Don't eat your budget

Grocery shopping

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I have a confession to make, I actually think that grocery stores are haunted. Let me explain. I go in with a 50$ budget and go out with a 144$ bill. My hands take things I never meant to buy on their own.

In reality, grocery shopping is actually very hard. Even harder when you jump in it without a plan. It's in those kind of situation that you go over budget without realizing it. Good for you, I am here to share some of my tricks to do clever grocery shopping.

Tricks

Plan your Meals

To know what to buy, you need to know what you're gonna eat. If you skip this step in the beginning, you're gonna be lost for sure. In a week, you can decide to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, that way it is easier to make it in advance, maybe not breakfast but lunch for sure. It'll make your life more simple. For dinner you can come up with 1-2 options depending on the time you have and the energy you'll have left. So maybe plan 4 meals total for your week.

Make a Budget

Going to the store without a budget is a good thing ... if you want to spend double the money should've spent. So don't do that. The money you should spend on food turn around 50$ to 60$ for the week. 15$ on protein, 10$ on dairy, 10$ for the carbs and 15$ for the fruits and veggies. Of course you can always adjust as you go along.

Check the Sales

You know when your mom was sitting at the table with all those flyers and coupon?. Well it's your turn now!

Plan your meals based on the weekly sales. That way, you can save money you wouldn't have saved otherwise. You can also find all those sales on the websites of your favorite grocery store.

Don't Skip the BIO

Sometimes the organic section can seem pretty scary. Items are often overpriced compared to the processed food. Well, not every time, if you take the time to check correctly. Organic bananas can be 1 dollar less expensive than regular ones. Isn't it amazing! Plus, this type of food is much more healthier, so it's worth it.

Buy in Bulk

This a eco-friendly way of buying food. Especially the dry stuff like nuts, flour, oat and much more. The benefit with bulk store is that you only take and pay for the amount you need. What makes it eco-friendly is that you can often bring your own containers and the fact that you only take what you need helps put a stop to wasting food.

Examples of a Good Meal Plan and Grocery List

Meal plan

Smoothies (banana-strawberry) - breakfast
Tuna salad - Lunch
Fish tacos - Dinner
Fruit salad -Dessert/snacks
Cheese and grapes -Snack
Dark chocolat - Dessert
Chia seeds bread -Breakfast

Grocery list

FRUITS AND VEGGIES = 20$

Bananas
Strawberries
grapes
green beans
Lettuce
potatoes
Red onion
Tomato
Corn

PROTEINS = 10$

Canned tuna
Tilapia filet

DAIRY = 11$

Cheddar cheese
Plain yogurt 2%
Dark chocolat 70%

CARBS = 7$

Taco shells
Chia seeds bread loaf

TOTAL = 48$. This is a nice grocery list because the fruits I chose can be used for the smoothies and for a fruit salad. Plus the leftover banana can be frozen and used for a cookie recipe for the next week. Tomatoes can be used in multiple meals as well, tacos and the salad. I added the dark chocolat because I had some leftover money so I bought myself an healthy treat. I also added some chia seed bread because you can never go wrong with a loaf of good bread, this my favorite as well. So, if one morning you aren't in the smoothie spirit, just toast some bread and add bananas on it.

The Cheap Cook