How To Lose Weight On A Budget

There are so many things to consider when you start a weight loss journey and a major one is cost. 

We hear it all the time, "It's too expensive to eat healthy," and in some respects, that's pretty fair. With all the trendy superfoods on the market, it can seem like losing weight and being healthy is all about shelling out money for pricey foods.

Spoiler alert: it's not!

To help you save some cash and hit your weight loss goals, we have put together our go-to tips for saving money on your weekly grocery shop as well as introducing a few tricks to bring into play during the week.

This should be a given but If you go to the shops while hungry, you’re more likely to stray from your grocery list and buy something on impulse ($2 chocolate bar special anyone?).

When you're hungry, you will often reach for processed foods that have no real beneficial nutrients and more than likely you will still be hungry, and since these generally aren’t on your list, they’re not good for your wallet, either.

Try to eat a healthy snack or drink a big glass of water before you go to the store, this way you won’t be hungry when you get there.

Don't laugh, but those doomsday preppers might have been onto something!

Keeping canned vegetables around is a great way to make sure you always have veggies when you need them. Make sure you pick canned vegetables without added salt and compare cans to find one with lower sodium content.

Today you can find some pretty handy frozen products on the cheap, like carrot spirals, cauliflower rice, and zoodles (zucchini noodles). Many frozen vegetables are just as nutritious (if not more so) than their fresh versions, and they're also usually low-calorie, as long as you buy them without added sauces.

Looking for high-protein snacks in manageable portions?

Hit the deli for those extra ingredients! A cube of Feta or a few slices of ham will cost a lot less this way!

Don’t be afraid to buy the home brand when doing your groceries.

All food manufacturers have to follow standards to provide safe food. The generic brands may be the same quality as other bigger fancy brands, just less expensive.

We know there are just some things that can’t be beaten, but fancy packaging and labels don’t always mean something. Just make sure they are not cheapening the product with more processed ingredients.

Where you can choose the cheaper option, do it!

For those of you lucky enough to have a partner who loves to cook, stop reading now, and tell them how grateful you are that they can cook!

We know cooking can be bloody hard and even harder when you've had a long day at work and all you want is a beer and a slice of pizza, but you ain't gonna lose weight that way. Having said that we want to encourage everyone to learn to cook the basics, because it will do you good in the long term!

On those nights you can't be bothered cooking, it's important to prepare yourself and stock up on pre-packaged meals. These guys are great for calorie control and keeping you on track but the best part is they can be as cheap as $9.95 per meal! Sometimes even cheaper if you can get a deal or coupon.

You can grab good options from the local supermarket or order online!

Now obviously this is a shameless plug and we are going to take it.

Think about how much you would generally pay for two meals. Then consider that when consuming the The Man Shake for breakfast and lunch, you're basically paying $2.50 per meal. It doesn't get much cheaper than that (based on our exclusive Buy 3 Get 1 Free online deal).

In today's day and age, most chocolate bars cost more than $2.50 each, let alone a high-in-protein, low-in-sugar meal replacement that has everything your body needs in a day, keeps you full, and helps you lose weight. So, what are you waiting for?

If you have joined our closed community group "The Man Shakers" you will know that one of the hot topics discussed is snacks on special!

No doubt you have your products or snacks that you use all the time, so it's time to pay attention to those supermarket specials, so you can buy your favourites in bulk and snag a deal.

Just make sure that whatever you buy will last for a while and won’t expire while in storage. You won’t save yourself any money if you buy something you’ll just end up throwing out.