There is a long standing assumption that eating better always costs more. It is sometimes true that you get what you pay for and better quality food can equate to greater cost. My intimate family history of living life on a budget as well as some time in my career working in public health have cultivated a need to live and to counsel others on eating well with limited economic resources. In fact, I find a meal done successfully with less expense is as exhilarating as finding a great outfit discounted steeply.

The following suggestions spare expense while trying to preserve quality: 

• Plant a garden. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver is a wonderful book that is a story about a family that decides to grow everything they eat. They learned many lessons while also reaping the benefit of better quality food for much less money.
• Buy food locally when in season.
• Consider mutually beneficial exchanges.
• Limit your purchase and consumption of packaged food, in general, as packaged food is often more expensive than fresh food in season. Food manufacturers promote their products via coupons in an effort to expose you to their products in an affordable manner. Their hope is that after the coupon expires and they establish their suggested retail price that they win your loyalty to their brand regardless of price.
• Purchase foods you use regularly in bulk and repackage into practical portions to minimize the temptation to overeat or waste food as a result of boredom from excessive repetition.
• Consider investing in an additional freezer to store and preserve items you take advantage of buying seasonally or in bulk.
• Scan the store advertisement for specials via the paper or store websites.
• Ask for a rain check if a sale item is out of stock. Use the rain check when the item is BOGO (buy one, get one free) or BOGT (buy one, get two free).
• Research websites that provide printable coupons:
• The Coupon Cupboard
• Hot Coupon World
• Visit the “scratch and dent” or “on the way out” produce section if your grocery store provides.
• When your bananas appear to be approaching the “I better make banana bread before these get thrown away” stage of ripeness, peel the banana and freeze in freezer safe container. Frozen bananas are a great addition to smoothies. They can be thawed and added to pancake batter or used for baking upon demand.
• Downloadable guide Stretching Tips for Your Fruit and Vegetable Budget:
• Try store brands with clean ingredient lists as they are generally cheaper than national brands.
• Pack your lunch and bring to work with you.
• Create a spreadsheet if you shop at multiple stores to summarize the foods you buy at specific stores because they consistently sell an item for less.
• Write or email food manufacturers to request coupons for items you use. Sometimes their postal or email address will appear on the package; otherwise, utilize the internet to find company websites.