A lot of times the biggest reason people choose eat unhealthily because they find healthy foods to be more expensive. After a year and a half of following a whole food plant based diet, I have discovered a few hacks to help me save money and eat quality foods.

1. Become a member at a grocery store.

My first suggestion is to become a member at a grocery store that offers discounts and rewards. I use city market because every dollar I spend goes towards discounted gas and they have many member discounts. This is a really great way to save a few dollars each time you come to the store.

2. Look for produce on sale

My second suggestion is to go straight to the produce section of the grocery store and look for any produce that is on sale. Often times the grocery store will buy fruits ad veggies that are on the verge of being over-ripe on sale; my local grocery store has a 99cent shelf where each 1-3lb bag of produce is only 99 cents. This is a really great way to get more fresh produce.

3. Buy bananas

Another hack that I have is bananas! Bananas are a great food source, they are easy to digest, full of potassium and antioxidants, and a compatible sugar-fiber ratio to keep your cells fueled with glucose and your blood sugar levels even. Even better, they are 37 cents a pound for conventional and 69 cents a pound for organic. I use bananas in my smoothies to make them sweet and creamy, and I usually add frozen berries or whatever fruit I found on sale that week.

4. Bulk shopping

Bulk shopping is a great way to save money and to stock your home with an abundance of healthy food. I purchase bulk rice and dry beans and lentils from my local grocery store. These items have a long shelf life and they are very affordable and healthy ingredients to base a meal off of.

5. No wasted food = no wasted money

One great way to save money while eating healthy is to reduce your wasted food. Whenever I have fruit that is about to go bad I cut it up and put it in a baggie for my smoothies. Instead of throwing your money away you can make a delicious smoothie!

These are just a few of the simple tricks that I use to save money while eating a whole food plant-based diet. The saying that “health is wealth” is very true to me, feeling good and fueling myself with the optimal food to keep my mind and body healthy is worth more than material wealth to me. Feeling great is even better when buying healthy, delicious foods fits into your budget.