It’s no secret. Healing on a budget can be tough.
Investing in your healing requires time, energy, and a financial commitment.
If we commit to eating as much organic produce as possible to avoid synthetic pesticides, our grocery bills will go up.
The supplements that move the needle in healing need to be of a certain quality which can increase the cost.
This doesn’t mean we must get stuck in an endless cycle of sacrificing our financial well-being to heal. I know how common it is to have to make sacrifices in spending while healing, so I wanted to share tools and tricks to help you save money, build peace of mind, and avoid added stress.
STEP 1: PRIORITIZE
We are fortunate to live in a time of increased access to the global food supply, to products from all over the world, to information, and to technology that connects us with practitioners no matter where we are. This may feel overwhelming, but it’s a huge blessing.
With that access comes the need to prioritize. When healing on a budget, priorities are critical.
Some of us may start by prioritizing fresh healing foods and foundational supplements like high-quality vitamin B12 and zinc as we begin our healing path.
For others, six months of regular sessions with a qualified practitioner would be the wisest initial investment to identify the root of their illness, explore healing protocols, and build support and accountability into their routine.
Working with a practitioner can save money in the long term as you receive support in starting with the most effective tools instead of investing time, energy, and cash on protocols unsuited to your precise needs.
What to prioritize is essential when implementing changes to our habits. Changing everything all at once often creates new challenges – incremental change tends to be more sustainable.
We will find the proper initial steps if we get quiet and listen to our intuition. Incorporating one healing powerhouse food like wild blueberries or apples as a first step can make a noticeable difference. Just one initial session with a practitioner can help clarify our intuition and lead us to success early.
It’s okay to move in the right direction incrementally.
STEP 2: KNOW WHEN TO INVEST
Some conventional produce is relatively safe due to farming practices that don’t require as much pesticide, fungicide, or herbicide use.
Examples include asparagus, brussels sprouts, avocados, papayas, melons, mangoes, and pineapple.
Investing in the higher cost of organic produce is smart when it matters. When grown conventionally, these crops are more exposed to toxic chemicals, so that extra investment counts.
Produce in this category includes all berries (except wild berries, which may be superior to organic), spinach, kale, and other leafy greens, celery, stone fruits like apricots, cherries, peaches, and nectarines, apples, grapes, and bell peppers.
A helpful rule of thumb is to buy organic when you’re eating the skin. If you peel or skin the fruit or vegetable, conventional is safer.
Read more on the Environmental Working Group’s helpful website.
Medical Medium has also provided helpful guidance on organic versus conventional produce in his online Healing Path program, clarifying how to prioritize conventional and organic produce when shopping at the grocery store while healing on a budget.
- Cherries can be OK when conventional (they can easily be washed off).
- Blueberries don’t absorb toxic chemicals the same way other berries do.
- You can eat conventional tree fruit like apples, pears, peaches, and plums if you peel them.
- Organic celery is best, but you can eat conventional celery if you clean or rinse each stalk with a natural fragrance-free dish soap (Seventh Generation is a brand I like).
Another example of knowing when to invest is when it comes to supplements. Buying a low-cost multivitamin will not support your healing; it may even create more problems in many cases. Purchasing from a trusted source is worth the investment – better to take smaller doses of high-quality supplements than full doses of subpar supplements.
STEP 3: LEARN HOW TO SAVE
There are many ways to reduce the cost of fresh, healing fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and wild foods. Healing on budget is absolutely possible when you know where to save.
I cover vital tips like wholesale shopping, shopping at co-op grocery stores, focusing on local grocery stores, purchasing directly from farms or CSAs, and food storage tips in my Medical Medium on a Budget blog.
Growing as much produce as you can at home significantly impacts your grocery bills, even if you live in an apartment with no ground access.
Growing your sprouts and microgreens will drastically reduce your food costs. Radishes and arugula are wonderful, easy, and fast-growing healing foods to sow in a window or balcony planter. All fresh herbs grow wonderfully in pots at home as well. Seeds are insanely cheap compared to produce.
Another fantastic tip for healing on a budget is to target sales of healing foods, especially supplements. You can save a lot by stocking up during sales.
Vimergy typically runs several major sales throughout the year. A client once told me they saved over $100 by purchasing a big round of supplements during a sale that got them through a full four months.
Wyman’s also runs regular sales on their wild blueberry juice, and several large chain grocery stores and wholesale retailers like BJ’s and Sam’s Club stock large 3 lb bags of frozen wild blueberries at low cost. Add a sale on top of those prices, and you get huge savings!
Make sure you sign up for the email lists of all supplement and healing food retailers you purchase from so you never miss a sale. And check out the blog I mentioned above for more discount supplement tips.
STEP 4: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE RESOURCES
Our access to each other through technology gives us an unprecedented ability to consume free resources to educate and support our healing journeys.
I have many free resources on my website, free recipes on my blog, free informational content on my social media profiles, and free webinars regularly (sign up for my mailing list to join!).
The Medical Medium® podcast and past radio show are amazing free healing resources with a wealth of information and healing meditations. The Medical Medium® website also has bite-sized articles pulled from the Medical Medium book series to help make healing information accessible at all times.
Libraries can be an amazing resource for those healing on a budget. You can always read the work of authors who have devoted their energy to healing information at no cost.
Many compassionate practitioners create countless free resources to help empower those who need support, including informational blog posts, recipes, and more. Find practitioners who speak to you and take advantage of the free support they offer.
STEP 5: CELEBRATE YOUR SACRIFICES
The healing path can be challenging, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges.
It may feel like your sacrifices are great, but with those sacrifices, you are making a powerful choice to devote your resources to healing. Stepping onto a healing path is one of the most enlightening choices we can make in life.
Millions of people spend money and time harming themselves daily. Instead, we have chosen to build a new relationship with food and the Earthly Mother based on what brings life rather than death.
Healing on a budget still means you’re investing in your well-being in a powerful way.
Does this mean we sometimes feel like the odd ones out at parties or family gatherings? Do we have to give up childhood comfort foods and frequent restaurant trips? Sure. But what we receive as we restore our vitality and grow a sense of empowerment is priceless.
It may feel isolating to not interact with what’s “normal” in society as much as we used to, but I think of healing foods as a treat in their own right. What a gift to be able to provide my body with the best the Earthly Mother has to offer. What a blessing to stay home to enjoy nourishing foods.
Celebrate yourself for the commitment you’re showing to yourself and God (or whichever term you use for the higher power within each of us) to prioritize your health over all other options.
Allow your choices to inspire those around you, contributing to the global healing movement we are building. This is bigger than any of us and worth every sacrifice.
LOW-COST RECIPES
Below I share some of my favorite low-cost recipes, which are also happy to be easy to make and, of course, delicious!
- Quick and Dirty Cauliflower Rice
- Spicy Potato Pea Mash
- Fat-Free Green Pea Soup
- Creamy Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Pakistani Potato Masala
- Pakistani Kachumber Salad
- Simple Millet and Peas – spice this up with a simple homemade sauce of blended tomatoes, dates, honey, garlic, and herbs of your choice!
To your health and peace,
Muneeza
