I feel like you either love or hate grocery shopping… some people love browsing the isles and getting inspired by all of the fun ingredients, while other people get overwhelmed or want to get it done as quickly as possible.
Whichever boat you are in, I thought I would put together a few of my favorite tips to make your grocery shopping trips a little more organized and easier!
Plan before you go:
Going to the grocery store with a plan is my biggest tip! I love to take a few minutes to plan out my meals, write a list, and know exactly what I need to pick up. If I skip the planning step, I often find that I either forget important things that I needed, or overbuy and let food (and money!) go to waste.
Here’s what my grocery planning looks like:
- GET MEAL IDEAS – First I think about what I want to cook for the week. I love finding inspiration on Pinterest, in magazines, or food blogs! For dinners, I like to follow Planned, which is my weekly dinner plan. It really helps me save time when it comes to planning out meals, and eat healthier throughout the week!
- PLAN MEALS – I do this pretty loosely, because chances are I am going to wake up and want something different for breakfast than I had planned! I like to plan out all of my dinners, because that is usually the most complex meal. Then I pick 2-3 breakfast and lunch ideas that I can alternate between throughout the week.
- MAKE A LIST – After I plan out my dinners and choose a few breakfast and lunch options, it is pretty easy to make a grocery shopping list just by writing down the ingredients that I need for each meal. I love that Planned comes with a weekly grocery shopping list, so that saves me a lot of time too!
- CHECK THE FRIDGE – This one is so important! I have shopped so many times without checking the fridge and pantry and come home to find that I already have two containers of crumbled feta cheese, or three jars of peanut butter, etc. Not that big of a deal because I will use them eventually, but it is much easier if you check your kitchen to see if you can cross anything off your list before you even get to the store!
Honestly, I find meal and grocery planning to be the most time consuming part of the whole grocery shopping process, but it is worth it when you are in and out of the store in a breeze… and when you don’t have to think about what to make for dinner each night!
SHOP SMART:
Have you ever heard that old tip that if you want to eat healthy you should shop around the perimeter of the grocery store? I actually find that tip to be mostly true, the perimeter of the store is usually where all of the fresh produce and protein is found! I like to start in the produce section, then grab all of my dairy products and meats, then go back and grab anything else I need from the center isles. This helps me focus on what I actually need to get, and not get as distracted the center isles which is usually where the processed food is.
Budget tips:
If you are looking to save money, my biggest tip is to keep it simple! Produce that is in season is usually the most affordable, so I like to stock up on fruits and veggies that are abundant during that time of year. Next, go for lean proteins that are cost friendly, like chicken breast, chicken thighs, lean ground beef or turkey!
Don’t overlook the frozen section! You can get big bags of frozen fruits and veggies that are picked at the peak of their season, and they are usually a lot cheaper than buying fresh. I also love frozen fruits and veggies because you don’t have to worry about them going bad, I love buying big bags and taking out portions as I need them.
I also highly suggest taking a look at the frozen seafood, you can get frozen salmon and shrimp for a fraction of the cost of fresh, and you don’t have to worry about it going bad! One of my staples is individually packaged salmon filets, they are so easy to thaw and pop in the air frier for a quick lunch or dinner!
I hope you found these grocery shopping tips to be helpful, let me know if you try them out on your next grocery trip!
-Claire
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