Try these top tips on how to lose weight on a budget:

• Buy and freeze fresh fruit and vegetables when they’re in season
• Plan your weekly meals around food on offer
• Try cheaper cuts of meat instead of the premium versions
• Bulk up meals with grains and beans
• Write a shopping list
• Save your leftover dinner for lunch the next day
• Use vegetables to bulk up your dinner
• Freeze food like bread and meat in portions
• Eat smaller portions

Dieting can be tricky business, especially if you’re on a budget. Bulk buying cheap frozen food can certainly cost less than buying fresh meat and vegetables, and is often the easiest option – but it doesn’t have to be. With a few tips in tow, eating healthy and losing weight on a budget can be made simple. Knowing a few cooking hacks, and a few simple budgeting techniques can help enormously. Leading short term loan provider, Mr Lender, has put together 9 top tips on how to lose weight on a budget.

Buy fresh and freeze it

Buying fresh fruit and vegetables is one of the best and easiest ways to diet on a budget. Fresh fruit and vegetables are likely to be much cheaper when they’re in season as they are easier to grow and source. This is the time you should be buying in bulk, and freezing them to defrost later in the year. You’re also likely to find some good deals towards the end of the season, as businesses want to get rid of any leftover produce – this is another great time to buy your fresh fruit and vegetables in bulk.

Plan around the sales

Making a meal plan is an ideal way to save money and lose weight at the same time. By sticking to a plan you’re less likely to buy any unhealthy foods, or opt for a takeaway instead. But rather than planning your weekly shop around your meal plan, plan your dinners around your shop instead. Buy healthy food when it goes on sale, and use this to plan your meals. For example, if minced meat is on sale at your local supermarket, buy it and make a healthy spaghetti Bolognese, a lasagne and burritos through the week.

Try the cheaper cuts of meat

Instead of choosing the premium cuts of lamb for a healthy stew, try cheaper cuts like the neck instead. Just as tasty, and far cheaper. Opting for chicken thighs instead of chicken breast is also a great way to save money when dieting on a budget.

Try grains and beans to bulk up a meal

Grains like quinoa are a cheap, healthy alternative to more bulkier carbs like pasta and white rice. Using quinoa is a good way to thicken up light meals like salads, while sticking to the budget and the diet. Using grains and beans is not only a cheap way to add body to a meal, but they’re also very filling – meaning you will ultimately need to use less.

Write a shopping list

One dieting tip which you’ve more than likely heard more than once – write a list. Writing a shopping list is a great way to stick to a diet on a budget. Buy essential, versatile items like quinoa and vegetables, then mix up the meat depending on what is on offer. Avoid buying anything which isn’t necessary like biscuits, crisps and chocolate. This can be tricky, but if you go shopping with a list, it becomes far simpler.

Eat leftovers for lunch

When you cook your evening meals, cook extra portions for lunch the next day. This means you will be less tempted to pop to your local cafe for a jacket potato, or the supermarket for a quick and convenient ham sandwich. Bringing in leftovers from the night before will make sure you are eating healthy, and not spending unnecessarily for an overpriced lunch.

Bulk up dinner with more vegetables

You were probably told as a child that there was no such thing as too much veg. Well, whoever said that was right. Besides any carbs on your plate, meat and fish is often the most calorific part of a meal, and the most expensive to boot. So cut back on protein, and add plenty more veg to bulk up your meal and save some pennies too.

Freeze food in portions

Your freezer is going to become your best friend as you learn how to lose weight on a budget. Freezing food as soon as the weekly shop comes in is the perfect way to save money, and avoid throwing away wasted food. One example is to freeze your bread in portions. To lose weight, you might choose to cut back on carbs, which means a loaf of bread is going to last a bit longer than it did before the diet. This also means you may end up throwing away left over bread. Instead, portion your bread, and freeze any leftovers.

Eat smaller portions

This can be easier said than done at the start of a diet, especially as your body adjusts to eating less. But using smaller plates will trick your mind into thinking you are eating more than what you actually are. This will help you learn how to lose weight, and how to stick to your budget.