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Eating Healthy on a Shoestring Budget can be accomplished by following these easy steps:
- Print & Clip Coupons
- Make a Meal Plan for the Week
- Make a List & Stick to It
- Organize Your Shopping Trip
- Buy in Bulk
- Don't Buy Convenience Foods
- Spend Time in the Kitchen
- Make Homemade Stocks & Broths
- Stretch Your Dollar
Print & Clip Coupons
At the beginning of each month, we post 10 new coupons on this website. You'll find savings from every major department including grocery, produce, bulk foods, supplements, health and beauty and more. Print and use these coupons all month long (one coupon per item, per visit).
Check your favorite product manufacturer's website for printable coupons or sign up for their e- newsletter.
Make a Meal Plan for the Week - Consider incorporating food items that you have coupons for or that are on sale. If something is on sale that you could use as a substitute for a particular ingredient in a recipe, by all means change it.
- Pick meals that have similar components, such as rice or beans that you could incorporate in other meals throughout the week. This allows you to buy in bulk and save money.
- Hang your meal plan on the refrigerator so you are sure to follow it.
Make a List & Stick to It- Check your inventory prior to making your list. Make sure you don't add items to your list that you already have in the pantry.
- If you have coupons for a particular item, make a mark near the item so you remember to use it.
- Stick to your list, but feel free to allow yourself 1-2 impulse buys. Chances are you will be more cautious about your purchases and won't go over your budget.
Organize Your Shopping Trip- Set a monetary limit.
- Buy Local and Seasonal Products whenever possible. Less transportation and storage costs equal less cost.
- Make sure you bring:
- Your list
- A calculator
- Your coupons
- Your reusable bags (We give you 5 cents off of each reusable bag you fill!)
Buy in Bulk- Harvest Market stocks a large selection of items such as grains, beans, dried soups, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, coffee and herbs and spices in bulk.
- Preorder your favorite products by the case or in a larger bulk quantity to receive a 15% discount off the shelf price. Call the store at 302.234.6779 or inquire at Customer Service for details.
- Remember to buy in bulk only if you can consume the entire product. Otherwise, you will ultimately lose money if the product is unused or spoils.
Don't Buy Convenience Foods- Pre-sliced, pre-grated, prewashed, or prepared food: Depending on your situation, you must decide whether it is worth saving money or saving time.
- Bottled water: Instead opt for a reusable drink container that you can fill with water or any other beverage you like!
Coffee: Buying coffee that is already brewed is very pricy in the morning. Make your coffee and breakfast at home.
- Anything you can easily make at home such as broth: The added benefit besides saving money is the quality and personal touch you bring to your favorite dish or beverage.
Homemade Just Tastes Better
Have Extra Time on Your Hands? Spend it in the Kitchen!
- Take the opportunity to make your own dough for breads, pizza, and pasta. Making your own dough doesn't require a bread machine, but you can always search second hand shops or yard sales for an inexpensive one. Once your breads are baked, your pasta noodles made or your pizza dough formed, think long term. You can freeze almost anything for use at a later date. This makes it super easy to have those home cooked meals without sacrificing your time on an already busy day!
- Make a cake or cookies to have as dessert for the week instead of buying packaged sweets.
- Can your own veggies, jams, sauces or sauerkraut with the bounty from your garden or the farmers market. Plan ahead and you can enjoy your favorite produce out of season. In the dead of winter you can enjoy the taste of fresh, summer tomato sauce. Go wild! Canning your own fruits and veggies can be easy and fun.
- Make your own stocks and broths. See below.
Homemade Stocks and Broths
Homemade Chicken Stock
"Indeed, stock is everything in cooking. Without it, nothing can be done"
-Auguste Escoffier
1 Whole Chicken
1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
3-4 quarts of water
Add all to a stockpot and simmer on low 6-8 hours. For a more nutritionally complete bone broth, omit the vegetables and simmer in a slow cooker for 24 hours. Can be done with a fresh chicken, with the meat to be pulled and eaten, or the chicken carcass after a meal. Add to rice, beans, stews, or use for a rich medicine during cold and flu season.
Store stock in fridge up to 3 days or store in the freezer for a few months.
Read more on the delicacies of broth in the Weston A. Price article, Broth is Beautiful.
Homemade Vegetable Broth
Making your own broth is a great way to reduce food waste by using vegetable scraps. Start collecting scraps early by storing in the fridge or freezer until ready for use. Vegetables that have withered a little or lost their color slightly can be used, but not vegetables that are starting to spoil.
Vegetable scraps: All unused parts from organic apples, celery, onions, carrots, turnips, potatoes, mushrooms, parsnips, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, etc. can be used.
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3-4 quarts water
4-6 cloves of garlic
any herbs you have on hand such as: bay leaf, thyme or parsley
Add all to soup pot and simmer for a few hours on the stovetop. Strain broth and discard vegetables.
Store broth in fridge up to 1 week or store in freezer for a few months.
Stretch your Dollar
- Cut your more expensive juices with water or herbal tea. This not only saves money, but also reduces your sugar intake.
-If you find your bread goes moldy before you get through the loaf, split it in half and freeze one portion for later. Just thaw it out in the fridge before you plan on using it.
- Freeze your leftover meals to eat at a later date when you just want a quick meal, are the only one home for dinner or don't feel like cooking.
- At the end of the week play "mad chef" by creating a meal with those odds and ends in the fridge. If you don't feel as adventurous or self-confident that your mad chef meal will be delicious, go to www.allrecipes.com. They offer help by allowing you to add those ingredients that you have in your pantry or fridge, and then they create a recipe for you.
- Add fillers to your dishes:
- Brown rice, quick oats, beans, and veggies are healthy ways to bulk up any meal and use smaller amounts of the more expensive ingredients.
- Try adding fillers to your meat loaf. You can use partially cooked rice or shredded veggies to the loaf mixture and cut back on the amount of meat. It will still be satisfying, filling and delicious.
- When you make soup, stew, or chili, add plenty of veggies and beans in the mix. They satisfy your hunger and still provide you with the sustenance you need. Add a side of rice for a complete meal.
We proudly accept Food Stamp/EBT Cards
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