Everyone wants to save money, especially when they are food shopping.  Shopping healthy does not have to be boring or time consuming either. In fact, we are pretty certain we have just about cracked the tips on how to best structure your week to maximise your money, health and time.

The best way being to be prepared, have all of your essentials ready to rock and a full proof plan in place. By following these steps, you are more likely to create healthier meals, save time and stick to your budget better. 

Before you shop:

1. Plan ahead:

Have a brain storm, research recipes and then roughly map out some (or all) of the meals you will be having across the week. What does breakfast look like? What are you packing for lunch? What ingredients do you need to make dinner? What have you got down for snacks? Get creative in the kitchen and make it an enjoyable experience by trying new recipes, new products and new ideas. 

Top tip: Plan in where you can make more meals out of other leftover items. For example, buy or cook enough rice, pasta, meat, curry, jacket potatoes, salad, soups, stews to have enough leftovers to create new meals over the next few days. Mix the leftovers with a different base or side dish, add additional items and you have created a whole new meal with hardly any time at all!

2. Look at what you have in the fridge, freezer and cupboards:

Ask yourself, from the ideas that you have created for the week, what do you have all ready to go? What do you still need to make the meals you have listed? 

Top tip: Create as many meals from the ingredients you already currently have. If you are unsure what you can create, search for recipe inspiration. This is a great tip that can reduce your food waste, save you money and time.

Here are some of our top pick recipes: Spaghetti Bolognese / Mexican Soup / Grain Free Granola

3. Write a list of what you still need to purchase:

From the meal planning and kitchen check, write out what you still need to get to complete your list, make sure it has only the things that you need. This will be the list you stick to in order to maximise your shop, save time and money! 

Top tip: Track your spending and set yourself a realistic weekly or monthly budget. 

4. Stock up on healthy, savvy staples:

WellEasy offers a great range of healthy staples. Click on the following below to see the full collections.

• Bread, grains and pasta
• Breakfast
• Canned & packaged goods
• Condiments, oils & sauces
• Baking
• Snacks
• Nut butters, honey & spreads
• Drinks

Tasty healthy meals are created with good cupboard essentials. We have taken the stress out of those tedious supermarket sweeps, comparing products, checking for ingredients and trying to find healthy products. Everything you need to create meals, have healthy snacks or meals ready to go all in one place with no added stress.

Top tip: Get stocked up with products you can trust. To carry out your weekly plan or to stay on top of your health if plans change, always keeping you prepared.

*Look out for our blog with our top pick products for everyday easy meals*

5. Source the other ingredients you need with thought:

Processed foods are high in ingredients that are not as beneficial to your health such as high sugar, salt, additives, preservatives and other harmful ingredients. Make sure to read the nutrition labels in your current shop and have a check on our site to see the healthier alternatives. A benefit of creating your own meals from scratch with healthy ingredients is that you can reduce the amount of unwanted ingredients within the dishes you create. The quality and the quantity of the ingredients you purchase matters when looking to support your health and reduce your food waste. 

A few of the best ways to do that is to stick to a list of whole foods, opt towards local butchers, local markets, farm shops or organic fresh stores, this way you are also helping to support the community too.

Top Tip: Stock up on local seasonal produce, this will save you money and also help support your health by providing the highest levels of nutrients. 

6. On returning from the shop:

Organise and store the items you have purchased correctly to keep them as fresh as possible, for as long as possible.

Top Tip: Batch make meals in advance and fridge or freeze meals for later in the week. That way you have options ready and are more likely to stick to your plan. 

Need more help or inspiration?

Check out our socials for product picks, our blog for recipes or join our members club for more support.