Grocery Shopping for Healthy Foods on a Budget

College is a time for trying new things, and for some, this includes grocery shopping. This could either evoke feelings of freedom and excitement, or nervousness, boredom, and fear. Whatever feelings grocery shopping brings you, there is one glaring obstacle: money. The dismal reality of being a full-time student is that we are (most likely) poor. The little money/income we do have we may want to save for weekends out with friends or this season’s newest fashion. Many times this lack of income forces us to buy unhealthy, cook-in-a-minute groceries because of the low price. Sure, you might not be paying much for your food, but how much of that food is really nourishing your body?

Shopping for healthy foods doesn’t have to kill your bank account. There are a few easy steps you can take to keep the nutritional values high and the bills low.

Sign up for a store card.

The first thing you should do before heading through the aisles of a grocery store is enroll in the store’s membership program. This will give you a card that you scan at checkout. Then watch the total drop! Not only do you get major store discounts, but you can also get personalized coupons sent to your mailbox or mobile device. Select stores even have a gas points system, giving you a discount on gas based on your number of points (Tops Friendly Markets in Ithaca has this feature).

Buy store-brand items.

Almost every name-brand packaged item ranging from meat to tea has an equivalent product made by the grocery store. The differences between these two products is (usually) negligible in all areas but one: price. Each store-brand product can be $1–2 less than its name-brand counterpart. Just switching a few items to the store brand can already lower your bill $10. That being said, realize that some store-brand products will just never live up to the real deal (There’s no replacing Ithaca Hummus!). Know which products are worth a small splurge.

Use coupons!

For some reason, there seems to be a stigma surrounding the use of coupons — people don’t want to be seen handing a stack over to the cashier. Where is the shame in saving money? And you’ve all seen Extreme Couponing — the savings can be massive. While those examples are just that, extreme, you can save a decent amount of money even if you’re just “mildly” couponing.

The trick with couponing is to only buy foods that you would buy anyway. Switching brands for the cheaper price with the coupon is A-OK, but if you’re not careful, you can get roped into spending more money than you otherwise would by purchasing new products.

Look at the price per pound, not just the price.

Next time you look at a price tag for packaged food, glance a little to the left, as well. In the corner you’ll see a second price — this is the price per pound of the item. By putting all items on an even scale, you can accurately determine which product actually has the better deal. Sometimes the brand that has the lower price per pound actually has a higher package price. Don’t let this fool you! Over time, assuming you buy the product repeatedly, the total money spent will be less.

This concept is even easier when buying produce. All produce prices are already based on this scale, so there are no hidden savings. Since item prices fluctuate based on supply and demand, stay aware and think about changing your selection of fruit based on these changing prices.

Buy in bulk.

Going along with the previous tip, buying foods in bulk many times results in a lower price per pound than the standard size. Not only that, but often less packaging is required — a plus for the environment! Bulk foods are great with cabinet items such as nuts, rice, and yogurt. You can even save on perishable food such as berries or chicken by putting extras in the freezer.

Wegmans Food Markets has an incredible bulk foods sections where you can stock up and customize your choice of nuts or dried fruit. Fair warning, this section also contains bulk bins of candy … stay strong!

Not sure how to implement bulk food practices into your meals? Try this for breakfast. Rather than buying individual oatmeal packets each week, try getting a box of plain oats, a jar of peanut butter, and some frozen berries to use for the month. This method may make the weekly grocery bill fluctuate, but it will definitely reduce the monthly total.

Buy unprepared food.

The positive effects of buying unprepared, whole food and preparing it yourself is twofold. On the money side, you get a larger serving for a cheaper price (Thank you, bulk food!), while on the nutrients side, you get a powerful meal of unprocessed, fresh food. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to buy flour and yeast to bake your own bread in order to make a sandwich. Some items are just a bit unrealistic to try and create yourself. You can stay within reason (although all power to you if you do make your own bread).

This all sounds great, but how can you tell which foods are more processed than others? Simply look at the ingredients! The aim is to buy items that have the smallest number of ingredients — preferably all ones you can pronounce. Chemicals and forms of sugar are added in the processing phase to keep the food from spoiling and make it more desirable. These are additives that we don’t want in our bodies! This means that the smaller number of long, unpronounceable words on your label, the better.

Buy in season.

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is obviously a major part of eating healthy, but it can break the bank if you’re not cautious. Although many goods are now shipped to stores from all over the country, produce still has to go through growing and harvesting seasons. When the food is in season and being harvested regularly, there is a large supply of it, making the price drop. The opposite happens when the good is out of season. Seasonality charts provide a monthly breakdown for common fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It’s a simple concept: Don’t buy foods when they’re not in season!

You can even take an extra step with fresh produce: Buy from farmers’ markets! Here in Ithaca, NY, we are blessed with an abundance of farmers who provide fresh goods. Not only will you get in-season products at a reasonable price, but you will be supporting local businesses and lifestyles.

Plan your meals and create a shopping list.

Although it can be incredibly tedious, creating a meal plan for the week helps tremendously when it comes to keeping the grocery bill down. If you take the time to sit down and realistically plan out what you’re going to eat for the week, you can then make a corresponding grocery list. Use your seasonality chart and coupons to help form your meal ideas. Having a corresponding list (and sticking to it!) will prevent you from overdoing the shopping trip by grabbing intriguing new items that you will never actually eat.

Shopping for healthy foods doesn’t mean that you have to spend loads of money. By following even a few of these simple steps, you will become more conscientious with your grocery purchases. Both your body and your bank account will thank you!