New! Grocery shopping advice?

blueninjababe

I'm new to this fitness journey, and need some advice on grocery shopping?
I have a ft job but it's not the best paying in the world, is there a way to eat healthy on a tiny budget?
I live in NC, any suggestions would be wonderful!!

Jchalowska

Hi, I'm new on here too! (Well I joined a while ago but came back now!)

About grocery shopping, I tend to stay on the 'outside' of the store - idk if your stores are the same as in Australia, but the outside is pretty much fruits and vegetables, bread, milk and dairy... and the aisles are all packaged stuff. I go the aisles for tuna and oats

Idk if that helped, but in a nutshell, the outside is probably healither.

x

michelefrench

Farmers markets normally have better pricing on produce and eggs and buy bulk pack meats and freeze in individual serving sizes...

dearcrumpet

I'm on a tiny budget as well (college student!) and I've found a few tips that have really helped me not break the bank.

Sub boneless skinless chicken breasts for chicken thighs!! They're usually half the price, not much higher in calories (especially if you remove the skin) and a whole lot tastier!! You can toss them in the slow cooker with a can of salt-free tomatoes and throw in a half bag of frozen broccoli the last hour of cooking. Delicious, cheap, and healthy!

Individual packaging is NOT your friend. Instead of the single portions of greek yogurt, just buy the giant tub. You can portion it out yourself in tupperware and pre-make parfaits for on the go.

Eggs are a terrific and inexpensive protein source. I buy an 18 pack for like $2.50 and it's gone within a week! I'll make a crustless quiche that I munch on for the next few days.

Look for "manager specials". My grocery store (Giant Eagle in Ohio) sells bananas for about 54 cents a pound but also offer three pound bags of already ripe bananas for 99 cents!! It's great! I use them in oatmeal or freeze for smoothies later!

kingscrown

Fruits and vegetables that are in season. Check for sales in the frozen veggie section. Look for lean meats on sale. Stay away from all the simple carbs and soda. Water can be free. Treat yourself now and then to some $4 berries rather than a box of $4 cookies.

mscob

Excellent advice!

I usually make my lists off of anything that's on sale at Giant Eagle (PA here!) and see if I have coupons for some stuff. There usually isn't many coupons for healthy stuff but sometimes they put out coupons for Cascadian Farms, Kashi, or Muir Glen products. Then I try to supplement other items at stores like Sav A Lot, Aldi's (who is starting to get a really good selection of organic), or Bottom Dollar.

Another quick tip: At my Giant Eagle- Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats are actually cheaper than Quaker and organic!

Just pay attention to prices. When there is a really great sale try to stock up on those items. I freeze and dehydrate all kinds of stuff. Just today I cut a ton of boneless chicken I got on sale, put it in the Foreman Grill in strips, and basically made my own pre-packaged pieces in individual servings. Now I have them ready to heat up for salads or whatever. If you have the ability to do this it's a great time saver!

Oh and I also agree with the frozen veggies statement. I've always heard - if you can't buy fresh, buy frozen. Stay away from canned. There is usually coupons for Cascadian Farms that you can use on their frozen veggies.

asciiqwerty

from another student:

learn how to cook seasonal produce as it tends to be cheaper
learn to adapt recipes to use what you have (eg - anythning/everything can go in a pasta sauce)
use a freezer
make in larger batches (when you get hold of good value ingredients) and freeze the leftovers in single portions to use later
avoid single portion packets - saves time and money
get some ginger/garlic/chilly/pepper to spice up most things
think about what's in what you're buying - I use rolled oats as it's cheaper than packaged ceral I get a kg for 75p, now that i've sorted a recipe that I like, I can have it for breakfast, but I also use it for baking and making the odd treat like a flapjack for pennies
remember that frozen and tinned veg are still full of nutrients, and while fresh is best, fresh is not so good when it gets wilted and tired
look for swaps: poultry (including turkey) thighs tend to be cheaper than breast
some supermarkets discount short date items, this is great if you can use that to cook a batch of food imediately and freese the rest for later

you may like http://agirlcalledjack.com/ though she's in the uk she had good and healthy cheap recipes

when going to a supermarket:
- eat first
-write a budget
-write a list >> but not 1lb of minced beef instead write 1lb lean meat at less than £1/100g (sorry this is my standard and i'm in the UK)

amblight

Eggs, tuna, oats, low fat dairy, low fat ground meat (from what ever animal), leafy greens (could be iceberg, spinach, etc.), what ever veggie is cheap (keep an eye out for cucumber, zuccini/squash, egg plant, pumkin), berries and/or melons when in season.

Those are some pretty good basics I look out for, you can usually get that pretty cheap, and it can make up the vast majority of your diet.

asciiqwerty

I spotted this article and thought of you:
http://twocents.lifehacker.com/a-guide-to-planning-meals-when-you-re-on-a-tight-budget-1573204892

Amberlynnek

Shop the outside aisles! Frozen produce tends to be cheaper but not as tasty. If you have a local farmers market, check that out on the weekends!

Lonestar5775

I'm not sure what part of NC you are in or what your housing circumstances are but in my neighborhood we swap a lot of food. One neighbor has chickens and several others have gardens. Often, in the height of the summer, we give vegatables away to anyone willing to take them. At my job, we have a "free" table in the breakroom and people bring veggies there too. Maybe you could see what possiblities are around you, just a thought. And welcome to NC, it is a beautiful state.

martinel2099

If you are an icecream junky like me I recommend keeping these in stock in the freezer. The FireCracker Popsicle's taste great and are 40 cal each. Nice cheap and low calorie snack to reward yourself with. 1 or 2 is usually the max I can handle in any given setting too so I"m less likely to over eat this.

http://www.popsicle.com/product/detail/107852/firecracker?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=firecracker popsicle&utm_campaign=Products+-+Branded&utm_content=sgklVVcqm_dc|pcrid|25925991922|pkw|firecracker%20popsicle|pmt|e

dia06

I am in the same boat and what I do is I go to fruit/vegitable markets. They give you more for your money and in a way you are helping out your community. As for meats,dary and wheats i would go to Sam 's Club or Aldi's.

sudmom

I'm on a tiny budget as well (college student!) and I've found a few tips that have really helped me not break the bank.

Sub boneless skinless chicken breasts for chicken thighs!! They're usually half the price, not much higher in calories (especially if you remove the skin) and a whole lot tastier!! You can toss them in the slow cooker with a can of salt-free tomatoes and throw in a half bag of frozen broccoli the last hour of cooking. Delicious, cheap, and healthy!

Individual packaging is NOT your friend. Instead of the single portions of greek yogurt, just buy the giant tub. You can portion it out yourself in tupperware and pre-make parfaits for on the go.

Eggs are a terrific and inexpensive protein source. I buy an 18 pack for like $2.50 and it's gone within a week! I'll make a crustless quiche that I munch on for the next few days.

Look for "manager specials". My grocery store (Giant Eagle in Ohio) sells bananas for about 54 cents a pound but also offer three pound bags of already ripe bananas for 99 cents!! It's great! I use them in oatmeal or freeze for smoothies later!

crystalflame

Plan your meals ahead of time so you can make a list, and try to plan them around what's on sale. I go through my grocery flyers looking for sales and coupons so I know where to go to get the best deal. I primarily shop at a grocery store that lets me buy grains and nuts in bulk, so I get exactly what I need and don't pay the cost of packaging. As others have said, shop the perimeter of the store for whole, unprocessed foods. If you end up buying canned beans or chicken broth, go for the low sodium options so you can control how much salt you add. Stock up on spices - they're cheap, almost no-cal ways to add flavor to food, and you can make your own seasonings you'd normally buy in packets (I prefer my taco seasoning to the overly salty packets, and it's cheaper in the long run).

tryett

Not sure where in NC you are but the State Farmers Market is great for fresh fruit and veggies. They have a wholesale building that is open to the public. Also Aldi's offers low cost fruit and veggies. Boneless skinless chicken breat is always 1.99 a pound in the meat case at Harris Teeter with your Vic card. Pick your own farms are pretty plentiful and strawberry season is in full swing.

SnuggleSmacks

I'm new to this fitness journey, and need some advice on grocery shopping?
I have a ft job but it's not the best paying in the world, is there a way to eat healthy on a tiny budget?
I live in NC, any suggestions would be wonderful!!

Welcome! I'm also in NC.

Ideally, you'll walk around the outside of the store: Fresh veggies, meats, dairy, etc. instead of the inside aisles where all the processed stuff is. Personally, I do go through the inside aisles, but I also read labels for everything I buy, and try to find the version with the lowest calories which still tastes good. This is what works for me:

I try to be realistic and realize that I'm going to want desserts, so I plan accordingly by stocking 100 calorie ice cream bars and 60 calorie puddings.

I pre-portion things like chips and nuts that I buy in larger packages. I use a food scale and seal them in little baggies and write the number of calories on the bag. This helps a great deal later on when I want a snack and I'm not just sticking my hand in the bag and eating whatever comes up. It also helps a lot that I'm not relying on what the package says as far as portion sizes, since most of them lie (or estimate, whatever).

I keep a lot of low-calorie snacks, like smoked turkey or ham with mustard, boiled eggs, carrot sticks and sugar snap peas.

I keep a lot of these things at work where I'm stuck at a desk all evening and prone to snacking.

I keep protein bars in my car in case I have to go out in the morning and I skip breakfast. This keeps me from swinging by a drive-thru for a biscuit.

So yea...I tried to pinpoint my bad eating habits and come up with solutions to change or curb them.

jamiesillimandunn

I'm in nc too and shop mainy at our food lion ...which switches its specials ads over n Tuesday's ....if you get there tuesday morning or Wednesday they usually have a ton of meat on CLEARNACE meaning the shelf life unfrozen is meeting it's end , nothing wrong with it just needs to be frozen and used ASAP . I do this all the time , and save %50 on all the meat doing it , I have a husband and five kids so talk about budget, also take advantage of all coupons that make sense ! Ask to talk to the manager and find out when they do those clearrance meets, also Carlie C always have yogurts on CLEARNACE even the Greek expensive stuff

MaryJane_8810002

When shopping stick to the outer perimeters of the grocery store. That leaves meats, produce, and dairy. Most of the other stuff is just uneccesary filler

MaryJane_8810002

Also frozen produce is very great if you are on a tight budget and they make great smoothies!

MaryJane_8810002

And lastly ethnic supermarkets tend to have great inexpensive produce.

askeates

A few suggestions....

Try your best to stear clear of the center isles of the grocery stores, this is mainly where the highly processed foods are, well that and end caps where they advertise them.

Coupon as much as you can for the non-perishable items that you do HAVE to get, so there is more grocery money left for the fresh produce and lean meats.

Support your local farmers by going to farmers markets for fresh local fruits and veggies.

Best of luck :drinker: