It’s easy to think that if you want to build healthy lifestyle habits, you’d better get ready to spend a fortune. After all, simply walking around your local supermarket will show you that many of the top healthy foods come with a hefty price tag.

That said, creating healthy lifestyle habits may be less expensive than you think. The key is in doing the right planning before you head out to shop. Yes, it will take a touch of extra effort if you want to make your strategy affordable, but it is well worth a few extra minutes per week.

Know the Value of Your Healthy Lifestyle Habits

To start, it’s important to understand the difference between being frugal and being cheap. To build healthy lifestyle habits, you want to be frugal. It refers to being smart with the way you spend. Being cheap simply means trying to buy the least expensive foods. Those aren’t necessarily the best ones. They may not taste as good or they may not be as nutritious. Keeping in mind that your primary goal is supporting your health, being cheap doesn’t necessarily align with that end.

The key is to be frugal so that you will spend strategically and buy delicious, nutrient dense foods at the best possible price. This may mean that you’ll buy the cheapest items at times. Sometimes, that works. Other times, more expensive items will need to fit onto the list. There, it’s key to buy them in the most spending-efficient way.

How to Buy Expensive Items on a Budget

Use the following tips to make sure those pricier items fit within your shopping budget. Before you know it, you’ll have worked your shopping in as a component of your healthy lifestyle habits.

• Buy the right organics – If you want to buy organic produce, shop for the items where it matters most. Some foods – for instance, bananas and citrus fruits – have thick skins and pesticides don’t penetrate to the flesh that you eat (unless you’re using citrus zest in a recipe). Instead, check out the dirtiest foods such as strawberries, apples and spinach, and keep your organic shopping limited to those items.
• Buy large pieces of meat – Buying a large cut of meat may look expensive, but if you do the butchering yourself, you’ll save a fortune per portion. Purchase larger cuts of lean meats, buy your fish and poultry whole, and butcher them as soon as you get home, storing the portions. The savings is substantial, particularly over a year.
• Plan your meals – Much of the expense associated with the average American family’s grocery bill has to do with how much is thrown away. Start making a weekly menu for all the meals you will prepare. Check to see what ingredients you need, then create a list. Tweak your menu based on sales in your supermarket’s flyer for further savings. Then, when you get to the store, buy only what’s on your list. These healthy lifestyle habits can cut up to a quarter off your total grocery bill.