6 Ways to Eat Good Without Breaking the Bank

When I started living on my own, I was spending a fortune on food and eating like crap. I thought the cheapest things were the stuff that's no good for me or takes only a couple minutes to make (I'm looking at you 0.99 cent ramen). But when I wanted to start cooking more, I found I was spending less on food, and my meals got significantly healthier and tasted better too! Not only that, but I stopped eating out less as well and only bought food once a week.

Here are 6 ways to eat good food without spending a fortune on it:

1. Make a List and Stick To It

I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t eat for awhile and then decides to go to the grocery store. It’s self sabotage. To save money and prevent yourself from impulse buying a bunch of snacks, make a list! My family is a bunch of list makers, my dad never goes to the store without one and neither should you. Take a look through the fridge of what you need and then only get the essentials. It might only save a few dollars each time but that will add up quickly.

2. Check out the Farmer’s Markets

Farmer’s markets are underrated for the amount of good food at a decent price there is. And it’s all local so you know exactly where your produce is coming from! Kelowna's farmer’s market is very popular which is awesome because it’s locals supporting locals! You never know the hidden gems you will find until you go and check it out for yourself.

3. Extreme Couponing

Coupons are a gift from God, or the grocery store. It's an easy way that you can save a few dollars here and there because a little slip of paper said so. I’m fortunate enough that my building gets coupons for each dorm so every week I can open the mail to some new savings. But for those living at home, check out the newspaper that gets dropped off every week and take a look through the coupon section!

4. Invest in a Costco Card

The moment I turned 18, of course I was excited to be legal. It meant I could finally have a Costco membership. Any type of store that sells things in bulk is your best friend when trying to save money. However, if you live on your own I wouldn’t buy stuff from there that can go bad quickly. Fruits and vegetables should be left for your regular grocery store, but anything can be frozen or dry storage can be bought in bulk. This can save you money since it now lowers the amount of times you need to go buy groceries.

5. Generic Brands

An easy way to save money but still buying decent food is passing on the ~fancy~ brands and going for the plain, yellow label. You’re saving money strictly because a company’s logo is not on the product and as long as you aren’t super picky, there isn’t a huge difference. So why not leave the Minute Maid on the shelf and save a couple dollars buying the generic apple beverage.

6. Home Gardening

My sister recently got into this and it made me realize I could save so much money by having a garden at home. Her apartment has been taken over by different herbs and peppers, but now when she needs some mint or habanero peppers she takes two steps to her window AND IT’S FREE. Chop up some green onions and stick them in some dirt and you will have your own green onions instead of having to go and buy them.