I guess you can say I am not like most people. I love to grocery shop! Maybe it brings me back to being a young girl shopping all the time with my mom – hitting the local ShopRite (which ironically, I dreaded at the time). I never could understand why my mom would not buy certain things just because they were not on sale.
Well now as an adult, I GET IT! Thanks for teaching me mom! Funny how we turn into our parents in many respects. Especially since I had our daughter with me at Wegman’s and when I approached the organic strawberries and saw the outrageous price of $6.49 for a pint, I said to her – “we will pass this time”.
I do love finding the latest and greatest produce, seasonal items and discovering the newest foods available to us. We are incredibly fortunate as a country to have access to so many wonderful options – it truly is one of the many privileges we get to live with on a daily basis. In saying that, the price of grocery’s has really skyrocketed within the past few years and the grocery bill can get higher than we would like. So – here are some ways to navigate the stores to find those nutrient dense ingredients for your home cooking. I also don’t want you leaving completely broke!
Before the Shopping Trip – Meal Planning
It’s a time thing. Trust me, no one gets that more than me. Between juggling jobs, kids schooling and schedules, and everything else in between it gets tricky to manage. Adding this 5 minute routine into your hectic schedule, can be a life changer. I know on the mornings that I wake up with a plan for that night’s dinner, my stress levels are significantly decreased. Seems like something so minor but it really can be such a stress reliever. Having a plan makes a huge difference in your day.
It does not need to be complicated! You can either write down your meals for the week in a notebook or you can use my 2 week meal planner – filling in one week at a time. Best part – you can always shift things around as your week unfolds but you have a foundation to work from.
Create your shopping list based off the meals you will be making over that weeks’ time.
Stick to the List!
You have arrived with list in hand. Be sure to stick to your list. If you do not, I can assure you that your pocketbook will be much lighter than anticipated once you leave that store. This does include exhibiting self-control – I get you! I recently went to one of my favorite grocery stores and left spending almost 1/3 more than anticipated. I also had my teenage daughter with me – they are dangerous in any store. 😊
Stores to Shop, Deals to Find, Stock Up When On Sale
How fortunate are we? Especially where I live – there are so many amazing grocery shopping options. From Whole Foods to Wegmans to Trade Joe’s and now one of my new favs – Sprouts – it’s literally a mecca of food options. I almost forgot to include the larger bulk item chains like Costco and BJ’s. As this is a wonderful advantage, it can be difficult to shop the best deals. Here are a few rules I put in place when shopping.
- Use the smaller shopping cart. Most stores have the big cart or the little cart. Honestly, I just don’t like pushing around that huge shopping cart. The smaller cart is my go to and guess what? You can only put so much in those things. Trust me, I have filled them up and get crafty with maximizing the space but it’s a good trick to control the volume of what you are buying.
- Get those grocery store apps loaded to your phone. Before heading out, load the current coupons to the app. And only snip the coupons of the items you would normally buy and need.
- The bulk stores are great for stocking up on those key items and quite honestly, I need to be better at taking advantage of this. Personally, I have a preference for the smaller stores, but I get how this can be a huge money saver especially for large families.
Unloading and Food Prepping
Congratulations! You made it home! Set aside some of those fresh produce before putting them away and get ready to chop, portion, and store. Your future self will thank you since this will save you tons of time when going to prepare a meal that week.
More to follow on this series – anti-inflammatory foods to shop for, navigating what to buy organic and what not to and reading labels as you get through the store. I am here to help you get through the process!
I BELIEVE in you!
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