Guest Author - Jennifer Murray

Eating healthy when on a budget is easier than you may think.

A common misconception is that buying healthy food is much more expensive than buying unhealthy food. Here are some tips on how to eat healthy when you're on a budget.

Make food from scratch
Yes, when you buy pre-packaged foods, you get convenience, but you're trading convenience for nutrition. Most pre-packaged foods are high in sodium, calories, fat, and sugar, and actually cost more than foods made at home. Making food from scratch might take a little more time, but can be worth it in terms of saving money and getting more vitamins and nutrients from your food.

Pre-plan your shopping trip

Don't ever shop on an empty stomach! You'll end up buying things that you don't really need or wouldn't normally buy.

Make a list, stick to it, and look for sales on the items on your list.

Compare prices between grocery stores and try to get most if not all of your items from the store offering the lowest prices.

Be careful when using coupons. Coupons are great to use if the coupon is for something you normally buy and use, but coupons are often for foods that are more expensive.

Go prepared
When out grocery shopping or running errands, bring along healthy snacks so you won't be tempted to stop at a fast food restaurant. Making snacks at home or even buying them from the store is cheaper than buying food at a restaurant.

Eat at home more often
You should eat at home more often or as often as possible. Eating out can get expensive and restaurant food is usually high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium.

For even more tips on eating healthy on a budget, check out this article: Eating Healthy on a Budget

A great book for eating healthy at low cost is: