Grocery Shopping on a Budget
For most of us groceries take up a large portion of our monthly budget. The rising costs of literally everything due to inflation doesn’t help the matter either. Shopping strategically can not only help in the budget department, but we can also optimize our purchases for the most nutrient-dense options for our buck.
One of the best ways to save money and purchase nutrient-dense foods is by going through a local CSA (community supported agriculture). CSAs allow a consumer to purchase in-season foods locally from a farmer. My favorite CSAs to support in the central Kentucky area are Hickory Grove Farm (https://www.hickorygrovefarm.com/) (Shelby County, Frankfort and Lexington) and Rootbound Farm (https://www.rootboundfarm.com/) (Louisville, Southern Indiana).
To find your local CSA go through Kentucky Proud for my local folks ( https://www.kyproud.com/csa/ ) and Local Harvest and enter in your area ( https://www.localharvest.org/csa/ ).
The kitchen is the heart of the home and is such a special space filled with laughter, community, and teachable moments. Let’s keep the kitchen a place of joy by reducing the stress of shopping and cooking. Keeping fresh produce, prepped proteins, and easy-to-grab snacks on hand can set your week up for success and health.
My top tips to stay within your budget:
Meal plan! Write down each meal for the week including breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can add some snacks in there, too, if that’s helpful for you.
Make a grocery list of all the ingredients you need. Go through your fridge/freezer/pantry FIRST that way you don’t overspend on items you already have.
For some it’s helpful to avoid going to the store when hungry. This can lead to purchasing unnecessary items out of hanger.
Prioritize organic purchases. Stick to organic for the Dirty Dozen and nonorganic for the Clean Fifteen. (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php)
Buy local, in-season produce from a CSA.
Start your own vegetable or herb garden! Take it from me, it’s so satisfying getting your hands in the dirt and harvesting your own food for meals.
Find a few go-to recipes and rotate through them. Swap out veggies and spices to mix it up. Check out MY COOKBOOK (still excited I can say that) for lots of ideas.
Buy pantry items in bulk.
Meal prep. Meal prep doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Figure out what will make your week go smoother (i.e. smoothie bags, clean and chop fruits and veggies before putting them in the fridge, batch cooking protein, etc.).
Staying organized when shopping is also super helpful. Here’s how I do it.
Buy bulk items from Costco or Sam’s Club. Some of my favorite Costco finds can be found in my saved insta stories.
Buy produce from your local CSA or farmer’s market. No need to buy produce in bulk if you don’t plan to cook it all that week. I think we start out with good intentions to eat all the fruits and veggies so we LOAD UP, but then half of it goes in the trash. Buy what you need for produce to ensure you only take what you eat.
If possible, source your meat from a local farmer (again, hi, CSA). More often than not the prices are better than the store, and you know how the animal was fed and raised. Win-win.
Thrive Market is a great online shop for clean items if you can’t find what you want locally.
Pro tip: Thrive market has a program called Thrive Gives for families below a certain income level that the membership fee is waived. If you aren’t a part of the program and purchase a membership, it will help pay for a family in need to have access to healthier options! So amazing.
If you’re interested in checking out Thrive Market click here. http://thrv.me/xmeU5V
