Eating healthy and saving money go hand in hand. All it takes is a little creative planning and a lot of willpower. By keeping your meal plan simple and staying within your budget as you are working towards paying off debt, you can accomplish more than one goal. Your wallet, waistline, dollar and dinner can all work together by utilizing these seven simple ideas.
1- Remember, One Day at a Time
The most fundamental way of prioritizing healthy eating while paying off debt is to think about doing it just for today only. Granted, you will be planning for a week’s worth of meals, but you only have to think about the day’s actions. If one day is too much, think about it one meal at a time. What seems like a small sacrifice now will reap big rewards, so don’t put it into the frame that it will always be like this. It is just for today.
2- Sticking to a Budget
One of the easiest ways to prioritize healthy eating is to stick to a budget. If your budget is only $200 per week for a family of four, there is no room for you to buy junk food. Focusing on the necessities first will leave little room left in your grocery budget to purchase non-essentials.
3- Creating a Meal Plan
Look in your pantry and see what you already have to work with. Create a meal plan using as many ingredients that you have on hand as possible. When people buy groceries, they usually eat the tastiest food first, which leaves odds and ends hanging out in the pantry and the freezer. Create a meal plan for the next week that aligns with your budget and uses ingredients you already have.
4- Shop with a List
The worst thing that you could do for your waistline and your budget is to go to the grocery store without a list in hand. If you are relying on impulse buying, not only will you end up purchasing ingredients you already may have, but you may also forget the key ingredients you need to make dinner, which will ultimately lead you to ordering a last-minute pizza. Always go to the store with a list, and stick to it.
5- Eat Before Grocery Shopping
If your stomach is grumbling while you are browsing the aisles, the cookies and chips will look much more appetizing. Eat a small meal or snack before you head to the grocery store. If you are full, you will be more inclined to stick to your budget and your meal plan without thinking about your stomach.
6- Stick to the Basics
Stay to the outside aisles. If you are looking to eat healthy so that you can focus on paying off your debt, stay to the outside. The inner aisles of the grocery store are stocked with expensive foods that are not good for you. The outside aisles are where you will find your meat, dairy, bread, and produce. Stick to the basics. You don’t need eight different types of marinades; oil and balsamic vinegar will work just fine. The simpler you keep it, the better your diet and dollar are going to fare.
7- Track Your Milestones
One of the biggest motivators is seeing a visual representation of how well you are doing. One way of doing this is to have a tear-off calendar counting down the weeks that you stick to your goal. If your goal is to pay down $5000 in debt, but it requires you to stick with healthy food and a limited budget for 52 weeks, you will be awesomely happy when you tear off a sheet and have only five weeks to go. Charts you fill in and hang on the wall that you can see daily can also keep you motivated.
Creating a budget, a meal plan, and a shopping list is half your success story. These are seven things that you can do in order to trim the fat from your finances while simultaneously helping you live long enough to enjoy your new lifestyle.