Healthy on a Budget: Four Steps

How many times have you heard someone say that healthy eating is expensive?! The Healthy on a Budget poster shows that smart shoppers who follow four basic steps can eat healthy without breaking the bank!
  • Step 1: Buy on Sale! When fruits and veggies are in season, they’re cheaper and taste better. Stock up on your favorite frozen fruits and vegetables when they go on sale, as long as you have room in your freezer!
  • Step 2: Buy Less Processed Food! Real food ingredients cost less. We’re talking about whole foods, those found around the perimeter of the supermarket (fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low fat dairy products).
  • Step 3: Buy Only What You Need! It’s not a good deal if you end up throwing it away. Wasting food = wasting money.
  • Step 4: Skip the Royalties! Chips, candy, soda, and other highly processed foods increase your grocery bill without adding any health benefits.
Here are 5 ideas for activities to use with the Healthy on a Budget poster:
  1. Explain how to use the "cost per unit" price on store shelves to compare foods.
  2. Show the cost savings of less processed foods. Compare the cost of potatoes vs. frozen french fries, oatmeal vs. boxed cereals, a bag of rice vs. a boxed rice mix, an apple as a snack vs. potato chips.
  3. Show how much you save by skipping your daily can of soda or bowl of ice cream. Calculate the cost savings for a day, a week, a month, and a year.
  4. For one week, don’t throw away any food that goes bad or expires. Instead, put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. At the end of the week, take it out so you can see how much food went to waste.
  5. Check grocery store flyers for specials on fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. Brainstorm ways to use them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Download now: Food Budget Handout