Eating Clean on a Budget

Grocery shopping is expensive!  I think that many of us would agree with that statement.  Whether you are shopping for yourself of a family of six, more often than not we wind up feeling as though our cart full of groceries costs SO much!  As we stand there and ponder it all, we wonder what we would even remove from the cart?  Most people I know are not buying lots of superfluous luxury items while at the grocery store!  Even shopping for the essentials, bringing them home and finding a spot for everything is a major production.  Parents may feel as though you are attempting to accomplish all of this with hostile prisoners who have been in tow for the entire experience.  And then the thought of making something that resembles a wholesome dinner after the project of acquiring all of these items seems as attainable as planning a family trip to the moon!

As a Beachbody coach, it is not uncommon for me to hear that someone wishes that they "could afford to eat more healthy".  I am thinking back to this time last summer.  That was a couple of months before I got started with clean eating, Shakeology and daily workouts.  Most people would say that I was cooking a fair amount of "healthy food".  Looking back now, I can see all of the holes in our diet and how I was missing the mark enough to cause a negative impact on myself and my family.  What can I say?  I was doing a decent job at that point with what the knowledge base that I was working with at that time!

  

So how much more do I spend on groceries now compared to last year at this time?  Let's include going out to eat, take-out meals and stopping for convenience foods when the kids (and me!) "were starving".  We will also factor in my own monthly cost of Shakeology.  Here is the crazy part!!!!  Our spending in this area has increased slightly but not significantly.  I will be the first to say that our current lifestyle does require some planning.  This has now become second nature.  There is still a day (perhaps once a month rather than once a week!) where we will grab a pizza for dinner.  Something that is different this year is that LOTS of fresh veggies accompany that pizza.  

I do not buy "all organic".  We do use some organic produce.  Most "pantry/non-perishable" items that I use happen to be found in "Nature's Marketplace" which is the organic section of Wegmans.  To be honest, we do not incorporate very many foods that are not fresh.  When I first began eating clean, I heard the advice to shop the perimeter of the store.  This is so true!  The perimeter of the store (produce, meats, cold cases) is where you are going to find the majority of your clean eating foods.  

How do I make all of this realistic?  The idea of eating clean as family?  The first things that come to mind are keep it simple and plan ahead.  Remember that food is your fuel.  This does not mean that it can not taste good!  As you make a change to clean eating, you will discover a new-found deliciousness that exists in all sorts of whole foods.  Your taste-buds were just too confused to recognize it in the past!  Food holds an emotional connection for many of us.  Our idea of what tastes good is tied closely to our memories and past preferences.  It is time to break that cycle and begin a new chapter!

Here are some of my tips for eating clean on a budget:

1) Meal plan!  Begin by taking a look at your calorie target.  Which categories of foods should you be eating when?  How many servings?  What is a serving size for that category anyways?  As a coach, I can help you with all of this!  Meal planning sounds like a no-brainer.  BUT if you are not planning the "right" snacks and meals, you are still going to be hungry!  This is going to cause you to reach for less-healthy foods.  This will in turn raise your grocery costs over the course of the week.  It is possible to be full, satisfied and healthy on a modest budget!  Your menu plan may not be the most glamorous thing ever, but it will serve its purpose and you will become healthy by eating this way.  Over time, you will retrain yourself that life is not all about the food!

2) Make a list based on your meal plan.  Do a bit of research in your own town to know which items cost less at certain stores.  Let's take Silk Almond Milk as an example.  I always buy my Almond Milk at Sam's Club.  They sell a three pack of the half-gallons for just under $8.  Compared to $3.69 for a single half-gallon at Wegmans, this is a GREAT deal!  You can also save money by shopping at local farmer's markets, joining a CSA or growing your own veggies!

3) Come home and have a time built into your schedule where you will do your food prep.  We have all had that dreadful feeling where our produce goes bad before we can use it.  Write your meal plan in a way that you will use your most perishable produce items on your first days.  Save your more "sturdy" produce for later in the week!

4) When leaving the house, pack a snack!!  Pack a snack for yourself and your kids and whoever else will be driving with you!!  I can not tell you you much this simple step is $ in the bank for us!!  We make SO MANY LESS stops to feed the "starving" people.  This is saving us a ton of money each month.  PLUS, we have replaced what would have been some pretty junky food with a healthy and balanced snack!

5) Back to #1 and the meal planning and portion sizes... you probably do not really "need" as much food as you are accustomed to being served.  Eating less is going to cut your grocery budget!  One idea is to begin serving your meals on a smaller plate.  I have done that here and it has been very helpful!  

I realize that this is a big topic and is not something that can be fully explored in a single blog entry!  Please feel free to ask me any questions.  If you would like to learn more about how to make some healthy changes in your own life, I am here for you as a coach!