It is actually really easy for anyone to stick to an unhealthy lifestyle, and one of the biggest reasons is that it happens to be cheaper, and it also happens to be more convenient as well, and these two things play a big role in our everyday lifestyle choices. Let’s face it, if we have the option of choosing between an entire burger meal for $4 and an $8 salad, then most of us will opt for the burger, simply because it is cheaper.

A lot of people happen to complain that leading a healthy lifestyle is just too expensive, and this is a problem that a lot of young adults are currently dealing with since they are struggling for financial stability in today’s job market. However, we are here to tell you that a healthy lifestyle, while difficult to maintain, is not exactly impossible to achieve either. Plus, your healthy food does not have to taste bad either, and you can find more info and different recipe ideas on different blogs and forums online for that.

Eating Out Less

The best possible thing you can do for both your wallet, and your lifestyle is to reduce the number of times you eat out, have instant meals or get takeaway, and yes, this includes the number of times you buy coffee from outside the house as well. Multiple studies have proven that cutting down the number of times you eat out of the house drastically reduces one’s calorie consumption because we tend to eat a lot of extra calories whenever we eat out, and at the same time, we also end up saving a lot of money too because these meals that we have outside become expensive in the long run since you only paid for one meal and you still need to eat two more meals during that day.

Cooking for Yourself

Cooking can become a chore that a lot of people dread simply because there is a lot of work being put into it. Cooking can get undeniably frustrating, especially when you are trying to eat healthily, however, the best thing you can possibly do in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to cook. Cooking your own meal allows you to be in control of the number of calories that are going in your meal, and cooking more also means that you are eating out less, and this is a great way for you to save money and eat better as well.

Meal Planning

Another great way to make sure that you continue eating healthier meals while sticking to a budget is by planning your meals for the week beforehand. So, you take out a piece of paper, and you then write down what you will have for each meal for the next week. This allows you to already estimate the cost of your food expenses for the week, and when you are planning your meal beforehand, you are more likely to stick to the plan and there will not be any days where you end up eating out or eating unhealthy just because you cannot figure out what you want to eat at home.

Meal Prepping

Meal planning should preferably be followed by meal prepping. A lot of people consider meal prepping as overrated, but there is actually a lot of benefits that come will meal prepping. A lot of times we end up coming home and we are too tired to cook anything or we are just not in the mood, and having a meal prepared beforehand means that you do not have to put in any work except for just heating your food a little. Meal prepping for all 3 meals of the day also means that you will not end up rushing out hungry throughout your day, and this means that you are also less likely to buy something “on-the-go” while you are out as a replacement to an actual meal. So, meal prepping allows you to eat healthier meals more conveniently, and it also allows you to save money as well, so you should really consider giving meal prepping a chance.

Bulk Buying

You should bulk buy a number of essential ingredients beforehand so that your pantry still has the absolute basic ingredients one can need to whip up a quick and healthy meal. This includes buying oil, seasoning, sauces, grains or quinoa, a dozen eggs at a time and so on. This way you will still have something or the other in your kitchen that you can make a quick healthy meal out of.

Buying Your Ingredients

A lot of people usually end up buying tinned and processed ingredients, and that is where the problem starts. If you want to eat healthy while on a budget, you need to achieve a balance between good fresh ingredients you can buy, and at the same time, you also need to know which ingredients and foods are okay even when they are not fresh. Vegetables and fruits should preferably be bought and eaten fresh, however, if you happen to enjoy berries or a fruit that is expensive and/or not easy to acquire, then frozen alternatives can be considered. Research has shown that there is not as much of a difference between the nutritional value of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, so instead of wasting a lot of money on certain ingredients, you can look for alternative options then.

Eating Less Meat

This might sound counter-intuitive to a lot of people because we automatically assume meat or protein-rich diet is necessary for a diet for it to be considered healthy. Meat can get pretty expensive, especially if you are eating it regularly, so it is better to cut down on the amount of meat you consume, but at the same time you can still opt for cheaper yet still nutritious protein alternatives and this can include lentils, pulses, soya, flax seeds, chickpeas and a bunch of other foods in your diet instead.

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