How has YOUR grocery list changed?

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  • m_wilh
    m_wilh Posts: 362 Member
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    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: 644 Member
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    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
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    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
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    fresh fruits and veggies. lean meat. double the grocery bill :ohwell:
  • kalepowered
    kalepowered Posts: 76 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    no more tv dinners and less alcohol, haha!!
  • cjmoultrie
    cjmoultrie Posts: 5
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    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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