10 tips for healthy eating on a budget

Food is one of life’s great pleasures. But many of us are feeling the pinch of higher food prices at the grocery store.

Prices have risen sharply since 2020 for various reasons, including supply-chain issues, international tensions and tariffs. Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to make nutritious meals affordable and enjoyable.

Here are 10 tips for healthy eating on a budget.

1. Embrace leftovers

Make twice as much dinner as your family needs. Why? So you can have leftovers.

For example:

• Making quinoa or rice as a side dish? Double it and use the leftovers as the base of a lunch salad.
• Roasting a chicken? Use your oven more efficiently and roast two chickens. You’ll not only have leftovers for the next day, but also for the freezer.
• Make batch meals like soups or stews, then store the extra servings in the freezer.

This way, you’ll have quick (and inexpensive) options for lunch. And by cooking once and eating twice, you’ll have less clean up during your busy workday.

2. Eat with the seasons

Eating seasonally isn’t just good for your budget – it’s also a way to support local Canadian food brands and farmers.

Buying local produce can mean:

• Lower production costs, which means it’s often cheaper to buy.
• Fresher produce.
• Reduced environmental impact.

The best way to know what’s in season is by reading signs and labels. Many retailers and farmers are very eager to advertise when something is local and in season.

Pro tip: Preserve the taste of summer by freezing or canning seasonal produce.

3. Freeze half your bread

Who doesn’t end up throwing out bread because it’s gone stale or mouldy?

Here’s a fix:

• Freeze half the loaf and use fresh slices for sandwiches.
• Buy day-old bread at a discount. (Perfect for French toast!)

This small trick helps reduce food waste and spending.

4. Choose a "ripeness range" of fruit and vegetables

When buying produce for your family – pears, for example – you can choose:

• A couple that are ripe and ready to eat, and
• some that have yet to ripen.

This gives you a supply to last the week without any going to waste.

Pick vegetables that let you control the amount you put into your grocery cart, such as:

• Green beans,
• mushrooms, and
• brussels sprouts.

Bonus tip: Your bananas are overly ripe? Peel and freeze them to use in smoothies. Apples too soft? Make them into apple sauce. Can’t use the whole bag of carrots? Slice and freeze them after blanching in boiling, then ice water, for best results.

5. Save on meat

Try scaling back. If you eat meat four times a week, for example, aim for three times.

Or – consider using less popular (and therefore less expensive) cuts. Flank steak, chicken thighs, veal shank or pork hock are just as nutritious as breast, strip loin or tenderloin. They all supply iron, zinc and protein.

These cheaper cuts are a little tougher, so try braising them.

Meat provides protein – and protein comes in cans, too. Canned tuna, sardines and salmon are sources of protein. (They also provide omega 3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin D.)

You can also scan the shelves for deals on canned beans and pulses (like lentils and chickpeas), which are filled with healthy plant-based protein. Try turning chickpeas into hummus, or using white beans to make stews.

6. Plan your meals and grocery list

When it comes to saving money at the grocery store, planning is key.

Set aside time each week to:

• Plan the meals you’ll have for the next five-to-seven days. Start by checking your kitchen for ingredients, and involve your family with if you can. The more input they have, the more likely everyone is to eat the meals.
• Make a grocery list, and go shopping. If it’s an option, use a ‘click and collect’ service or grocery delivery/pick-up. This is an easy way to help avoid impulse buying. (Food waste is an expensive problem; the average Canadian household throws away roughly $1,300 worth of food each year.)
• Stick to the meal plan as best as you can. On busy days, it can be tempting to order in instead of cooking. But ordering food is expensive, and it means you’ll be spending money on food twice.

7. Check for grocery store deals

Take a few minutes to check your favourite grocery store websites, apps and social media channels.

That’ll help stretch those grocery dollars by:

• Comparing prices between stores.
• Using loyalty programs and/or apps to maximize savings.
• Leveraging price-matching policies. Some stores will match or even beat competitors’ prices.

8. Store food properly

Did you know apples spoil 10 times faster in the fruit bowl than in the fridge?

Hearty greens such as kale, cabbage and collard greens tend to keep longer than salad greens. And you can also freeze them in batches to add to soups, casseroles and smoothies throughout the year.

9. Go for frozen foods

Remember that produce is abundant year-round in the frozen food aisle of your supermarket. Fruits and vegetables are frozen at their peak of freshness, so they’re just as nutritious.

Try adding frozen veggies to main dishes like casseroles and stews. Or use frozen fruits in oatmeal, yogurt, baking and smoothies.

By using frozen produce you can eat in a way that's great for both your health and your finances.