How to save money on groceries
Ask anyone about healthy and plant based grocery shopping and they'll tell you one of two extremes: It's expensive or it's the most budget friendly thing they ever did. The truth is, either can be the case. It all depends on what you buy. I am able to eat vegan and gluten free and still only spend $20 a week on groceries. How on Earth do I do that? That's what I'm here to talk about. Here are my tips for spending less on groceries.
1. Cut down on processed foods. A lot of processed foods tend to be more on the pricey side because you're paying for the ingredients used and labor costs so companies can profit. Instead, buy the ingredients to DIY the processed food of choice and you're not only cutting labor costs, but you will likely have enough ingredients left over that you are able to make another batch afterwards. This is not true 100% of the time but often times it is. For example, I can get a big bag of peanuts at my grocery store for $1.32 or a good sized jar of peanut butter that's very easy to work with at Trader Joe's for $2. I have bought the former to make peanut butter and it does not yield even half what the jar at Trader Joe's comes with, and deshelling those peanuts is very time consuming, so I just go ahead and buy peanut butter at Trader Joe's. (Look for it on the top shelf. All the pricier nut butters are on the middle shelves) However, baked goods are a different story. Most of the time, buying them from your bakery will be approximately the cost of buying the ingredients but then you can't make more. I just buy ingredients to bake with so I can make a recipe again.
2. Buy produce that is in season. Seasonal produce is always a better deal than when it is out of season. Buy the produce that is in season and plan your meals around that.
3. Frozen fruits and vegetables are your friend. I would not advocate for buying most frozen meals either for your health or for your wallet but do buy frozen fruits and vegetables. They are often a better deal than what you can find in the fresh produce section (especially if they are out of season) and do not sacrifice nutrition at all.
4. Buying exotic and trendy stuff will not make you any more vegan. I'm not saying not to buy things like dragonfruit but you are not required to. When I get dragonfruit, it is a treat because it is very expensive and also tough to find where I live. Yes, dragonfruit is vegan and you will see it all over social media but buying just one is approximately double the price of a three pound bag of apples, which are also vegan. A single dragonfruit is still more expensive even if you buy a bag of organic apples. You are still just as vegan if you buy the bag of apples instead and the apples are still perfectly healthy and not cruel to animals. I am not at all trying to say you can't buy dragonfruit and whatever other expensive things you enjoy, just buy them sparingly and enjoy them when you do get them. Your social media fans will not chastise you for it.
5. Choose dried beans instead of canned. A can of beans is approximately double the price of a bag of dried beans when you consider that cooking dried beans yields more than just opening a can does. For this reason, I almost never buy canned beans.
6. Look for discount produce. This could go one of two ways. The most obvious is that produce prices are ever changing so buy what's cheaper that week. The other less obvious way is that some stores have a discount produce stand (not sure if that's what it's called). The stand will have produce that is supposedly "soon to be expired" but oftentimes, something on there will actually be totally fine and it'll cost significantly less than it would if it wasn't on that stand. At my grocery store, the produce on that stand is less than half the normal price. It's not out every week but it's the first thing I look for every time I go grocery shopping because I've scored great deals this way. The other day, I scored two whole weeks worth of bananas for only $.45 when normally, one cent less can only buy two or three bananas.
So that's how I manage to buy a whole week's worth of groceries for only $20 even though coupons for healthy plant based food are very hard to find and I hope these tips can help you get more bang for your buck (or euro, peso, whatever currency you use) as well as counter the stereotypes about healthy eating being "expensive". Also, stay tuned for a post coming later on about eating while traveling. I am going to be travelling somewhere for a couple days later this week. At this time, I am choosing not to announce my destination on the internet but when I get back, I will write up a post about what snacks I brought for the flight (and to keep in my purse while out and about) as well as what I ate while I was there. It may not align 100% with how I eat at home but I always find it interesting to see what others eat while travelling so I will be straight up honest about what I eat and hope that it will be interesting and helpful for you guys. I travel relatively frequently so if you guys want, I can do a post about what foods are good to travel with and how I decide which of those many choices to bring with me on a trip (I choose some different things every time). Just let me know through any avenue of communication that I have provided for you.
1. Cut down on processed foods. A lot of processed foods tend to be more on the pricey side because you're paying for the ingredients used and labor costs so companies can profit. Instead, buy the ingredients to DIY the processed food of choice and you're not only cutting labor costs, but you will likely have enough ingredients left over that you are able to make another batch afterwards. This is not true 100% of the time but often times it is. For example, I can get a big bag of peanuts at my grocery store for $1.32 or a good sized jar of peanut butter that's very easy to work with at Trader Joe's for $2. I have bought the former to make peanut butter and it does not yield even half what the jar at Trader Joe's comes with, and deshelling those peanuts is very time consuming, so I just go ahead and buy peanut butter at Trader Joe's. (Look for it on the top shelf. All the pricier nut butters are on the middle shelves) However, baked goods are a different story. Most of the time, buying them from your bakery will be approximately the cost of buying the ingredients but then you can't make more. I just buy ingredients to bake with so I can make a recipe again.
2. Buy produce that is in season. Seasonal produce is always a better deal than when it is out of season. Buy the produce that is in season and plan your meals around that.
3. Frozen fruits and vegetables are your friend. I would not advocate for buying most frozen meals either for your health or for your wallet but do buy frozen fruits and vegetables. They are often a better deal than what you can find in the fresh produce section (especially if they are out of season) and do not sacrifice nutrition at all.
4. Buying exotic and trendy stuff will not make you any more vegan. I'm not saying not to buy things like dragonfruit but you are not required to. When I get dragonfruit, it is a treat because it is very expensive and also tough to find where I live. Yes, dragonfruit is vegan and you will see it all over social media but buying just one is approximately double the price of a three pound bag of apples, which are also vegan. A single dragonfruit is still more expensive even if you buy a bag of organic apples. You are still just as vegan if you buy the bag of apples instead and the apples are still perfectly healthy and not cruel to animals. I am not at all trying to say you can't buy dragonfruit and whatever other expensive things you enjoy, just buy them sparingly and enjoy them when you do get them. Your social media fans will not chastise you for it.
5. Choose dried beans instead of canned. A can of beans is approximately double the price of a bag of dried beans when you consider that cooking dried beans yields more than just opening a can does. For this reason, I almost never buy canned beans.
6. Look for discount produce. This could go one of two ways. The most obvious is that produce prices are ever changing so buy what's cheaper that week. The other less obvious way is that some stores have a discount produce stand (not sure if that's what it's called). The stand will have produce that is supposedly "soon to be expired" but oftentimes, something on there will actually be totally fine and it'll cost significantly less than it would if it wasn't on that stand. At my grocery store, the produce on that stand is less than half the normal price. It's not out every week but it's the first thing I look for every time I go grocery shopping because I've scored great deals this way. The other day, I scored two whole weeks worth of bananas for only $.45 when normally, one cent less can only buy two or three bananas.
So that's how I manage to buy a whole week's worth of groceries for only $20 even though coupons for healthy plant based food are very hard to find and I hope these tips can help you get more bang for your buck (or euro, peso, whatever currency you use) as well as counter the stereotypes about healthy eating being "expensive". Also, stay tuned for a post coming later on about eating while traveling. I am going to be travelling somewhere for a couple days later this week. At this time, I am choosing not to announce my destination on the internet but when I get back, I will write up a post about what snacks I brought for the flight (and to keep in my purse while out and about) as well as what I ate while I was there. It may not align 100% with how I eat at home but I always find it interesting to see what others eat while travelling so I will be straight up honest about what I eat and hope that it will be interesting and helpful for you guys. I travel relatively frequently so if you guys want, I can do a post about what foods are good to travel with and how I decide which of those many choices to bring with me on a trip (I choose some different things every time). Just let me know through any avenue of communication that I have provided for you.