Grocery Shopping

Once you've decided on a menu for the week, go through all your recipes and write down all that you'll need on a list. Don't forget breakfast, lunch, and snack items as well.

You don't have to stick to your list exactly. A lot of times, if there are specials on certain items, I will change up my list last minute to save money. Be flexible! and know your substitutions. If you planned a leek and potato soup, but they have a special on kale, don't be afraid to use kale in addition to or instead of leeks.

Organize your lists so they are easy to read and you won't miss anything. Everyone is different, but I usually group things based on the order I go through the store. For example, most grocery stores have the fresh produce in front, so I put that on the top left. Next, I hit dairy and deli, so those items go bottom left. Next, I hit the bulk section--top right, then on the bottom right I put everything else.

For fresh produce, only buy what you'll use for the week--you don't want it to go bad on you. If there is a special in the store, you might want to stock up. In that case, plan on freezing some of it, pickling, or canning, all super simple, easy, and fun options which I will give advice for in other posts.

Things like pasta, grains, nuts, spices, baking supplies (sugar, flour, flax, yeast), nut butters, honey, can all be bought in bulk! Even eggs! This way, you cut back on all the packaging, and you can get the amounts you need. With spices, you probably won't need an entire jar of every spice you use, so you can just fill a small bag with what you need for a given recipe. For things that you'll definitely need a lot of and last a while like flour and sugar and nuts, go ahead and stock up. When you do have to refill, just make sure you label your bags so you can just refill them.

Bring your own carton for eggs. At most co-ops, you'll get a discount for having your own, and if you don't need a full carton, you don't have to buy one.

Get your meat fresh from the deli. They will cut it right in front of you to order so that it is fresh, you can see exactly where it comes from, and you can get the amount you need for the week. Also, it saves on packaging and usually tastes better! Look for weekly specials in the store to determine what meats you eat that week so you can save money.