3 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

According to March's Consumer Price Index, food costs are up 2.2% on an annual basis. When we break that down further, we see that grocery costs are up 1.2% from a year ago.

Frankly, I just don't see how that can be.

These days, I feel like I'm seriously spending half my paycheck to feed my family. And I promise I'm not ordering takeout six nights a week -- maybe once or twice a week, and cheap-ish stuff, like pizza. I'm also certainly not taking my young kids out to fine dining establishments on the rare occasions we do eat at a restaurant. If anything, we're hitting up the diner.

What makes the high cost of food today even more frustrating is that because we do tend to fall back on unhealthy takeout once or twice a week when things get busy, I like to make our remaining meals as nutritious as possible. That's tough to do on a budget today.

Here are some strategies that help me keep my costs down, and they may work for you, too.

1. Buy produce in bulk

My Costco membership is worth the money for the savings on bulk produce alone. Most weeks, I buy salad, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, strawberries, and blueberries in bulk. And that's in addition to other vegetables I'm cooking with.

On average, I'm able to shave about $20 off of my weekly produce bill going this route compared to buying all of those items at a regular grocery store. Your weekly savings will obviously hinge on the products you buy. But if you've been on the fence about joining Costco, you may want to do so for the bulk discounts -- especially if your family eats a lot of fresh produce. A $60 annual membership could more than pay for itself if you start saving $20 a week like I do.

2. Keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand

I don't always have time to run to Costco to replenish produce when I start to run low. I usually do a weekly haul there and supplement with items from my local supermarket that's right down the street.

Last week, I went in to buy fresh broccoli and promptly walked right out of the produce aisle in anger when I saw that a single bunch of broccoli was going to cost me almost $4. Nope. I'm all for eating healthy, but just no -- not when I can buy six times that much broccoli for $8 at Costco.

So instead, I picked up a bag of frozen broccoli for $1.29 and called it a day. And it was enough to complete the meal I was making.

Frozen vegetables tend to get a bad rap, but in a pinch, they're a perfectly acceptable substitute for the fresh version. I recommend having some frozen fruits and vegetables on hand in case the items you need in a hurry are more expensive than you bargained for.

3. Don't shy away from store brands

Eating healthy doesn't just mean loading up on fruits and veggies. It also means eating lean proteins and whole grains. And I find that I can save big on the latter by purchasing store brands.

At my local supermarket, whole grain pasta is often $0.50 cheaper per box if I buy the store brand. I've saved money on items like brown rice in the past, too.

I try to be careful with store brands for items my children are picky about, since I'll end up wasting my money if I bring home the cheaper version and they don't end up liking it. But my kids aren't going to know which brand of rice or pasta I bought unless they go rummaging through the trash to look at the box (which I maybe wouldn't put past them, but still). So it pays to eke out the savings when I can.

Let me be perfectly clear: My family does not always consume healthy food. On occasion, we'll eat ice cream for dinner. And, as mentioned, pizza is a staple order in our meal rotation. But for the most part, we do try to incorporate vegetables and other nutritious products into our lineup. And while I make a point to prioritize food spending in our budget, I also do my part to save money whenever possible. With any luck, these tips will help you do the same.