We are currently in the process of renovating our home. B owns the house – an old weatherboard number built in the early 1900s with an addition tacked on in the 1950s – with his parents, so we are buying his parents out and knocking down the back part of the house and opening it up a bit to make it more practical and liveable. We are adding on a brand new kitchen (which probably comes as no surprise that I am very excited about!), laundry and bathroom, and knocking down part of one of the interior walls to open up the space and let more light in.
It is at the same time fun and exciting as it is incredibly daunting and overwhelming. There have been many nights spent waking at 3am worrying about the overall scale of the project and its associated expenses. There have been just as many nights waking up at 3am in a state of panic that I have picked the wrong handles for the bathroom cabinets. Small details that I normally wouldn’t care too much about are suddenly blown out of proportion. I wonder at times if it would have been easier to just buy a place, complete with all of its fittings – cabinet handles included – so that I could get a decent nights rest! But, at the end of it we will have our home just the way we want it, and I’m sure that all of this will be worth it.
Along with a big reno unfortunately comes a big blow to the bank balance. B and I are both making a combined effort to cut back on any excesses and spend our money more sensibly so that we can put more money into the build over the next few months. We are both normally quite sensible when it comes to money, though one space I don’t really watch what I spend is food. Not that I go overboard, but it’s definitely an area that I could realistically cut back on.
So due to that, and also that fact that I am a strong believer and advocate for the fact that that healthy eating doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, I thought I should put my money where my mouth is (metaphorically speaking – practically speaking, it will all be going into kitchen expenses and those bloody cabinet handles!) and start limiting my food budget.
So over the next few months, I’ll share with you some of my favorite low-cost recipes, but to start with I thought I’d share some of my top tips on easy ways to eat healthily without breaking the bank!
Healthy eating on a budget
Make your own milk. Nut milk can be expensive to buy fresh (or impossible, if you don’t have anywhere locally that buys and sells their own). Even the long life variety in cartons and cans are expensive and also often contain nasty additives and preservatives. Making your own is a far cheaper option. Coconut milk can be cheap to make, and of the nut and seed varieties almond, cashew and sunflower seed are usually the most economical.
Eat more veggies! Eating more vegetables is not only good for your health, it’s also great for your wallet too. Look for in-season vegetables which will be cheaper than buying imported vegetables and/or vegetables not in season (and they taste better too!)
Use dry beans and pulses, instead of using canned varieties. You’ll need to soak and cook them first, but the flavour is far superior, and you’ll end up with more which will last longer. Turn it into a bean casserole, salad, soup, stew, bean dip or falafels/bean patties.
Cook meals in bulk, and freeze small portions. That way if get home late from work and just can’t be bothered cooking, you’ll have a meal ready to go rather than having to get takeaway.
Grow your own herbs. Herbs are a great way of adding a flavour boost but store-bought fresh herbs can be expensive, average around $4 a bunch at my grocer. A much cheaper option is to grow them yourself – it’s also convenient as you can just wander outside to pick your flavourings rather than having to make a trip to the shop.
Make your own fermented foods – they can be super expensive to buy premade, but very economical when made at home. Think sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented vegetables and drinks such as kombucha and kefir.
Keep things simple – don’t go overboard with toppings or extra ingredients. You can make some really delicious meals with a few basic ingredients.
What are your top tips when it comes to eating healthily while sticking to a budget? Do you have anything you would add to this list?
Your renovation project sounds so exiting! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
Also, I love this post. I’ll probably move away from home in less than a year which means I’d suddenly have a lot of things to pay for – on a students budget. So posts like this will definitely come in handy!
Looking forward to more low cost recipes :) Good luck on the renoovation
Thanks so much Josefine! Im very excited about it :)
Living out of home and having to buy your own groceries etc is definitely challenging! You are so creative with your cooking though I’m sure you’ll still be able to creative wonderfully inventive and delicious meals x
Enjoyed reading your post Dee. I can relate to those sleepless nights having gone through the journey of building our own home a few years ago and spending time deliberating over handles, and many other things. Having just found a new home where all those decisions have already been made, I am experiencing those same sleepless nights, have we done the right thing, etc. Am sure your renovation will be everything you want and more!
Great tips too, it is amazing how well you can eat without spending a fortune!
Thanks so much Jodie :) Yes it’s definitely a stressful process – I didn’t quite realise the scale of it before we took it on. Im sure it will all be worth it in the end though, just another few months to get through first ;) And very exciting about your new place – its so hard knowing if you have made the right decision, but I’m sure once you are in there and settled and set up/decorated it will feel like home :)
I feel your pain! My husband and I are on the verge of moving into a new – well an old house built in the 20’s – after moving across country from Chicago to Portland. With only one income at the moment (hopefully not for much longer!), we have had to revaluate our expenses big time. And just like you, I never really thought too much about how I spent my money when it came to buying groceries. I will say it’s been a blessing to change my perspective at the market, though, as it has inspired me to get even more creative in the kitchen with fewer ingredients to work with.
Buying food in the bulk food section at the market has saved me money as well as avoiding making extravagant recipes from some of my beautiful recipe books – especially when they require specialty ingredients I don’t already have in my pantry. This has pushed me to use even more seasonal ingredients (you are right, they are cheaper and taste better) and come up with yummy recipes that are simple, but definitely not lacking in flavor.
Hopefully you’ll begin to get more restful nights soon. Are you planning to post before and after photos of your home? I would love to see these those cabinet handles. ;)
Best,
+Karen
Hi Karen! I totally agree, one benefit of cutting down your grocery items is being more creative with what you do have. And cutting down on those additional ingredients in complicated recipes too will be a big help too :)
Good luck with your move Karen, and yes will post some progress and before/and after shots once it’s all done :)
My hubby and I are trying to cut back on this too- its the one area we consistently blow our budget on! I’m looking forward to seeing some of your budget friendly recipes :)
Thanks Emma! x
What a smart list of tips. Definitely going to use this for clients as needed, as people often have a misconception that the way I cook is very expensive. And I especially like the DIY tips for the herbs and fermented foods, two biggies on the wallet. Thanks for putting this together Dearna!
Thanks for the tips! love it! http://meatlessmain.com
Thanks Michal :)