Shopping Trip Tips

I am not one who enjoys spending hours in the grocery store, to be honest grocery shopping is not one of my favorite weekly activities. I am one though who loves finding ways to save money on groceries, whether it's a couple cents or a few dollars, it all adds up. I also love saving time while doing it. So, while I am not a fan of grocery shopping, it's also necessary. That is why I have found ways to create efficiency and effectiveness while shopping, and want to share them with you.

Tip #1: Plan your meals out

Whatever day you set as your "grocery day," create your menu for the week the day before. Know what meals you will be eating that week, every single day for every single meal, as well as snacks. Write them out and then on a grocery list put the items down that you need for those meal, along with quantity.

Example - Breakfast Monday- Sunday: Sweet potato skillet

Ingredients and quantity needed for the week:

Sweet potato (4)

Green Pepper (4)

Onion (1)

Garlic (4 cloves)

Eggs (2 dozen)

Bacon (1 pack)

***To receive the meal planner/grocery list planner that I have created. Subscribe to my blog and you can receive the PDF versions, to help you at the store!***

Tip #2: Frozen vegetables vs. fresh

Above is a comparison of fresh broccoli and frozen broccoli. For 2 pounds of fresh broccoli it would cost you $2.96. For 2 pounds of frozen broccoli it costs $2.62. By buying the frozen you save $0.34 and prep time. You don't have to cut the broccoli up and prepare it, you simply cook the frozen broccoli how you desire. Frozen veggies tend to be cheaper, you are able to preserve them longer, there is normally less prep work that goes into cooking them, and you still get the nutritional value you are looking for. Convenient and tasty? SIGN ME UP!

Tip #3: BUY IN BULK

"But I don't need that much (insert product) now." Key word in that sentence is NOW. You have to adapt a longevity mindset. You may not need 64 ounces of peanut butter now, but I bet overtime you will use it all. So, instead of buying peanut butter 3 separate times, you can save money by buying in bulk 1 time. Here's an example.

Above you have 28 ounces of peanut butter and it costs $3.84 or $.014/oz. And you have 64 ounces that costs $4.68 or $0.07/oz. If you bought the Jif single peanut butter, you would need 2.29 containers to equivalate to the 64 ounces on the right. This would cost you $8.79 compared to $4.68. So, if you have longevity mindset over now, you will save $4.11 (you could basically buy another 64 ounce container with that savings). BUY BULK WHEN IT MAKES SENSE OR SAVES CENTS ;)

Tip #4: Off-brand is king/queen

Don't fall for the name-brand lies. 1) They usually cost more 2) They taste the same as "off-brand." 3) Can I let you in on a little secret? Name-brand and off-brand usually come from the SAME FACILITY!!

I used to think I had to buy name-brand items because that's what's socially "cool." First of all NO ONE SEES YOUR PANTRY lol. So why does the name-brand matter? Once I realized that off-brand and name-brand generally taste exactly the same, but off-brand is cheaper I switched. Great Value is my best friend now and there is NO SHAME. Don't fall for the lies, get the off-brand because it holds true to its name. They are a GREAT.VALUE.

These are my basic tips and tricks that I use when I go grocery shopping to make it a little less overwhelming and a little less expensive. Let me know if you have any other great tricks you use, or if these tips and tricks helped!

Sincerely,

Kels