November 25, 2021 In Healthy Living, Nutrition

5 Tips to Save Money on Groceries

Have you noticed the grocery prices lately?

There are many reasons why your grocery bill might add up quickly. Along with alluring sales and foodstuffs, “Fruit and vegetables often end up being the most expensive essential,” financial coach Dasha Kennedy of The Broke Black Girl says. “Outside of production and transportation cost, fruits and vegetables have a short shelf life, so they often have to be purchased repeatedly to avoid spoiling.”

Or simply shopping while you are hungry means you grab convenience foods that may not have been on your list!

So how can we reduce our grocery bill?

It’s easy!

Here are 5 tips:

1. Have a plan and stick to it

We’ve all done it. We’ve loaded our fridges with colourful and healthy veggies and fruits with the best of intentions to eat well and then ‘real life’ happens and we only use half of it because there was no plan! When you take at the time to sketch out a menu plan, shop using a grocery list, and then follow the plan…you will not only eat healthier, but you will save money and probably even lose some weight! Did you see our Fall Recipe Book?

5 Benefits of Having a Meal Plan

2. Incorporate more vegetarian meals.

If you have meatless Monday nailed, try to add a few more veggie meals into your weekly rotation. Try this Soup...or this Quinoa and Roasted Veggies recipe. We also LOVE Burrito Bowls! Eating mostly plant-based meals is not only great for the environment, but also for your budget. Meat, poultry and fish are some of the more expensive items in the grocery and local supermarkets, and there’s usually some waste associated with that as well. Replacing these items with beans, lentils, legumes, paneer, or organic tofu/tempeh can result in significant savings. Or use meat as a condiment versus the main event. If you need help with a customized menu plan, book a consult with a nutritionist!

3. Shop at local Indian and Chinese stores for spices and other staples.

They often offer these items at much lower rates. I think it’s really important to know who our dollar goes to: not just supporting brands, but also the owners of stores. They’re able to make recommendations when you shop there. If you go to the Indian spice section, you can buy kofta mix. It’s typically used for ground beef, but you can use it for beans and lentils. It has the exact same taste, but it’s a lot cheaper.

4. Buy in bulk.

The Bulk Barn and other local grocery stores offer healthy grains at a fraction of the cost but you do have to know your prices. I like to remind clients to rinse their beans and legumes well before cooking to ensure the chemicals or sprays are removed.

I have also found some nice gluten free grains at Costco or larger wholesale grocery stores. If you are purchasing on-line…know your prices! Many products are marked up slightly for on-line sales.

Here are the grains and seeds I like to buy in bulk:

Rolled oats
Quinoa
GF Pasta
Rice
Vermicelli noodles
Flax seeds
Chia
Hemp seeds

And if you are feeling motivated….

5. Plant a garden!

Busy people…stay with me. This may end up being a really fun and rewarding hobby for the green thumb in your family. We purchased this Hydroponic Indoor/Outdoor Garden Kit last year and although our first attempt wasn’t perfect…we plan to pull this out to try again this winter. Once we’ve mastered it, we will share more. But there are many models like this one. You can even purchase green houses for your backyard or a section of a larger community based garden. Do your homework!

I can’t wait to ‘not have to throw out’ the half bunch of dead herbs that I intended on using…but never did.

5 Tips to Save Money on Groceries