Buying groceries is a chore, undoubtedly, and often leads to a lot of frustration, temptation, and spending too much money! Whole30 was tough on me in this regard because I REALLY had to change my grocery purchasing outlook. I miss the "grab and go" aspect of a lot of the foods I enjoyed pre-30. HOWEVER, the decisions I make about groceries now are INFINITELY better.
How I Grocery Shop:
1. Check your fridge and cabinets and see what you have. You may find that you can get by another week or a few days without a trip to the store. If a trip to the store is inevitable, sit down and have a healthy snack while you plan your shopping trip. Everyone says it and it's true: Don't Shop Hungry.
2. Decide what you can make out of the food items you just looked through. If you're like me and make a lot of rice but can't use it up, plan to make a stir fry or some jambalaya!
3. Know what you can take out of your freezer for the week. I used to stock up on frozen goods and forget about them. Now I make sure to put them into the fridge to defrost before I buy my groceries so I know they're there! *exception: not frozen veggies, but check what you have before you shop.
4. Make your weekly meal chart or list and include the recipe suggestions based on your leftovers or things you already have, then fill in the rest of your list.
5. Check any coupon apps or weekly mail ads you get to see if anything on your list is on sale at a particular store (I do tend to stock up on certain things when they go on a good sale, like canned soup or wine).
6. Shop for your weekly things and remember to read the ingredient labels closely! Make sure not to impulse shop too much (I don't say never because sometimes it's totally worth it).
Free Colorful Weekly Meal Planning Chart for Download: PDF or DOC
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