When I tell people my family eats clean the first thing they say is ” Wow that must be expensive”. Well actually it’s not. We have been eating clean for about a year now and my grocery bill has not increased. There are two simple things I do to keep my grocery bill down.
1. I coupon as much as possible. This isn’t always easy, because most coupons are for pre -packaged items that I don’t eat. If you can’t find coupons in the newspaper for items you need, check the grocery store. The grocery store I shop at the most is Publix, they have in store coupons for items like greek yogurt, nuts and almond milk almost weekly. When shopping there I also look for the buy one get one deals for almonds, cereal and oatmeal. If egg whites are on sale I grab two or three cartons. Don’t worry about brands, when it comes to things like oatmeal, oats are the only ingredient so buy what’s on sale or store brand.
2. I never plan meals ahead. Some people find that planning ahead works for them, but not me. I like to pick up items that are on sale, then plan my meals around that. I start with the produce section. I almost always pick up bananas, because they are the cheapest fruit. I then grab one or two more fruits that are on sale. I always look for what is in season too, because that is usually on sale. I then head over to the vegetables and get at least three vegetables on sale. Last week, broccoli was buy one get one, so we had lots of broccoli last week. When it comes to meat I always buy chicken, ground turkey or ground chicken. This week ground chicken was on sale for $3.50, so I made chicken muffins instead of turkey muffins. Salmon is my favorite, but I only buy it when I can get it for a good price.
Freezing items are good too. Freeze fruit for smoothies and vegetables for stir -fry. I haven’t had any luck freezing almond milk though.The last 2 weeks I have spent $50 each week on groceries for my family. I try to not pick up anything I don’t need. Eating Clean on a budget can be done. Shop for what’s on sale and plan your meals around that.
Today’s Sunday Food Prep:
Don’t forget Oblique Magazine Best Ab Contest is still going on and I need your votes to win. Text F002 to the number 27126. Thanks for your support.
Great tips, thanks! Can you share an example of a dinner you had this week? I buy these same items often… what’s for dinner always drives me crazy. I’m new to this clean eating, and trying to figure things out. thx.
Hey Natalee. Last week I bought some peppers that were on sale and often pretty inexpensive and made steak stir fry tonight. Salmon was also on sale last week so we had that with broccoli. This week we are having chicken salsa, cooked in the crockpot. Chili is also another great inexpensive option. Hope this helps:)
Tonight I am going to make your taco soup recipe. What kind of steak do you use with the stir fry? Is beef okay on the clean eating plan? Thanks for these ideas. I love any help I can get!!
For the beef I use is Flank steak. Lean meats are the best when eating clean, so I would limit beef.
I voted for you! Thanks for this great article. We are on a budget in every sense. I have lost 17 pounds (10%) of my weight and your ideas and meal plans will help get me to my goal.
Awe Thank you Laura. I appreciate your vote:) Congrats on losing 17 pounds that’s dedication right there. I will have some coupon ideas later this week:)
Thanks Valerie for this post! I remember seeing you post it a couple of weeks ago but I bookmarked it to read later. I always struggle with our budget with clean eating recipes. You are such an inspiration! Thanks for such great encouragement!
Thanks Adrianne. Finding a grocery budget can be hard, but try some of these tips and see if it helps.