Eating clean is extremely expensive.
Or is it? The first time I went to the grocery store to purchase food for our
new lifestyle, I was impressed that I got out only spending $140 for two weeks
worth of food! Imagine my disappointment when I got home and started reviewing
our menu for the week only to realize that the food I bought was only going to
last one week. We typically only spend about $125 for two weeks worth of
groceries so I kind of freaked out a bit realizing that I was really going to
have to raise our grocery budget if we were going to be able to continue on.
I think getting started is
definitely the hardest part. I am still trying to figure out how to balance
everything so that I have a better handle of exactly how much I will be
spending each week, but I've come across a few techniques that will definitely
help me to organize my grocery budget.
Here are a few helpful hints for
trying to stretch your money:
·
We wanted to check out the local
health food stores to see what kind of products they have in stock and ended up
spending about $40 on just a few items. While I fully support locally owned
businesses and enjoy going to the health food stores, I later found many of the
items we needed at Kroger and HEB for a lot cheaper. Both grocery stores have a
great selection of many of the ingredients you will need for cooking and a good
selection of organic produce. I would save the health food stores for those
hard to find items while you are trying to get started.
·
I made a spreadsheet of the staple
ingredients I know that I will need often (see example of a portion of the
spreadsheet below). In order to stay better organized in the store I sectioned
my spreadsheet in to categories based on similar items/items that will be
located close together (i.e. Dairy, Fresh Fruit/Veggies, Meat, etc). Below each
category I leave space to write in extra items if needed. Before each visit to
the store I print the list, and take it to the kitchen. If I already have
something on the list, or we aren't running low, I place a checkmark under the
"Have" column. Then when I go to the store and put something in my
cart, I put a checkmark in the "Have" column beside that item. I
found that it was easier to scan the page if I am looking for blank spaces that
were missing a checkmark. The list also helps me to stay focused on exactly
what I need so that I'm not tempted to buy things that I don't need. Finally,
in the last column titled "Cost" I write the cost of the items I am
buying that day. This leads me to my last point.
| |
Have |
Cost |
| Dairy: |
|
|
| Egg whites |
|
|
| Low Fat Plain
Greek yogurt |
|
|
| Low fat string
cheese |
|
|
| Cottage cheese |
|
|
| Unsweetened
almond milk |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Fresh
Veggies/Fruit: |
|
|
| Mushrooms |
|
|
| Spinach |
|
|
| Tomatoes |
|
|
| Carrots |
|
|
| Broccoli |
|
|
| Lots of
bananas |
|
|
| Asparagus |
|
|
| Sweet potatoes |
|
|
| Romaine
lettuce |
|
|
| Apples |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Meat: |
|
|
| Chicken |
|
|
| Pork Chops |
|
|
| Turkey |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
·
It is important to be aware of the
cost of the items you buy most often. If you know what to expect price wise
then you will be able to easily spot when items are on sale. Also if you do
decide to shop at another grocery store you will be able to easily compare
prices. Maybe you can get some items cheaper at one store while another store
has some things for less. You can also take your receipt home and fill in the
costs later.
(Includes food for Aria, a few household items and muffins for my brother and his wife)
Even though it may seem that you are spending more money, I
hope you can feel encouraged knowing that by eating clean you've probably
already cut your spending in other areas such as eating out, your daily
Starbucks run, or those random desserts you impulsively pick up at the store
just because they look good. In a few weeks I think I will have a much better
idea of how much I need to budget for my trips to the store.
