MIRECC / CoE
Money & Health: Eating Healthy on a Budget
After leaving the military, did you learn how to COOK? Budget for GROCERIES? Many Veterans leave the military not really knowing how to cook simple, affordable meals. On top of that, many Veterans have not had the opportunity to learn how to manage their money for groceries and eating out. Unless you grew up learning your way around a kitchen and doing the household shopping, chances are some of these tips and resources could be helpful.



Groceries
Learn about making a grocery budget, how shopping with a list can save you money, and other tips for stretching your food dollars.
-
Discover VA services that can help you and your family overcome food insecurity to access safe and nutritious food.
-
Make a plan. These tips will help you figure out how much you’re spending on food, set a realistic budget, and plan ahead to save time and money.
-
Build your shopping list around simple, low cost meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers the MyPlate budget-friendly food app to help with meal planning, grocery shopping, and preparing healthy meals.


Cooking
Whether you’ve been cooking all your life, or are just getting started with the basics, the VA Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) program can teach you all the skills, tips, and tricks to help you cook tasty, nutritious meals that fit your budget.
-
Most VA Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) classes are offered online and/or in person as a series (depending on the VA Medical Center), and cover topics like how to cook grains, safe cooking temperatures, using frozen and canned vegetables, using spices to boost flavor, and many more. Ask your dietitian, or any provider to see if there’s an HTK program at your local VA Medical Center and help you sign up for classes.
-
HTK has published online cookbooks that include lots of recipes. Topics include Cost-Friendly Cooking, One-Pot Meals, and more. Many recipes require either no cooking, or can be made in a microwave.
-
It’s easy to forget about that bag of lettuce in the back of the fridge until it’s too late. Check out these tips on reducing your food waste.
-
Cook along with videos that show you how to make simple, nutritious meals step by step:
- Healthy Teaching Kitchen YouTube Channel
- MyPlate Cooking YouTube Channel
- Nutritious and Delicious Cooking for Veterans


Eating Out
Eating out can be a convenient, enjoyable part of your food budget, especially for social occasions.
-
Eating out whenever you feel like it, or get hungry or bored can make those expenses add up quickly. For example, did you know that if you skip one night of pizza and drinks a month and invest the savings in your retirement account that you'll have over $22,000 saved for retirement in 20 years?
-
Check out these tips for saving money when eating out.
-
Try to think of eating out as a special expense, something you build into your budget on a regular basis, and which you can then look forward to. When you know you have an eating out occasion coming up (e.g., Pizza Friday, monthly burgers with friends, etc.), you can work on avoiding those impulse stops at the drive-through. If you’re working on some health goals, keep in mind these tips when eating out.
These most-recommended financial resources for Veterans are a great place to start if you are not sure which of the five steps is most important to you today.
Learn more
Find your path to
financial success
FINVET is a one-stop website with a wealth of resources to help Veterans in any stage of their financial journeys to earn more, save more, and protect their money.
Learn More