Tips on eating on a budget.
Eating to fuel our bodies to help us accomplish our goals is not always easy, but it is def worth it! There are lots of things that make eating the right way hard and not convenient that we will talk about over the next few days.
-Time
-Money
-Taste
-Availability
-Socially Acceptable
They all tie into eachother, So let's just start here- What can we do to make it a lil easier on the check book?
1.) Prepare your food at home
Whaaaaaat!?!? You mean I have to cook? YUP........
Sure, the dollar menu seems cheap, but really who only gets one thing off there? I know I never did years ago before I cared about the way I looked and felt. I know that a few dollars here and there doesn't seem like much, but it adds up quick by the end of the week/month!
vs.
Going to the grocery store and buying up to 50$ worth of food (depending on who, what and how long you are cooking for) seems like a hard pill to swallow, but when you do the math and shop smart, we can get your well balanced meals down around $1. Not a $1 that you have to get 4 things that hurt your body, the whole meal!
Look at your bank account for the last month (I would be happy to sit down and look at it with you if needed), addup all of the food related expenses. All of them, even the gas stations.
2.1) Shop Smart- Buy in bulk
When you are planning out your shopping trip, the more food you buy at a time, the cheaper it can get. Items like rice, potatoes, and meat, for example can be bought in larger quantities and save you loads of money vs. buying them one at a time. And when you buy in bulk, you can also meal prep, making basic meals and putting them into Tupperware in the fridge. This not only saves you money, but saves you a ton of time during the week as well. In fact, once you hit your meal prepping groove, you’ll be able to spend less time per week cooking than you used to spend going out to get lunch! But buying in bulk now, will involve the freezer more than the pantry. So the 17 boxes of cereal we used to buy at Sam's Club is out and we are going to change that up with healthier options that fit out goals better. But it is along those same guidelines.
2.2) Shop Smart- Make a list and stick to it
Its easy to walk around the store mindlessly just putting random things in your cart that look appealing. Chances are if it comes in a bag or a box and it wasn't alive at one time, it is probably a bad life choice anyway. Go into it with a plan of what you are going to be eating over the next few days. After you do this a few times it gets easier as most things will be pretty basic. No more mindless walking up and down every isle. Walk around the outside, get your protein (meat), produce (veggies/potatoes) and the only things you need out of the middle isles are spices and paper goods. (I know, but your kids don't need that other crap either, do they?!)
3.1) Smart Protein
When choosing protein, don’t worry about the ultra super low-fat options. They tend to be more expensive and because you are now portioning out your food ahead of time, your meal sizes will not be 3x what you need (like they used to be) so you won't have to worry about a few extra grams of fat. 85% of higher in the correct portion size is great.
3.2) Stay on the low end of protein intake
Bodybuilders might benefit most from a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day (so if you weigh 200lbs, you’d need to eat 200g of protein per day). But for us normal people can make excellent gains in muscle and strength while supporting your recovery with much less protein than that. Aim for 0.7g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day and your body should be getting all it needs. This way, you can buy less protein per week and save lots of money, since protein tends to be a bit more expensive than the other types of food.
Next we will talk about how to create a shopping list for success!
