I like to eat healthy food... Life just feels so much better when I do, ya know? And I also like to not spend a bunch of money on food. So when we go grocery shopping those are the two things I need- healthy yet inexpensive.
When I married Ben I knew this would be a challenge because he's either allergic or sensitive to the following:
|Gluten
|Dairy
|Legumes
|Soy
|Almonds
That's a hefty list of food items! But we're learning how to make it work. And let me tell you, you don't have to spend a ton of money on food to eat healthy.
Whole Foods? No, thanks (way over priced). Trader Joes or Aldi? I think yes!
Ben and I set a budget of $100 for every two weeks of groceries. I make the grocery list so when we go over budget it's my fault and we almost always go over.
But this week we didn't!! I tried really hard and we only spent $89! Ah, I was so proud of myself.
Do you try to stick to a budget for groceries?... Or at least just try to keep spending reasonable?
If you do (or if you want to) here are some of my helpful hints:
1) Put in the time. It really does help to plan well! Making a meal plan for a week or two will save you SO much money in the long run as opposed to running out every couple days to pick up meal ingredients. I plan and buy groceries for two weeks in advance. That may seem a little bit excessive, but it saves us enough money to make it worth it! Try to make it fun by exploring new ideas with some music on in the background! Pinterest is awesome, I have a Trader Joes cookbook that I love, and I keep a notebook of good recipes we've made in the past. Whatever your fancy, choose your meals, make your list and stock up that fridge.
When I married Ben I knew this would be a challenge because he's either allergic or sensitive to the following:
|Gluten
|Dairy
|Legumes
|Soy
|Almonds
That's a hefty list of food items! But we're learning how to make it work. And let me tell you, you don't have to spend a ton of money on food to eat healthy.
Whole Foods? No, thanks (way over priced). Trader Joes or Aldi? I think yes!
Ben and I set a budget of $100 for every two weeks of groceries. I make the grocery list so when we go over budget it's my fault and we almost always go over.
But this week we didn't!! I tried really hard and we only spent $89! Ah, I was so proud of myself.
Do you try to stick to a budget for groceries?... Or at least just try to keep spending reasonable?
If you do (or if you want to) here are some of my helpful hints:
1) Put in the time. It really does help to plan well! Making a meal plan for a week or two will save you SO much money in the long run as opposed to running out every couple days to pick up meal ingredients. I plan and buy groceries for two weeks in advance. That may seem a little bit excessive, but it saves us enough money to make it worth it! Try to make it fun by exploring new ideas with some music on in the background! Pinterest is awesome, I have a Trader Joes cookbook that I love, and I keep a notebook of good recipes we've made in the past. Whatever your fancy, choose your meals, make your list and stock up that fridge.
2) Think Simple. We've found that in order to keep cost down, we have to also keep the number of ingredients down. It's a little more difficult to make a high class meal this way, but if you put a little research into it you can still come out with delicious and healthy meals. Not to mention it makes meal prep easier! Winning!
3) Start with what you have. Quinoa and black beans in the pantry? How about quinoa and black bean stuffed portobello caps?! This one's simple, but so many people forget to think about it and end up with 12 random cans at the back of the cupboard... Possibly a couple years expired (I used to be this person).
Bonus tip) Fresh produce! It's good and it's healthy and it's cheap. It's also a very simple way for a single person cooking for themselves to throw a meal together. Before I was married I did a lot of salads, veggies with hummus, roasted veggies and steamed veggies. Mmm. I love veggies.
I hope this post is a helpful one! I'm still learning myself, so if I have any other epiphanies you'll hear about them. And If you have other tricks or hints please share! :)
I hope this post is a helpful one! I'm still learning myself, so if I have any other epiphanies you'll hear about them. And If you have other tricks or hints please share! :)
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