These days, it seems like the price of everything keeps going up. With food, bills, gas and plenty of other expenses to account for, it’s always nice to find ways to save a few dollars. Lucky for you, we have some ideas about how you can eat healthy — and save money on your food budget.

Develop a purposeful shopping attitude.

Shop the perimeter of the store. Grocery stores are purposefully designed to draw you down aisles. Your own purposeful shopping attitude can help focus your efforts on purchasing whole foods with less packaging. The foods on the perimeter of the store typically have more nutrition, and less fat and sugar.

Avoid prepared products with five or more ingredients. By following this rule, you really help minimize the amount of processed foods in your cupboard.

Plan your meals with sales in mind. Stock up on good buys and use coupons if they are for minimally processed foods.

Check out the price per unit. This information is key to making smart buys. You can usually find it on the same tag with the price of the product.

Buy seasonal.

You should aim to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The best and least expensive way to do this is to buy produce that’s in season — and if possible — to grow your own. Visiting farmers markets is another way to get the best and freshest produce.

During the spring, strawberries and asparagus are in season, while summer is a great time to get corn, green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. During fall, apples, squash, plums and pumpkins are all in season, and winter is an excellent time to buy citrus fruits. Take advantage of good seasonal buys and stock up!

Use leftovers.

Taking advantage of your leftovers can be a healthy way to eat that can also save you lots of money. Here are a few ideas:

• Serve leftover chili on a baked potato.
• Add leftover noodles, rice and potatoes to soups.
• Top meat casserole with leftover mashed potatoes.
• Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays and add it to sauces for flavor.

Eating healthy on a budget isn’t hard, but it does take effort, commitment and a desire to have healthy foods in your house. The key is to be intentional and purposeful. And always remember that the payoff will be a healthier body — and a healthier pocketbook, too.

Looking for more ways to eat healthy on a budget? Be sure to check out part one of this article.