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You probably have a busy schedule. And because of this, it becomes too easy and convenient to spend on ready-to-cook meals because you are probably too exhausted to even think of preparing a meal. If you have been spending too much on your food groceries, here is some good news: listed below are the tips for food shopping that not only will help you cut your food budget in half but positively affect your health as well.

1. Eat more vegetables- There are two main reasons as to why it is better to have a plant-based diet. One is that you get to save a lot of money because vegetables and beans are comparatively much cheaper compared to meat. And two, eating a plant-based diet is much healthier.

2. Reduce alcohol- If you regularly drink beer or wine, try to minimize the frequency of your drinking. Having a drink every now and then is okay; however, keep in mind that alcohol is not necessary and if you drink it too often, it will not only affect your health but it will take a toll on your budget as well.

3. Avoid buying ready-to-cook meals- Instant meals can really be convenient especially if you lead a very busy life. However, you could save up a lot of money if you buy items such as pasta and oats in bulk. If you are hesitating to buy in bulk because of not having enough time and energy to cook, you can simply cook a good portion of the pasta or the oats during your free time which can last you for a week. In this way, the need for you to cook is eliminated and you just simply reheat the food whenever you feel like eating.

4. Plan your meals in advance- Before you head out to the grocery store, check your cupboards and refrigerator for items that you already have. Come up with meals with which you can make use of the items that you have so that you do not end up wasting any of them. Then, plan your breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for the next few weeks and list down all the ingredients that you will need. When you get to the grocery store, make sure that you stick to your list. Furthermore, it is important that you avoid promotional sales even if the prices are tempting if the items on sale are not included in your list to avoid going beyond your budget.

5. Cook big batches- Designate one of your weekdays as the day when you cook big batches of meals which could include pasta, soup, casserole, beans, etc. Cooking a meal is never easy and when you get too tired after a long day, chances are high that you will resort to instant meals or ordering take out which can really be expensive and make you go out of your budget. Therefore, to make sure that your budget is intact and that your credit scores do not go out of control, make an effort to precook your meals.

6. Keep a list of what you have in your cupboard, refrigerator and freezer- People most of the time tend to forget to check the items that they still have before they go grocery shopping. This makes them overspend and accidentally duplicate items.

7. Buy less expensive parts of meat- It is certainly hard to eat a plant-based diet if you are accustomed to eating meat. The good news is, you can still save some money while sticking to your preferred diet by buying cheaper cuts of meat. If you wish to save more though, you can mix meat with other meat alternatives such as dried beans and pulses.

Budgeting and adjusting to a new diet can be hard at first. To make sure that you make these tips work for you, you will need to adjust to the change slowly. Do not instantly go on a full vegetarian diet if you are not a fan of vegetables because if you do, you might become overwhelmed and decide to simply quit. It is also important that you give equal importance to health and money so that you have another reason to be motivated about. If you focus on minimizing your costly habits such as ordering take outs or dining out in the same way you focus on cutting back on the money you spend, you will find it easier to save.

Aside from those, do not beat yourself up if you fall off track every once in a while as during this time, your credit will surely vary as well as your budget. Just constantly remind yourself about your goals to save and to become healthy so you can get back on track. The tips listed above are easy ways to help you lower your grocery bills and create improvements on your health as well. The key to ensuring that these changes last is to celebrate incremental improvements including reductions in your monthly food bill. If you do this, you will be more motivated and keeping on track will be much easier.