Hey friends! You CAN eat healthy on a budget. In fact, it actually costs MORE to eat out all the time! Save yourself a lot of money and time by doing your grocery shopping and eating at home. If you can't eat at home all the time, no problem! Plan and prep your meals so they are ready to go!

Here are a couple of helpful tips to maximum savings and success:

#1. Plan your shopping list! If you don't do a list each week and do your shopping at least once or twice a week... START!!! This will save you from buying things you don't need, impulse junk food buys, and also help you not to forget anything. If you know you can't stick to an actual paper list, put it in your phone in the "Notes" section! You could always type it up at work and email it to yourself as well. No excuses!

#2. KNOW your list & spending! Once you've gotten into a grove and know what you buy each week, take notes of how much you are spending and which grocery stores offer the better deals. There are some places I shop for "Quality" and some places I shop for "Quantity. I know for sure that I need to visit at least 2 separate stores for my weekly shopping because each carry different varieties and prices of produce and meat. You'll figure out what works for you as well. You can even make your meals and calculate a "Cost Per Meal" and really see the value in your savings.

#3. Choose items that you can use for multiple meals! Pick a few meats that you can cook and turn into different lunches and dinners. Choose veggies in bulk that you can use for salads, soups, crockpot meals, grilling, etc. Choose fruits you can use for smoothies, snacks and a healthy desert option too. Once you get used to using meats, fruits, veggies and spices for several meals, you'll notice you get more bang for your buck and are actually buying LESS each week!

#4. Have planned snacks on hand! If you're hungry and have no back up plan, you'll actually spend MORE trying to feed the immediate hunger. Bring snacks with you everywhere and you'll never run into that problem. Zip lock baggies of veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds are great options. Even peanut butter to dip veggies in or a yogurt with your fruit. I never leave home without almonds or protein bars in my purse!

#5. Meal Prep! One of the biggest points I bring up in my book "Food For You" is meal prepping. That means taking the time a couple times a week to put together meals that will last you a few days. Buy the plastic containers and have them on hand so you can reach for only the good stuff when you're hungry. This saves you time and money by being prepared! No more $10 lunch with your co-workers every day! Most of my meals are around $2.50 a piece and taste amazing! A rotisserie chicken plus chopped veggies gives you at least 4-6 meals and a crock pot chicken with 4 breasts can give you at least 6-8 meals! Be sure to have lots of veggies and spices to really make them taste great.

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