I have been on a mission the past few weeks trying to find ways to lower my grocery budget but still stick to following my recommended plate guidelines (protein, healthy fat, fiber.) Here are 5 Grocery Shopping Hacks to SAVE MONEY that have been super helpful to me.
Breakfast for Dinner
This one is so simple, and everyone loves it. You can do anything from protein pancakes and bacon to an egg frittata and throw some fruit on the side. It's very inexpensive to grab an extra pack of good bacon from the store to create a simple meal since you most likely already have eggs in your fridge or other staples for protein pancakes. There it is! One meal for the week--done.
2. A High Protein Meatless Meal
This one can be done for one meal or for several. Good quality meat is expensive but it's not necessary to have meat in every meal. Here are some high protein vegetarian meals that are my go-to's for an effortless dinner.
Meatless chili - go crazy with the toppings (sour cream, guac, hot sauce, fresh jalapenos.)
Chickpea pasta as a base- spaghetti, alfredo, pesto, etc. Add in some other chopped veggies and some feta and voila!
3. Grab a Rotisserie Chicken
A rotisserie chicken is pre-cooked, cheap, and ready to go. You can find a good quality organic one at most stores, but it's also not the end of the world if you grab a non-organic one --occasionally. (Especially if we're talking budgeting here.) It goes a long way and typically leaves leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. Which brings me to the next tip.
4. Leftovers
This one is super easy! You can make a meal go further by using less meat, and more sauce (spaghetti) or by making other “balanced” casseroles and dishes that can go further.
5. Use Different Grocery Stores
I have been using Walmart for most of my shopping --or at least anything I can get there because I found it to be most cost effective. After this, I'll go to Costco and then grab just a few items from a health food store if I need them, I'm telling ya-- THIS MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Even though it may take a bit more work, it comes out to be cheaper overall than grabbing everything from one store.
I'd love to hear if any of these were helpful for you and your budget or if you have any budgeting tricks you'd like to share with me!
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