I’ve been slacking in the meal making department lately. And I really mean slacking. It’s not because I don’t know how to cook or that I don’t enjoy it. Neither is true. Not having my steady income as I once did while working in the corporate world hasn’t been all that easy. It does come with making some sacrifices. Unfortunately, it does seem that good food is more expensive than unhealthy food and our house has slipped into the habit of eating nothing but canned soup, sandwiches, Plaid Pantry fare or skipped meals all together. Yes, I know… this is wrong on so many levels! Which is why I’m taking back my rights to eat healthy, but maybe not exactly as I was before when money was less of an issue.
So, how do you buy better groceries? I’ve compiled a list of things I do that you’ll hopefully find beneficial the next time you make that dreaded trip to the grocery store.
- Make a List (and take it with you). I’m the queen of lists and tasks. If you go to the grocery store without a list, you may as well be washing your money down the drain. You easily get sidetracked and buy something on impulse or forget an important ingredient – I do it when I only go to the store for three items! This list will also help keep you on budget.
- Create your list by planning out your weekly menu. I use a service called Relish and love it! They provide easy, inexpensive recipe’s each week, plus a weekly meal planner. You choose up to five meals a week that cost you no more than $90 (mine usually cost more because I buy organic, but it’s not too much more). We actually don’t plan for five meals, but for four and double the servings so we have leftovers. It’s less time in the kitchen, no more money, but we have dinner for the full week!
- Keep a list on your fridge and jot things down throughout the week. This is helpful for those random items not included in your weekly meal planning, like toilet paper or toothpaste. Keep this list on the fridge and add to it throughout the week. It then becomes your “master list”. Yes, I did mention I’m the queen of lists, right?
- While it’s great to have your “30-minute meals” (oh how I love Rachael Ray), sometimes you need to make something in a flash. Make sure you keep your pantry stocked for quick-n-easy meals such as mac-n-cheese or use up any extra veggies you may have to make a quick-n-easy stir-fry.
- Don’t go to the grocery store when you’re hungry. I always make sure I’ve either just eaten or have had a snack before I go. If not, I end up wanting EVERYTHING because I’m hungry and everything looks good. In my cart it goes, just to get home, eat and wonder why I bought it (and paid double what I should have).
- Time your trip appropriately. Don’t go to the store when you know you won’t have enough time or when you know the store will be busy (which can lead to frustration). I usually always plan an hour for trips to the grocery store, there really is no “in and out” trips for me!
- Pay attention to how much you’re spending. I usually keep a tally of what I’ve spent. I know I have this list of things I absolutely need, but I still like to have an estimate on how much I’ve spent so I’m not surprised. Say I spent $2.67 on something, I’ll round it up to $3 and write it on my grocery list. Keeping this mental budget also helps make sure you don’t have those impulse buys.
- Pay attention to buzzwords such as “healthy” and “natural”. Words such as these aren’t regulated, so know your lingo before you go. Know that you can’t go wrong with the produce aisle (fruits and vegetables) and only “certified organic” (or USDA certified organic) really means anything. The less processed foods you buy, the less you have to worry about watching your labels – you really can go crazy trying to decipher them all!
- Just because it’s “organic” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. That’s right. ”Organic” has nothing to do with the nutritional value of an item. There’s still organic chips, candy bars, tv dinners and soda. Use your common sense when making purchases.
- Map out your shopping route. Did you know that the healthiest food is around the perimeter of the store? This is where the freshest, most whole food is located (you don’t find the produce aisle in the middle of the store, do you?). Only wander to the depths of the store for the things you absolutely need, such as frozen veggies, olive oil, spices, etc. And be careful not to get sucked into the cookie or processed foods aisle!
- Buy in bulk when you can. You’ll find you’ll save money, but you’ll also save on packaging.
- Have a Meatless Monday meal. Meat is expensive, by cutting out meat once a week or using it as a side (such as in ethnic meals) you’ll save money.
- Shop at a co-op. If you can, shopping at a co-op is better on your pocket book and your local economy. Co-op’s are typically member and locally owned so you know the money you spend stays local. They also tend to carry local produce and have a great bulk good selection. In the Portland area, try People’s Co-Op or Food Front.
- Read your food labels. If you do end up buying something from a can or box, be sure to read the labels carefully. If the ingredient list is long, or lists hydrogenated oils or sugars in the first few ingredients, don’t buy it. Also, in addition to the buzzwords from #8 above, other words to pay attention to are “whole grain” or “sugar-free”. You’ll really want to scan the ingredients list first before making your decision. I recently learned that anything “enriched” isn’t good for you (such as bread). Many packaged foods contain artificial colors and flavors, sugar substitutes, and preservatives. A great blog dedicated to food education, is Fooducate. I get their blog posts daily and am amazed at the “food-washing”! I also found this great interactive tool by the Washington Post. It’s a virtual grocery store that I thought was really cool!
- If you don’t know, ask! I primarily shop at New Seasons which is great at labeling where produce, meat and seafood comes from (I prefer to support items that are local, in season and organic). If your grocery store, doesn’t, just ask! A good example is fish, it may be farmed or wild, fresh or frozen, but you may not know.
- Bring your own bag. This may seem like a given, but I’m not just talking about replacing your paper/plastic bag with something durable. Do you really need a produce bag for the one potato or onion? You’re going to scrub the potato and remove the skin from the onion at home, right? I’m sure you already have a TON of produce bags at home anyways, so why not reuse them? I did, and I do. If you don’t, why not purchase durable produce bags from Reusit.com? That’ll be several less plastic produce bags you have to worry about. And don’t worry, I’ve never gotten strange looks at the checkout. Shopping in bulk? Don’t take a plastic bag or tub there, either. Why not reuse an old yogurt or butter tub? I do it all the time! When I make my grocery list, I put a simple abbreviation next to the items I need a container for – say I need dried basil, I put a “S” after it to denote “spice” (for those small spice bags). Maybe I’m buying rice, so I’ll put a “C” for “container” or apple’s so I’ll put a “B” for “bag”. At the end of my list I tally all my “B”‘s, “C”‘s and “S”‘s so I know exactly how many to bring in the store with me.
An example of my personal weekly grocery list
What are your tips for buying better groceries or grocery shopping?
