How has YOUR grocery list changed?

xMedullaOblongatax

BEFORE
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Pizza Rolls, case of 120
Hamburger Helper
Macaroni and Cheese
Hamburger meat
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Oven bake french fries
Stouffers lasagna
3 cases of soda, 24 ct.
Heavy cream for homemade alfredo sauce (heart-stopper recipe)
Marie Callenders TV Dinners
Bacon
Pancakes
Syrup
Hot Pockets
Canned veggies that never get touched
Summer Sausage
Cocktail sausages
Varieties of cheese such as Brie, Camembert, Port Salut, etc.
Ravioli
Mama Ramen


AFTER
======
Almond Butter
Whole Wheat Grain bread
2% Milk
Greek yogurt
Progresso soup
Healthy Choice TV Dinners
Tea
Kashi granola cereal
Bear River Valley organic cereal
Roast Beef deli meat
2% Kraft singles
Mama ramen (I LOVE THIS RAMEN I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT ANYONE THINKS HAHAHAHAHA)

Consequently, this new shopping list leaves me more money for video games! n_n

cfergy

I can't pick up an item without reading the nutrition label. It takes me forever to go shopping. I agree, it's more expensive too.
There are certain items I just CAN'T buy because I lose self control. I have to recognize that and live by that rule.

onawho

if you can go to farmers markets or the like, you can usually get cheaper/fresher/better veggies than the imported veggies at the super market. and you get to meet your LOCAL farmer !!

Sabresgal63

20 Smart Ones meals instead of a bunch of junk food. Yeah, I know, sodium snobs. It's working for me.

\

I hope you were able to get the $3.00 off for buying 20................lol!

mgleason01

I've personally found that my list has gotten a bit more expensive.

I've swapped:
-regular yogurt for Greek yogurt.

Added:
-more veggies (frozen and fresh)
-more fruits (frozen and fresh)
-oatmeal
-protein powder

Same for me. I'm also noticing myself going less and less down the aisles...reducing the amount of processed foods. I read labels a lot more closely than I did before. Its a great thing!!

ViolaEverAfter

20 Smart Ones meals instead of a bunch of junk food. Yeah, I know, sodium snobs. It's working for me.

me too!! I love the coupons on the box!

m_wilh

No more sodas! That is huge for our family. Now it's bottled water.
No more regular milk, only Unsweetened Almond Milk
Raw nuts and seeds instead of potato chips and other processed junk foods
no more cookies
Now it's xylitol or stevia instead of sugar
Greek Yogurt now replaces the regular yogurt
lots and lots of veggies (fresh or frozen, no cans)
lots of dried beans
no more red meat from the grocery store. I buy grass-fed beef from a local farmer.
no more eggs from the grocery store. I buy free-range eggs from a friend.
no more vegetable oils. The only 3 oils I use now are extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and organic butter.
I have learned to eat avocados.

BackToPreBaby

Omg soso much. Years ago i was in the drive through instead of the grocery store!
Now costco memberships are a must yearly!

I never get chips, i always get carrots and tatziki
Chicken instead of nuggets
And my favorite
Greek yogurt instead of ice cream (My son calls it ice cream though!)

airlily

20 Smart Ones meals instead of a bunch of junk food. Yeah, I know, sodium snobs. It's working for me.

^^^ Me, too! Smart Ones, Eating Right, Lean Cuisine -- whatever is on sale.

kbw414

I buy all organic from a health food co-op and the local farmer's market instead of going to big chain grocery stores. My cart is full of fresh fruits and veggies and the closest thing to "junk food" I buy is dried mango. (We used to buy nonorganic meats and Hamburger Helper 2 years ago....ack!) My grocery bill has spiked dramatically but I don't eat out anymore so it all balances itself out.

m_wilh

Glad to see everyone eats as many eggs as I do! I buy an 18 pack about every 1.5 - 2 weeks just for myself as opposed to hardly ever eating them.
Kashi cereal instead of Cap'n Crunch :sad:
No more macaroni and cheese.
No more snacks WHILE grocery shopping.
Rarely buy cheese.
Lots more fruits and veggies (whereas they were few and far between before)

I buy 6 dozen a week. That's what living with 5 males does to the grocery bill.

KimbersNewLife

I started buying portabella mushrooms to go with my hamburgers (96% fat free instead of 85%) instead of buns!! Love spaghetti squash instead of pasta!! No more graham crackers b/c I will over do it everytime! Especially when I put peanut butter and jelly on them!! Stopped buying them completely!!

Great idea! I love mushrooms!!!

basschick

more fruits and vegetables
no more packaged pasta dinners
lower sodium soups
Agave nectar instead of syrup
tempeh to add more protein to my diet
less junk food!

delilah47

fresh fruits and veggies. lean meat. double the grocery bill :ohwell:

kalepowered

A vast majority of the food I buy is always produce, and I have to go to the grocery store pretty often just because you can't really stock up on that. Things like nutritional yeast, spices, and the few bottled condiments I get pretty much just stay there. I buy very few processed foods anymore - I make all my own salad dressings & dips, etc. I buy a lot more nuts & seeds and season them myself if I want to. I buy nothing with processed sugar anymore (it's vegan-approved evaporated cane juice if something is sweetened, instead) but that's more to do with moral standpoint than a crusade against sugar, and I do sometimes get vegan sugar if I'm baking (which is super rare). I also go through quite a bit of soy milk (a cup or two a day, plus whatever goes in my morning smoothie if need be). Oh, and I have crazy amounts of hummus, always. I can go through a whole tub or two within a week just by myself.

I used to buy tons of overly processed single-serving soups, noodle bowls, boxed mixes, and so on. I like being able to put together my own meals that taste way more flavorful and I know what the ingredients are instead.

finchase

My bill has definitely gotten more expensive and I go more often for produce.

Before:
Cheddar cheese
2% milk
Hamburger Helper
Ground meat
Thick pork chops
Desserts (bakery cookies, pies, cakes, brownies--whatever looked most tempting)
Potato chips
Pretzels
Night Hawk Steak & Mac dinners
Refrigerated pasta and sauce
Bagels
English muffins
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls (I miss sausage for breakfast more than almost anything else)
Bread & yeast for baking white bread (one of my most damaging indulgences)
Butter
White rice

After:
Fresh fruit
Fresh vegetables
Frozen vegetables (I love, love, love veggies that steam in a bag!)
Frozen fruit (for homemade smoothies & protein drinks)
Whey powder
Skinless chicken breasts
Thin pork chops
Cube steak for baking
Fresh fish
Tuna
Healthy Choice frozen dinners
Progresso light soups
Oatmeal
Fiber One or All Bran cereal
Fiber One 90 Calorie brownies
Dannon Light yoghurt for smoothies
Greek yoghurt
Skim milk
Cottage or Babybel Light cheese
Unsalted almonds
Brown rice
Quinoa

I look in my refrigerator these days and can't believe how much blueberries, strawberries, carrots and spinach I have. My late mother is probably laughing her head off somewhere. All those years she tried to get me to eat healthy and I wouldn't listen to her. She won in the end.

wendyapple

lentils as an addition
celery and hot pepper flakes for chips
tempeh for quorn
unsweetened almond milk for soy creamer
light tofu for pudding
kale for a bag of spinach
smoked salmon and tuna for cold cuts
seltzer and herbal tea for juice and soda
raw almonds for cookies <--still struggling in the cookie aisle.

NevaehsMommy2010

I've been making salads for almost every dinner, so I've definately been buying a lot more produce and a lot less potatoes. When I DO buy potatoes, I've been buying sweet potatoes instead.

When I make my sweet potatoes, I only put a small dab of butter and sprinkle on it instead of dousing it like I used to.

I don't buy potato chips anymore, and I don't buy frozen dinners or really any type of pre-made meals anymore. When I do, I look at the nutrition lables now and only take one serving instead of the whole thing

PositivelyFlawed

Our bill has gone up, but I think it is just because I am still building a lot of specialty spices and things that will last over time.

Our most notable changes

Fresh( or flash frozen) fruits and vegetables as opposed to processed and packaged foods
w/w bread, bagels, english muffins
w/w pasta
turkey pepperoni over reg pepperoni
skim mozzarella as opposed to whole milk mozzarella
extra lean ground chicken rather than medium ground beef
sweet potato as opposed to white potato
whole grain cereals like Kashi instead of empty calorie cereals
Light wherever possible (salad dressing, popcorn, cream cheese, peanut butter, sour cream, cottage cheese) as opposed to full fat
Virtually elminated junk so no chips or cookies or candy (except for the odd treat we keep as bribery for our daughter lol)
pam EVOO cooking spray as opposed to canola oil
EVOO oil as opposed to canola oil
Tofu instead of red meats

im sure there are more swaps, just can't think of them atm
I'm willing to pay more money for better fuel for my family!

Ilovepeppers

I started buying portabella mushrooms to go with my hamburgers (96% fat free instead of 85%) instead of buns!! Love spaghetti squash instead of pasta!! No more graham crackers b/c I will over do it everytime! Especially when I put peanut butter and jelly on them!! Stopped buying them completely!!

I CANNOT buy graham crackers because I will eat them all in a day or two. And, yes,i will slather them in creamy peanut butter and top with honey... Heaven.

Saezimmerman

Going to the store this past week was actually within budget despite the fact that we were out of quite a few staples. We spent a lot more time on the edges of the store this time also. We really only ventured to the middle for things like:
rice (I'm cajun. It's a necessity.)
bottled water (which my husband is drinking in leui of the beer that is typically the only cold, self contained beverage in the house.)
Boxes of shells and cheese (for him, though he's been sticking to leftovers at lunch.)
Spaghetti (our primary go to meal for "oops" nights.)

In the past, I would have spent most of the budget on box meals and shelf stable lunches.

One of the bigger changes for us though, is the not eating out. We both have demanding jobs, but we took the time to plan ahead this week and have been cooking after work. Even better, we're enjoying it!

sherrybaby81

I find I spend most of my money at the produce section now.

I swapped out sweet potatoes for regular potatoes (they are great baked, just poke em with a fork a few times and stick them on a baking sheet, not wrapped in foil, for an hour and a bit at 400F and enjoy! I don't put any salt or butter or anything on them, eat them as is)

I buy a ton of Yoplait light fat free yogurt. They have amazing flavours that really help with my cravings and are all 100 or 110 calories. (cinnamon roll, apple turnover, strawberry shortcake and white chocolate strawberry are my faves!)

I do buy some processed stuff, but mostly cereals and the odd meal kit (Old El Paso fajita kits etc).

I buy light cheese now. And only when I need it too cook (unless I wanna eat it all up at once lol)

I stopped buying diet coke.

The only snack foods I buy are granola bars and Special K cracker chips for when I go to the in-laws, so I can plan ahead and budget my calories.

cracked_belle

no more tv dinners and less alcohol, haha!!

cjmoultrie

My list is lot "Fresher" with produce. The extra money I feel like I am spending at the grocery store doesn't even compare to the savings of not eating out (My family was outta control). My grocery bill is higher, but I am not stopping at convience markets for unhealthy treats either.

New items on the list: Select Harvest Soups and Wheatable Nut Crisps (Almond is my favorite)