Grocery shopping can be so overwhelming, especially when you are trying to figure out how to balance your time, money and nutrition. There is no need to sacrifice taste or nutrition when grocery shopping on a budget! All it takes is a little planning ahead using these tips.

Budgeting

Determining how much to spend on groceries: This is totally dependent on your income, where you live, and how much you are willing to spend. Track your food spending for a few weeks to see what you are already spending and reevaluate from there. You can also try setting a range from 10-20% of your income and increase or decrease from there.

Including your eating out expenses: You should always be including your eating out budget with your groceries budget in an overall food budget. Having an extremely strict grocery budget is pointless if you are also spending lots of money eating out. Set an overall food budget and then divide what you will be spending on groceries and eating out. For example, you can have a weekly food budget of $100 that is divided into $80 for groceries and $20 for eating out.

Grocery pickup: Most grocery stores offer free pickup if you spend a minimum amount of around $30. Filling up your cart online is nice because you can see exactly what you are spending and you aren’t surprised with how much you end up spending. I highly recommend using this method, especially at the beginning while you are teaching yourself to stick to a budget.

Generic or name brand? Decide what’s important to you! Pick a few items that are worth it to you to spend more and buy generic in everything else.

Buy enough food each week: Less food in your house will likely cause you to eat out more. It is better for your budget to spend a little more on groceries and eat out less.

Reducing waste: A simple way to save money is to actually use the food you purchase. This is especially hard with fresh produce that can go bad so easily.

• Plan before you shop! Write down the meals you are planning to make so that you are buying the food you need and not extras that will be wasted.
• Use canned and frozen items when possible since they have a longer shelf life.
• If your produce looks close to going bad, chop it up and throw it in the freezer to use a different time! It might change the texture slightly, but can be used later in soup, casseroles, smoothies, etc.

Nutrition

How is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?

First things first, get rid of the idea that expensive supplements are necessary and focus on what nutrients you can include and not what you think you need to exclude. Three main nutrients that most people need to focus on including more are protein, fiber, and vegetables.

Protein is important for not only muscle gain, but preventing muscle loss and increasing satiety (feeling fuller for longer). Sources of protein include chicken, beef, tuna, milk, greek yogurt, beans & legumes.

Fiber is important for digestive and bowel health. Only 1 in 20 Americans get enough fiber! It is recommended to get between 25-38 grams of fiber a day! You can find fiber in whole grains (oats, wheat bread, quinoa, etc.), beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables are rich sources of essential nutrients. Examples of vegetables include broccoli, carrots, peas, green beans, lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn and cabbage. Vegetables are usually the hardest aspect of a healthy diet for people to implement because it takes time and knowledge to prepare them well. Using frozen vegetables is a great way to save time and money, since they are already chopped up and ready to steam in the microwave. And don’t forget the seasoning! Try some lemon pepper with your steamed broccoli and it will become your favorite, simple side dish!

Ready to learn more? This 30-page grocery shopping guide is a great resource for setting great nutrition and budgeting habits and walks you through the whole process of meal planning.