Never let your finances force you to eat unhealthy food.

Eating healthy should never be a sacrifice, no matter what your financial circumstances may be. Eating from the dollar menu at McDonalds may have been an option for you when you were younger, but better food choices are a must as you begin to approach your 20’s and 30’s. Eating healthy isn’t always the easiest thing to do, and certainly not the cheapest. But, while it can be tough to find better food items for you and your family, there are a few things you can do to give yourself a step up on eating healthier and still save money!

• Try to shop right after eating a meal, in this way, you won’t have that hunger urge while you’re looking for healthy food. Many people have a tendency to want junk food when they’re hungry, instead of the healthy stuff. Reason being - it looks tastier.
• Before heading to the grocery store, plan out a week’s worth of meals. This will give you an idea of what you really need and lower the temptation to browse instead of shop. Research has shown that shoppers who don’t bring a list tend to buy more food, especially of the snacking variety.
• Look for a store’s weekly specials and clip coupons for in-store brands. Generic brands are less expensive and generally have the same nutritional value.
• Try growing your own fruits and veggies or find a local farmer’s market. Their produce should be cheaper and is usually fresh picked straight from the crop.
• Warehouse grocers, like Sam’s Club or Costco, have also started offering healthier, organic choices in bulk – so you pay a lot less.
• Swap out sugary snacks for some baby carrots, raisons, or unsalted nuts. These will fill you up a lot quicker than a Twinkie or a donut.