Eating Well on a Budget in New Zealand
How to maximise nutrition on a limited budget
Half Your Grocery Bill
‘Healthy eating’ and ‘cheap meals’ are two phrases that tend to not go together. Keep reading and we will show you how you can save money while still eating well. We’re talking halving your grocery bill.
Buy Seasonal Produce in New Zealand
Embrace the seasons & budget-friendly produce!
There is no doubt that seasonal produce grown in NZ tastes so much better than imported produce. It is also much lighter on the wallet. Embrace the NZ seasons by swapping your go-to vegetables with what is abundant and cheap at different times of the year.
Examples of affordable seasonal fruits & vegetables
View Two Raw Sisters Guide to NZ Autumn Seasonal Produce & Recipes
View Two Raw Sisters Guide to NZ Winter Seasonal Produce & Recipes
Budget-Friendly Grocery Shopping Strategies
1. Shop smart, save more
Rather than planning your week by choosing what recipes you’re going to make, writing a big looong shopping list, and buying expensive, out of season produce here’s what we recommend:
First go to the produce store
Buy produce that is cheap and in season
Then go home and choose what recipes you’re going to make
Substitute ingredients in your chosen recipes with the seasonal NZ produce you’ve bought and see what delicious meals you can make.
Your end result:
Cheap meals
Time-efficient meal planning
Consumption of delicious seasonal produce grown in NZ
2. Minimise impulse purchases at the supermarket
Marketing, marketing, marketing… We can all get tempted by that chocolate bar on special (everything in moderation).
3. Produce store first, supermarket second
We mostly shop at local produce stores over supermarkets. They tend to have more seasonal produce grown in NZ, perfect for budget eats. This is where we buy the bulk of our food for the week then get any other staples or household items at the supermarket.
4. Bulk buy pantry staples
Bulk buying your pantry staples will save you money which will also result in cheaper meals. Google the nearest local bulk bin and produce store near you. We recommend you take jars and containers from home and fill these with nuts, grains, seeds, flour etc.
Plan Your Meals, Conquer Your Week
Meal planning will save you money and time
Be intelligently lazy. This is a game changer when it comes to saving money, time, and feeling super orgnised in the food department for the week ahead.
On Sunday we always made breakfast, lunch, and a snack to last the entire week. We use cost-effective pantry staples for budget eats that are packed full of nutrients.
5 reasons to be intelligently lazy –
It takes roughly 60 minutes
Cook once, eat multiple times
We don’t have to think about food the whole week
We save money by not buying lunch daily
We use seasonal NZ produce which results in cheaper meals
The hardest part about meal prepping is starting and getting into the great routine…
To help, we’ve given you a FREE budget-friendly meal plan. Try this and notice just how much money and time you’ll save (see link below).