Bite Sized Nutrition

If you’ve stepped into a grocery store in the past year, you’ve probably noticed rising grocery prices. According to the International Food Information Council, price is the number two driver behind food purchase decisions, after taste.

A (sorta) typical week of groceries

So considering rising prices, taste preferences and health (this is a nutrition blog after all) when making your shopping decisions can start to make your head spin a little. That’s ok. I’ve compiled some tips that I have been living by since I started grocery shopping for myself in college, and the times have changed but this advice has stayed fairly similar over the years.

1. Anticipate Your Future Cravings – I find that sometimes the hardest part of planning is being realistic with ourselves. Do you find yourself buying takeout every Thursday night because you just can’t bring yourself to cook? Or your meal prep runs out by lunchtime Friday and you make a quick Cava run every week? This is where I find buying one or two convenient meals to be a lifesaver for my patience and my budget. The $14 spent on a Costco sized bag of chicken tenders every couple months feels like a big expense in the moment, but when I’m searching for something quick and easy to get me to the weekend, it’s a lifesaver. Think about the places where you’re consistently going over your food budget and if there’s a way to anticipate and avoid that extra spending.
2. Shop your Pantry First – A little creativity goes a long way when stretching a budget, so taking a look at what you have sitting around the pantry can be a huge money saver and cut back on food waste. There’s always one item that you end up buying multiple of because you’re pretty sure you ate all of it. Usually I’ll split my grocery list into three columns: Have, Need to Use and Need to Buy.
3. Shop the Sales – As far as advice goes, this is as basic as it gets, but I like to look at sales in two ways. First, I look at sales on produce. I’m pretty flexible with what dishes I’m willing to make around whatever produce is on sale. Right now it’s squash season, so I’ve been trying new zucchini recipes, but come fall, it’ll be root vegetable season and time for all of the roasted vegetables. The second way I shop sales is in the center aisles. I love stocking up on pantry staples when they go on sale so I can save money on upcoming grocery trips. I know I’ll always have a way to go through a box of pasta, so buying a couple extra when they’re half off is a long-term deal.
4. More Convenience = More Money – One of the easiest ways to cut costs at the grocery store is to buy less prepared foods. This is a tradeoff that you have to calculate for yourself because some weeks it’s worth spending $4 on the frozen rice at Trader Joes and some weeks you can buy two pounds of rice for $3 (or less if it’s on sale). This isn’t always the case, but more often than not, if a food has been prepared in any way, it’s more expensive. Just look at the price per pound on watermelons, it’s amazing to see how the price grows based on how many times it’s been cut. If you’re willing to put in the extra effort, you can save on the cost.
5. Pick a Couple Things to Splurge on – This is a rule I put into place back in college when I was on a really tight budget. For protein, I was willing to center my meals around beans and lentil instead of meats. Most of my grains were rice and I ate a lot of potatoes, but I was very picky about my bread. The local coop had an amazing multigrain bread for $3 and I would go there specifically to stock up on a couple loaves. Another thing I’m still not willing to compromise on is eggs. I will buy certified humanly raised eggs simply because they align with my values and I think they taste better. Giving myself a couple items I’m willing to spend a couple extra dollars on even when the rest of my grocery budget is tight feels like a little luxury.

There are so many more tips and tricks I’ve learned when shopping for groceries, let me know if you’d like to see more!