Eating Healthy on a Budget Part 1: Intro & Basic Shopping Tips

Ok, I'm trying a new thing and I'm not sure how it's going to go!  I've been asked a couple of times, particularly by people who've lived with me, how I'm able to eat healthy food most of the time while on a teeny tiny budget. This is a great question, and I'm never 100% sure how to answer. My guess is that it's been a combination of time, practice and slow-and-steady changes to the way I handle my finances and the kind of foods I eat.  It took me several years to switch from a run of the mill kiwi diet to the Mediterranean-style, produce-focussed diet I currently eat and it takes time, effort, planning and a reasonable amount of cooking knowledge to eat the way I do on the meager student budget I subsist on.

That's the short answer! In order to provide the long answer, I am going to do some write-ups on my weekly shopping and menu, as well as provide some pantry hacks along the way. I am not going to make promises about how often I will write but my intention is to show what I buy week to week, how much I actually spend, and at the very least let you know my meals each day.  I'm no expert, but I can show you what I do. Ideally, I will be sharing some recipes too!

So you can get an idea of what my budgetary situation is like, and how my lifestyle affects my pantry, here are some basic things you should know about me:

• I work sometimes as an extra, but the work available is haphazard at best! My guaranteed income is minimal so, to be brief, I have a budget of $40 a week for food. I know that income is not an appropriate topic for polite conversation, but in this discussion, it's kind of essential. 
• I don't drink alcohol - a major money saver!
• I avoid processed foods as much as possible
• I avoid waste as much as possible (whether it's unrecyclable packaging or perfectly edible leftovers)
• I am gluten free at the moment for health reasons - if you can eat gluten, go for gold, I have no vendetta against this handy protein!
• I am probably addicted to chocolate, having it in my diet is non-negotiable :) 
• I only have to feed myself. I don't have any children or dependents or even a partner to feed which I know makes things a lot easier.

With those facts established, I want to share a couple of top tips for a budget-friendly pantry. Some may be obvious, some... maybe not.


Prepare
 I know. Duh! But this is really important.  For one thing, you need to know how much you actually have to spend on food before you spend it.  Microsoft Excel has some really handy budgeting spreadsheets, and there are tons of calculators etc available online.  You need to know what deals are on and where, and which vegetables and fruits are in season - and therefore likely to be cheaper - because it's hard to know what a deal looks like if you don't what the usual price is. I know I am super stingey (clearly!) but I have numerous times said "I can't believe X vegetable cost $Y today!" expecting to hear "Wow, that's so expensive!" and instead, "Oh is that cheap?" because whoever they were didn't have a solid understanding of how much that thing should cost.

Strategise
I shop at Countdown purely because they have an online shopping tool that means I know exactly what I can get with my dinero before I leave the house. My strategy is to figure out how much I will need to spend to get enough protein for the week (i.e. fish/poultry/etc at two meals a day, so 14 servings for the week), and use the remainder of my budget to buy produce and grains.  I put a little more planning into the protein side of things because the options are limited compared to veggies and, while it's possible to get by a week or so on a little less produce, I (and most humans) don't feel well and energised without enough protein.

Get to Know Your Local

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a local greengrocer but if you have somewhere that's close by it can save you plenty.  Unless there is an exceptional sale at the supermarket, it is often a lot cheaper to buy produce from a greengrocer and I've noticed Auckland in particular has them everywhere.  Buying this way also encourages you to eat seasonal foods, which helps with keeping variety in your diet.  You do need to factor in transport costs - will the amount you save on food offset the bus fare or petrol to get there? For me, it does, but your situation may differ.

Tinned Foods!
 As a patron of the Auckland public transport system, lugging heavy tins around is hardly my favourite pastime, but tinned food is basically The Key to eating on the cheap.  Tins can not only be cheaper and more convenient than the fresh equivalent: the preserving power of the canning process means you are less likely to waste money on food that goes bad and gets thrown out.  My must-haves are chopped tomatoes, tuna and sweetcorn kernels.

Stock up one week at a time
 It's important in my books to have essentials on hand to, literally, spice up your meals. I'm talking about things like apple cider vinegar, herbs, spices, salt and black pepper as well as good quality cooking oils and more expensive items like coconut flour and quinoa.  I'm fortunate in my flat that we split olive oil between us, meaning we can save by buying a bigger bottle. Other items I will pop in my trolley once every week or so - filling up a spice rack all at once can be costly but buying a box of herbs at a time means only adding $2 or so to the shop. It's mostly about thinking ahead - for example, I like having coconut flour handy but would wait til it's on special and only buy it in a week the budget allows for it.



Ok that's the bare bones basics. I'll be reporting back later today to fill you in on how much food I can buy this week for $40!