Budget Grocery List; How To Eat Healthy While Saving Money?

Budget Grocery List

Reducing spending is among the priorities in the COVID era.

Relying on a grocery list on a budget can improve your finances and your health at the same time.

The secret to a cheap shopping list is buying budget foods. 

Such refers to base ingredients that are affordable and allow you to cook healthy meals.

Comparing them to a regular shopping list, you can find all ingredients for a grocery list on a budget at your local store.

Now, there are a few things to consider. Even with that, it is a matter of simple math and organization. 

How Many People On Your Budget Grocery List?

The foundation of your budget shopping list is the number of people in your household.

If there are more people in the household you need to spend more on the list.

Even in that situation, it is possible to make a budget shopping list and save money. 

The trick here is to determine what type of food you need for the household.

It is much easier to shop when you buy for a spouse and children that are already in school.

Then, you can buy food for everyone without additional expenses. 

When you start working on the grocery list, start with your kids’ needs first.

Let it determine the rest of the shopping list. Then, move on to actual shopping.  

Where To Buy Cheap Groceries?

The crucial thing for a budget shopping list is knowing where to look for affordable ingredients.

The advantage here is that there are many stores to help you with this task.

All you have to do is to go and shop in wholesale stores and local markets. 

Wholesale stores offer discounts and offers around the year.

So, you can find ingredients in packages that are much cheaper than in the regular convenience store.

Make sure to visit stores like Walmart to find the best deals. 

Also, start going to the local market.

There are healthy fruits and vegetables for discounted prices you can find.

Also, nothing beats eating organic and homegrown food.    

What to Buy for Groceries? 

Now, shopping on a budget is all about shopping for essentials.

The truth is that you can get by with elementary ingredients and still be satiated and healthy.

Even better than that, you can find all these ingredients anywhere.  

1. Eggs 

eggs grocery list

Eggs are crucial for any diet.

They are cheap, affordable, and full of protein.

Most often, you buy them in packs of ten or even more.

You can eat them as the main dish or use them to cook other meals. 

Also, eggs are the foundation of all cakes, pastries, sweets, and meals. You can survive almost with eggs alone.

Make sure to include them in all budget shopping lists and always have them in your freezer. 

Another advantage of eggs is that they can help you get by even in the worst situation.

Even without oil to fry them, you may boil the eggs.  

2. Chicken 

Aside from eggs, chicken is a fundamental element of any healthy diet.

You can buy a whole chicken, or you can buy breasts, legs, or wings.

Depending on the meals you prepare, you can buy any part of the chicken. 

Chicken meat is full of proteins. So, eating chicken meat can help you whether your children are growing or you are working out. 

Another benefit of chicken is that there are a ton of ways to cook it.

You can boil it, fry it, stir it, and eat it with any kind of spices. You can even put it in salads and pasta, making it a rather versatile ingredient.  

3. Fruits 

fruit grocery list shopping

Next on the list is fruit.

Each season has its fruits that you can purchase at a bargain price.

Among the most popular fruits are apples, which you should always have on your budget list.

Then you want to buy bananas and other available seasonal fruits. 

Fruit is full of nutrients.

Also, it’s an excellent substitute for refined sugar products.

In the raw state, they are healthy sweets you can eat or drink in shakes. They are also perfect replacement for coffee, since they provide energy without the crash.

However, if you are still addicted to quality coffee, but looking to stay within the budget, check our guide on getting free Starbucks coffee.

Finally, if you want to make homemade sweets, you can use fruits to bake cakes and pastries.

And, you can even use them for breakfasts and dinners.  

4. Vegetables 

buy vegetable

Vegetables are the core of any budget shopping list.

To eat healthily and stay on the budget, you need many vegetables on your list.

Start with potatoes, onions, cabbage, beans, and frozen veggies. With them, you can survive almost anything. 

The advantage of vegetables is their nutritional value and cooking versatility.

You can cook them in various ways, from boiling and stirring to frying.

You can eat them as the main course and side dishes as well. 

Even in a situation when there is nothing else to eat, you can boil some potatoes for dinner to get by.  

5. Baking Soda and Flour 

Flour and baking soda are necessary for any pastries and cakes you want to make.

Flour and baking soda can reduce the cost of home spending a lot.

Think about how much money you are spending on cakes, cookies, sweets, and pastries.

Now, you can make them at your home. 

The core of any budget list has less to do with ingredients.

It has much more to do with your eating habits. For example, you can buy a cake in a few clicks.

Or, you can bake one in an hour. The difference in that hour is what makes your budget viable. 

Buy flour and start cooking at home more often.  

6. Sugar 

While not particularly healthy, sugar is necessary to have at your home.

Sugar is an ingredient you can use in almost all meals.

Also, you can use it in drinks to sweeten them up and make them taste better. 

The problem with sugar is the lack of nutritional value.

However, you are not going to eat it with a spoon, so it is alright to have it at your home.

Make sure to always have some in the cupboard, and not overuse it in day-to-day use.  

7. Oil 

Oil is another ingredient you need to have at all times. You can use it for cooking or to season the food.

Another benefit of the oil is that you should use it in smaller amounts.

Thus, oil should always be on your list, since it helps you in all cooking enterprises. 

When you cook, avoid deep frying. Most people use oil for frying but avoid that.

While it may fill your stomach, it is going to damage your health.

Instead, use it to stir the food and perform basic boiling of the food.  

8. Pasta 

pasta

Pasta is another thing you need in your cupboard.

It is cheap, you can store it for months if necessary, and eat it a bunch of different ways.

There are a dozen pasta recipes to make with elementary ingredients. And best of all, they are rather tasty! 

Another thing about pasta is how cheap it is for cooking.

You can cook pasta and add cottage cheese, and voila you have mac and cheese!

Of course, it is much better if you buy pasta sauce, or add vegetables to spice things up. 

The combinations with pasta are endless. Always buy pasta.   

9. Yogurt, Milk and Cheese 

Now, you have to buy yogurt, milk, and cheese.

Together with eggs, sugar, and flour, these three ingredients allow you to cook almost anything.

You can make pastries, pasta, cakes, sweets, or anything else that come to mind. 

And, you can use them for any meal to enhance the taste. After all, yogurt and milk are excellent for your health and nutrition.

Cheese is cheap, and you can shop low-calorie cheese to help your diet.  

10. Ramen Noodles 

Finally, add some ramen noodles to the list.

Ramen noodles are cheap, tasty, and help you get by when there is nothing else to eat.

While you should avoid eating them daily, eating them from time to time is ok for the budget. 

Also, you can buy a stack of noodles at a discount price. There are various tastes and combinations of noodles.

And, you can use noodles instead of pasta for any meal you want. 

With that, you have your budget list for shopping.

Here, there are ingredients you can buy to eat for a whole month and remain healthy.

And, of course, save money.  

Save Money and Stay Healthy 

Now, you have to make the effort to lead a frugal life.

The reason why most people struggle with their finances is that they can’t control their temptation. 

They want to eat takeout a few times a week.

And, they want to go to the restaurant more than they can afford.

Finally, they don’t want to take the time and learn to cook tasty meals. Luckily, you can choose another route. 

All it takes is to sit down, do simple math, and shop on a budget.

If that doesn’t end up working for you, the only alternative is to make more money. Luckily, we have created dozens of guides on making money fast, like crafting, or some more odd ones like selling feet pics (legal though).

After that, spend time learning new recipes and cooking them. In no time, you are going to see your waistline getting thinner and your wallet thicker. 

All it takes is to sit down, do simple math, and shop on a budget.

After that, spend time learning new recipes and cooking them.