Every year, our aim is to adopt healthier eating habits and save money simultaneously, which can be quite a challenge! A personal garden can be your aid in accomplishing these goals. Here are four reasons why.
1. REDUCING GROCERY EXPENSES
Groceries often consume a significant portion of our budget, hence it’s crucial to find ways to cut down on these costs. Statistics show that most Americans spend between 14% – 34% of their income on food, which can be quite high. Last year, our food budget fell into the lower end of this spectrum (14%), but this year we’re striving to bring it closer to 10%. Growing our own fresh food can significantly reduce our grocery costs. Not to mention, a good portion of our food budget is allocated towards fresh produce.
2. PHYSICAL EXERTION
Investing time and energy into our garden promotes healthy physical activity. After all, cultivating and maintaining a garden is hard work! Not only does gardening involve different muscle groups, it also aids in increasing red blood cell oxygenation, Vitamin D intake, detoxification through sweat, and increase in water intake. Besides, it also saves on gas expenses and car maintenance, which adds to your savings!
3. GARDEN MEAL PLANNING
Choosing the crops to plant in your garden also helps to decide your future meals. Depending on plant hardiness zone, ripe crops provide a variety of culinary choices. Websites like The Urban Farmer provide in-depth lists of crops suited for various hardiness zones, helping you to plan your garden strategically. Diversity in crops also influences the variety in meal choices.
4. EATING LESS
Engaging in gardening reduces the time we have to mindlessly snack and because homegrown food is nutrient-dense, it fills us up faster. Thus, gardening not only contributes to a healthier wallet but also a healthier waistline.
To sum up, personal gardening can be an effective strategy for saving money and promoting healthier habits. The four key benefits include, saving on groceries, promoting physical activity, facilitating creative meal planning, and controlling portion sizes. We hope you found these tips useful. Now, we’re eager to hear how gardening has been beneficial for your pocket and health!
