Clean Eating on a Budget

Clean eating can be expensive. We all know this, but so can eating like crap. Here are my suggestions for eating clean on a budget.... 

First. Make a meal plan so that you are not buying unnecessary things or throwing away food that goes bad.

Second. Look at the deals before you go to the store. Most stores are now allowing you to load coupons to your rewards card. 

Third. I recently downloaded an app called Ibotta (click here to check it out) which allows you to select rebates before you shop, then you verify the purchase, send a picture of your receipt and you will be awarded money. When you hit $20 you can cash out by sending it to paypal or venmo. Here is the cool thing - they have a whole bunch of bonuses, which you don't know about until you start using it. For example the first time I shopped I got an extra $5 bonus! When I got $5 with of bonuses in one shopping trip they gave me a free $5. It starts to add up. The cool thing with this app is it will let you buy produce and get money! I have got money on apples, onion, lettuce, tomato, lemon, green pepper, banana's! It also lets you add generic things such as any brand yogurt, cheese, eggs, milk. So you can really save if you have an additional coupon or there is a sale going on. Also there is an app called Checkout 51. I haven't had much success with it, but others have.

Four. Try shopping at Costco or BJ's for deals. They also accept coupons. I buy items in bulk at a cheaper price and freeze them. This is especially good for buying meat. 

Five. You don't always have to buy fresh produce. You can buy frozen veggies and save money!

Six. Check out your local paper and see if they are running any deals for signing up. We get the Sunday paper with coupons for less than $1 a paper. I usually save a few dollars each time I go with the coupons I've clipped.

Seven. There are stores like Aldi that have items at a discounted rate. I don't have one near my house anymore, but it's a good store to save money in. 

My best advice is to make a plan and stick to it. Don't go to the store hungry. Avoid the middle isles. Sure the two bags of chips for $6 sounds great, but let's be serious those things start to add up. Don't forget to check out Ibotta. It's been my money saver lately and I'm totally loving it.