Tik Tok confirms that people have no idea how to shop for groceries

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Do NOT buy a bunch of prepackaged junk food and then whine and complain on Tik Tok about the high cost of grocery prices.

Do NOT buy brand name items.

Do NOT buy already prepared meals and precut vegetables & fruit.

Do NOT buy any dessert items, including cookies, sweets, chips, cereals, and the like.

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Gameplan on How to Approach Grocery Shopping

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You are going to research the weekly ad for every grocery store you will visit.  You will only buy the sale items on that ad.

 

Plan on making rice/potato bowls with legumes, cooked vegetables, and maybe some meat as well.

Basically, you are going to have grains/starchy veggies be the filler calories while you add the vegetables, meat, and beans on top.

The fruit will be your breakfast and hydration throughout the day until your heavier evening meals.

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Buy a bulk load of potatoes, oatmeal, and rice/quinoa on every grocery visit.  This will be the foundation for all of your cooked meals.

Buy whatever fruits and vegetables you can find that are on sale. 

Apples, pears, oranges, and bananas are some of the cheapest fruits. 

Spinach, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, beets, and green beans are all affordable staples to cook with your grains.

Avoid tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cruciferous vegetables if you have bowel problems.

You can get cans of beans, dry beans, or just tofu squares 

Find whatever meat is on clearance first, then look only at whatever sales there are on meat.

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Some More Grocery Shopping Tips

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If you shop at a Grocer with a butcher, ask them for their cheapest cuts of meat.  Many times you can get meat much cheaper than the standard $5 a pound that you see in stores today.

Look for discounts on meat nearing expiration.  Those are always first priority.

If you must get snacks, get them from Aldi.

If you are vegetarian and prefer to eat dairy, Aldi also has the cheapest prices on cheese, milk, and yogurt.

The cheapest gluten free grains are rice, quinoa and oatmeal.  Costco offers the best deal on all of them, but you can still get god prices on them at Aldi, Trader Joe's, and Winco.

​Frozen vegetables can save you a lot of time and energy as they're already precut and easy to store.  Many of them come in microwavable bags which makes adding them to a rice bowl a piece of cake.

Your options for inexpensive fruit will undoubtedly include bananas.  The trick is that you can use bananas as a meal on their own (adding cinnamon, honey, jelly, or syrup to your liking), and as the foundation for smoothies.  ​

Frozen mangos are the cheapest frozen fruit you can get from most grocers.  You can easily add them to bananas in your blender for a great cheap smoothie option on its own without adding anything else (just let them thaw out).

Canned fruits and vegetables are an option, but they are less ideal than frozen.  Choose frozen over canned anytime if budget permits.

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Important: Download the Grocery Store Apps for the particular store you're visiting as many have a points-based system you can utilize in your favor.  

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Many grocers not lock away sales behind digital only coupons that you can use up to 5 times as a means to prevent hoarding by customers.

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Bottom Line:  You will need to get crafty and adapt to preparing your foods and making your own meals.

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