How to eat healthier on a budget

Eating healthier on a budget mostly means cooking a few simple meals at home and keeping easy healthy food around. You don't need superfoods or meal kits. Beans, eggs, rice, oats, frozen vegetables and fruit go a long way.

Start this week

Your first 3 steps

1
Pick 3 simple meals you'd actually eat and write their ingredients
15 min · Done when: 3 meals and one shopping list
Rotating a few easy meals makes shopping cheaper and cooking faster.
2
Add frozen vegetables and one fruit to your next grocery order
5 min · Done when: They're on your list
Frozen vegetables are cheap, last for weeks and are about as nutritious as fresh.
3
Cook one of the meals and pack leftovers for tomorrow
30 min · Done when: Dinner is made and tomorrow's lunch is packed
Leftovers replace the lunch you'd otherwise buy, which is where a lot of money goes.

Pursivon reminds you each morning and builds the rest of your plan.

Your first 4 weeks

Week 1
Cook 2 of your 3 meals at home and pack leftovers once.
Week 2
Cook 3 times and swap one sugary drink a day for water.
Week 3
Try one new cheap meal (a bean chili, a stir-fry, an egg scramble) and batch-cook it.
Week 4
Compare what you spent on food this month to last month. Keep the meals that worked.

Mistakes that stop most people

Trying to overhaul everything at once.
Shopping hungry or without a list.
Buying fresh produce you won't use before it goes bad. Frozen and canned count.

Common questions

What are cheap healthy foods?

Oats, rice, beans, lentils, eggs, frozen vegetables, bananas, apples, carrots, canned tuna and peanut butter are all affordable staples.

How can I eat healthy with no time?

Batch-cook twice a week and eat leftovers. Keep quick options like eggs, yogurt and fruit around for busy days.

Do I need to count calories?

No. For most people, cooking more at home and eating more vegetables makes a real difference without counting anything.

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