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Grocery Trip Tips

Ahhh vacation.. well, stay-cation.  I tweaked my schedule so that I can enjoy a few mellow days at home between quitting work for my brother and starting training for my new job.  I'm eating like a champ, exercising my way through M&F Hers workouts, and finally getting around to procrastinated laundry and assorted to-do's.  But first things first, and with me, that means food!

I just got home from a nice little grocery outing at Trader Joe's.  Last week I spent only $40 on my clean eats and today I was right around the $45 mark.  Not too shabby!  Especially considering the nutrient quality of the foods I chose, and the price comparison with my 'regular' grocery shopping, which usually totals about $70 per week for me (Perhaps I should make a permanent change).  Though I'm only shopping for myself, I uncovered 2 blog-worthy tips for healthy grocery shopping that I think are pretty universal.

First, I realized a behavior I've developed that I definitely think is contributing to both my dollar-saving and food-shopping fun.. The almighty grocery list!  You've heard it touted a million times, for good reason.  With clean eating, the list is pretty straightforward in terms of categories: produce, protein, dairy, and grains.  Avoiding the high prices of processed snackfood items really reinforce the concept that we shouldn't buy them anyway! 

On my handy dandy list, I like to note the number of fruits and veggies I need for the week, instead of listing specific varieties.  This way, I have the flexibility to choose what looks the best, and it's still fun to pick out what I want for my weekly produce.  Then I choose either fresh or frozen, factoring in cost and probable usage for the week.  For example, I had originally picked up a carton of fresh peeled diced mangos for $4, but then I found the same item in the same net weight, frozen, for only $2.  Sold.  Plus, if I'd gotten the fresh, I'd have to be eating mango every day this week so it didn't spoil. 

Stick to your list!  ..Except for one item.  When I go for groceries, I allow myself one or two splurge items.  At Trader Joe's (and really any natural foods store, if you're a food junkie like moi), it's important to set your limit on this one - there are always some fun-sounding temptations calling my name, sparkling in their snazzy cute packaging.. Dark chocolate-covered edamame?  Mini mushroom tartlets?  Freeze-dried pineapple?  It all sounds awesome - but on what kind of item do I really want to use my splurge?  I only get one.  Today I needed coffee, and I decided to make that my splurge - I picked up a special canister of Gingerbread Coffee (I'm a sucker for anything holiday-flavored, even when it's 88 degrees out).  It's something I needed, but it's a special version - an upgrade, if you will.  I will say time and time again, that splurges are important because they keep your healthy efforts fun.  There's no shorter way to the death of your motivation than boredom.  Outsmart your boredom bugs and head em off at the pass.  Happy food shopping.


This post first appeared on Scribbles & Scones, please read the originial post: here

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Grocery Trip Tips

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