I loved your feedback on yesterday’s grocery budget post! Clearly budgets are personal and different for everyone, but there are a few tips I use to help better spend our grocery dollars. I figured I’d share some of those for this WIAW (Thanks Jenn!).
1. Use up produce before it goes bad. One area I really try to focus on is not letting food go to waste. Meal planning and sneaking in produce wherever I can really helps. Yesterday’s omelet had zucchini from last week that was on it’s last legs. Omelets, soups, pizza toppings and smoothies are all great ways to make sure you don’t throw away money on produce.
2. Buy from bulk bins. Quite an overused ‘tip’ right? But it works. I try to buy all as many pantry staples as I can from bulk bins and it makes a big difference in cost. I buy oats, nuts, flour, quinoa, popcorn, barley, chia seeds and sometimes spices from bulk bins. I keep them in large, clear containers (after keeping them in the freezer for a couple days because of my fear of pantry moths ever returning). Then, I can use them to make large batches of foods to use throughout the week. This week was quinoa!
3. Avoid individually portioned sizes for foods you eat a lot of. Recently I’ve stopped buying the small yogurts. Instead, I buy a large container. This week it was a 32oz organic Stonyfield yogurt for $3.39. If I had bought 6 individual (6 oz) yogurts instead, my total would have been $7.98 for 36 oz.
4. Bulk up meals with in-season produce. We like meat, chicken and seafood, but those add up pretty quickly, especially if you buy high quality items. My answer is to buy smaller portions and bulk up meals with less-expensive produce. David and I split single steaks and I usually buy less than a recipe requires.
5. Edit recipes when possible. For example, last night’s shrimp kabobs were ‘supposed’ to be 1 lb of shrimp, tomatoes and a baguette. Since we don’t eat much bread, I skipped the baguette because I figured the remainder would go to waste. I only bought 3/4 lb of shrimp and instead I used more veggies to bulk up the meal.
Things turned out just fine.
6. Limit convenience items. If you can, take the time to prep your own fruits and vegetables or, heck, bake your own bread. I finally invested $20 in a salad spinner (thank you zulily for the discount!). It’s life changing. I usually buy the pre-washed packages of organic greens for $3.99 each (total $8.00). This week I bought organic romaine and organic red leaf lettuce for a total of $4.00 and ended up with twice the amount of greens!
7. Use only what you need at a given time. This week we ate half of an oversized avocado on Monday night with our Mexican layer bowls, then I used a bit for breakfast, a bit on my lunch salad and a bit for Hailey’s lunch plate.
8. Buy one treat. I usually end up buying one ‘treat’ item a week. Since my lunches and breakfasts get repetitive, I find having a new item or ingredient to jazz things up makes me happy. I’ve enjoyed this tzatziki as a dip for carrots, a salad dressing and a mix in for quinoa.
How do you use up food before it goes bad?
Do you have much to throw away by the end of the week?
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I totally do all of those things. Our fridge and pantry is usually bare by the time the week is over – I’m okay with that!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
I love all of your tips! I definitely buy individual packed items much too often (ex: greek yogurt) and would save a good amount of money from just buying the 4 cup size!
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
I need to get better about all of this. Chris and I spend an insane amount of money on groceries – BUT we only eat out maybe 1-2 times a paycheck. We do have a lot of food go to waste and we both need to work on that!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I always do my best to use up all of my produce before it goes bad. I incorporate my produce into snacks and I add veggies into recipes that they aren’t originally found in. Last night I made a Caribbean black-eyed peas and rice dish and added in mushrooms and tomato because they were sitting in my fridge and about to go bad. I HATE wasting food!
Brittany Dixon says
Ohhh Caribbean black eyed pea and rice dish sounds great!!
Parita says
Towards the end of the week, at least one of our meals is a garbage bowl (a little bit of everything!). And I also edit recipes to fit what I have on hand or the amount I want to buy – never thought of it as a tip but I guess it is!
Brittany Dixon says
Haha, I’d love to see David’s face when I told him we were having garbage bowls for dinner 😉 Love the concept though!!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
I’m very strict about not letting food go to waste, so our fridge and pantry are pretty bare by the end of the week. Like you said, I stuff produce in all sorts of stuff – smoothies, eggs, casseroles, salads, etc. We almost always have a “leftover night” toward the end of the week to use up any leftovers in the fridge.
Danica @ It's Progression says
I love these tips! I’m a huge stickler about avoiding waste – I can’t stand to see good food thrown away. It’s wasted (usually organic) food AND wasted money – no thank you!
Hanna says
My hub is a firefighter and he’s on shift a few nights every week so I plan our meals for the nights that he’s home. We always keep the left overs during the week and PLAN to eat them when he’s at work. However, that never happens! It makes me sad to eat the same meal two nights in a row and end up picking something up on our way home instead of cooking. I always end up throwing away left overs at the end of the week and it makes me sad!
Brittany Dixon says
I like dinners to be different too (#firstworldproblems). However, I’m happy to eat them for breakfast or lunch! Maybe eat them for lunches instead? Or make smaller portions so there are no leftovers? Haha 🙂
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
A great tip that is helpful on MANY levels is to “eat what you store and store what you eat.”
That means for any staple good that keeps well (cans, bagged quinoa, pasta, or your own canned garden surplus) make sure you have a few extra in your pantry at all times. If you know your family eats a box of pasta and a can of chicken broth every month… Next time you go to the store, buy two of each.
That way if you have a little bit of a stock in your cupboard, you can:
1) Only buy things when they go on sale. Oats are discounted this month? I’ll buy double or triple that with the money I would’ve spent on rice since that’s full price and I already have extra at home.
2) Go shopping in your own pantry! Having a little extra on hand eliminates those frantic trips to the grocery when you’re out of something basic. That saves fuel, let alone stress and time.
3) IMHO, most importantly, you now have a little food security. This money-saving practice is the first step to make sure your family won’t go hungry if a blizzard or something comes through for a couple days and you can’t make it to the store for whatever reason. I think it’s crazy that most people have thirty days of dog food stored in their basement, and only two days of perishable people food in the fridge. That’s nuts. Our grandparents would flog us for that. I wrote more about this here if you’re interested: http://midwesternbite.com/family-essentials-part-2-food/
Ashley {Whole Foods New Body} says
Found you blog on WIAW! Love it! Great tips!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Helene says
I love those tips! Especially #2 – we just moved to a new city (Ottawa) and here they have huge stores where you can buy everything in bulk (like everything, even dogs treats!) and we love shopping there because it means we only buy the quantity we need. I hate to throw food away!
#4 is really good too, i like to add mushrooms to ground beef to bulk up our meals. works perfectly!
Wendy says
I have to say you have inspired me to clean out our pantry. I did this once last year, and it was great for both the kitchen and our wallet.
I just switched to the big yogurt a few months back, what a small change that made a big difference!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I am always to scared to buy from bulk bins. I worry about cross-contamination, cleanliness, and germs? AM I the only one or do you think about this too?
Brittany Dixon says
I guess the places I buy from are great stores and I trust them? Whatever the reason, I don’t worry about germs. I think packages foods are packaged the same way and probably give a false sense of security. I realize this reply is no help, but I’ve eaten from bulk bins from a long time with no issues (fingers crossed! ;))
Ttrockwood says
If you are at all concerned then purchase only foods that will be cooked, that will kill any bacteria. I have been eating and buying from bulk bins for about 15years and have never gotten sick 🙂
Shanna says
No no noooooo, pantry months! I think we have them. I’ve been seeing these little buggers lurking around and am in complete denial. I guess I’ll have to do what you did and just do the overall. Gross gross gross!
Brittany Dixon says
Ugghhh they are so gross! Nothing worse in my opinion. Good luck!!
char eats greens says
Yet again, love another one of your posts. I don’t think I buy as much in bulk as I should. And I totally love the buy bigger packages than the individuals. I need to do this with applesauce, I think! The one thing I am adamant about is the produce for sure. We will use the oddest things for meals just to use stuff up, and I’m ok with that.
I always don’t mind if you keep the tips coming though 😉
Susan (Susonia.com) says
I *usually* do most of these things! There are weeks where there’s just no time to prepare ahead, so I’m grateful for pre-washed greens and veggies. We usually bulk up our meals with veggies or sometimes skip the meat entirely.
One of my favorite ways of saving time and money is making a big batch of food (my favorite is Bolognese sauce), I save time later on, when I only have to reheat the individual portions, and all I need to cook is some pasta. Time saved = money saved, because I’m less likely to be stressed out and order takeout. Thanks for sharing!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yes, I definitely love having the convenience items when I’m in a pinch! And Bolognese sauce sounds so yummy right now…! Send some over next time you make a big batch? 😉
Kathryn @ Illustrated Nutrition says
These tips are great! I switched over from buying the individual yogurts to the large tubs a couple years ago and I think it really makes a diffence. It’s cheaper and I’m more likely to eat because I don’t want it all to go to waste.
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
Yes! Great tips- we do all of those as well- buy lots in bulk or larger containers, make our own convenience foods when we can, and don’t let any produce go to waste. I love the last tip about buying a treat to mix it up- I should do that! I tend to get in a rut with meals, too.
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, and Beers says
I don’t have to throw away much at the end of the week, but it happens every once in a while. I’m all about some in-season produce and huge containers of yogurt thought.
Lindsay@Fuel My Family says
Throwing away food pains me so we never do. You should see some of the lunches that result but oh we’ll! I’ve found processed foods are way more expensive so we don’t buy them. Ex. Pancake mix is way more expensive than flour and baking powder.
Halsy says
Great tips! We also do a fun treat every other week. We try hard not to waste food but it does happen! We freeze peppers, onions, peaches, bananas, pineapple etc! The little has an egg allergy so no more omelettes to use up veggies for us 🙁 we also try to only buy what we need and not too much to avoid food waste.
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says
I often freeze fruits if they’re dyin’ on us. Bananas especially! And then it makes fantastic soft serve later 🙂
Great tips! Getting a “treat” is a good one! Keeps things interesting.
Vicky says
I ALWAYS freeze my leftover fruit and veggies before they go bad. Then use them in the fall and winter 🙂 I also make a lot of kale pesto in the summer…. So good mid winter.
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
I definitely do all the above! Great tips! I also purchase things like coconut oil, nuts, almond butter, dates, some produce and organic meats from Costco which last longer and save me in the long run. With the nuts, coconut oil and almond butter I make our own granola bars and bites to snack on through the week and save on purchasing individual bars. Those add up!
Heather @ Fit Mama Real Food says
Love these tips! Definitely not wasting food is something I’m always working on. I hate tossing out leftovers because we didn’t eat them fast enough.
Kelli H says
I do most of these tips you mentioned, but I need to get better at adding in more veggies. I kind of suck at making one or two more veggie sides for our dinners. It’d totally help us eat less of the main dish and then have more for leftover lunches.
Elle @ The Clean Project says
The hardest one for me is the produce. I always have good intentions for it, but its not the first thing I reach for when life gets busy
Ttrockwood says
Great post!
I buy produce frequently and eat it all without problems 🙂
I stopped buying cereals and bars to save money and make my own granola bars or protein bites in a big batch and freeze some.
However, i always allow myself a random “treat”- like the amazing dark chocolate and ginger bar i’m nibbling 🙂
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
Good tips! I’m also learning more about freezing foods that I don’t use. I just saw on a blog yesterday that you can chop up leftover onion and put it in a freezer bag in the freezer! I guess I should have thought of this, but it was a new one to me!
Amy @ Long Drive Journey says
I love these tips! I’m great with meal planning, but my grocery shopping planning could definitely be improved. I really like your blog! So glad I found it!
Neil Butterfield says
I love the tip edit recipes where necessary. My wife is a past master at doing this and her food is awesome.