Food prices are skyrocketing right now and it was already hard to feed a family healthy whole foods prior to the steep increases.

Eating healthy as a family, if you are new to the groove, can be overwhelming at first and make you feel like you are making it rain money at the grocery store.

When I have clients add some things in, they find that budget gets a little bloated because they also are still trying to buy the usual items in addition to some new things.

Even with a shift, the latest price of foods seems to be on a steep incline. And that can deter your progress very quickly and lead to a case of the fuck it’s even more than before.

However, I promise, investing in your health now even though it may hurt a little, will save so much more later in life.

Here are some of the tips that save me a little bit at the grocery store right now and tips I share with clients who are already have small grocery budgets.

1. Shop once a week with a list and meals in mind. Fail to plan and you will plan to fail without this. Don’t go willy-nilly just grabbing things that look good. Go to the stores you plan on going to, buy what you planned for meals and stick to it. DO NOT GO HUNGRY!
2. Shop locally when you can. Your local farmers have amazingly fresh organic produce and I’ve found for a lot less monies.
3. Buy in season and on sale when you can. Berries are amazing and we do them year-round in my home. However, they are often imported and sometimes look like shit, are crazy expensive, and aren’t as sweet as they are when in season. During the colder months, I buy the large bags of frozen organic berries and make compotes out of them. This saves oodles of money, ensures that I am not tossing half rotten or gross ones, and gets our colors in the mix.
4. Keep it simple and stock up when a staple is on sale. Make sure you have your meats, veggies, quality dairy and eggs, and fruits for the week, and the other staples when needed or in bulk.
5. Buy cheaper cuts of meat and the whole bird instead of the pieces. It’s more work, but then you can make your own broth and stock with the leftover carcass and save money on buying stock when you need it. Cheaper cuts of beef make great stews and roasts too.
6. Buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh. This does two things: One, saves on the wallet especially if they are on sale. Second, if you are new to the veggie came, saves you from having expensive trash that week because those well intentioned recipe ingredients rotted before you got to them.
7. Use up what you have and get creative. There are loads and loads of free online recipe builders out there now that help pull a quick meal together with limited items.
8. Cook larger meals and use your leftovers for lunches and breakfasts to avoid grabbing on the go items for those meals during the week.
9. Make your teas and coffees at home instead of stopping on the way to work. Same applies for lunches and breakfasts.
10. Price shop for deals. Sometimes, it’s cheaper to buy in bulk online than it is to get it at a store. For example, I buy my canned coconut milk and olives online as well as any tea I buy. I love Vitacost for gluten free items and some supplements, but also sometimes Amazon.
11. Search for online coupon and coupon codes before buying anything on line. Vitacost has loads of coupons on their site, but you have to load them in and apply them.
12. Take advantage of store discounts. Big Y has curbside pickup and has coupons online specific to curbside. Take advantage of discounts like that when you can.
13. As much as it pains me to say this, try the bigger box stores. I loathe Walmart. However, they have upped their organic game and carry some organic items for dollars cheaper than the grocery store. Their supply is a little limited, but they do carry enough to make the savings worth going in for.
14. Only buy what you need for the week and get creative with what you have if you run out. This is a hard one if you love to cook and create. This is my own nemesis. It’ll be midweek I just went shopping but will come across a recipe that needs 5 things I don’t have and I’ll run out and grab it. This is a hard habit to break, but most often I try to just add it to my list for meals for the following week.
15. Steer clear of the empty calories and processed foods. Not only will this save your health, but it will save the hi-jacking of your hunger hormones causing you to eat more food than you would if you just ate whole minimally processed foods. There is a reason my house is a snack desert.

For my family, eating well is a priority above most other things when it comes to what we spend money on. We will forgo eating out or buying things we don’t need and never sacrifice healthy foods in our home for something else. Quality Meat, Fats, Vegetables, and Fruits are our staples and first. What I have left in the budget goes to extras after that. I spend quite a bit of our budget on foods for our family over most other things. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

I’ve worked with people of all budgets, and when you make your health a top priority, once you get over the hump, you can make it work and fit it in. It will eventually just become routine to opt for the minimally processed whole foods over the convenience foods.