It can be a real challenge in a tough economy to make sure that you eat well and eat healthy. It can be very hard to try to eat healthy food when this type of food tends to be a lot more expensive than foods that aren’t as good for us.

Happily, there are ways for us to eat healthy without breaking the bank. Going to a cooperative for local food growers or a farmers’ market is a great way that you can save money. If you look online, you should have no trouble finding some of these in your area. The next thing you can do is buy food that’s in the right season. Foods that aren’t in season cost a lot more than foods that are in season because of the cost to produce them. Next, make a menu for the items that you will be using, so that you don’t end up throwing away extra food that you have purchased. It’s not a great idea to buy the foods like this in bulk because they will spoil and go bad. These tips should really help you to eat better and keep your family healthier without breaking the bank.

Some people want to rush out and spend money as fast as it hits their hands. Others are way more cautious with their funds. It seems like people have an innate predisposition to be one way or the other.

But what happens when a spender wants to reform and begin saving money instead of frittering it away? How can they fight their bad habits and natural tendencies?

Here are some tips to help you hang onto some of your hard-earned dough.

Make It Automatic

It’s easiest for some people to save money if they never have to lift an actual finger to make it happen. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. All you have to do is set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account to your savings account.

If you get paid twice a month, set the automatic transfer up for the day after your direct deposit hits your account. Then simply write the deduction in your checkbook like you would any other bill.

This may take some extra effort if you’re used to living paycheck to paycheck. If that’s the case, you should start small and work your way up. Even if you only save $5 a paycheck in the beginning, it’s better than what you were doing before.

Wait Before You Buy

We’ve all suffered from buyer’s remorse at some point in our lives – that time where we’ve deeply regretted a spur-of-the-moment purchase.

Some of those purchases set us back a lot of money and we realize it’s going to be a costly mistake. But those errors in judgement can serve as a financial wake-up call to you.

The next time you see a bright, shiny object you think you just have to have, wait a few days. If you’re still wanting it, wait a few more. If after a week or two you want to buy it, go for it. But you’ll find a lot of those purchases won’t have quite the same appeal as they initially did after you’ve waited a while and reconsidered.

Ask Yourself If You Can Really Afford It

Before spending the money on a fancy meal or another non-essential, ask yourself if you can afford it and how you will afford it. Be truthful with yourself. If your solution to being able to afford the purchase is putting it on your credit card, that means you actually can’t afford it.

You’d be better off eating at home and skipping the purchase altogether.

Address Your Feelings

We all know people who are emotional eaters. In fact, we may be guilty of that ourselves.

But there are also emotional spenders – people who would rather spend money for the wrong reasons than deal with the uncomfortable truth about why they’re overspending to begin with.

If you’re buying something because you think it will make you more attractive, cooler, or look like you’re successful, you may need to do some inner work on your self-esteem.

Try to Think More Than You Feel

As with any habit, overspending is not going to get better unless you put in the effort to change. You may only make small strides forward in the beginning, but with time and effort, you’ll get the hang of this saving thing. And nothing will feel better than checking out your new bank balance after a few months.