Homemaking

Going to the grocery store is a task most of us don’t enjoy. Especially if you are on a healthy diet or on a strict budget.

There are just too many distractions at the grocery store. Too many shiny objects that can derail our diet or budget or both.

So today, I just want to write a quick post to give you some tips so that your next grocery store trip may stay closer to budget ( and hopefully stay healthy too!).

10 Grocery Shopping Tips to Remember on Your Next Trip To The Store

1. Look for sales ahead of time

This is something that might take a little time, but it will be worth it. Get out those circulars you get in the mail from your local grocery store (or look them up online).

See what’s on sale and plan your weekly menu around those. Or look for food you can add to your food storage for a great price.

Taking this time could save you lots of money on your shopping trip.

If you are really ambitious (and don’t mind shopping) you can do this at several stores in your area and save even more.

2. Buy in season produce

During the summer and fall, stores usually have an abundance of produce they need to sell before it goes bad.

Many grocery stores are trying to use more local produce to compete with farmers markets in the area.

If you find a great deal on in season produce, grab it.

Then you can eat some and preserve some for later.

Eating more seasonally is healthy and can save your budget at the same time.

3. Buy in bulk if available

Buying in bulk, especially for staples such as baking ingredients, rice, spices and other real food necessities makes sense and will save you money in the long run.

Your grocery store may have a separate section for bulk foods, so find out where that is and what they have available.

And then make sure that when you buy in bulk you are storing your items properly so bugs or rodents don’t get inside. You will also want to store them in a cooler part of your house to increase longevity.

4. Pick the store brand

When shopping at your local grocery store, don’t get caught up in the name brand hype.

I would say 98% of the time, the store brand is just as good as the name brand. And it’s almost always cheaper.

So save money by buying the store brand and get more bang for your buck.

5. Keep a price journal

If you buy the same things often, you start to remember what things should cost.

But if you are just starting to follow a budget, you might not know when things are a good deal and when they are just hype.

So keep a small notebook with you while shopping (or use the notes app on your phone) and write down prices of things you would normally buy.

Then you can come to a conclusion for what a good price is for that item. If you find a better deal, stock up and save money over time.

6. Don’t buy everything organic

Organic food is better for us, no question. If all food was organic in the world, the overall health of everyone would be better.

But when it comes to buying organic at the grocery store, you don’t need to spend the extra money on every item.

The best way to know which fruits/vegetables you should buy organic and which ones aren’t necessary, consult The Dirty Dozen list. It’s updated every year, so make sure you find the newest one.

If you have a garden, you can supplement your organic needs by growing you own organic food. It is very satisfying and if done right can save you money.

7. Don’t shop hungry

This one is huge for me. If I shop hungry, I always buy things I shouldn’t.

This could affect my diet or my budget but most of the time it’s both.

So make sure you have a snack or eat a meal before you go grocery shopping.

As a side note, my kids love it when I go shopping hungry! I get a bunch more stuff I don’t normally buy.

8. Don’t take the first item on the shelf

Grocery stores usually use a system of stocking shelves that puts the oldest items in the front and the newest (ones with a longer expiration date) in the back.

(This is how you should be rotating your food storage as well).

So you want to make sure you take items from the back of the shelf so it will last as long as possible in your pantry.

This will save you money by not having food go bad before your family eats it.

9. Don’t forget your list

Making a weekly meal plan and a list to go with it is a huge way to save money while grocery shopping and trying to eat a real food diet.

So make sure you have your list with you (and stick to it) while you are shopping.

If you’re going to several grocery stores, make several lists.

I use the notes app on my phone to make my grocery list so I can erase it as I go and don’t waste paper.

That’s up to you. I don’t care how you make your list. Just don’t leave it at home. You’ll be flying by the seat of your pants while shopping, and that’s terrible for your budget.

10. Don’t shop with your kids

My kids are almost all out the house now, but I have 3 boys and it was always crazy when I would take them grocery shopping in the past.

They would stick things in the cart. They would distract me while I tried to figure out prices. They would beg for things in the checkout line.

So if at all possible, shop by yourself. Then you can concentrate on what you need and stick to your budget.

It can also be a quiet time you might just start to love, just for the break.

So there you go! My 10 best tips for grocery shopping that will help you stick to your budget every time.

And if you really just don’t like going to the grocery store, there are some great curbside and delivery options out there.

I have used WalMart pick up many times. It saves you time and money because you only get what’s on your list. No extra spending.

Many stores have added a delivery or curbside component since the pandemic and I hope it stays around forever.

But if you can’t plan ahead and must go inside, I hope these grocery shopping tips will help you on your next grocery shopping trip.

You got this!

What grocery shopping tips do you have to add? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

Do you sometimes get over zealous when starting a new diet or lifestyle?

If you are trying to eat healthy, do you buy all the things at the store? Even if you don’t know how you’re going to use them.

You’ve seen those memes that say something to the effect of “Almost left the grocery store without buying a bag of spring mix to throw, unopened, into the garbage in two weeks”.

We mean well, but if we aren’t intentional in our shopping and eating, it can all be for nothing.

Waste can become a big factor when you are trying to eat a real food lifestyle.

There are many causes of household kitchen waste, but here are a few I thought of for this post.

Causes of Kitchen Waste

1. Buying too much at the store.
2. Buying things your family doesn’t eat (because they should eat it).
3. Not preserving the food that comes from your garden.
4. Not eating leftovers.
5. Letting things go bad in the fridge/pantry.
6. Eating out instead of following your meal plan.

So today, I want to discuss steps you can take to limit the waste that comes out of your kitchen each week. If you are intentional with your waste management, you can save time and money while feeding your family real food.

5 Steps To A Waste Free Kitchen

1. Plan

The best way to know what your family is eating this week, so you don’t waste food, is to make a weekly meal plan.

But before you do that, look and see what you already have in the house. How can you incorporate what you already have into your meal plan?

This keeps you from buying too much new stuff and helps you to get rid of the old stuff.

If you have food coming in from your garden, plan to use it in your recipes or make a plan to preserve it for later.

Planning is the first step because it is key to not wasting food.

Of course, you need to stick to your plan all week in order for it to work properly.

That’s where the other steps come in to play.

2. Prep

Prepare your food ahead of time so you know what’s available.

It does no good to buy fruits and vegetables at the store if they aren’t accessible to your family. After all, fresh food doesn’t last long.

To make the most of the fresh food you buy, make sure it is ready to eat. That means cleaning and chopping food so that it is in bite sized amounts.

Your family is more likely to eat carrots and celery if they are already in smaller pieces so all they have to do is grab and go.

You can also make sure they know what’s available to eat by setting out fruits like apples, oranges and bananas on the counter or in a fruit bowl. This makes it easy to grab and go for your family.

You can also prepare by cooking meat ahead of time and sticking it in the refrigerator so it’s ready to be put in a meal.

You can do long meal prep sessions on the weekend, but it’s not necessary. Small sessions throughout the week can save you just as much time.

So if you are cooking ground beef for one meal, cook double the amount you need and store the rest in the refrigerator for a meal later in the week.

Prepared food is more likely to be eaten then raw food because it is closer to its finished stage. So the more you can prep ahead of time, the better.

3. Eat

This seems simple enough. Eat the food in your house before it goes bad, right?

But it may be easier said than done.

Here are 3 tips I have for you to make this work:

1. Eat what you’ve prepped.
2. Eat what’s on your meal plan.
3. Don’t eat out extra days.

Basically, stick to the plan you made at the beginning of the week.

When you are making the plan, factor in times when you’ll be super busy or plan on going out.

That way you’ll buy the proper food for each occasion and not waste anything.

4. Store

But not all of the food you buy is meant to be consumed in one week.

Store your harvest and bulk food properly for maximum lifespan.

For large bulk buckets and other items, the best place for optimal storage is a cool, dark place that doesn’t have rodents or other pests.

You may also need to store garden vegetables using the cold storage method. This may allow you to keep them months after harvest.

The key to good storage is a good rotation system. First in, first out works the best.

5. Compost

Compost your kitchen waste for recycling in the garden. If you follow the rules, composting can help you get rid of kitchen waste and nourish your garden as well.

To find out more about composting and what you should put in your pile, click on this blog post –> Compost Household Scraps Into Nutrient Rich Soil.

Food isn’t the only thing you can recycle to help your garden grow. Follow this link to find out more about recycling in the garden –> 10 Household Items to Recycle in Your Vegetable Garden.

If you follow these 5 steps, you should be able to keep your kitchen waste down to a minimum. This will save you time by not shopping as much and money by not spending as much on food each week.

So do what you can to keep your kitchen waste down each week. You won’t regret it.

How do you save money and time in the kitchen? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

Scissors in the kitchen? What?

I know. But just go with it for a minute.

I love my kitchen scissors. They are so handy to have that I will search high and low for them if they are missing.

I guess it’s my equivalent to sewing scissors — Don’t mess with my kitchen scissors!

Is this something I grew up with? No. In fact, I had never seen anyone use scissors in the kitchen (on a regular basis) until I was at my inlaws house.

But now, they are a important staple in my utensil collection. So let me tell you why. . .

5 Reasons I Love My Kitchen Scissors

1. They make preparing a salad easy.

I am currently on a low carb diet where I eat atleast one salad a day. Usually for lunch, but not always.

I use my scissors to get things prepared fast. I use them to cut the salad mix with spinach up into smaller pieces. I use it to cut up cilantro and usually cut broccoli up too.

The scissors are so much easier for me than getting out a cutting board and knife to chop things up. And it’s easier to just wash off the scissors and put them back in the drawer for next time.

2. I love to use them for cutting pizza.

Can I just confess that I am terrible with a round pizza cutter?

I guess I don’t put enough pressure on it or something. The pizza never comes out right.

But if I use my scissors, I know I cut through the pizza every time. So easy!

3. I can cut deli meats and cheese with ease.

I like to add deli meat to my lunch salads. Sometimes cheese too, but not always.

I can cut deli meat and cheese super easy with the scissors and add them to whatever I want. Since I’m eating low carb right now (so no bread), this helps me alot.

4. I use them to cut biscuits for chicken & dumplins.

My oldest son’s favorite meal is chicken and dumplins, just like his Mamaw makes. He asks for them every year for his birthday.

I usually use the pre-made biscuits and then chop them up in the Instant Pot or Crock pot with the scissors. You can also make your own dough and chop it up with the scissors for perfect sized dumplins.

5. They are great to shred meat like cooked chicken or pork.

My family loves shredded pork (like pulled pork sandwiches) and shredded chicken (like in chicken fried rice or chicken quesadillas).

Shredding the meat with scissors is way easier than any other way.

If for some reason my regular kitchen scissors aren’t strong enough to cut something, I also have this: Clever Cutter. It is like a little knife and cutting board you can fit in your hand.

But the Clever Cutter is super sharp, so I only use it for cutting thicker things like carrots and potatoes.

When you find something that helps you save time and effort in the kitchen, you just stick with it. That’s what kitchen scissors have done for me.

Haven’t tried using kitchen scissors for chopping? Take a chance and see how you like it. You just might never go back to a knife again!

What is one kitchen utensil you can’t live without? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!