Healthy Eating on a Shoestring

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Ten tips for smart shoppers

Shop from a list to avoid impulse buys

Making simple food swaps at the supermarket can really trim down your budget. Here are a few other tried-and-tested ways to get more value from your next shopping trip.

• Be prepared. Planning your meals and buying the food you need in advance can stop you resorting to less healthy options when it's dinner time and you're starving. Keeping a few pantry staples on hand, like tinned tomatoes, rice, tinned tuna, frozen vegetables and cans of beans, also means that you won't be caught short if the fridge is on the empty side. With a few basic ingredients you can whip up a budget-friendly, low-calorie meal in no time.
  
  
• Shop from a list. Make a shopping list and then stick to it! Planning what you need to buy stops impulse purchases, like that tub of chocolate chip ice cream that's on special. Don't forget to include healthy foods for lunches and snacks on your shopping list. Just by packing your own lunch and kicking your morning latte-and-muffin habit you could save yourself upwards of $2000 a year!
  
  
• Stick to the outside of the supermarket. In most supermarkets you'll find the basics in the outside aisles - milk, vegetables and fruits, meat and bread. The inner aisles usually contain things like confectionary, chips, snack foods and so on. Get to know your supermarket and stick to the aisles that you actually need. Don't tempt yourself by venturing down the ones you don't.
  
  
• Buy in bulk. Items such as meat, potatoes and carrots are cheaper per kilo if you buy a larger quantity. Freeze the extras (if freezable), or split large purchases with friends or family members. Likewise you can make your own single-serve portions of snack foods by dividing up a more economical, larger packet as soon as you get home from the supermarket - save money and protect your waistline.
  
  
• Get a leg-up with legumes. Legumes (beans and lentils) are tasty, versatile and cheap. At only 70 - 130 calories per 75g serving, you can fill up without fattening up. Soaking and cooking dried beans and lentils is the cheapest option, but tinned legumes are also economical. Just watch the sodium content of some brands.
  
  
• Use those veggies. Halve the amount of meat in recipes and add additional vegetables. More veggies means extra fibre, less saturated fat, and more antioxidants and vitamins for your body, plus more dollars in your pocket! Stir-frys, Bolognese and lasagne are all good dishes to try out this tip on.
  
  
• Grow your own. Nothing beats the taste of home-grown vegetables and fruits. If you've only got a small yard or courtyard, look for varieties that grow well in pots. And if they're right there in your garden, you'll have no excuse not to snack on a fresh-picked mandarin or carrot!
  
  
• Buy in-season. Buying out-of-season fruits and vegetables often results in an expensive, imported products that can be disappointingly tasteless. Choose recipes that make the most of what's in season and enjoy the good taste and cheaper prices. Instead of spending money on chocolate bars, treat yourself to some of the more exotic fruit varieties when they come into season, like mangos, fresh raspberries, custard apples, lychees and pineapple.
  
  
• Don't go shopping when you're hungry. A sure-fire way to end up with expensive, high-calorie extras in your trolley is to visit the supermarket on an empty stomach! You'll be better able to make sensible decisions if your stomach isn't steering you towards the chocolate aisle.
  
  
• Make it from scratch. Preparing a dish yourself rather than buying the pre-made version will usually save you money and can help you stick to your calorie targets. You can use low-calorie cooking methods to make the meal healthier, plus you'll be doing your body a favour by skipping the preservatives and additives that are often added to keep pre-prepared meals fresh.