Using Technology to Help Your Wallet
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Summary:
Eating nutritious foods doesn’t have to be expensive. Read more to learn about fun resources to help you eat healthy on a budget.
Where to Start
Before we dive in, it is important to understand that eating nutritious foods does not have to be expensive, stressful, or difficult. It’s all about eating a variety of fresh foods that you enjoy. During pregnancy certain nutrients are needed in larger amounts - this is a time where you want to be a little more mindful about the types of foods you eat. We have tons of blogs about nutrients and suggestions on what foods to include during pregnancy. Additionally, our recipe generator is highly recommended as the recipes are tailored to accommodate your individual needs.
There are many resources to help you eat the foods you need without breaking the bank. Some alternatives to local grocery stores may include local food banks, dollar stores, or local groups dedicated to community food security. The majority of these places have access to foods such as peanut butter, tuna, frozen veggies, and other non-perishable items which can include the necessary nutrients needed for your daily diet.
Get rewards for grocery shopping!
The following two apps reward users simply for grocery shopping by providing cashback rewards:
Shopkick→ Shopkick encourages users to scan barcodes on participating companies. Once a user has a certain amount of kicks they are able to receive a gift card in return.
Ibotta→ Ibotta rewards users with cash back on grocery purchases simply by scanning their receipts after purchases and purchasing items that are advertised for the week. Simply connect to your grocery store on the app and let the money roll in.
Fine-tune your meals
Meal tracking apps are not simply for calorie counting. These resources can be a great tool to aid in monitoring what nutrients you are consuming and if you are consuming enough. Some popular apps include:
MyPlate by the US Department of Agriculture→ This app helps you create a nutrition plan, set goals, and also provides shopping tips.
My Fitness Pal→ If you are trying to incorporate fitness into your daily life along with nutrition, this app is all-encompassing and allows you to track exercise and food consumption while setting goals and detailing nutrition intake. Additionally, it can be connected to a smartwatch to optimize your fitness tracking.
Cronometer→ This app is an excellent way to include tons of micronutrients that are needed during pregnancy. It tracks exercise, biometrics, and other health data as well.
Tips for shopping on a budget:
Prioritize making a grocery list before shopping. This will help with meal planning and help prevent impulse buys, which can rack up your shopping bill. Remember to include a variety of different fruits, veggies, and protein sources - have fun with it!
Purchase meat when it’s on sale. Most stores will put their fresh meat on sale when it is about to expire. As long as you cook or freeze it by the use-by date, it should be perfectly safe!
Meal prepping is an excellent way to ease the difficulty of planning a week's worth of meals. This does NOT have to take up an entire afternoon. Simply choose larger recipes, make them, and section out leftovers in containers for meals later in the week (freeze meals that will not be used within 4 days).
When shopping, comparing unit prices and buying in bulk can often save you money.
In-season produce can be less expensive. Often farmer’s markets are less expensive than grocery stores. If fresh is not in your budget, try frozen fruits/veggies!
If you’re running short on time, try Instacart for your grocery shopping needs. If you use our service you will notice that we use Instacart to help deliver our recipe ingredients to your door. It’s quick, easy, and makes grocery shopping more accessible.
Try new recipes. If you’re looking for meal inspiration, Athena’s Bump provides recipes tailored to your individual needs!
*Athena’s Bump does not receive kickbacks or discounts for the mentioned apps. Athena’s bump does receive a small percentage of profits from Instacart when used in conjunction with our service.
Works Cited:
Jetter KM, Adkins J, Cortez S, Hopper GK Jr, Shively V, Styne DM. Yes We Can: Eating Healthy on a Limited Budget. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019 Mar;51(3):268-276. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.002. PMID: 30851840; PMCID: PMC6601616.
Cassady D, Jetter KM, Culp J. Is price a barrier to eating more fruits and vegetables for low-income families? J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 Nov;107(11):1909-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2007.08.015. Epub 2007 Oct 18. PMID: 17964310.
Jetter KM, Adkins J, Cortez S, Hopper GK Jr, Shively V, Styne DM. Yes We Can: Eating Healthy on a Limited Budget. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019 Mar;51(3):268-276. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.002. PMID: 30851840; PMCID: PMC6601616.
