10 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen
I think we can all agree that the cost of food (& everything else) is INSANELY over-priced..
& with the increasing food costs, it can feel overwhelming to focus on building new nutritional habits to support your body, health, and hormones. We don't all have endless amounts to be spending on groceries each week!
That being said, there are many ways to cut grocery costs and save money so you CAN nourish your body to the fullest.
The name of the game is to look at what you need FIRST, buy within your financial means, reduce waste, and take advantage of the small things.
Let me explain through these 10 tips to save $$ when it comes to NUTRITION:
Create a waste-free kitchen- reuse your food scraps to repurpose, regrow, or re-invent whenever possible. Examples include saving citrus peels to make homemade digestive bitters, saving veggie scraps to make homemade broth, or re-growing your own produce using the roots/ seeds.
Repurpose leftovers into new, exciting meals. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every single night of the week.. Instead use the same ingredients to repurpose your leftovers. You can check out this recipe for an example.
Stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer as items come on sale- stock up on items that have increased shelf life such as frozen fruit + veggies, canned proteins, nuts/ seeds, oils, vinegars, seasonings, grains, etc.
Incorporate more variety- based protein sources - variety is not only key to your health but also great for your digestive system. Plus incorporating more options such as beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, eggs, bone broths, and collagen can help to save money when animal proteins are constantly increasing.
Plan your meals BEFORE grocery shopping - if you want to save money, this is key. Only buying what you NEED will prevent over-buying and wasting.
Take advantage of places like Bulk Barn, Costco, and Wholesale Club - Sometimes buying in bulk can be of huge advantage.. Know your stores and what you can get at each place. I personally enjoy buying lots of my grains, nuts, seeds, and flours in bulk for much cheaper.. Who needs a $15 dollar box of chickpea pasta when you can get it in bulk for much cheaper?!
Practice mindful buying. - We live in a culture that pushes the “buy more, save more” method. While this CAN be true, sometimes it's just not reasonable to drop $400+ at a wholesale store- even if the deals are “that good”. It's also important to be mindful of what you ACTUALLY need in these situations.. often times we over-buy and therefor waste more than we actually use.
Try before you buy whenever possible. - Before buying a large quantity of something new, always go for a smaller sample pack. This will ensure you actually enjoy the product BEFORE investing in a large amount. There is nothing worse than buying a huge tub of protein powder that you end up hating anyways!
Understand your brands - quality matters but BRANDS don’t always. Sometimes the no name brand is equally as nutritious as the “high quality” brand. Learning to understand what items you can save money with is game changing
Grow your own whenever possible - not only is growing your own MUCH cheaper, it’s also fresher, yummier, and way more nutritious. If you can’t grow your own produce, aim to buy what’s locally in season. In season foods are almost always a cheaper price point
While real food is always going to cost a little more than packaged or processed foods, there are always ways to make nutrition more affordable.
My Real Food Reset online nutrition program has a whole section on “Making Nutrition DOABLE” .. For both your sanity AND your wallet ;) !
Click here to learn more about supporting your hormones with simplicity in the kitchen.
Did you find these tips helpful? Share with me on social media @unbridledholistichealth !
Xo,
Are you looking to learn more about using real food nutrition to support your health + hormones?
The Real Food Reset online program the foundational place to start!