As a nutrition coach after going through my own total life overhaul with a family & one income, I understand that grocery shopping for a healthier lifestyle change can be intimidating, especially when faced with endless choices and packaging that may not always seem easy to understand. In my pre-COVID work, I used to take people through grocery stores, teach them about the labels and what to look for, teach them about the different foods, how to meal plan and prep, but the budget side, that has been the most asked about part of it all. Many programs or other’s shared experiences have previously led to believe that healthy = costly and that is far from the truth.

We ordered takeout recently for our family of 6 and it was equal to the cost of 1/4 of our biweekly grocery bill!

Here I am going to cover the basics of healthy grocery shopping. But I will also give you a bit of money-saving tips to make your shopping easier for you and your budget too.

Before you go

Planning is Key

While some can shop without a list, most need a plan. Bring a grocery list or weekly menu to stay focused. Studies show that lists lead to healthier choices. If time doesn’t allow proper preparation, think about holding off shopping for a day or two and prepare a list at home or scheduling an order to be picked up or delivered. This might mean that you may have to grab a takeout meal to hold you over for the night or something scrounged from the pantry, but that is only one meal. End it would be better to be off with one meal instead of heading into the grocery store and possibly being off for an entire week or two with things bought on the whim, for a momentary want, or from uncertainty.

Also, I do realize that this is about the budget and some places do charge extra for pickup or delivery but think about what you are saving by not going into the grocery store without a plan. We have easily gone into the grocery store for a few things and ended up with a $200 bill at the end.

Weekly Menu: Meal Prep for Success

Consider bringing a weekly menu instead of a regular list. Print out recipes if you’re into meal prepping. If transitioning from eating out to cooking at home, start slowly. Gradually increase the number of meals you prepare weekly to establish a routine.

Need help? Check out the complimentary Family Meal Planning Guide when signing up for my email list here: Always On My Mind Email Sign-Up. this guide is filled with all of the little tips and tricks that I have learned throughout my own weight loss journey of 135 pounds while still eating dinner with my family. I have included both a monthly meal planner work sheet and a grocery list as well. I hope it helps!

No Shopping Hungry!

I feel that this is an appropriate spot to state something that we have all heard before… Never go grocery shopping hungry. It is very similar to some of the things mentioned above when it comes to finding yourself with a much larger bill than you expected but I do have some thing else here. If you do have a plan in place and you are hungry, think about going into the grocery store and grabbing something from the deli section or a protein bar, check out, and eat it in your car before going back in to do your grocery shopping. This will take the edge off of your hunger and allow you to stay focused on your plan.

How to Stock Your Kitchen

One of the best ways that I have been able to avoid bringing things in the house that I do not necessarily always want in the house is by minimizing how many times I grocery shop and stock my kitchen with nonperishable and frozen foods. The fewer times that I head out to the store, the less I am around the external stimuli of food that might be enticing to me. This not only helps my weight management, but it also helps my budget and to be honest, my sanity.

How do you do this?

First, check your inventory before shopping to avoid duplicates.

Then, grab long-lasting staples including

• Seeds, grains & dried fruit
• Oatmeal is a cheap whole grain that lasts in the pantry for a long time, even years.
• Canned goods (we always keep beans and tomatoes to easily make chili!)
• Baking supplies, spices & oils
• Shelf-stable milk substitutes
• Protein snacks for the pantry like packs of nuts or jerky
• Canned tuna is another budget-friendly choice for complete protein, covering all essential amino acids, unlike some veggie protein sources.
• Frozen veggies and fruits are usually cheaper than fresh, and they offer similar nutrients. Plus, you don’t have to worry about using them quickly.
• Frozen protein like turkey burger and regular burger patties, shrimp, fish filets, etc.
• Frozen meals for when you are in a pinch with money, time, and bandwidth.

Quick budget-friendly AND weight management-friendly tips:

1. Cheaper produce: Go for bagged produce instead of buying items individually, like getting a bag of avocados instead of single ones. Bananas are typically the cheapest fresh fruit.
2. Budget-friendly staples: A lot of the staples mentioned above are also great for the budget & weight management balance. Think budget-friendly oatmeal, frozen fruits, canned tuna, and beans. A lot of the lists out there do include eggs and I do realize what I am saying when I add that to this list because I have seen the prices jump. But out of the different animal proteins… They are one of the cheaper ones quite often.
3. Single-serve may be better: Know what foods you need to purchase, single-serving packaging for. There are specific things that are simply easier for our weight management that are prepackaged in certain calorie counts. For me, I will spend the extra money on having nuts prepackaged in 100-150 kcal packages. I can easily overindulge. I have tried to prep snack bags, but even then, I end up eating a good amount while prepping. For me, it is worth spending the extra money to not find myself in a situation where I am over, consuming and teetering the balance of my budget and my weight management.
4. Bigger doesn’t trump better: It’s very important to know what you like and what you dislike. One of the big factors of weight management over the long haul is sticking to your food preferences. If you are going to try something new, I suggest you try something new in small portions or small packaging. This may not be ideal at the moment, but it is much better than having a gallon of something that you simply don’t enjoy because it was cheaper per ounce than the single-serve. I generally make this recommendation to clients even with protein powders. Many of the different companies offer single-serving packets, either in stores like GNC, and Vitamin Shoppe or on websites.
5. What is true for you: certain foods would definitely help either the budget or the weight management side for others that may not necessarily work for you. Again, this does tie into food preferences but these are a little bit more defined. Think about your personal experiences with different foods. Do protein bars or shakes fill you up? Are you better off having chicken? Do you need items that are quick and on the go? Do you like fruit or do you like vegetables more? Think of these as your personal food facts or truths.
6. A sale is not always a good thing: This ties into the one that I just mentioned, but just because something is on sale, doesn’t mean that you should go so far from your personal food preferences to try to make it work. If you don’t enjoy your food, you may begin to not enjoy the process that you’re going through and it’s going to be a lot harder to eat that meal prep or that dinner. How we feel on a satisfaction level does matter. Our self-control and our discipline are very limited. We like what we like and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Also, visit this for more specific grocery store help: Grocery & Convenient Store Finds

Navigating Grocery Stores

When you’re at the grocery store, there are a lot of options. It might be confusing what to choose. When your list has a little bit more freedom with the choice. Say you simply need a carbohydrate to go with Monday night’s dinner. There are a lot of things that you can grab for this like potatoes from the produce section, prepared pasta salad from the deli, boxed mac & cheese, frozen ravioli, and powdered mashed potato pouches. These are just some of the different things to think about as you make your way through the store.

Produce:

• Aim for a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables as they tend to be rich in nutrients.
• Look for locally grown and in-season options, as they often taste better and can be more cost-effective.
• Get to know the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen to know what’s best to purchase organic for.
• If you’re going to be short on time this week, consider buying precut fruits and vegetables to save on prep time.

Condiments:

• Beware of high-sodium and high-sugar sauces.
• Swap out high-fat condiments like mayonnaise with alternatives such as hot sauce.
• BUT MOST IMPORTANT… Flavor. We need flavor. Think salsas, low-calorie salad dressings (under 50 calories per 2 Tbsp), sauerkraut, mustards, and pre-mixed seasoning blends (like Mrs. Dash varieties). We have probably been eating the same proteins our entire life so let’s keep it interesting!

Canned Goods:

• Check the labels of canned vegetables and soups to monitor sodium levels. Look for lower-sodium varieties when possible.
• Choose fruits packed in water instead of syrup.

Frozen Foods:

• Keep frozen veggies for easy additions to meals or in my case, when you forget to use the veggies that you bought fresh and they have now gone bad. They are also great to help take some leftovers and turn them into soups, casseroles, and stews.
• Frozen fruits are ideal for quick and healthy smoothies.

Proteins:

• Consider incorporating ground chicken or ground turkey breast instead of ground beef, as they tend to be lower in fat.
• When buying tofu, familiarize yourself with the different varieties (firm, soft, silken) to choose the one that suits your intended use best.

Carb Sources:

• Opt for whole-grain wraps that provide at least 3 to 4 grams of fiber and contain fewer than 100 calories per wrap.
• Look for pasta alternatives made from edamame, lentils, chickpeas, or beans to add an extra protein boost.
• Choose cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar.
• For salty snacks, consider low-calorie, high-volume options like pretzels and popcorn.

Other Shopping Tips for Budget & Diet

Keep track of everything that you are spending… especially at the beginning of a weight loss journey or diet change. This is when you’re in uncharted territory and you’re not really sure how much different things you’re going to need or what things you may enjoy more.

Less is more… Focus on finding simple things first like a favorite yogurt brand that gets you the nutrients that you want to get. Then build off of that.

Go a week at a time when you’re trying new things. When you’re looking at new recipes, try something new only once a week or once every other week to help with new extra ingredients in the house. Searches that allow you to put an ingredient in and provide you with different recipes. Can be very helpful when you have things left over that you enjoyed but you aren’t sure what else to do with them.

Try including supplements in your grocery budget. Many grocery stores are now also carrying a decent amount of protein powders and bars. These things can also be added to pantry staples, or other shelf-stable options for when you’re in a pinch.

Think about some of the other places that you can shop locally that might offer the same quality of food in a generic brand.

For some other great, budgeting tips while shopping, check out Dave Ramsey’s site for articles like this: 10 Easy Ways to Grocery Shop on a Budget.

Additional Resources:

• Healthy Grocery List Tips: Nutritional Shopping on a Budget
• The Definitive Guide to Healthy Grocery Shopping
• 10 Easy Ways to Grocery Shop on a Budget
• How to Save Money on Groceries