How has YOUR grocery list changed?

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Replies

  • xMedullaOblongatax
    xMedullaOblongatax Posts: 136
    BEFORE
    =======
    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
    cfergy Posts: 67 Member
    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
    onawho Posts: 196 Member
    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
    Sabresgal63 Posts: 641 Member
    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
    mgleason01 Posts: 78 Member
    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
    ViolaEverAfter Posts: 36 Member
    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
    m_wilh Posts: 362 Member
    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
    BackToPreBaby Posts: 81 Member
    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
    airlily Posts: 212 Member
    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. :D
  • kbw414
    kbw414 Posts: 194
    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
    m_wilh Posts: 362 Member
    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
    KimbersNewLife Posts: 646 Member
    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
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    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
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    fresh fruits and veggies. lean meat. double the grocery bill :ohwell:
  • kalepowered
    kalepowered Posts: 76 Member
    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
    finchase Posts: 174
    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
    wendyapple Posts: 323 Member
    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
    NevaehsMommy2010 Posts: 12
    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
    PositivelyFlawed Posts: 316 Member
    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
    Ilovepeppers Posts: 396 Member
    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
    Saezimmerman Posts: 93 Member
    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. :smile: Even better, we're enjoying it!
  • sherrybaby81
    sherrybaby81 Posts: 257 Member
    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
    cracked_belle Posts: 18 Member
    no more tv dinners and less alcohol, haha!!
  • cjmoultrie
    cjmoultrie Posts: 5
    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)
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