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Tip #1: Fresh vs Frozen vs Canned are all the SAME
While you may be able to argue "there's nothing better than fresh produce straight out of the garden", we all have also experienced the tragedy of throwing away fruits and vegetables that went bad on us. The number one reason people think eating healthy is costly is because we tend to 'overbuy' on fresh produce, and watch our hard-earned dollars get thrown in the trash a week later. My Meal Planning page give you insight on how to prevent overbuying produce, but there is another solution to this problem:
Canned
Canned
Frozen
Frozen
Even when fruits and vegetables go through the canning or freezing process, no significant amount of nutrients are lost! That means there are still adequate nutrients to fuel your body in canned and frozen produce, just like there is in fresh! And a bonus perk? Canned and frozen produce can be commonly found already chopped--which cuts the work you have to do in half.
*Canned vegetables have added sodium, so make sure to get sodium free and rinse them out before using!
**Canned fruit can be found with heavy or light syrup. Make sure to get canned fruit that is in 100% juice, not syrup.
Tip #2: Buy in Bulk
For household items such as paper towels and toilet paper and non-perishable items such as frozen produce and meat, canned goods, and shelf-stable snacks that your family eats on a regular basis - buy in bulk! There are several bulk stores such as Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's Wholesale, and many more that can save you a pretty penny.
The best way to ensure you are getting the best deal, though, is to look at the unit price. The unit price can be found typically on the store's website, and on the shelf price tag in store. The lower the unit price, the better the deal! The unit price indicates what you are pay per "serving" of the product.
Tip #3: Price Compare
It really PAYS off (pun possibly intended) to do price comparisons within the stores near me. When I finally decided to do this, I discovered that the grocery store I typically shopped at was at least 20 cents more per product across the board! The turns into several dollars per week, and hundreds of dollars in a year!
While making my weekly meal plan and grocery list, I pull up the website of the different grocery stores I shop at. As I write down my grocery list, I look up the product in each of the store's website and mark down on my list which store the product is cheaper at (you can also write down the price of the product to make sure it is the same as what you saw online!).
If I have time, I do shop at several grocery stores to get the best deals! But if not, then I go to the grocery store that had more cheaper options!
Tip #4: Shop Sales
Looking at sales ahead of time may take a little time, but it can turn into a fun game! I like planning my weekly meal plan around what is on sale at my local grocery stores. To find this information, I go to the grocery store's website and look at their Weekly Specials tab. The items I pay most attention to are the meats, produce, and dairy items that I would typically make dinner with. If there is a great sale on pork roast, then I plan to have pork roast that week! Especially since I am an indecisive person, letting the weekly sales choose some of my groceries for the week is a big relief for me!
It is important to note that an item on sale at one store may still be more expensive than an item not on sale at another store. This is again, where price comparisons are very helpful!
Tip #5: Use the same vegetables throughout the week, but have a variety throughout the month
One of the best ways to ensure your fresh produce isn't going to waste is to plan for the same vegetables to be in multiple meals throughout the week.
An example of this could be this week you buy peppers, onions, and spinach that can be used in tacos, spaghetti, a soup and salad, and a sandwich! This way you only need to buy 3 types of vegetables, and you know you will be able to use them all!
However, it is important to switch up your vegetables week-to-week. Our bodies need a variety of colors, as each color gives us different nutrients that are all essential to our health!
So for another example, next week you buy broccoli, carrots, and asparagus to use in a stir fry, a pork roast, broccoli and asparagus fettuccine alfredo, grilled vegetables, and fried rice.
Tip #6: Use leftovers to your advantage!
Leftovers are a huge money saver, whether you double up on the recipe or resist throwing away any extras in the pan after dinner. Here are a few ways to use leftovers:
Double the dinner recipe and put the second portion in the freeze to use as a freezer meal another week
Bring dinner leftovers the next day for lunch
Turn a portion of dinner leftover into a different meal for the next night! Examples include using leftover grilled chicken for enchiladas the next day, or using leftover roasted vegetables for a soup or vegetable panini!
Use dinner leftovers for dinner the next night if you don't mind having the same dinner two days in a row
Tip #7: Buy generic goods when the quality is the same
If it is a food product or an over the counter medicine, look at the food label and the ingredients list. Are the ingredients exactly the same? Perfect, go for the cheaper (which is typically generic brand) one!
For products such as paper towels and toilet paper, buy a small package of a generic brand item. If you like the quality, then you know you can buy that brand in bulk in the future, saving you lots of money!
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