How to eat healthy on a budget in South Africa in 2019
At Libertine Consultants, we spend a lot of time helping clients to revise their household budgets to make their financial lives easier. This is why we know that shopping for healthy food can be a challenge when you’re trying to cut down on your expenses. However, it doesn’t make any sense to let your health deteriorate due to an improper diet – that will only lead to expensive doctor’s bills later down the line.
So, what is a budget-savvy South African to do if they want to eat healthy, but also want to keep their grocery budget in check? Here are a few top tips:
Plan your meals ahead of time
The simplest way to save money on groceries is to plan your meals ahead of time. This way, you’ll know exactly which ingredients to buy and won’t end up with a trolley full of things that don’t come together in a meal at the end. This approach also keeps you from relying on expensive, often not-so-healthy ready-made meals when time is running out and you hadn’t planned anything for dinner. Sit down as a family on a Saturday, decide on your main meals for each day, and work out your grocery list accordingly.
Do a big cook-off over the weekend
Once you have your grocery shopping done, put some time aside to do a big cook-off. Here are a few meals you can prep ahead of time (Sundays are great for this) to enjoy throughout the week:
Bolognaise mince – just cook the pasta on the day. If you want to go low carb, make some zoodles (a vegetable spiraliser is a great investment for any kitchen). Kids love this mince in snackwiches or tacos as well, so you can dress it up in multiple ways.
An oven-roasted chicken with veg. This can serve as one meal, and once the bulk of the meat is eaten, the rest of the carcass can be boiled along with the leftover veg to make a soup. Simply let it simmer overnight, pull the remaining bits of chicken off the bone in the morning, add some more veg and pulses (e.g. beans or lentils) and let it do it’s thing in the slow cooker throughout the day.
TOP TIP: Want to save on electricity? Get yourself a Wonderbag! This revolutionary non-electric, portable slow cooker will keep your food cooking for hours without any electricity after an initial warm-up on the stove.
Fill up on fruit and veg
One of the best ways to ensure that your body stays healthy and your wallet doesn’t run empty in the middle of the month is to fill up on seasonal fruit and vegetables. Not only are these nutritional powerhouses filled with essential vitamins and minerals that keep all your vital processes ticking over, it’s also super affordable if you buy the stuff that’s in season. Make a point of filling half your plate with a colourful salad and some veggies before you add meat or starch – this will keep your waistline slim and cut down on the amount of expensive animal protein you need to buy.
Following these guidelines will allow you to keep streamline your household expenses while still eating healthily. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks and months for more expert insight into all things budget related. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to a member of our Libertine Consultants team to find out more our debt services and credit services. We are here to help you pave the way to a more prosperous future.
