17-ish Tips for Healthy Living on a Budget

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I get it.  You look at the price of the organic blueberries, then you look at the price of the conventional blueberries.  The saver in you can’t justify the extra cost.

The #1 question I get is, “How can I use healthy, organic products on a budget?”

I mention the reasons why it’s important to go organic in some blog posts and in my course, 6 Easy Weeks to Clean Living,  So I won’t go deeply into it here.  Food and personal care products that are not organic are sprayed with pesticides or made with cheap ingredients to keep costs down.  There is a price to that.  Anything we put in or on our bodies will either strengthen us or weaken us.

This isn’t an either or.  Go all organic or nothing at all.  We can find a balance.  I’ll tell you where it’s most important to spend your money on organic and give you some tips on keeping costs down.  

We can live a healthy life and afford it.  Amen.

Today I want to share with you my favorite money saving tips for Clean Food, Clean Beauty, and Clean Home.

Read ahead or Watch this video:

CLEAN FOOD

1. Buy in Bulk

When it comes to beans, grains, and nuts, head to the bulk section of the store to find some savings.  You’re not paying for packaging so you can save some money here.

Same goes for spices.  Head to the bulk spice section and bring your measuring spoons so you know how much you’re getting.  Save old spice containers and just re-fill those.

When it comes to meat, buying a whole cow or half a cow from a local farmer can save you money.  This is a huge savings for me.  Even when I buy a la carte from my local farmer it is cheaper than the meat at the grocery store.  I also know that it is grass-fed and I know exactly where my food is coming from.

By going to Costco or other retailers who sell in bulk you can save money.  Also buying items in bulk when they go on sale is a good practice, as long as it’s not perishable, or it’s something you can freeze.

Did you know that Costco has a bunch of organic, healthy options?  Some of my favorites are: Simple Mills crackers, organic applesauce pouches, organic hummus, kombucha, organic sliced turkey, organic dried apricots, coconut milk, Rao’s pasta sauce, hemp hearts, and more.

Buy a whole chicken instead of a cut-up chicken.  Use the chicken bones to make chicken broth.

2. Use what you have on hand

We all have food that has been in our freezer or pantry for who knows how long.  Next time you’re working on your meal plan, make it a point to use those items and clean out your cupboards before going to the store.  Get creative.  Get your kids involved.

3.  Don’t Waste

Don’t throw away that extra rice-use it to make fried rice.  Instead of throwing away the veggie scraps, save them in your freezer and use them to make homemade broth.  Put leftovers in the freezer right away before they’ve been sitting there a few days.

4. Make it from scratch

Buying cut up fruit is more expensive than just buying the fruit and doing it yourself.  Making your own granola bars, french toast sticks, cookies, fruit snacks, bone broth, etc… can save you lots of money.

5.  Freeze it

Use your freezer when you buy items in bulk.  In the summer when your garden is abundant (another great way to save money) don’t let that extra food go to waste.  Process it to freeze it for use all winter.  Frozen vegetables are often cheaper than fresh, so stock up on those, especially when they’re on sale.

6.  Eat less meat

Often meat is the most expensive part of our meal and it is important that we choose organic, grass-fed here.  If you need to stretch your dollars, don’t eat meat at every meal or even every day.  A meal of rice and beans is tasty, good for you and can be done on the cheap.

7.  Look for Private Labels

Whole Foods has their 356 brand, Trader Joe’s has their store brand, as do most stores.  They are still organic and are almost always cheaper than the name brand product.

8.  Buy local

Go to your local farmer’s market and meet the farmer’s.  Find out what they use for pest control.  A great resource to find a farmer near you is www.localharvest.org.

9. Shop online

There are some great resources for ordering organic pantry staples at a savings.  One of them is Thrive Market.  All of their products are non-GMO and they are offered at a savings of 25-50% off.  There is a small membership fee to join, but you can try your first month free.  Use this link to get 25% off your first order.  I just started ordering here and have found their prices to be better than anywhere else.  You also get free shipping over $49.

10. Be prepared

Always carry healthy snacks with you, so if hunger strikes you’ll be prepared and your kids won’t be begging you to stop somewhere.

CLEAN BEAUTY

1. Make your own

It is simple and fun and a huge cost savings to make your own beauty products.  Check out this blog post I recently did with recipes for a sugar body scrub and lip scrub.

2. Simplify

Instead of buying every new eye cream, lip plumper and acne potion, simplify.  Stick to the basics.  Cleanser, moisturizer, and exfoliator.  Try a multi-tasking product like Beautycounter’s Cleansing Balm.  It is a cleanser, eye makeup remover, moisturizer and hydrating mask all in one.

We also use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap for a million things (See the price comparison below), such as a body wash and shave gel.

3. Try it before you buy it

Order sample sizes or try out the testers in the store so you’re not wasting money on cosmetics.  Buy from stores with a great return policy so that you can return it if it doesn’t work for you.  I searched refunds for Whole Foods and it does say to contact your own store, but I have returned an opened moisturizer there that didn’t work for me.  Now that’s great customer service.

4.  Pay attention to how much you’re using

Often times organic products have less water added and are more concentrated.  You may need just one little pump instead of that huge glob you’re used to.

5. Look for private labels

Again, check out 365 brand by Whole Foods and other labels at other stores.  Be sure to check the labels.

CLEAN HOME

1. Simplify

Instead of buying different cleaners for every room and task in your home, make my All-Purpose Cleaner.  Let’s break down the cost of each:

Clorox bathroom Cleaner $3.28

Lysol Kitchen Cleaner $6.65

Stainless Steel Cleaner $6.99

Pledge Floor Care $4.25

Glass Cleaner $2.97

Pledge $4.23

Spray N Wash Laundry Stain Pre-Treater $7.29

Grand Total=$35.66

VERSUS

One bottle of Dr. Bronner’s All-Purpose Castile Soap $15.99 for 32 oz

This bottle can make 16 All-Purpose Cleaners, or 16 Foaming Hand Soaps, or 8 All-Purpose Cleaners + 8 Foaming Hand Soaps….you get the idea.  That works out to be $1 per bottle of cleaner or hand soap.

OR You can buy Biokleen Super Concentrated All Purpose Cleaner, 32 Ounces for $10.10  This bottle makes about 16 all-purpose cleaners also.  That works out to about .63 cents a bottle!

Not.  Too.  Shabby.

 

I also compared the cost of my favorite laundry detergent to Tide.  (I just used Amazon prices for all of the products to keep it SIMPLE, ha!)

Tide Pods .22 cents per load (if only using 1 pod/load, they instruct to use more pods for heavy loads)

Tide powder .19 cents per load

Tide liquid .34 cents per load

VERSUS

Biokleen powder .10 cents per load

Biokleen liquid .09 cents per load

This surprised me, in a good way.  Often we just assume that organic or clean or safe products are more expensive and that’s not always the case.

2. Wait for a sale

If you’re looking for new dishes or an Instant Pot, for example, look for a sale.  Sign up for the manufacturer’s e-mail list.  If you have Amazon Prime, wait for Prime Day when many things are discounted, or Black Friday is another great time to look for deals on home stuff.

I hope this gives you some ideas that you can start using right away to save money.

For even more money-saving tips check out my course 6 Easy Weeks to Clean Living.  This has all my best stuff.  This is the course I wish I had when I started my journey.  It’s got over a decade of research in there.  Check it out!

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