Eating Healthily on a Budget

Written by Jordan R. Wagner BSN, RN, CDCES

Healthy and low cost might sound like an oxymoron, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be! There are many ways to get healthy foods that will nourish your body and help to maintain stable blood sugars all on a fixed income. Below we will learn basics about different options that will benefit your health and your wallet.

Stick to a Budget:

Budgeting is one of those things that many people do not like doing, but it is a skill that is necessary to develop to be successful at eating healthily with a fixed income or low income. Budgeting does not have to be a complex “web” that can only be “untangled” with a financial planner. The goal is to create a plan to see how and where you spend your money. Once you’ve created a generalized monthly budget, you will know how much money you have available to spend on groceries and food. This may take some time and we all know time is precious especially when you might be working long hours or have multiple jobs, but I promise you, knowing where your money is going and what you actually have available to spend on groceries and food will greatly benefit you.

Look for the Deals:

Coupons, coupons, coupons! Many people don’t take the time to read through a grocery store’s weekly or daily deals. There can be lots of savings simply by taking a few extra minutes to find what’s on sale and when you’re living with low income this can make a major difference.

Buy in Bulk:

If space allows in your living situation, buying in bulk is a great way to make your money stretch further. Routinely, grocery stores will charge more money for smaller quantities compared to buying in bulk. You can store the extra food in a freezer to be used later. If you do not have access to a freezer, consider purchasing a used one from a local Goodwill.

Meal Prep:

This tip goes along nicely with buying in bulk. One day a week or every few days, cook extra food to be frozen or refrigerated to be eaten at another time. This will cut down on eating processed frozen meals and fast food, which are both, typically, high carbohydrate meals. You can feel good, knowing that you are eating healthily and know the ingredients in the meal because you made it!

Look for Discount Grocery Stores:

Do you like eating brand name food, but continually go over your budget buying it. Well discount grocery stores are a great way to get brand named items for a mere fraction of the price compared to a regular grocery store. What’s the catch you may be asking? Well, many of the products might have a damaged box/container, be close to expiration, or not popular in regular grocery stores. According to American Discount Foods, discount grocery stores can save an individual 70% or more on their grocery bills. Just be prepared to eat the food sooner rather than later. Remember to look at nutrition labels as you shop and are selecting a variety of carbohydrates (starches, sugars, and fibers), proteins, and fats. For more information on carbohydrates, take a look at this blog post: Why Carb Counting is Important For Your Diabetes Management.

Look for Local Farmer’s Markets:

What can possibly be better than fresh food? Farmer’s markets bring fresh produce to you often at a lower price than a grocery store. How can this be? Well there is a lot that goes into getting food into a grocery store. It must be produced, ordered, shipped, stocked, and then selected by the consumer. With so many steps, grocery stores must charge a higher price to be able to make a profit. Farmer’s markets bring the produce straight from the farm to the market. Fresh produce at a lower cost, sounds good to me!

Community Food Sharing:

If you live in a neighborhood or nearby family, consider growing separate foods that can be shared. For example, one person could grow tomatoes and lettuce while the other person grows green beans and broccoli. This allows both parties to benefit from eating different fresh produce without having to grow all of it themselves.

Homeless Shelters and Food Banks:

Life can throw all sorts of curve balls and if you ever find yourself without a place to stay the stress and anxiety can be overwhelming. Now imagine going through this with diabetes and wondering where your next meal will come from. There’s no doubt about it, it’s a tough spot to be in when trying to eat healthily. Look for local homeless shelters or food banks and try talking with one of the shelter managers to see if they can help accommodate your dietary needs. For example, if there is a limit on a food item, ask if you can substitute it for more veggies or another piece of meat. Many shelters will do this if you explain why it is necessary for you.

You can call your city representatives or look online to find food resources available to you. Many cities have a surprisingly large number of programs aimed at helping people find food when experiencing homelessness.

Governmental Programs (check your local city and state programs, these programs listed may be specific to Arizona only):

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S.N.A.P.) This program is designed to help people with low income have money to be able to purchase groceries. If you rely on S.N.A.P. for monthly food, budgeting will be very important. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security

(A.D.E.S.), the amount of assistance provided will depend on many factors including monthly income, number of dependents, proof of citizenship, as well as other factors. For the complete list visit https://des.az.gov/services/basic-needs/food/nutrition-assistance#Eligibility. Budgeting will be quite important is utilizing S.N.A.P.

Double-Up-Arizona: This is a program designed to help people have better access to fresh fruit and vegetables. For every $1 spent on S.N.A.P. eligible products, $1 is given back to you to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables. For more information visit www.doubleupaz.org.

Farmers’ Market Project – Like Double-Up-Arizona, this project works to increase access to farm fresh produce to people with low income. It provides vendors at farmers’ markets with the means to be able to accept Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT). This means that if you rely on S.N.A.P. you can look for healthier options at local farmers’ markets.

Restaurants: Under certain circumstances (homeless, elderly 60+, or disabled), participating restaurants will accept S.N.A.P. dollars. This can benefit people who do not have access to refrigeration or long-term storage. If eating out frequently, remember to ask for nutritional information from the waiter or waitress.

S.N.A.P. Online: Money from S.N.A.P. can now be used to purchase groceries online with participating companies. Currently in Arizona, Walmart, Amazon, and Aldi are accepting money from S.N.A.P. for grocery purchases. This can be helpful for individuals where mobility and the ability to go to a grocery store may be difficult.

These are just some of the programs available to help, for a more detailed list of programs available in Arizona, go to https://des.az.gov/.

The Bottom Line:

Living with Diabetes with fixed or low income can be challenging, but with proper planning and effort it is still possible to eat healthily on a budget. I am hopeful that this blog post has helped to give you some ideas to do this!