Eating a healthy diet is crucial to your mental and emotional health as well as your physical wellbeing. It can make a huge difference to your mood, energy, waistline, and how well you think and feel. But at a time when so many of us are out of work, facing an uncertain financial future, or living on a tight budget, finding food that is both wholesome and affordable can be a challenge. Along with a lack of time, having a limited budget is one the major barriers to eating a healthy diet. When you’re hungry and pushed for time and money, processed and fast food can seem like the best options. While convenience foods are often tasty and filling, they also tend to be loaded with calories, sugar, and preservatives, and lacking in essential nutrients. And despite what you may have been lead to believe, eating processed and fast food is rarely cheaper than eating healthy, home-cooked meals. Whether you’re at school, living on your own, or raising a family on a budget, with these useful tips you can enjoy healthy food without breaking the bank. The more you focus on purchasing local, unprocessed food, preparing meals at home, and reducing waste, the healthier and tastier your diet will be, the better you’ll feel, and the more money you’ll save.