Photo credit: unsplash: @neonbrand
A lot of people feel that eating a whole foods based diet is expensive. It doesn’t have to be, you just need to follow some simple rules and you can make this lifestyle change affordable. See below for some of my favorite money saving tips:
- MEAL PLAN!! Planning your meals for the week is a huge money (and time) saver!! This will keep you on track with any specific dietary needs and help minimize food waste. Check out my post here on meal planning.
- ALWAYS CHECK SALES and write your weekly meal plan using food that is on sale. I highly recommend the Flipp app or their website (https://flipp.com/weekly_ads). This is a great tool to compare your local store ads and to see what’s on sale. Some people prefer to go to a “one stop shop” like Kroger or Wegmans, and others don’t mind store hopping for the best deals. You choose what works best for you and your lifestyle. I also like to keep tabs on when the new ads come out and they can usually be previewed the day before (each store is different). Sprouts has double ads on Wednesday, where you can shop last weeks sales and the upcoming week on the same day!
- COUPON!! I am not talking extreme couponing here (if you do that, more power to you!), I am going to keep this simple. Most stores have digital coupons available on their apps. I am in Georgia and I use Kroger, Publix, Sprouts, and Target. Kroger offers a coupon for a free product every Friday and if you add your address to your Kroger account they will send you coupons in the mail based on previous orders. Publix offers free coupons on products on their app as well.
- KNOW YOUR PRICES!! I personally don’t keep a tangible list of my staples but I have a mental list of where to buy certain things for less. I purchase my coconut oil, olive oil, and peanut butter at Trader Joe’s. I have found quinoa, organic eggs, and frozen broccoli at Costco to be the cheapest.
- STOCK UP!! If you see something on sale, remember most stuff can be stored in the freezer! I like to buy a couple of packs of meat and seafood when its on sale. It helps me save money for the upcoming weeks on groceries. You can wash, prep, and freeze berries for smoothies, add to yogurt, or even to snack on by itself!
- MAKE A LIST AND STICK TO IT! Making a shopping list and not buying anything off of the list is essential in saving money. I refuse to go to the store without a list because I will come home with a bunch of expensive nothing!
- MANAGER’S SPECIAL! I have noticed that each store has their own twist on this. Kroger marks their special items as “woohoo”, sometimes it’s cheaper because it’s almost expired or the product is changing, so check your dates to make sure. There is usually a produce bin with “ugly” produce for less money. When Sprouts is getting rid of a specific brand or item, it is marked down very low and you can save a ton.
- SHOP SEASONLY AND LOCALLY! Produce that is in season costs less than out of season produce. Shopping locally also helps lower costs too! You can find a basic list of seasonal produce here.
- NOW GO SHOP AND SAVE MONEY! I hope you find these tips useful and help you save a few bucks!