Healthy on a Budget

Your time, money, and health are all valuable, so plan for meals that let you have all three. Scroll down for resources and tips that make healthy food possible on any schedule or budget.

Father shopping with daughters for groceries in local supermarket

Smart Shopping for Healthy Groceries

Eating healthy doesn't have to take a bite out of your budget. These tools and resources can help you stretch your food dollars spent on fruits and veggies.

Farmers Market

Your local Farmers Market is one of the best shopping deals around. If you have CalFresh benefits, you can shop at Farmers Markets that accept EBT. Take the whole family, taste fresh produce, pick up cooking tips, and stretch your dollar. Learn more about using your CalFresh benefits at participating farmers markets.

Some markets also participate in Market Match, a program where shoppers can use CalFresh benefits at participating farmers markets and receive a matching dollar amount (up to a daily maximum) to spend on fruits and vegetables at the same market.

How Market Match works
Mother and son buying vegetables at Farmer's Market
senior woman looking at her coupons before paying for her groceries

Get More Groceries with These Programs

Your dollar buys twice as much at markets participating in the Market Match program. WIC and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program also give you extra money to spend on fruits and vegetables. Because it's farm-to-table fresh, you'll be serving your family the healthiest California-grown food.

Learn more about CalFresh Healthy Living and other programs to help you stretch your food dollars.

Find participating markets near you

How to Grow Your Own at Home

Growing your own veggies and herbs doesn't have to be hard. There are simple ways you can start at home with kitchen scraps or from scratch. It's a fun activity that can also help you save on groceries, plus, you'll always have fresh produce on hand

Learn how to grow a home garden of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs with CalFresh benefits.

How to grow your own at home
Growing green onions, basil, and avocado from scraps
Mom and daughter shopping in supermarket with coupons

Save at the Store

Spending a little time planning ahead can save you money. Shopping in season, searching for sales, starting at the perimeter of the store where the fresh food is first, and skipping pre-packaged foods are just some tactics that can trim your grocery bill.

Learns tips on ways to stretch your dollars at the grocery store and the most efficient ways to plan, prepare and store food.

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Get More Out of Your Grocery Budget

The way you plan, prepare, and store food can add up to your savings over time. Check out these tips for ways to stretch your dollars and your meals.

How To Shop On a Budget

Planning ahead and being a savvy shopper can make a small budget feel much bigger. Try these simple changes to how you buy groceries, and watch how they can add up to big savings.

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How To Meal Plan and Prep Food

Planning and preparing food ahead can save you time and money. Once you get a routine started, you'll spend less money, eat healthy food, AND spend less time cooking throughout the week.

Learn basic food safety tips for handling and preparing healthy meals at home.

Start prepping

Plan Healthy Menus That Work For You

You can shrink your grocery bills by planning meals ahead of time and by using the same ingredients in different recipes.

Find healthy meal ideas

Smart Storage and Buying in Bulk

Budgets last longer when you actually eat all the food you buy. For staples like beans and rice, that can mean buying in bulk. Storing fresh fruits and vegetables correctly makes them last longer. Preparing extra food and then freezing the leftovers not only helps you avoid food waste, but it also saves you time later.

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Healthy Tips

Mastered savvy shopping? Put those tools to use with these healthy tips and resources.