7 Reasons Your Eating Clean is Too Expensive and How to Fix It ASAP

“I got my mind on my money, my money on my mind” — preach it Youngbloodz

On a visit to Kansas City, I took a little spin to Wally World with my Dad scoping out computer cameras so we could Skype. Mission accomplished, I directed him to the natural foods store approximately 10 minutes away.

His camera: $17.
My juice and cookie: $11.

His face told the whole story, I’d clearly lost my mind.

I told him it was liquid gold in that Suja bottle. Having been without a green monster makin’ machine for seven days, it really did feel like gold!! {seriously am I the only weirdo that craves veggies now?!}

These little trips have lead my parents to quip that they’d love me to stay forever, as long as they didn’t have to pay my food bill. Which means I know they {like millions of others} are getting the wrong impression about the cost of healthy eating.On a normal day, I’d be hard pressed to spend that kind of cash when I know just how many more healthy meals I can make at home. Other days my crazy allergy friendly cookie is just like someone else’s martini.

If you’ve found your grocery bills creeping up as you transition to healthier eating, and you’re wondering how to do you eat clean on a budget? It’s absolutely possible and here are 7 ways you’re spending too much and what to do about it.

1. Organic overload

After initially getting sick, I started buying EVERYTHING organic.

Reality check, some of it doesn’t matter quite so much…bananas, oranges, grapefruit, avocado…anything where the skin is being discarded means you aren’t ingesting the chemicals from the outer peel. Now certainly there is still a HUGE case for why we should go organic to change the way things are done, but in terms of cost savings not everything needs to be this way.

I’d say this is one of the first steps to eating clean on a budget. Let go of trying to meet all the perfect food standards and instead start by simply focusing on how you can get more nutrients in to your meals.

2. Sneaky Snacks

Did I really need that whole food ingredient locally made cookie?! Heck no, but it’s so easy to get sucked in at my favorite health food stores.

It’s also easy to believe that the food there is magically better for you. A chip is still a chip and a cookie is still a cookie. The ingredients might be better or allergy friendly, but they aren’t whole foods and they definitely cost more.

Be realistic about whether the Sweet Potato Terra Chips are really a health food. Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them, but if you’re forking out extra bucks to make yourself feel better, be sure the food will make you feel better too.

Bonus points for making your own easy healthy snacks:

• Healthy travel snack ideas (pictured above)
• 21 easy energy bites
• 22 high protein dessert ideas
• 13 easy office snack ideas
• High protein chickpea cookie dough 

3. Portion Control

A bag of almonds is not a 1 day snack just like we over do it with chips, it’s easy to munch away on healthy snacks too.

• Pre-portion nuts in ziploc bags to go
• Put a measuring cup in cereal
• Weigh meat for a few weeks until you can better eyeball portions
• Stop buying single servings and portion on your own
• Limit choices (we snack less when we have less choices)

4. Pre-cut, cooked, sliced, diced

Admittedly in between travels I opt for convenience over cash because for me it’s totally worth it to ensure I am eating good whole foods.

However, to keep cost down on a regular basis make friends with the bulk bins and enjoy a little extra kitchen time with a Katy Perry dance party.

• Cook your beans
• Wash your quinoa
• Chop your veggies
• Buy massive bags of frozen veggies and steam with a little water, instead of the individual steam bags
• Blend your own green smoothies (you can buy these bags if you want to turn it in to juice without a juicer)
• Create your own zoodles (takes 2 seconds and a spiralizer super cheap)
• Save boat loads with a little time in the kitchen

5. Overlooking the seasons

I love me a daily apple or some blueberries in my oatmeal, but they just aren’t in season year round no matter what the grocery store tells you. Buying berries in bulk during the summer allows me to freeze some for later in the year while getting them at their peak and cheapest price. The same goes for almost any fruit or veggie, shop the sales and switch up your routine by shopping the seasons.

ALL fruits and veggies are good for you, don’t get sucked in to the hype about which is best. Finally, hit up the farmer’s market, their fruit may not look perfect, but it’s just as tasty.

Read more about how to eat seasonally>>

6. Buying Clubs

Never heard of a buying club? It’s way better than Costco, it’s fresh fruits and veggies! Because of the way their operated, you’ll be eating local, in season and depending upon the group often organic as well.

This can lead to saving a ton on your groceries.

• CSA’s are a great option for getting tons of produce at cheaper prices. Local Harvest has a great search to find one near you.
• Did you know there are also buying clubs for all the other healthy ingredients you use? You can find local meat clubs or seafood or even online spice clubs.
• Consider options like Amazon Fresh where you get discounts for setting up recurring food choices and often get online coupons or discounts…plus time savings.
• Costco/Sam’s Club – While they don’t carry all of the healthy food options that Green Polka Dot does, they do usually have a good assortment of frozen veggies and fresh fruits so you can buy in bulk. {fun fact: wrap celery in tin foil to help it stay fresh for weeks!}

Note: Currently available AmazonFresh Free Trial

7. Food Waste

Cheapskates join me in a wag of the finger at everyone who is wasting food. The statistics are staggering so it’s possible that finger should be pointing right back at you.

Easy ways to cut down on food waste, which are going to make it easier to eat healthy on a budget because you don’t throw your hard earned cash in the trash!

• Toss nearly done veggies in to a green smoothie
• Freeze half of any big meal you’ve cooked
• Use up those uber cheap bananas with these tips
• Use green bags to help extend the life of fruits and veggies {totally works, I used them non-stop in Florida}
• Blend spinach or other greens then freeze in an ice cube tray and toss in smoothies later
• Freeze milk or kefir in ice cube trays if it will expire before used
• Meal plan and stick to your list when shopping
• Be realistic: will you really soak and wash those beans or should you just buy them canned
• Enjoy the food you buy – Sounds crazy, but if you’re forcing yourself to eat foods you hate then of course you’ll end up throwing it away!

These tips all sounds so simple, but I know they helped me tremendously to start eating clean without being so concerned that it was more expensive. The truth is once you get started, you’ll quickly find that it really doesn’t need to cost you more, especially if you’re eating at home more and eating out less.

Want more? Here are my favorite clean eating breakfast ideas.

BONUS: Supplement nation

Greens powders, protein powders, superfoods…now that we understand food is medicine, it’s easy to get sucked in to thinking we need to enhance it even further.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love and use supplements, but they are like the cherry on top of a banana ice cream sundae…it starts with eating whole foods!

We don’t NEED these items to enjoy a healthy diet and shouldn’t feel required to shell out big bucks if we are feeling strong, energized and happy with the rest of our food.

How do you keep healthy food costs down for your family?

Do you opt for convenience over cost savings?

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