{8.4} Eating Well on a Budget: 6 Steps to Feed your Family without Breaking the Bank

Until a few weeks ago I was a meal plan dodger all of my adult life. Despite it being my no. 1 piece of advice for clients to (a) stick to their goals (b) save money and (c) avoid having to use willpower to stop eating junk. While it's true that meal planning can do all of those things, I'm also a very creative cook, and it's genuinely one of my most favourite things to do. Plus meal plannings felt boring, limiting and time consuming. But I knew I was spending way more on food than I should, I was spending way too much time cooking and I was starting to lose motivation for coming up with interesting meals on the fly every day. And I was definitely snacking on the sweet stuff more than I care to admit. So two weeks ago I decided it was finally time to take my own advice. And the difference it's made to my headspace and our budget has been transformational - not to mention how much less often I've reached for sugar in between meals. In this episode, I'm diving deeper into the 6 steps you can take to save money on your weekly food shop. I'll cover: Setting your initial budget and what to take into account The pros and cons of online food shopping How to prioritise what you spend on your food based on your values and what's important to you Shopping in season and what to look out for Switching to cheaper plant-based protein without compromising on nutrition Why ignoring the hype around nutrition claims to save you money “How much you decide to spend on food for your family is quite personal.” I recognise the privilege I have on the choices I make when it comes to health and food shopping, but I also believe that most of us make a choice of some sort based on our values when it comes to the price we pay for food and so I hope this episode can give you some guidance on how to focus those choices to avoid over-spending unnecessarily. And if you'd like to learn more about the benefits of meal planning, have a listen to my interview a couple of weeks ago with Claire Gillies of Delicious and Real. She has also generously offered a 10% discount on signups to her meal plan service using the code HealthyMothers10 when you sign up here: https://deliciousandreal.com/membership-levels. (This is an affiliate code!) Other episodes you'll enjoy: {8.2} Meal Planning Magic: Saving Time, Energy, and Your Sanity with Claire Gillies of Delicious and Real {8.1} 5 Steps to Read Food Labels for Healthy Eating Confused About Nutrition: Just tell me what to eat! {7.3} Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tashadcruz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tashadcruznutrition Website: https://tashadcruz.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating on Apple Podcast. I'm celebrating 3 years of podcasting this month! To say thank you, I’m hosting a special giveaway - the first 3 people who leave me a review for the podcast on Apple Podcast will get a goody bag full of feel-good self-care bits that I love, a discount code for 20% off a future group programme or workshop and a free book from my personal bookshelf based on your stage in motherhood! To enter, review the podcast on Apple Podcast, email me a screenshot of your review (take the screenshot before you submit otherwise you'll miss it!) and send the screenshot to [email protected] or DM on Instagram: @tashadcruz. If you're listening to this after May 2023, I'd still hugely appreciate a review because the more ratings and reviews there are, the more people the podcast will reach, and the more mums we can support! Want more energy and motivation? To get yourself on the way to springing out of bed in the mornings, download my free guide: Ten Things You're Doing Everyday to Sabotage Your Energy. #raisinghealthymothers DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on tashadcruz.com is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you may have heard on the podcast or on the website. I may earn commission on shopping links to external sites, e.g. Amazon. This doesn't change the price you pay but gives me a small commission which goes back into keeping the podcast running.