How to save money when you go grocery shopping

My life partner made me laugh today because he told me that he's never met anybody that spends so much time in the produce section. Well, yah! That's where the goods are baby!

Sometimes I compare our bills after the store and without fail his grocery shopping is consistently higher than mine. We both buy our share of treats, but when I get home I definitely notice a difference in our fridge after I've been to the store. There is more colour, more variety, and more whole foods. It never occurred to me that some people might struggle with grocery shopping. I can see how it can become a routine task that easily gets pushed into auto-pilot. This can lead to a lot of repeat purchases, menu fatigue, and dollars that may have been better spent elsewhere.

For those who are not aware, the grocery store is a carefully set up arena designed to tempt you. Sinister, I know. Typically, produce is the largest section of the store and is often closest to the entrance. Meats and fresh fish are often located close by, as well as fresh cheeses if you are in a premium store. The eggs and milk however, are located in the furthest corner of the store on purpose! Yes you read that right. Extensive marketing of in-store shopping has revealed that the more time you spend in the store, the more likely you are to spend money. It makes sense right? So while you walk to the furthest corner of you store you are more likely pick up some "deals" along the way. Sometimes you completely forget why you went to the store at all, and the milk gets left behind. Cue to the number one recommendation I can offer to ensure you save money, and come home with bags full of healthy items: make a list before you go to the store. I know it is obvious, but it works!! I've adopted this practice and I've cut down my weekly grocery bill by fifty dollars. That is two hundred dollars a month, or twelve hundred dollars annually.

List in hand, many people know to also stick to the perimeter of the store when shopping. When you head to the cash though, you inevitably walk through the middle section of the store. These aisles are stocked with canned goods, non-perishable items, and the classical "junky" items. This is where my partner and I differ in our shopping. I spend eighty percent of my time in produce, while he spends eighty percent of his time shopping in the middle section of the store. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of gems in this section of the store. I often buy canned vegetables, fruits, legumes and pulses, which are all found in the middle section of the store. I do not avoid the cookie or chip aisle, but it is admittedly not on my regular shopping list. My partner however gets sucked into all the deals, and often will come home with way more than what we need. I also taught him to look at the top and bottom shelves within the aisles. Classically, popular and the most expensive brand name items are sold at eye-level on the shelf. By allocating his shopping time differently, and looking at the whole shelf, he has started to cut back on unnecessary purchases and is ultimately saving us money. (Yay!)

So where do I spend my last twenty percent of my time? The freezer aisle! I love frozen vegetables, they are my secret weapon to balanced eating all year round. Frozen vegetables have the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables, and often are on sale. This pearl was a game-changer for my partner. He had assumed that the vegetables were not as nutritious, and he also didn't realize the variety that was available. The frozen aisle has a lot more than just peas and corn now.

Keeping all these points in mind, the items I purchase when I grocery shop are likely the same things everyone else buys. I often challenge patients to buy one new produce item at the store the next time they go shopping. Make a list, stick to your plan, and start watching the extra dollars rise in your bank account. The next new item on my list I want to try: frozen zucchini noodles!

Julia Zakrzewski, Registered Dietitian

February 27, 2021