Welcome to the ABCs of Savings! Each day we’ll be discussing another money saving topic, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. Be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you don’t miss any steps along the way. You can read the full alphabet of posts here (updated as they are posted).

H: Healthy Meals

Food is a HUGE part of most families’ grocery budgets. We talk often about how to save money at the grocery store and how to avoid eating out. There are several reasons why eating at home is a money-saver.

Using the Stockpile

If you have a little stockpile of food built up, you can save a ton of money by cooking at home. I’ve found that I realize the most savings when I plan our menus from what we already have. So, instead of just planning out our favorite meals, I take a look at what’s in our pantry. If I have several ingredients for one meal, I may only need to buy one or two things to make that meal. If I keep a stockpile of healthy ingredients, I can save money and know my family is eating well.

Health Benefits

One of the huge benefits of cooking at home is health cost savings. Cooking at home usually means healthier meals. Heathier meals mean a healthier family. And a healthier family is a less expensive family. We’ve been able to control my husband’s cholesterol levels though diet alone. This has saved us multiple doctor’s visits, medicines, and stress.

Just Plain Cheaper

Many people have the misconception that there are only coupons for highly-processed, unhealthy foods. But that’s just not the case. We’ve seen coupons for berries, frozen veggies, organic products, and many other healthy options.  I’ve started making most of our meals from scratch, and it’s much cheaper than many processed foods that I’ve used in the past. I can make a healthy meal for the three of us for $5 – $7.  So I’m sold on the fact that cooking healthy foods on a budget is very doable.