulk bins and stock up! As your bulk food staples grow, you’ll have shorter shopping lists and an arsenal of inspiration for your home-cooked meals. Added bonus: Display your beautiful beans, grains and spices in mason jars throughout your kitchen. Home-decor, Crazy Sexy style!
3. Shop local: Farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Farmers markets are a great place to buy organic foods on the cheap. In-season produce is almost always going to cost less, so try to be flexible and cook with the harvest. A CSA is another thrift-tastic way to eat with the seasons. If a CSA half-share seems like more veggies than you could eat or afford, see if a friend wants to go in on it with you. You can also freeze a portion of your haul for later or make a green juice! Here are some great websites for finding a market or CSA near you: Local Harvest, Eat Well Guide, Farmer’s Market Online.
4. Learn the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.
If you can’t afford a 100-percent organic lifestyle, don’t sweat it. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s lists to determine your priorities for organic purchases. They even created an iPhone app. Now that’s handy!
5. Stock up on the essentials during sales.
I know it may seem like I’m giving you mixed messages, but if you arrive at the supermarket and there’s a big phat sale on organic bananas, snag those babies! They may not have been on your meal plan, but you can cut them up, freeze ‘em and pop them in your smoothies or soft serve ice cream later. The same goes for dry staples like grains and beans that aren’t going to go bad in your pantry.
6. Grow your greens.
As you’ll see in the coming weeks, we’re starting our first vegetable garden (I’m so excited!). It’s exponentially more economical to grow your own food. Whether you live in a studio or a McMansion, there’s always room for a few pots of greens. A two-dollar packet of mixed lettuce seeds will support your salad habit for months. If you’re a city gardener, check out You Grow Girl, Garden Girl TV and Urban Homestead. For country folks like myself, check out The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible and Four Season Farm.
7. Cut back on restaurants.
Aye, Chihuahua, do those restaurant bills pile up! Rather than escaping to the local Denny’s, make your kitchen the new hot spot. Fabu cookbooks, romantic dinners at home, potlucks, picnics and rowdy get-togethers all make dinner a family affair. I’m not saying that you should never step foot in a restaurant again; just try to limit your visits.
8. Make your food last and get creative with leftovers.
Wash and store your produce in Debbie Meyer Green Bags (they extend life expectancy). And when your produce looks like it’s about to go south, resuscitate it in a delicious stew. How about leftovers? Don’t toss them. With a little TLC, leftovers can be transformed into fresh new meals. Batch cooking is another way to save time and money. Double or triple your favorite recipe and freeze the leftovers for a quick and healthy meal when you’re in a pinch.
9. Buy used.
Buying a new juicer or blender may not be in your budget, but what about a used one? Craigslist, eBay — even your friends and family — might have an affordable, gently used model. In the meantime, you can still juice with any old blender and strainer (cheesecloth or nut milk bags work great!).
10. Skip the bells and whistles.
If you’re like me, you definitely have budget leaks, aka knee-jerk spending at Amazon, Target, Starbucks and on all those raw food goodies. Identify where you can tighten your belt and invest in your company (you are the CEO of your health after all), not someone else’s. Don’t let transforming your plate be intimidating or cost prohibitive. As always, you don’t need to upgrade everything all at once. Make a plan and pace your bank account.
As you can see, there are tons of ways to make a plant-powered plate work for your wallet if you’re ready to use a little elbow grease.
When my food expenses start creeping up, it’s usually because I’m being a bit of a slacker, not because of my veg-inspired diet. I’m not planning my meals. My apron is dusty. The takeout menus get more play than my ukulele. Make new habits by trying one of my tips per week. You can do this!
Your turn: What are your savvy, money-saving solutions?
Peace & prosperity,
I always shop the flyers before I make my meal plan and I always look for the discount produce bin. It’s usually 50% off and the produce has a couple days left! Love this post! When my friends ask me how I can afford to buy organic I say…
“I’m worth it!”
Perfect timing for this article! My family and friends always say “I can’t afford to eat healthy!” But your article contained great suggestions. One thing I did recently was go directly to the factories of both Bob’s Red Mill and Dave’s Killer Bread (In Oregon). I got 25 lb bags of my favorites such as Rolled Oats and Whole Wheat flour. Dave’s had a great deal on their breads too so I bought a lot and stuck them in the freezer. I realize that not everyone lives close to these places but perhaps there are factories/farms that are near you that you all can check out.
Try selecting the web address and then copy and paste it into your Facebook or Twitter comments.
10-4 Sister !!
I second that cutting waaay back on eating out – saves big $$$. Plus , 90% of the restaurants use cheap GMO derived ingredients. Better to put that money towards high vibrational food items – learn to cook and feel fantastic!!
I know this is on the far out side of what most people would be comfortable with but honestly my husband and I went through a phase of dumpster diving! We are in Colorado and when we first moved to the expensive town we live in, we were really stretched. We are a fairly big family and absolutely believe that we are the CEO’s of our health. A friend gave us the idea (which was totally new to us!) and showed us the “ropes” and we really witnessed the amount perfection and waste that even natural foods stores hold and create. We would find about 30 to 70 pounds of (mostly) perfect organic produce, cheese, baked goods, and even beautiful flowers every time we went, which was about 2x’s a week. We would find 20 containers of say organic blueberries, 40 apples, 20 stalks of beautiful broccoli. I would freeze and can things and juice and make soup. We don’t do it anymore, but it was a great experience at the time that made us aware of another side of things that seemed good to understand. I know it became almost trendy for a while and even saw a documentary about people in NYC doling it! Now I do all the things Kris suggests, but unfortunately find the farmers market extremely expensive. We like to go to farms and pick our own food when in season and support a Colorado owned grocery chain that does a great job at buying Colorado grown organic produce and they price it well. Also finding wild growing edibles and fruit is a great way to go. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the “box”.
I second that Jessie. We didn’t dumpster dive for food, though we have been known to search for salvage to upcycle for furniture that way. But we have gone foraging a few times and one thing I have heard of recently is food swapping, so if you have some bulk you can swap it for something else you need through a bartering system. I tend to go for full organic as much as possible though some things I will sacrifice if needed for organic plant based foods and fairtrade, organic wholefoods where possible too.
I remember CNN did a special on dumpster diving awhile back and people were finding top shelf stuff in the dumpsters and going home and cooking gourmet meals. We live in such a wasteful society.
Would love to share this on FB and Twitter. For some reason it keeps telling me that I’m “not signed” in when I click your FB and Twitter buttons. (And yes, I am signed in to both my FB and Twitter accounts!). Thoughts anyone?
Our town has a lovely Farmers Market that just opened up for the season two weeks ago, and I am loving it! But besides it, I have asked around and found a farm that sells fresh, organic veggies year round.
My body is loving what your Crazy, Sexy plan is doing to it, Kris! I will be late to work rather than not take the time to make my morning green juice. 🙂
Love your tip about displaying beans, grains and spices in mason jars! It makes me so happy to open my pantry and see my lovely ‘collection’…when my food looks beautiful I can’t wait to get into my kitchen. Grains + Garden Greens makes for the best last minute summer meals!!
My favorite is to buy onions, celery and mushrooms and use my mini food processor and mince separately and then freeze in my ice cube tray and then shake them into freezer bags. I have measured and each cube is exactly 1 tablespoon which means easy measuring for soups and stews or where ever you need minced veggies.
This also keeps me from losing space in my fridge and from going bad. I use them fresh for a few days but make sure I process the rest.
If you have the room, cut an inch off the bottom off the stems of your leafy green, put them in a glass of water like flowers, cover with a plastic bag and put them on the door if your fridge! They keep so much longer! I’ve even done this with broccoli!
I try to use my pulp from juicing. I just made grain-free, no refined sugar, spiced carrot-apple muffins! They were yummy!!!
I am also starting to ferment foods. Veggies that are about to go bad go in a glass jar with salt brine to ferment. They last pretty long and have a nice tangy taste!!
I do many of the things you mention here, and though it costs me more in my grocery dollar weekly to eat consciously, I spend far less than I used to on doctors and medicines. My local CSA charges me $31.50 weekly for a box packed to the brim with locally grown organic veggies, delivered to my doorstep – a bargain! My sister turned her yard into an edible landscape, and I garden with her. We just harvested our first homegrown organic carrots, which we grew in 2 pots, and I have an awesome photo to prove it. I know that as we all begin to embrace this way of eating and treating the earth, it will get easier and less expensive, not to mention healthier for all of us.
I love your site and have recommended it to many people I know who are looking to have a healthier lifestyle.
One of my resources for affordable, organic food is Costco! The hubs and I shop there once a week, and our membership literally pays for itself. (the executive membership pays you a little bit back on everything you spend) I get giant bags of organic baby kale, big containers of organic lettuce and spinach, bags of whole grains, hemp and chia seeds, the list goes on and on. We are on a very tight budget, for me Costco is an invaluable resource.
Disclaimer: no, I don’t work there or own their stock! I just think people equate “big box stores” with evil. I wanted to remind everyone that a deal is a deal, no matter where you find it!
1) Stick to the basics. Rice and beans might not be the sexiest of meals, but is hearty and filling and vegan and there are a million different ways to prepare it, especially if you read it as “grains and legumes.”
2) Frozen veggies.
3) Checking for discount produce. Oftentimes it’ll be bruised or past its “best buy” date (for, say, packaged greens) but is still ok.
4) Shopping with the sales. Since most grocery stores post their sales online, I try to meal plan around whatever fruits and veggies they’ve got discounted. This way I can still enjoy a variety of produce without paying full price.
What’s worse, in my opinion, is throwing out produce that’s become rotten only because I just couldn’t eat it all in a week! Not only do I plan (as recommended) I only purchase small amounts, that I know will be eaten within a few days. It’s a double whammy, spending extra on organics, only to have them wither away.
Keeping it simple and meal planning (Kris has free forms on this site) will help. It takes time so be patient ; )
can you get chickens? i don’t feel as bad giving it to them, because they can digest stuff that has gone too bad for us humans. it’s a win win!
Thank you for always aconmodaticg my hectic schedule. I don’t like to change any appointments, especially with my dentist or doctor but sometimes it is necessary. You don’t put any additional guilt on me and that makes it so easy to work with your office. I have never experienced an unpleasant visit. The offer of the hand waxing, headphones, tv, beverages and cookies are appreciated. More importantly is the staff that continually impresses me with your courtesy and conversations. Great website!
Loving all your ideas! xo
Someone I was dating said to me — “some girls buy Prada… you buy organic.” Ha.
This list is so true!! Thank you!
One of the local stores that has organic, has a senior day once a month and all the organic produce and everything in the bulk bins is 10% off. This is a great time to get nuts, seeds and grains that aren’t normally on sale. Also if you watch the prices on the things you eat, you can tell when it is a good buy.
Shop at Aldi’s! They don’t have organic, but they have a great produce section, nuts, and frozen fruit for less than regular grocery stores. They’re owned by Trader Joe’s.
Also, I think it’s important to eat plant based even if you can’t afford anything organic.
Aldi is not owned by Trader Joe’s, they are owned by brothers one owns Trader Joe’s and the other Aldi’s.
Forget canned beans. A bag of dried beans usually cooks up to the equivalent of 6 cans–for the price of about 3! And quick-cooking methods abound on the Internet. NO MORE OVERNIGHT SOAKING. Cook up a huge batch of beans, portion them out into freezer bags (a can of beans usually equals abt 1 1/2 cups) freeze ’em to lay flat and you’ve always got beans on hand to start a great quick meal!
Great idea to buy and cook dried beans! You can also do this with rice and pearl barley. I use a large baggie to freeze them and with a ruler on the outside of the bag make depressions to separate the bag contents into four squares and freeze. When you are ready to use it, one quarter of the bag contents will break off easily, and the rest can remain frozen for next time. Saves time, space and $$$.
Love your ideas and luv you!