I get it, groceries are expensive! Even before the recent increase in prices, one of the biggest pushbacks I would get when it comes to healthy eating, is that healthy groceries are more expensive. Here are five simple tips to help you save money on healthy groceries and still enjoy delicious meals.
Make a Realistic Plan
You know I love a plan, but in this case it’s not just my Type A personaility it really is the foundation of saving money at the grocery store. When you plan your meals for the week, you can ensure that you’re buying only what you need, and that you’re using up ingredients before they go bad. Not only does this reduce food waste, but it also helps you avoid the temptation to grab unnecessary items at the store.
In this case, however, the most important word is REALISTIC. There is nothing more expensive than buying a bunch of healthy groceries and then throwing most of them away because you got overwhelmed and DoorDashed instead.
Being realistic means both looking at your schedule and not overbuying, but also looking at your capacity. If you don’t love cooking, don’t plan for extravegant meals. If you hate leftovers, take that into account. Who knows, over time you may turn into a tubberware loving home chef (certianly if you keep reading my blog) but today start where you are.
Tip: Use a grocery list app or template that can be easily updated each week (we tend to get mostly the same things). This helps automate your grocery list and cuts down on the mental load. Plus, if you do online grocery shopping, you can directly order the items you need, minimizing impulse buys.
Buy Seasonal Produce
When you buy fruits, vegetables, and even certain meats that are in season, you’re typically paying less because they’re abundant and easy to harvest and haven’t traveled as far. Seasonal produce is fresher, tastes better, and is often less expensive due to supply and demand.
Tip: The produce that is in season is usually found right as you enter the produce section (and is typically on sale). You can also research what’s in season each month, and adjust your shopping list accordingly. Farmers’ markets are also great for seasonal finds—not always less expensive, but way more fun and amazing to support the amazing humans that are harvesting our food directly.
Or Opt for Frozen Produce – Just as Healthy as Fresh
Frozen fruits and vegetables can often be less expensive than fresh, especially when it comes to items like berries, spinach, or mixed vegetables. What’s even better? They’re picked at the peak of ripeness when they are full of the most nutrients and flash-frozen. This locks in the nutrition, meaning they retain their nutrients just as well as fresh produce.
Tip: Stock up on frozen veggies and fruits that you frequently use, like broccoli, peas, and berries. They last much longer than fresh produce, so you won’t have to worry about wasting food that spoils before you get to it.
Pick a Hero Ingredient
Design your meal plans around a Hero Ingredient that can be used in multiple dishes. For instance, a large batch of roasted chicken can become salad topping, soup base, stir-fry protein, and sandwich filling. Similarly, base ingredients like sweet potatoes, quinoa, or chickpeas can be transformed into diverse meals, reducing the need to buy numerous specialized ingredients.
Tip: From my experience, the hero ingredient typically ends up being a protein. Most grocery stores have family packs of protein with big discounts even on very high quality organic/grass-fed/etc. animal protein. This allows you to take advantage of these discounts without taking up valuable freezer space. And organic leads me into…
Do You Need to Buy Organic?
If eating organic is outside of your budget, please don’t worry about it. Focusing on simple conventional ingredients is the foundation of a beautiful and healthy diet for you and your family.
If chosing some organic products is within your budget, this is how I recommend chosing where to spend your money:
Start at the top of the food chain and go down.
Animal Protein – meat, chicken, eggs, dairy
Oats – this is a little out of order but oats tend to be sprayed with glyphosate prior to harvest and not as easily washed.
Produce Where You Eat the Skin – berries, spinach, apples, pears, etc.
Produce Where You Don’t Eat the Skin – avocado, pineapple, banana, watermelon, etc.
Beans & Legumes – like oats, they are also sprayed prior to harvest but are more easily washed prior to eating.
Whole Grains – crackers, bread, tortilla, etc.
Tip: For a detailed analysis of pesticide levels in produce, check out the EWG’s Shoppers Guide.
