6 Tips for Sticking to a Grocery Budget

When I post meal ideas on this blog, I use items from the most recently posted grocery list.

I stress often the importance of using a list when grocery shopping.

Simply, if you want to stick to a budget, write a shopping list, then once at the store adhere to your list.

Today the New York Times online published an article that directly supports the idea of writing and sticking to a shopping list. Without a list, it says, we become disoriented by the multitude of choices and make impulse purchases for reasons we can't explain.

Impulse purchases break your budget, so try these 6 handy tips to help you stick to that budget.

1. Write a list. That way you'll buy the things you do need and not the things you don't. My friend Jane, whom I've been featuring this week, keeps a list of staples on her computer. Each week she crosses off items she doesn't need and adds the items she does need.
2. As you write your list, check your fridge, cupboards and pantry. Think ahead. Consider the upcoming week. Are you planning on having people over? How many meals will you eat at home and how many people will eat those meals.
3. Once at the grocery store, stick to your list. Avoid impulse purchases. That said, I do allow myself one treat per week and it's always something within my means.
4. Avoid packaged food, like cereals, rice, nuts, trail mix -- you'll always pay for packaging. Instead buy dry goods in bulk, that way you'll pick and pay for only what you need.
5. Don't buy what you can't afford. And do avoid buying more than you need, especially perishables. Throwing wilted lettuce out is like tossing dollar bills into the trash.
6. One-stop shop. I know it's tempting to drive from store-to-store chasing the best deal, but ask yourself, are you really saving money spending time, gas and energy going from here to there and back again. Instead, invest the time researching which store offers you the best overall value for money on your groceries and become a loyal customer to that one store. Most grocers offer loyal-customer discounts, so take advantage of those programs.

Coming up on Market to Mouth, I'll be featuring two single, Bridget Jones-esque roommates who asked me to show them how to reduce their grocery bill. Yesterday I met the girls at Whole Foods-- they had a shopping list--and we spent 2 hilarious hours as I shadowed them, teaching them what not to buy, and what to buy instead!

I'll be posting some video footage of that shopping excursion, plus tips and tricks for singles who want to save on their grocery bill, and of course I'll be offering simply, gourmet meals ideas from the items on the girl's shopping list.

Saving on Groceries for a Family of Four

Today I have a something I want to draw your attention to, it's an article in O Magazine which touches on the idea of recipe-independence, a concept I refer to a lot.

As I've stated in previous posts, recipe-independence can be achieved by trusting your creativity and taste-intuition, and by understanding complimentary foods and flavors, or flavor pals.

O's article uses The Flavor Bible as a resource for guiding home-cooks away from recipes and toward their inner "culinary authority."

I highly recommend this brilliant book for anyone who loves to cook. You can buy it on this blog; see the link to the right and below.

Back to Market to Mouth ... As I stated last Friday, my intention this week is to share a friend's weekly staples shopping-list, which she keeps it on her computer as a word document, and discuss ways in which she can reduce her grocery bill using that list at Whole Foods.

And then on the remaining days of this week, I'll offer some meal ideas using her list and flavor pals.

For a family of four: 2 adults, a girl aged 12, and a boy aged 10, my friend's weekly shopping list looks like this:

• Veggies: carrots, broccoli, cucumber, green leafy, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, potatoes, garlic, onions
• Fruit: apples, bananas, tomato, soft fruit, grapes, kiwi, grapefruit, lemons
• Dairy/Chilled: milk, soy milk, eggs, cheese: cheddar & mozzarella & goat & Parmesan, butter, humus, whipping cream, yogurt, fortified orange juice.
• Fish/Meat: cod, salmon, tuna, shrimp, Mahi Mahi, chicken breast, whole chicken, ground turkey, beef, pork.
• Dry/Packets: bread, cereal, oatmeal, English muffins, raisin bread, tortillas, pasta, rice, crackers, cookies, dried fruit, coffee beans, tea bags, snack bars, chocolate, jam, peanut butter.
  

My quick tips for saving $$ on this list:

1. Buy fruit and veg in season, i.e. we're just moving into spring so summer produce like cucumbers, soft fruit, grapes, kiwi and grapefruit will be pricey, whereas you'll find great deals on abundant spring produce like parsley, leafy greens, avocados, radishes, asparagus.
2. Buy Good Stuff For Less fruit and produce--apples & pears are often on sale at WFs.
   
3. Avoid buying ready-made products like humus, I know it's convenient, but gee it's easy to make.
4. Buy 365-brand dairy, i.e. their milks, butter and yogurt.
5. Buy WF's Whole Catch fish and shrimp and or buy it in bulk and get the case-discount.
   
6. Buy family packs of chicken pieces, versus the breast which is very pricey.
   
7. Ground beef is always on sale at WFs when you buy over 3 pounds.
8. Don't buy dry goods in packets; you'll pay for the packaging, always buy bulk so you can control the weight and the price. And avoid buying tinned beans like black beans and chic peas, buy them in bulk and pay so much less.
   
9. Use The Whole Deal coupons for items like snack bars, juices, jams, nut butters.
10. For a family of four or more, it'd be well worth the savings to buy dry goods, plus protein items in bulk and cases and either dry store or freeze.
    

The Transition from Winter to Spring

Today, I'm putting together a new grocery list.

My Feb 28th post offered several tips on writing a weekly grocery list. You might want to check it out again.

I also added a couple of links (see sidebar) to sites that will help the grocery shopper in your household become more skilled with writing grocery lists.

As I write my list, I'm taking into account that it's getting warmer and that spring officially starts next week. Because of the change in the weather, my preference recently has been for lighter meals with an emphasis on more vegetables, particularly green veggies.

Green foods are a great way to make the transition from winter to spring because their phytonutrients help the liver detox after a winter of heavier, richer food.

I'm also taking into consideration that this week, I'm having a group of friends over for brunch.

I'm going to prepare butter apples and top them with vanilla yogurt drizzled with honey and toasted almonds, accompanied by Tulsi rose tea!

I perused WFs Good Stuff For Less flier online and saw that bags of mixed apples are on sale this week, as are baguettes, which will a great for my brunch and last week I picked up the Tulsi tea when I noticed that it was on sale.

So here's my list: (Remember, my budget is around $60 a week and I manage to stick to it by sticking to my shopping list.)

1. Red Chard (2 for $3)
   
2. Asparagus ($1 off)
   
3. Organic grape tomatoes
   
4. frozen peas & sliced okra
5. cilantro
6. egg plant
7. bag of apples ($1 off)
   
8. bananas
9. buffalo ($2 off)
   
10. flounder (frozen vacuum pack)
    
11. Whole Catch frozen shrimp
12. 365-brand coconut milk
13. eggs (365-brand large white)
    
14. 1/2 & 1/2
15. 365-brand yogurt
16. almonds (from bulk section)
    
17. chick peas (from bulk section)
    
18. polenta (from bulk section)
    
19. Wfs bakery baguette ($1 off)
    
20. Tortilla Chips (2 for $4)
    
21. 365-brand salsa
22. Cheese from olive bar
    

This week, I'll share as many different and interesting simple gourmet meals as I can prepare from my grocery list above -- including the brunch I make reference to.

As always, I want readers to see that it is easy to shop on a budget at WFs and then once home, just as easy to prepare at least 6 main meals, plus some yummy lunches with leftovers.

Saving on Groceries is Not Rocket Science

Shopping for groceries on a budget is not rocket science.

My # 1 recommendation for staying within a budget is think ahead and then make a list of what you’ll need for the week.

I can hear the collective chorus ... “A list! My mother used to make lists!”

And your mother wrote shopping lists for a reason: As Chief Home Economist she knew that list-making is the best way to avoid impulse purchases.

If like me, you want to grocery shop without over-spending, then my second recommendation is that you do everything possible to avoid putting items into your shopping cart that are items you don't necessarily need.

Above is a pic of my groceries at the check out; they're packed into one carry bag. I stuck to a smaller list on this shopping trip -- $50 worth -- smaller, because I had left-over frozen veggies and some fruit from last week, plus I had grains and legumes in my cupboard.

So a list it is! And to help get you started next post will be a sample list.