The One Grocery Store Tip You Need

Grocery store shopping is one of those chores that can too often be frustrating. Here’s how to take the stress away and make your trip (gasp!) enjoyable.

The supermarket is the one essential store we can’t live without. Yet it is also the store that can sap our time and our finances. But what if going to the grocery store could be simple and easy?

What if we had the cure to save you time, money and energy that the supermarket has sucked from you? The good news is we do. The better news, it can all be done in one simple step that so often gets overlooked. So let us help take the burden off of you. The burden I too once faced.

I do have to admit, there may have even been a season in my own life where I found myself at the grocery store nearly every single day. While at the time, it just seemed annoying. It was later on when I looked at the budget that I realized it was greatly suffering due to the unnecessary and impulsive decisions that stopping at the store had on me every day. Decisions which not only took a toll on my budget but also the time I was spending to go.

Yet, I have to believe that we’re not alone in this category. Knowing that food is essential and a desire for good food is great but the action needed to make it all come together is, well, time-consuming.

So let’s end the food fight with the one simple thing you can do to ease the burden of the supermarket.  The simple trick is — drum roll please — meal planning.

What seems dull and rigid is actually the one thing that can save you a lot of time. So instead of worrying about how you will plan one more thing, lets just focus on the amount of extinguishable resources (ahem, time and money) this is going to help you save.

Here are the three rules to meal planning:

1. Have a Plan (duh)

This includes writing the meal ideas you will cook on each night of the week. But you don’t have to be limited to just dinner, this goes for breakfast and lunch as well. Just making a list of meal ideas in one sitting helps you to re-use leftovers or cook once and eat twice. It also helps to create the foundation for what you need to purchase, saving time wandering the grocery isles pondering these decisions.

Quick Tips to Making a Plan:

• Theme your weeknights. Theme them based off of your normal weekly activities and just rotate through different recipes, variations or ideas. For instance, taco Tuesday or slow-cooker Sunday.
• Plan for the foods that will spoil first to be eaten earliest in the week. This could require you move meatless Monday to a later night of the week depending on when you purchase groceries.
• Leave a flex meal. Whether that is leftover night, smoothie night or breakfast night, leave a night to be flexible.  You could cook a meal that didn’t get eaten earlier in the week, or a night to clean out the fridge and eliminate food waste. Hello, saving money!!
• Lean on your go-to meals. Stop the stress of worrying about elegant meals on the week nights and just rely on what you know.  Opt for your go-to meals most nights during the week allowing one or two nights to test out and explore new recipes and ideas.

2. Make a List

Once you have your plan, than you can go back and make a list. One of the greatest health tips we can give you is simply making sure you have good food on hand. A plan without food is only wishful thinking. So take time and write out what you need.

Quick Tips to Making a List:

• Write out the ingredients in every recipe you will need.
• From there cross off the items you have in abundance.
• Purchase only what you need more of.
• If you’re feeling extra organized, categorize the items by section.

Does this take time? Sure but you are exchanging time now for time spent in the store.

3. Keep it Enticing

Okay we’re not really talking about the super market trips. I mean those can only get so exciting, am I right? When we say enticing, we’re talking about the plan, the meals, and the food that you will consume. If you look forward to it, you’re more likely to make it and eat it. So stay clear of anything bland or boring and just go for the food that seems realistic, healthy and delicious.
Keep it enticing and your drive to take action will stay high.

Quick Tips to Keeping it Enticing:

• If you feel like your stuck or craving only unhealthy, convenience foods, make it an effort to eat something similar in a homemade version. Or fall back on your favorite go-to comfort food you know is quick and simple.

Take Action:

The one simple thing you can do to save time and money at the super market just got a little bit easier. If you feel stuck on what to cook, have run out of ideas or simply don’t know where to start, then you’re going to want to check out our free weekly meal plans delivered right to your inbox.

Six days of healthy, nourishing meals, with a grocery list and prep list to make meal planning and prepping each week quick, simple and easy. To take the thinking out of it so you can just print and go to the store to purchase everything you need.

It really is that simple and you can get them sent to you weekly by signing up below.

It’s our focus, our goal to make health simple. To take the burden off and really just help you to live a more nourishing life both personally and professionally. In both cases this takes having your health and that is what we are here to do. To put it all in one tool that can help transform your life allowing you to be well fed daily.

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