6 Tips to Stretch Your Food Budget and Eat Healthy

Leah Pryor, Executive Chef, and Culinary Medicine Leader at UVM Health and UVM Medical Center, is someone we work closely with at CVCOA, and she has these tips to share:

1.  Start With What You Already Have

Before you shop, check your fridge, freezer and pantry. Skipping this step often leads to buying food you already own or don’t use in time. Building meals around what’s already there cuts waste and lowers your grocery bill.

Even small habits, like freezing bread, tortillas or vegetables before they go bad, can help stretch what you buy.

2.  Make One Ingredient Do More

Instead of planning single meals, think about how many meals one item can support.  Pryor points to a whole chicken. One purchase can become several meals: roasted chicken, soup, broth, tacos or grain bowls. The upfront cost may seem high, but the value comes from how far it goes.  “It’s about how many ways you can use something,” she says.

The same idea applies to staples like rice, beans or greens. When you plan for overlap, you spend less and waste less.

3. Use Frozen and Canned Foods Strategically

Fresh isn’t always better or cheaper. Frozen fruits and vegetables are picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen, which helps preserve nutrients. They also last longer, reducing waste.

“Canned and frozen are your friends,” Pryor says.  Frozen vegetables may not work for every dish, but they’re well suited to soups, casseroles or blended dishes. They’re especially useful if you don’t have time to cook every day or worry about food spoiling before you can use it.

Canned items are also a quick and easy option. Choosing lower-sodium versions and cooking more from whole ingredients gives you greater control over salt.

4. Build a Pantry That Works for You

A reliable pantry makes healthy meals easier, even when fresh food is limited or costly. Think beans, grains, canned fish, spices or sauces you actually like. “Your pantry should reflect what you like to eat,” Pryor says.  "If food feels familiar and satisfying, you’re more likely to use what you buy."

5. Consider Local Options — When They Make Sense

In Vermont and the North Country, local food can be both an opportunity and a challenge.  Buying directly from farms or joining a community supported agriculture (CSA) program can mean fresh, seasonal produce at a lower cost per item.

But it works best if you’re realistic about what you’ll use.  For some people, cooking around what’s in season saves money and improves quality. For others, it can lead to waste.

One solution is splitting a share with a neighbor or friend to reduce cost and makes the food easier to use before it goes bad.

6. Plan Just Enough

Meal prep doesn’t have to mean cooking everything in advance. It can be as simple as:

• Knowing which meals you’ll make with what you buy
• Prepping a few ingredients ahead of time
• Having a plan for leftovers

Even a loose plan can help you avoid last-minute takeout or extra trips to the store.

The Bigger Shift

For Pryor, healthy eating isn’t about doing everything perfectly.  It’s about reducing waste, building a few core skills and using what’s available, whether that’s frozen vegetables, canned fish or a whole chicken.