Grocery Shopping... How to stick to a budget.
Has this ever happened to you?
You go grocery shopping one day, and realize you paid $100 on SOMETHING when you really only wanted 1 to 2 items. And when you get home, you realize you bought chips and salsa AND other snacks, and bought EXTRA apple sauce and tomato sauce, and even a rotisserie chicken when you already had left-over fish planned for tonight...
Yes, this has happened to me. Too many times... And mostly because I wasn't prepared when I went to the grocery store. So today, I want to give you a few tips.... tips to 1) stick to your budget, and 2) not cave for those 'treats' that you weren't planning on eating.
- First of all, make a grocery list at home, so that you can check what you need and not buy what you already have! This will also help stop you from buying those 'extra' items you weren't intending to buy. Consider checking your meal plan for the week, so that you can get all the ingredients you need now and avoid a short trip to the grocery store tomorrow for that one item you forgot!
- ALWAYS eat something before going into a grocery store. Being hungry in a building where you are surrounded by delicious-looking and marketing-tested food packages is a dangerous combination! You will end up buying foods you did not intend to buy!
- Spend most of your time on the outer perimeter of the grocery store. Why? Because that is where you will find the fresh foods: Vegetables, Fruits, meats/chicken/fish, eggs, dairy/dairy alternatives, and grains... a lot of which does not have a food label (which means it is fresh and unprocessed!).
- Dash quickly into the isles for the few items you need... try to avoid 'perusing' the isles or you are bound to find something eye-catching which ends up in your cart!
As always, if you have any questions, send me a note at eliana@eatdifferentrd.com!
Wishing you the best of health,
Eliana