littlelorelei:As promised….How to grocery shop on a budget!The first big grocery shop that you do is going to be expensive, probably around $120 dollars. But if you cough up that money and follow these tips, you won’t have to spend over $70 after that! These are my tips and tricks when I’m at the store. Please message me if you have some, I’d love to add to this list!Buy frozen foods: I buy all my vegetables frozen. I also keep any type of bread product frozen and thaw it out as I need it. I throw out so much food because I don’t eat it in time. If you can buy it frozen, do. You save money and food this way. Check the labels to make sure you’re getting a quality product (no added sugar, flash frozen, etc.)Take stock: What do you have? What do you absolutely need? Why the hell is there so much chicken in my freezer? What can you live without?Buy sale items in bulk: We all know how expensive chicken breast can get. My favorite trick is to stock up on chicken breast when it’s on sale and freeze them in individual baggies to use when I need them. It might cost a few extra dollars now, but you’ll be smirking to yourself when you see people buying chicken for twice the price you paid. The same goes for cheese, another pricey item. Pasta and tuna are also some of my favs to stock up on.Eggs. that is all.Eat before you shop! Seriously, who hasn’t heard this tip? If you eat after a meal, you won’t have omgineedfoodrightnowfeeeeeedmeeee, goggles on.Have the same dinner all week: This is something that has worked wonders for me. I plan what I am going to have for dinner and make tiny changes so I can keep the extra food purchases to a minimum. For example, I buy a pack of boca burgers every week. I change up the variety and the sides. I generally plan 2 or 3 days of food and then make different combinations of that food every day until I run out. (As an added bonus, I read in cosmo once (they are all knowing don’t even try to argue with me) that people who eat the same foods tend to not overeat because they aren’t overly excited about what they’re eating.)Plan meals that have similar ingredients: this is similar to the last one. Make sure you aren’t buying meals that have completely separate (and costly) ingredients. For example, have all italian food one week, mexican the next. I was so guilty of having completely different meals when I first started eating healthy that I was spending way more than I should every week on food.Leftovers! Don’t just throw out your leftover dinner. Put it in a salad, a sandwich, a wrap, a soup, the possibilities are endless! My favorite is when I have tacos, and the next day I use the leftovers to make a taco salad. Shop Around: This is where time comes into play. I suggest taking your “bare bones” grocery list (things that you buy every week), and going to all the different grocery stores in the area and comparing prices. I’ve found that buying Special K is much less expensive at Costco than it is at Stop and Shop. Almond Milk is almost 75% less expensive at Trader Joes than Big Y. Big Y has crazy sales, Stop and Shop has good every day deals. Wal-Mart is good for those more expensive products you can’t ever find on sale.Beans, beans beans! This is an EXCELLENT source of protein and SUPER cheap. If you have a dish, there’s a bean for that. This is a great substitute if you can’t afford meat.Buy your foods unprepared: I will never understand the precut fruits and vegetables already assembled. If you are guilty of this, you are wasting SO MUCH MONEY! Take the time to buy things unprepared, and prepare it yourself. Don’t be lazy, know exactly what YOU are preparing. Plus, it’s usually more fresh.Buy store brand: Yes, there are some things that you can’t find store brand, but if you can, buy it. Food companies and the grocery store get together and put the grocery store label on their food, true story. I’m not kidding. Same food, different package.Buy in season: Asparagus in November is going read more..
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