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Worried about managing the finances and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? Read this article to know more about budget-friendly eating habits.
Life is full of surprises. You wouldn't know the turn of events till the very last moment. Balance your finances and maintain a healthy diet with tips on eating healthy on a budget. Say goodbye to expensive, unhealthy meals and hello to budget-friendly and delicious options.
Studies have shown that throughout life, the major unexpected turn of events often occurs in the context of finances.
Finances will have ups and downs, which is why planning is important.
Looking closely at our monthly expenses, you'll notice most of our paycheck flies away in food.
We may think it costs some money, but we are saving so much time that we would have to cook!
As we live in a world of convenience, with just one click on our mobile phone, food comes to our doorstep.
But what about health? Maintaining a healthy lifestyle sometimes seems to be the most challenging task.
Subconsciously we tend to associate a healthy lifestyle with money. If you have more money, you can afford to have better health.
However, that is not true because if you are smart about spending, you can eat healthy with less money.
Keeping this in mind, we have shared some ideas to help you easily eat on a budget.
1. Grow a home garden for fresh produce
Buying vegetables and fruits from the market can become a little stressful when you have a money crunch.
The rapidly rising price of vegetables and fruits does not help as well. It negatively affects your affordability too.
So, why not grow a garden at your home? It will reduce your monthly expenses, and you'll also get to eat fresh.
Similarly, you can grow a herb garden in your kitchen and use the produce to create spices.
If you are stressed about the expenses of managing a garden, there are several ways to cut down those costs and increase your savings too.
For instance, make your own manure and compost instead of purchasing them. Similarly, re-plant the produce and grow more plants.
2. Manage the groceries smartly
Groceries are a major part of your monthly essentials. You cannot cut down on it, even if it means having plain white rice and a bowl of lentil soup.
But you can plan the grocery shopping smartly to save more money every month. If you aren't sure about the best ways to manage your expenses on the grocery list, here are some tricks you can try.
- Prepare your grocery list for the entire month as soon as you get your salary.
- Shop in bulk. It will help you save some additional money.
- Shop during the sale.
- Look for combo offers.
- If you get coupons or vouchers like Sodexo from your company, use them wisely. Do not use them during the month's beginning. Instead, keep them safe for the month's end when you are short on cash.
3. Always go for cheaper but nutritious food options
We all fancy gourmet, organic foods and vegetables. But they come with hefty price tags.
Although these food items are highly beneficial for your health, they can burn a hole in your pocket.
For instance, food items like dragon fruit, kiwi, asparagus, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, Brussel sprouts, etc., are very nutritious but quite costly.
Similarly, you need to pay based on the protein cut when you buy items like steak or lamb.
If you are looking for ways to lead a healthy lifestyle, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend an exuberant amount of money.
You can go for more affordable alternatives without compromising on nourishment. For example, choose chicken or fish over red meat.
It is much cheaper, readily available, and wholesome. Alternatively, you can buy and chop the whole item home to save extra cash.
4. Limit take-outs and dine-ins
Another unique way of saving money is to eat at home. When you opt for a take-out or dine at a café or fine restaurant, you have to incur charges like service tax or delivery fee.
So, it's better to cook homely meals at your home. This way, not only can you save money, but you can also stay away from health diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and gastric, among others.
5. Save & Invest Daily
Saving money doesn't need to be limited to only saving. You can grow every penny you save.
As we mentioned, you can grow more vegetables at home from your purchased items.
Similarly, now you can grow your money and see it rise in a bountiful amount with the Jar app.
It is a micro-savings app that allows you to save as low as ₹10/day or ₹5,000/month. The power is in your hands.
The Jar app scans through your SMS folder to detect your online purchases' payments.
It then rounds off the amount nearest to 10 and generates a spare change for your expenses.
The app automatically deducts the difference from your bank account using UPI to invest in 99.9% pure digital gold through Safegold.
You can use this money as an asset during any emergency. Let your money grow over a long period.
For instance, assume you just ordered groceries and vegetables online worth ₹900.
As soon as you receive a message from your bank about the deduction, the Jar app scans the message and rounds it off to the nearest 10.
In this case, it is ₹1000-₹900 = ₹10. This ₹10 gets auto-debited from your account using UPI and gets invested in digital gold.
Thus, you can easily save on the Jar app and invest in gold without additional effort.
Conclusion
Saving money and managing the finances for the entire month is not easy.
You need to make appropriate plans, cut expenses, and even settle for cheaper food items.
Yet, there is no guarantee you won't encounter another crunch in funds.
So, take a wise decision today and download the Jar app. Save even a small spare change and see your money grow over time.
