Grocery Store Shopping & How I Save

My favorite day of the week is when I go grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping to me is like clothes shopping to a high maintenance woman. I get so pumped to get into the store, and seeing what new items are on the shelves. I’m always interested in reading the nutiritonal labels, and comparing items to eachother.

Just because one salad dressing is 20 calories and the other salad dressing is 40 calories, doesn’t neccessarily mean it’s healthier for you. Always read and compare the nutrition labels, and if the ingredient list is longer than this paragraph I’ve written so far, then stay away. Also stay away from the inside aisles as these aisles are usually packed with foods you don’t need to be buying! A fun tip I also learned, if the ingredient list sounds like a science experiement, stay away. Now lets get back to what I usually buy at the grocery store.

As I’ve stated in previous blog posts, I usually shop at small stores like Aldi’s. By small I mean there are only 4-5 aisles at my local Aldi’s. Which means a lot less browsing at unhealthy snacks and garbage. When I walk into the store the first thing I notice are all of the packaged processed snacks, candy, and supposedly ‘healthy packaged snacks’.

As I walk into the store, I see a box of snacks that have sayings like ‘Low Calorie’ or ‘Fat Free’. I check the nutrition label, and it’s filled with more than 20 grams of sugar for one serving! Way too much for a food that is supposedly so good for you.

The average person takes in about 22 tsp a day. If you add that up altogether for a year, it equals WAY too much. I put down the supposedly healthy snacks, and move on. Then I notice oatmeal, and check the nutritional facts. The sugars are way too high, so I decide to move on and get my 100% natural oats from another grocery store since this one doesn’t have it.

People think any type of oatmeal is good for you, this is where they are wrong. Oatmeal can go wrong VERY quickly if not done right. Many instant pack oatmeals are filled with sugars and a bunch of other uneccessary things. Go the smart route, buy 100% natural oats. Oatmeal is a staple meal for me every morning. I usually add whey protein powder or banana/apple to my oatmeal with a dash of natural honey to sweeten it up a little bit.

Next I pick a couple cartons of eggs, and a few packages of salad/spinach mixes. These are quick and easy and only $1.00 each at my local grocery store. 1 package usually lasts me 1-2 days depending on how much salad I eat in a given day.

Next I move onto the produce aisle. This is usually the point where I wish I would have gotten a kart, but instead I use my reusable enviroment friendly bag. I also feel like I get less food and no room for anything unhealthy because I am carrying around this food everywhere, saves my money as well.

I load up on red apples, celery, oranges, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and whatever else I feel like getting. Next stop, freezer aisle. Depending on how I’m feeling for the week, I choose shrimp, lobster, turkey burgers, fish and a couple huge bags of chicken breasts. Then my arm/shoulder starts to feel like jello so I go to the register and purchase all my groceries.

My groceries always come out to $20-$40, depending on how much fish/chicken breasts I buy, which are my most costly items.

Also, have you ever tried almond milk? I’ve been reading a lot about almond milk being very more nutritious for you than regular milk.

How much do you usually spend when you go grocery shopping?