After the success of my first ‘Healthy on the Cheap‘ post, I have made a part II to add to the series! The last post focused on strategies you can do to help reduce costs associated with a healthy and active lifestyle, and on what foods you should buy that are both healthy and cheap. This post will focus on tips for shopping smart to keep your overall grocery expenses low.

Healthy on the Cheap: Part II

Shop Smart

1.  Keep an eye out for discounts – I used to get tons of flyers for discounts happening at my local supermarkets and would always throw them away until one day I noticed that Sprouts Farmer’s Market were having a ‘buy 3 for $1’ on Hass Avocados! Ever since then I have paid attention to any specials supermarkets are having.
2. Make a grocery list! You would be surprised at how many silly things you purchase if you don’t stick to a list. I am not saying you will be 100% perfect with a list (I always sneak some Harmless Harvest coconut water in hehe), but it helps. A lot.
3. Try and cut down on buying tea and coffee when out and about. I used to buy loads, but cut down to buying 1 latte or mocha every other day or so, and by making my own tea at home. Try filling a glass water bottle with green tea and half a lemon, sliced. It is delicious!
4. Stick to a regular routine at the supermarket. By this, I mean start at the produce section and load up there, then move onto dairy, grains, and finally meat. By the time you get to meat (which is by far my most expensive purchase), your shopping basket will be pretty full and it will make you think more carefully about how much meat you need to buy.
5. NEVER ever shop when hungry! Okay, so I still make this mistake from time to time but I am much more aware of this now. You’d be amazed by all the random c*** you will throw into your shopping cart when you are hungry. Suddenly everything looks good; “Ooh, $10 bag of caramel clusters, sounds good!” haha.
6. Load up on in-season produce. Produce that is in season tends to be cheaper and fresher. Some examples of produce currently in season are artichokes, broccoli, winter squash, and arugula.
7. Visit a farmer’s market. This isn’t something I do often but is something I will be trying to do more because farmer’s markets tend to have produce and fruits that are cheaper than they are in supermarkets. And usually fresher too!
8. Don’t be afraid to buy frozen food. Frozen berries for example tend to be frozen at their peak nutritional state and are much cheaper than fresh berries. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend investing in certain kinds of frozen produce. I always have frozen berries, corn and green beans in the freezer.
9. Get your supermarket’s rewards card. If you shop at a supermarket frequently, chances are that they will have some sort of rewards card. I have one for my local supermarket (Safeway) and it has helped me save quite a lot of money and cash in on special deals.

These 9 tips are what I try to follow to help me shop smart and allow me to eat a variety of healthy foods despite my measly student budget (bet everyone in university can relate lol). I would absolutely love to hear what you do to shop smart or if you already do one of the above tips.

What is your favorite winter produce? Mine are definitely winter squash, especially now I bought a spiralizer!

Honestly yours,
Alice

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