Grocery Shopping Tips to Shop Smarter and Stretch Your Budget

Helga Glaesel de BlandingAugust 17, 2022

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

I shared some photos on Instagram stories from my trip to the supermarket and many were curious about why I go to two stores each week and what I buy in each one to save on groceries. The idea is to make the most of the family budget, which is what most of us are looking for and more so with the high prices that we have been seeing in everything! So, I decided to write this post to share the tips that work for me and my family. We hope this helps you and yours!

For starters, we are a family of 3, so compared to most, it’s a small family. I have domestic help only twice a week and this is also something that helps me with the grocery budget because I only take into account 2 extra lunches. You should consider the number of people you need to shop for to decide what works for you.

Another thing that really helps me with my budget is that I use the Meal Prep method for meals from Monday to Friday. Before I used to prepare the meals of the week on a Monday morning, I did this for over 10 years, but this year I decided to divide it into 2 days (Monday and Tuesday), preparing 3 meat recipes for 4-6 people, be it chicken, beef or pork, and I vary the accompaniments, be they vegetables or salad, and the carbohydrate is rice, potato, sweet potato or pasta. This means that we will eat one or two of the meat recipes 2 times during the week, but they will be served with different side dishes to vary a little.

You can find out all about the Meal Prep method in our ebook which is available for purchase worldwide here. In it, you will find a detailed description of the Meal Prep method and ideas to make it work for you, as well as 16 recipes so you can try the method out, or simply incorporate them into your weekly rotation. They are easy and quick to prepare.

So, back to grocery shopping. I go once a week. I choose the recipes that I am going to prepare the next week and review the ingredients that I need for each one. I check my pantry and fridge to see what I am missing and I write it down on my list. I also do it the other way around, I check to see what I have already on hand and choose my recipes based on the ingredients.
I purchase only what I need to prepare for the week’s meals from Monday to Friday, condiments, cleaning products that are needed to get through that week, fruits and ingredients for breakfast, and lunch boxes. When I’m done with that, I think about what we want to eat on the weekend and I write down what I need to make more special meals like a Tuna Poke Bowl, or a cut of beef like grilled rib-eye with rosemary, a Carbonara Pasta, Hamburgers or deli type sandwiches with beef tenderloin…and some beer :)

With my grocery shopping list in hand, I make my way to the two stores I frequent which are Paiz Supermarket and La Torre Supermarket. I go to these two because I like them and I also consider that the two are very close to where I live and this saves me gasoline and time that is valuable to me.

I make my first stop at Paiz Supermarket. Here I buy practically everything on the list, except fruits and vegetables or red meat or pork. I do buy chicken here because it is the same brand you find in the other supermarket, but a little cheaper per pound. I buy bone-in breasts in bulk (4 to 6 pieces), and the packaged whole chicken and cuts like boneless thighs and breast fillets.

I use cloth bags that have a lining that helps keep things cold, and in them, I pack everything that needs to be refrigerated and I go to the next store, which is La Torre Supermarket.

In this supermarket, which sells these cloth bags I mentioned, I buy all my fruits and vegetables because I like the quality and I have realized that in general, the prices are the same and some items are cheaper than in the other supermarket. Then I go to the meat section, sometimes I buy it at the butcher and sometimes I get the packaged ones. I just prefer the meat brands from this supermarket, and also, my family doesn’t eat much red meat so I don’t need to buy a lot of it frequently. When I do, it is always lean ground beef or beef for stewing, and the pork cuts are also for stewing (when I make Pulled Pork), tenderloin or ground.

Sometimes I expect some items are going to be cheaper in the first supermarket and it turns out that they are cheaper in the second one. It has happened to me with dairy or cleaning products, so you have to be on the lookout for the sale items that La Torre advertises weekly. They always have items on sale.

From time to time, we also go to Pricesmart, where we buy detergent, breakfast cereals, butter, cream cheese, and cow’s milk, for example.

So now that you know in detail all the things I consider when I buy groceries at the supermarket, here are some basic things you should consider to make your own purchases:

Consider the number of people in your family to choose the store that suits you best.
Consider distance and time based on how often you shop.
Always check the refrigerator and your pantry to see what is missing and what is not.
Make your weekly menus, having them planned in advance, and knowing what you are going to cook every day helps save resources, and organizing this also gives you peace of mind.
Plan recipes around the ingredients that you already have.
Make a list of what you really need to buy and try to stick to it as much as possible.

Don’t skimp on food. It is important for general well-being to eat healthy and varied meals you enjoy and are delicious.
This does not mean that they have to be expensive. We are here to help you with ideas for weekly meals that are delicious, healthy, and with ingredients that are accessible and that you can get at any of these two supermarkets.

Follow us on Instagram! We are constantly posting stories or posts where you can get a sneak peek at our weekly meals, behind-the-scenes photos and we share the recipes there before we post them here most of the time.

Here are a few examples of weekday meals:

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)