Stop these 10 Food Shopping Mistakes NOW!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ค. 2024
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my mom number one rule: dont read the individual price, read the price by kilogram, litler etc, then compare, is surprising when u do
Smart Lady your mom, it's amazing how they fool us if we fail to watch out for the $/kg
Calculate it yourself too. The shelf labels often lie
Also check for adulteration in the ingredients. Something that should be simple like 'Seasoned Chicken Breasts' often contains soy protein/TVP in the seasoning here. So the manufacturers have extended the meat with cheaper plant protein but somehow they're allowed to call that a seasoning.
I do that to. And it saves me a lot!
@@KaitouKaiju well, no, they don't actually. At least not where I'm from.
"Don't shop when you're hungry" should be on this list. As a single person, it is a challenge to shop and cook for one. Freezing stuff you cook or using a vacuum sealer help, but shopping remains the difficult part. Mike makes a good point, for me at least, by buying say one lemon or apple, instead of a bunch. I think carving out an hour each week to grocery shop allows you to buy less per trip, and as a result, saves space and waste.
Something I need to learn!
This feels like the time where you make a joke and get no response, but the friend that repeats it gets all the laughs. :P
I think many stores serve cooked food so that you show up hungry, do your shopping, then stop and eat food
@@Wesdotcool the smells!
Don't go grocery shopping with a PMS brain either. When PMS is on the horizon everything looks tasty all of a sudden.
My biggest pro-tip is for spices, see if you are able to go to a Asian or Indian market in your area. Indian cooking in particular uses a lot of spices in large quantities so you are likely to find larger bags of whole spices there for a lot less than what you would find at the regular grocery store! Plus whole spices keep their flavour for much longer :)
Yeah it's great you can get star anise for nearly a 10th of the price same with clove
Yes! Don't sleep on the little bags of spices in the Mexican foods section or store.
Another tip -ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SPICES IN THE DARK - never in clear jars on shelves subject to daylight.,
I had a custom built kitchen and have 2 shallow drawers which I can put my spices/herbs in (they're in stainless steel tins with clear lids - similar to those spice box Indian cooks use.
Don't buy bulk ground spice in this manner as the shelf life is much less and you will find the spice not as pungent.
I always buy my dried oregano in bulk on the stalks in a sealed bag. To use, trim off the top of the bag, upend over your dish/pot and scrunch the outside of the bag until you've 'dispensed' sufficient dried oregano leaves ... NO STALKS usually! Store in a dry, dark pantry.
Glad to see mention of the Asian/Indian markets here. I have a variety of both available to me, and though I have favorites among them, I utilize several of them over the seasons depending on what their particular emphasis is. For example, one of the markets I shop regularly has 3 1/2 whole aisles of noodles of all styles/ingredients from many nationalities -- be still my heart! As with "conventional" Western grocers, it is very helpful to know what a variety of markets have to offer for the best creativity in your cooking and bang for your buck.
Not only for spices. I always get the ingredients for Asian dishes at the Asian market, be it noodles, miso and other seasonings, or even peanut butter. Turkish markets are really common here and they are great for fresh produce like veggies and herbs, but also legumes, bread, and spices.
Another tip I haven't seen in the comments (sorry if I missed it): Don;t be afraid to meal plan on the spot. If you see a good deal on on something you know you can make use of, but don't have on this week's list, pull off to the side for a minute to figure out how to best use that item and adjust your shopping list accordingly. It's worth a minute's thought to be sure you don't walk away from a good deal just because it wasn't in the original plan.
Yeah now it is really easy to decide on a whim, you can just Google recipe and if you know what you have in a fridge just buy needed ingridient
A bit of wisdom about shopping from my Grandmother that I took to heart. "If you're in a rush, you're doing it wrong". This has saved me a lot of aggravation over the years and takes a lot of stress out of the process you can often observe in other people in the grocery store.
Some run you down with their cart like a car!
Two things that I did when I moved to the city. I instituted the once/week rule. I shop once a week. If I run out of something, or am missing an ingredient, I do without until next week. It saves me money and stress not to have to go more often. The other thing I did was find my local farmer's market. Here, they're year-round. I've been going weekly for over a decade now, and my farmers know me. I can talk to them about the crop, and the state of their chickens, the effect of a heat wave or drought, and have a better knowledge base to work from. If they have a new item they're trying out, or if they butcher something that they don't normally offer, they know me and offer it to me because I'll be honest with my feedback. It also keeps me eating with the seasons, which saves me money, and keeps my money local as much as I can. I still go to the grocery store, since the farmers market doesn't have everything, but I really like supporting those local farmers and having those chats with them. My market is Saturday mornings, so I get there bright and early to avoid the crowds, and I get all the produce I can, sometimes a loaf of bread, sack of bagels, pack of tamales, or even a pie from local producers. Then with that fresh in my mind, I hit the grocery store and fill in the gaps in my shopping list.
This warms my heart
@@Wesdotcool Great advice.
Love this comment, I'm feeling inspired 🙏✨
I live about 25 miles from my favorite store, so I, too, have a 1/week rule when it comes to shopping. Going multiple times a week wastes gas and takes a lot of time out of my day. Also, I have a small chest freezer for my frozen fruits and vegetables and my prepped meals for the work week. That alone was more than worth the investment. I highly recommend it if you can afford it and have more than yourself (and your special someone) in your household.
I used to only go once a week but during Covid I go into the nasty habit of going to the store like 3-4 times a week just to have an excuse to get out of the house.
My tip would be to not buy produce that goes bad quickly unless you have a specific recipe you’ll use it in very soon. I used to throw away so much lettuce and greens because I’d just buy it thinking I’d eat salads every day for a week. But now I know myself better than that 😆
My follow up tip to that would be - DON’T be afraid to buy frozen fruit and veggies! I buy giant bags of frozen broccoli and mixed vegetables! I also like to buy frozen strawberries and then thaw them in a container- they get a little melty and syrupy and I mix them in with Greek yogurt or on top of some ice cream 😎
Great tips!
If your greens have wilted, put them in a big bowl of cold water for 20-25 minutes or so. They'll perk right back up. I've saved countless heads of lettuce this way that I would've otherwise thrown in the compost. Same goes for carrots, celery, radishes...
This was my problem too I love produce but I wasn’t using it fast enough. I learned to do some fresh and mostly frozen. I noticed far less waste. I also buy less bananas and things that spoil quickly. We eat more salads so that doesn’t go to waste. Which has improved us health wise.
Great tips, but remember that most frozen fruits need to be heated up to kill off bacteria before consumption :)
Here’s my tip.
For plain stuff like flour, canola oil, sugar, etc., stick to the store brand. Its essentially the same quality for a much cheaper price.
I like to go to the meat section first. Theyre more expensive so finding out whats on sale and planning your meals around that saves you money. But if ur focus is freshness & quality of ingredients, then the route this video goes is a solid one.
My only problem with buying the store brand is to save money is that when there is a temporary problem at home like a loss of a job or a sudden major expense is that you can't shop cheaper than you always do because you're already shopping pretty cheap. I still mostly Shop store brands when I can.
@@mikeshore886 So... Shop cheaper, and put your savings in a rainy day fund?
The brand might matter for bread/pizza dough because of differences in gluten content. But agree, they are mostly interchangeable.
@@user-kr2ty9vk5n Yeah and pasta to. Flour is a place where quality matters.
@@mikeshore886 this is why you have an emergency reserve fund...
Two big tips I'd like to add: find a store that makes you happy to shop at. My anxiety at Walmart is always out of 10 within 5 minutes of being in the store. I opt in to Aldi or Harris teeter depending on how much I'm looking to spend, because they are usually much more chill. Second piece of advice, go as early as possible and if not early, late. It absolutely sucks going to the grocery store during the day during high traffic times. Being able to take my time and look around without having people everywhere around me waiting on me helps so much.
Agreed! I found two ma and pop stores I loved. Small and stuffed full of goodies. Their meats were much cheaper than bigger chains and they had actual butchers and unusual cuts and variety of cuts.
Great one
It helps that most stores don't require masks anymore. I HATED shopping when wearing a mask.
@@doradennis2409 diddums
I tend to go shopping an hour before the store nearest me closes. It's quiet, I don't have to stress about people behind me waiting in line as I hand over coupons, and the overall vibe is just a lot more calm. I don't have access to the deli counter because it's closed by then, but I end up doing a lot less impulse spending that way.
My tip would be to shop for dairy and meat at the end as you need to refrigerate these and you do not want to have them in your cart for half an hour and then still have to go home. Also if you have a full cart, put the easily bruised produce on top. If you take frozen fruits to put in your dairy, you can take sugarfree yoghurt, skyr or else and still have a very good taste without sugar 😊
I was shocked by the sugar content of the joghurts shown. Yeah, joghurt contains a lot of lactose. But not that much. Dairy is so sweet already due to the natural lactose, you really don't want to add sugar to that.
I always make my grocery list in order and save cold and frozen for last...i live 25 min from the nearest grocery store
Yeah, those were two things I wondered about while watching: the way he was putting more objects on top of grapes (!!), and also going for the meat and dairy before the shelf-stable goods. I mean yeah, it makes the trip *conceptually* easier (since protein is, indeed, a big chunk of the budget), but it leaves the refrigerated goods in your cart for longer.
I’m the grocery shopper for a family of 4. I’ve made a shared digital note that lists ALL of our normal items with tick boxes next to them. Everyone in the house can tick the box next to an item we need and add in new items. As items go in the cart I untick the box. This is particularly helpful with uncommunicative teenagers! It works better for us than the paper list that used to hang on the ‘fridge because I never forget my phone. It’s also helpful when doing a quick stock take as the list prompts me to check things like toothpaste and shampoo.
If you want to really geek out (like me), set up the list in the order of your usual store.
Love this tip! I've struggled to maintain a consistent list since no family is relying on me to organise it, but this is my ideal system hahah
My husband is 11 or something. (68) and will NOT text me, tell me or write anything down.
@@lorrie2878 Then, cook only what YOU like, and know what you need to buy, and if he complains, say: add your ideas to the list, and I will try to buy the ingredients for it. Or if he likes, say, Honest ice tea lemonade, and you stop buying it, tell him, well, you need to put it on the list! Ps I'm 66. 😊
@@Debra_Hasatheory exactly.
my partner and I use an app called listonic, which works similarly. i recommend it all the time bc i love it so much, it's synced to both our phones & you can have multiple lists; we have one for fresh produce and any other weekly items, and one of pantry items that always stays the same so that we can track how much we have of bulk stuff & keep an eye out for sales if we're running low
Key advice for smart grocery shopping: Never EVER shop when hungry or with an empty stomach. Hunger leads to a lot of impulse shopping of items you’re craving in the moment. Another advice: always include a rotisserie chicken in your shopping list. It’s a versatile item that’s useful for many types of meals, from a quick salad to a chicken pot pie and good bones for stock.
That guy at the end was so cute 😂 you could tell that him meeting you was the best part of his day.
I cook from scratch and the truth of "Spend more now less later" Is really true, My first two grocery bills starting out with my own kitchen ingredients and cooking from scratch set me back $800. For my first two weeks. After that though I can cook on $200 a month or less. Really helpful and if you can't afford to go grocery shopping you can delve into whatever you have canned or make up recipes with the remaining ingredients you have in your counter.
Pricy start but a key tool in being middle class.
I think the biggest takeaway was keeping your pantry stocked incrementally. I’m getting better on the pantry stocking. It grows as your depth of foods develops. It’s not big things, but the small things like spices, spices and oils. Great video.
🎊 mate I have a (Mystery Box). package for you, Text the above username for acknowledgment
I'm too lazy to make an inventory, but I take special pleasure in consuming almost all the (fresh) items in my fridge before I go shopping again, it becomes a type of challenge sometimes.
that challenge to me is the ultimate test of a home cook and completely revolutionized the way I cook for my family! thanks for chiming in.
I've started to just take a couple of photos of the fridge, freezer, pantry and spices before I head to the store, I can't quite see everything for a complete inventory but it stops me from buying a 3rd cumin when I can reference the spice photo.
As someone who was raised without a proper eating routine, you are an essential resource for me! Thank you for being so informative and explaining the things that some people think is common knowledge
may I ask what do you mean by that? You didn't had meal structure at home?
@@foo8lover just inconsistent, the odd family dinner but it was 90% fend for yourself from a young age.
They should teach this stuff in high school.
@@hollydueck3209 Seeing as you basically have to parent yourself, maybe check out some cooking books made for kids? Who cares if they are childish, they are great for learning basic skills!
I agree with you. It has to be taught.
I'm a big fan of Aldi. Aldi has good prices, an excellent selection of produce, and I especially love that they're environmentally conscious with packaging and bagging. There was a time in my life where I had to grocery shop on a 25$ budget for myself in a full week. That's what really forced me to learn to cook and introduce variety with a limited number of ingredients. Grocery shopping was never boring for me because it was a complex jigsaw puzzle of meals vs budget. There were a lot of pork, sausage, rice, oat, and pasta dishes that kept me going. Ground sausage and flour tortillas are some of the most versatile ingredients you can get. Now that I have a better job, I've been able to explore more cheeses, seasonings, fermenting, and home pickling. I watch a lot of Pro Home Cooks to expand my recipe repertoire to fit my current budget, keep my boyfriend and I from being bored with what I cook, and learn more basic cooking techniques. My tip would be: once a month go to an Asian, Indian, Latin, or spice market for things that you can't get at a regular grocery store. Get a bulk pack of plain ramen noodles and make your own broth, grab some seaweed for soups, or some curry powder. Sour cream is great for making on the spot sauces when thinned out with broth or milk or for potato or pasta salads. Oh, and Mike G should try that Sambal Oelek he got on some chocolate chip cookies!
I wouldn't say Aldi is environmentally conscious at all. they use sooooo much plastic - every fruit or vegetable is either packed or sealed with plastic. even units. cheap but so bad at packaging.
You're right, I wouldn't say that being able to recycle 75% of the packaging I get from there is the best. But I do appreciate the fact that it's more effort than any other grocery stores in my area and a bonus double bag in plastic like everywhere else where I live. I would say it's the best option available for my situation. If you're interested, you should check out Aldi's information on their self-proclaimed business plan to be zero waste by 2025. It might be all talk, but I guess we'll find out.
They are super far from environmentally conscious the UK crunched the numbers and found that you have to reuse a bag about 170 times before it becomes more environmentally friendly on an emissions level than plastic bags, whereas paper bags you only have to reuse 4 times and they have the benefit of being completely biodegradable unlike most reusable bags. If Aldi really cared about the environment they would cough up the extra 4 cents and give you a punch card where you get another paper bag after your 4th punch and it's torn or something along those lines. Plus they wrap damn near all their produce in tons of plastic, I have mesh bags for my produce it's completely unnecessary.
Edit: It's also probably worth looking into recycling plastic, long story short almost none of it gets recycled it gets shipped to China and a good chunk of the time they just toss it in the ocean.
Aldi and Lidl are just so ass lately.
It used to be a decent alternative to Tescos and Sainsburys but with worse quality and cheaper prices. Now the quality is still ass especially with the fruit and vegetables but the prices have been raised to sainsburys tesco level
678😊
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to make plans to USE everything I buy. If you buy a special sauce or spice blend and only use it once, it’s costing a lot more in the long run than it would if you use the whole jar up. Part of that is to think hard about how to make delicious and desirable things using items I already have before buying a bunch of new and different things. I made an amazing cake the other day that was totally new and exciting to me, but it used up ingredients I already had on hand. Honestly, that was part of what made it exciting!
I painted half of my laundry room door with black chalk paint. We make our list as we find we need something, then I take a photo to use at the store. Very useful.
For spices, always consider some sort of international store, they have great prices for bulk spice purchasing
legit, that was the first thing I thought (besides don't shop at Amazon unless necessary)
i buy the big containers at cosco, you only need to add a couple in your basket each time you go there and you'll end up with a large collection that will last a long time and save you money compared to the whimpy little supermarket ones.
It helps to look at "exotic" stores as well. I live in the Netherlands, but I always buy fresh herbs at a local Moroccan grocer, because he has the best stuff at almost half the price.
WinCo bulk section. Good to refill generic items like onion,garlic, baking powders.
Sprouts does here in Arizona.
I would just add that seasonal shopping is important too. In the summer we have the best sweet corn only for a few weeks.
I appreciate you taking your time to show how to shop for produce. Not everyone was taught that growing up. Thank you!
Honestly can't tell if sarcastic.
@@DavidWMiller Nope, I'm not like that. I'm serious.
@@Victorian9322 Its not really something you are taught to be fair
@@Harry-bg8ew it should be
Except, please don't bruise the fruit by pressing your thumb into it as shown. Holding it in your palm with gentle (much gentler than shown in the video) will tell you if it's ready.
My number one tip for grocery shopping is to hit up the clearance or markdown section of your grocery store if it has one. There have been many times I have changed my plans for dinner because there was a certain meat that was on markdown or certain salad mixes that were on markdown and I got them to use that night or the next night for dinner
I'm retired now, but I actually have enjoyed grocery shopping my entire adult life. My wife and I have a system that fixes most of the issues regarding old stock. We have a list, attached with coupons (every once in a while, they come into actual relevance.) You like Fuji, my wife prefers Honey Crisp, and I think they are both good. Meat - we buy whatever is on sale when it is on sale, and freeze it. Bought a couple of pork butts last week at $.97/lb. My wife actually said "let's but a chest freezer for meats when we can find them cheap". She's the family CFO, so I obeyed! Dairy - most folks know this, but in a pinch, sour cream and Greek yogurt are almost always interchangeable. Dammit! I'm going to go shopping today! Despite only three items on the list! You're a BAD influence! 🤣
I didn't like frozen meat until I got a vacuum sealer. Now it doesn't bother me to freeze meat.
@@poppavein1 Been doing that for years, and agreed - buy when you find a bargain and vacuum seal it, then freeze it. Also works for some vegetables, but I usually parboil them and then have to use the "wet" setting on the sealer prior to freezing them.
@@Shanockdotcom Kroger, and it is in North Texas, and I went shopping today, and it is back north of $3 today. My wife and I look out for bargains when we can, and this was a "limit two" deal. Wish I had gone back in and picked up another two.
My daughter taught me about the Greek yogurt! It is all I ever use anymore, works on everything!
LOL!
I appreciate my mom for teaching me how to shop. One thing she taught is to go and talk to people be friendly with staff. You learn a lot that is going on. I prefer small stores but that is not always possible. I like to make my menu with Pinterest recipes. I try to find at least three for the week. Then if I get there and one item is gone or looks horrible I go with the other two options. Oh and one more thing....my mom always said when you grocery shop, put up groceries and cleaned the kitchen...you always take yourself out for a treat after all that work...even if simple treat.
Paying attention to Unit Pricing is super-important. A product might be $5.99 and and competitor might seemingly offer the same at $4.99, but if you pay attention to the $/unit, you might find that the $5.99 item actually gives you more product for the money. This is especially true in Dairy, specifically Ice Cream, where some products are labeled by weight, where others are labeled by volume, which aren't the same at all. Halo Top comes to mind, they like to market on being lower calories, but if you do the math, what they are really selling you is aerated Ice Cream, while Ben and Jerrys are selling you the real stuff, but they are roughly the same cost. ( I used to work for a global grocery chain on a team that managed the pricing to customers.)
I shop once a week, before that I write a shopping list. On the shopping list there is space for the meals I want to cook. This saves a lot of time and also money. I don't have to worry about "what am I cooking today?" I just have to look at the list. I cook 2-3 meals a week in double the amount, so I can freeze the rest and always have a good meal for the kids, even if I spontaneously do not have time to cook.
A tip I love from growing up is take a lap around the outside ring of the grocery store, before dipping into the into the aisles. It usually takes you through the produce, dairy and deli and frozen sections I'm most well laid out stores. Since I've been doing this is have healthier meals and snack, I'm more likely to fill up my cart with healthy snacks like fresh fruit and yogurt.
Thanks! That's a great idea I'd never thought of!
The only thing wrong with that is your dairy, deli & frozen will be out of the refrigerators longer than necessary. If you can do the perimeter of the store last your cold things will stay cold until home.
My tip is to more than just get to know your green grocer, butcher, baker, check-out folks, store manager . . . but to 'shoot the breeze' with them and develop an in-store friendship. It makes the trip a not so sterile experience. Cheers, Mark
Yes and they give great information. Example, my mom used to always talk it up with the butcher. He would call or if he saw her in the store come and tell her what was on sale but this was a small store too.
Every couple of months I dig through my pantry, freezer, and fridge, looking for things I need to use up, then build my meal plan around them. This goes for sauces and spices as well as frozen meat, an half-used can of panko bread crumbs, or the zucchini I forgot in the fridge. This helps eliminate waste (I rarely have to throw out something because it went bad) and often breaks me out of a rut.
every couple of months only? I do it every week at least.
@@ElaBlu3 things in my freezer and pantry, and condiments in my fridge don't spoil quickly so I don't need to evaluate them weekly. Perishable foods in my fridge definitely get used up asap
Same here , keep food waste small i rarely have to throw spoild food away. Also improvise every Day what make from what i have. I learned this creative cooking from my mother. So wont need to go shopping and i stay on my small buget every month. people surprised what can make from a few carrot , a zucchini , a potato , a egg and some flour .... Korean styled pancakes
It was pleasantly surprising to see you recognized by someone local that means a lot most people don’t recognize that and the person was very complementing! Great video!
with a a lot produce, especially stone fruit like peaches, feeling them and giving them a little squeeze is good, but also I find giving them a good smell is also a good way of telling if they are any good. its possible that a peach or something may not be ready to eat but will be good, which kind of invalidates the squeeze test. I usually try to find a ripe one and give it a smell, if it smells good then you know that its a good batch and then pick out a variety of not ripe and ripe. That way they don't all immediately go bad at the same time and I can let the ripe ones chill in my fridge and leave the hard ones out to ripen for later. The smell test is also great for pineapples! Just give the bottom a good smell and if it smells good then you know it will be a flavorful pineapple.
@Spacedinos This is great advise! lots of melons work this way as well
I'm also a home cook, throughout the year, I learned slowly from many house wife, chef in real life and also I stumbled on your videos many years ago when you explained about student meals.
Love the idea how you just make things very simple to provide actual meals.
I downsize the pantry so it's easier to see the ingredients, and other kitchen needs, having a few good kitchenware or appliances is better and save a lot of space.
I did the the schedule planning once a week, and clean the fridge every Saturday so I know there's no leftover of any kind before I shop or order grocery.
🎊 mate I have a (Mystery Box). package for you, Text the above username for acknowledgment.
It’s so good you point out the sugars and long ingredients to people. So many don’t pay attention to that. Thank you for educating more people.
Bingo. If the list of ingredients is a huge paragraph, no need to even read it. Just put it back on the shelf. There is nothing good in there.
I sometimes shop at the reduced section to see if there is anything I can use within the same day or during the week, don't let the reduce sticker fool you to think it's past expiration date or being fresh, most items can be either frozen or vacuum sealed to be used within that same week.
I do that too! In France, our charcuterie section has a tray of cutoff ends, the 'talons', for a discounted price, and I'll often find some prizes there to season a salad or pasta dish. The meat department's 30% same day discount adds up, too, and yes, they can all be frozen very nicely. Cheers, my frugal friend.
One of mine is logging grocery receipts when I get home in a Google Sheet, Notion, etc. That's helped me develop a better sense of what a "good" price is on different items. Doing it in a digital record means I can check my phone during a shopping run and figure out of if I should buy something now, or hold out until there's a sale or I'm at another store with a better price. I love going to boughier markets for inspiration/higher quality items I'm willing to splurge on; but you can also waste a fair amount of money getting the basic items that taste the same no matter what from those places.
I built a Notion database that has the price for every single item available, from most of the shops near me. So when it auto generates a shopping list for me using my meal planner and inventory databases, I also know which stores to get which items from according to taste preference and price. It took a while to build but works so seamlessly it saves time
I am 28 & I have been following you nearly mid high school. You are such an inspiration & I can only pray to have the same discipline you have with shopping and eating. Thank you for your content. Idk if you look at it this way but really you save lives
There's going to have to be a new way to align with the times. 1. Cook from scratch using shelf stable and frozen 2. When cooking write down each ingredient used up. 3. Shop for the list and pick up an extra (or 2 or 3) to build the pantry. Not crazy to do if you think of how many times things haven't been on the shelves in the last 2 years
I love using my local grocery pick up. I can add things to my cart through the week and when it comes time to place my order I can refine my list. This way I buy what I need not a bunch of extras and junk food.
This also helps with the impulse buys at the store... We are guilty of buying the random things we don't need just because they look good. If you don't go into the store sometimes, you can save some money
That's a trap in stores like Lidl. Everything is cheap and then you see the fun seasonal things and you end up impulse buying over your budget anyway.
One tip that helps me avoid food waste is to buy everything I need for a recipe *except* for the produce. Only buy the produce the day of or before you make it so you’re using the produce at optimal freshness.
In the past I would buy the produce for all the meals I was planning on making later in the week and by the time I would finish my first eating all of my leftovers (because I eat slowly lmao) the produce for the next meal I was going to make went bad.
It does result in more trips to the grocery store but it works for me
If you know you eat slow, why not make a smaller amount of food. I cook about 2-3 times a week so when I cook, I make enough for 4-6 meals (2-3 lunches + 2-3 dinners). So when I shop, I need to plan for at least 2 different meals.
@@ElaBlu3 each recipe yields a different amount of leftovers when it comes to portions
use a scale and measure up what you eat . then cook based on that
Prefer to cook the food that need to be freshest first, move thing that wont need a timely preparation with longer shelflife in the fridge or outside. Man Veggies stay good without a Fridge, like onions, zucchinis, pumpkins some salads. etc.
I started shopping like this too. It makes more sense and more similar to how other parts of the world do it.
I usually buy a large single item and then use it across several meals for the week - which Mike G taught us! For example, cabbage - buy a large head and make pork & cabbage dumplings /gyoza or ramen noodle soup or chicken and veggie stir fry...the list is endless! Loved this video concept and need more tips like this in our lives, please! Thanks!
Cabbage the queen of the latter part of the month when all seems to have run out. Nothing better than finding cabbage tucked in a drawer when you can't go to the grocery store or at the end of the month and have no money left and all else fresh has been used. I have also gotten into the habit of buying eggroll wrappers which I use for so many things like wontons, dumplings, egg rolls, noodles and ravioli etc. Today is such a day for me. I had a very good eggroll and fresh coleslaw with my favorite cabbage the purple one. I love mine extra garlicy when cooked, and for eggrolls will add a bag of frozen oriental veggies and voila!!!!
I find that when i peel the cabbage and use it by the leaves rather than cut it, it can last for months. #shopsmartcookclever
@@auntiejennysays Great tip - thanks!
@@suzanneribas3746 Yes, I always forget about the eggroll wrappers - thank you for the reminder. :)
My big tip would be .. look at the store circulars that come out advertising sales. Then build a menu plan for the week from there, utilizing the big values contained within, and maybe buy an extra package of meat or or veggies (for smoothies) to freeze for later use. Another would be to use those store's apps for extra savings, digital coupons, free items, etc .. I tend to walk out of a grocery store with 45-60 percent off the entire retail prices at the bottom of the receipt.
i often freeze ground meat for later, in sizes zip packs for bolonga sose. I buy also big Chicken Tighs packs on sale , i debone them and freeze them up for later when i need chicken meat. Take some work and practice in debone them but worth it use the bones for stock. The stock is also frezzed
This is one reason I love having a vegetable/fruit garden. Lot easier to just stroll in there during every season other than spring really and pick up stuff in your 'private shop'.
Buying spices online is a huge money saver for me and I feel like the quality is often better as well. There are many good spice retailers on Amazon. I'll never buy those dinky McCormick bottles again!
I hate grocery shopping with the passion of a thousand suns, so I’m definitely going to try some of these tips!
Could you do a video about shopping in a food desert? My local grocery has about 12 produce items *on a good day*, and often the meat and dairy is limited as well. I really struggle to make a list and plan healthy meals when I don’t know what will be available. Any tips you might have would be much appreciated.
I would definitely look into (indoor) gardening. Even a simple hydroponics system can add massive variety to your diet.
@@thaliacrafts407 I do have a garden (and you’re right, it helps a lot!) It’s just difficult to plan any sort of shopping when you don’t know whether the store will have an onion or not this week. Ya know?
@@casskarl wow, i can’t imagine. must take a lot of improv and/or backup plans 😭
@@net.garden a huge number of folks in the rural US have this problem regardless of income. Things just aren’t reliably available for us. 🤷♀️
May I suggest that this is where cooking techniques come to the fore. By that I mean, looking at a grocery item, be it veg, meat, fish, or what have you, and thinking about the different ways to cook said item. Having herbs, spices, and condiments, can help with this a lot. And even mixing up cuisines on a single plate at least makes for interesting foods.
I live in the country, and, at times, large quantities of one veg will find their way onto my sink. Sigh. At the moment it is silverbeet. So, silverbeet in many things it is at the moment. Finely sliced into a ramen style soup, sautéed into a rice or pasta dish. Subbed in for spinach. It has taken me decades I will admit. But for every grocery item, there will be more than one way to use it, add flavour, and either combine, or serve as a side dish. Best of luck in your food desert.
Oh, and meat, whatever that looks like, can be almost a ‘condiment’ to a plate, rather than always being the star.
I add to my grocery list throughout the week. Before I go to the store I go through the list and write what isle the item is in from the app-then rewrite the list with everything that is in the same isle in the same place on the list. Makes shopping so much easier!
I started watching your videos in 2017, I’m now 26 & still love learning new tips from you! It’s so nostalgic to watch you’re like a helpful older brother guiding us thru eating and shopping for food adulthood lol
When choosing fruit like apples, or citrus always feel for the weight of that piece of fruit. It can vary a lot from apple to apple etc. The more weight, the fresher and more juicy it will be.
Also buy your most used spices in bulk when possible. Those jars a most of the cost of spices in jars. I use crushed chili pepper a lot, and cinnamon so I buy in bulk.
Another great way to save is learn to make your own vanilla. It's super easy and you can create your own specialty vanilla using a favorite bourbon or even alcohol free vanilla extract. Same with teriyaki sauce. It's much cheapervyo make yoyr own, takes very little time and tastes fantastic.
Also check how much of the produce is actually usable. I eat the whole broccoli, but if you don't like the stem, get one with a lot of florets.
This is a video I didn't know I needed, but glad to watch and rewatch it whenever possible. I like cooking and always want to find time to do it, but mistake #5 is always an issue, especially when using a budget. Glad to have some idea around it.
I found my inner chef over the last 5 or so years and am so glad to see I'm shopping correctly.
I have a small pantry in the basement so am able to have variety. It also helps us save by buying in the quantities to take advantage of sales and coupons.
I recently found your channel and have been enjoying getting ideas for our meals.
Also .. when shopping for avocados, go for the hardest ones you can find and ripen them at home. Hard unripe avo's are not as easily damaged as those that are ready to eat.
I find that some just never ripen/ they are like they got freeze damaged
i do the same, and try to find the most evenly colored ones possible to be sure they'll also ripen evenly. Another tip: don't buy the round ones if there are equally nice ones that are pear-shaped; they will usually have a smaller pit, so less waste.
Tip* to keep from bruising fruit and to pick fruit as close to ripe as possible without having to use it the same day, press closest to where it grew from, it ripens there first. NOT THE CENTER OF THE SIDE! It keeps it pretty when you slice it too. 😉
I just started doing this.
I am 64.
!!!!
I'm sorry. I don’t understand the piece of advice 😅. Can sb help me? Thanks in advance!
@@k.a.l.2130 example: on something like a peach or other fruit with a stem, when you're checking its ripeness based on how soft/firm it is, press closest to the stem (where it grew from- like where it was attached to the tree/plant before it was picked). pressing on the side might bruise it which isn't a huge deal if you're going to eat it same day but like they said, maybe you want to keep it looking pretty, and near the stem is more out of the way.
have you thought about bringing your own cloth bags to the store? here in austria this is quite common
great video!!
My boyfriend and I have a list of go to, easy/quick meals that are made of similar ingredients. We just change up the sauce and the carb (rice, potatoes, pasta). Stir fry, oven chicken & veg, chicken sandwhich, etc. All use veg, chicken, and a starch. Just prep a different way and add different seasonings.
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I know it sounds dead simple, but a physical, paper shopping list has been a game-changer for me. I tried keeping track of shopping lists on my phone for years, using everything from standard note apps to specialized shopping list apps, but I'd always end up neglecting them. I don't always have my phone on me when I'm in the kitchen, and when I do, having that barrier of needing to take it out of my pocket, unlock it, and navigate to the relevant list, is just a little too annoying for me. Not to mention needing to do the same process to check the list while shopping.
Just get a strip of paper, use a magnet to keep it on your fridge, and have a pen nearby, and adding items to the list becomes second nature. Take the paper with you to the store and toss it in your basket for super easy access.
See, I understand your point, it can be a barrier to have to get the phone and unlock it, but on the other side, I always have my phone with me when I'm out and specifically when I come home from work and so I can stop for my grocery shopping without having to go home first. If I go home, I'm going to have a hard time going back out and I will eat pasta 😅
What I do is I mealplan with my notepad and cookbooks on one side and my phone on the other, and I make the grocery list once a week with exactly what I will need. It makes me a "closed minded shopper", as he said, but I live alone and everything goes bad so quickly, I can't just buy stuff on a whim or it will be wasted
I still use a paper list it's been great and easy I update it as I run out of things
@@alyssia7239 good point! I work from home, so most of the time I'm able to take the list with me when I go shopping. And same, I also live alone and it's a constant struggle trying to use things before they go bad. Frozen vegetables and frozen, uncooked fish/chicken have become my friends 😅
I would agree. For me I started a new habit of simply asking Alexa to add something to the shopping list when I found I needed something. No need to have a phone nearby, nor take time to write it down. This list then travels with me and I use at the store. This has helped me, but once you find the process that works then you are set.
As long as you really stick to it LOL
It's harvest season. Hit up the farmers' markets. You'll get seasonal, fresh produce. One tip is to go late toward when the market closes. Since the vendors don't want to pack up unsold merch, they're much more willing to cut you a deal. A couple of times I got out of there with a box full of produce for $20-$25 .
The reason why stores often enter into the produce department is because you're more likely to buy more snacks and impulse buys if you feel good that you put some healthy veggies in your cart. There is a ton of subtle tricks stores use to get you to buy certain items or just buy more. If you know the layout of your store and you have a list you're much less likely to buy stuff you don't need.
This makes so much sense. I realized that the produce section is near the entrance door because they know produce spoils and you will buy more of it. Less waste for the store. I noticed at checkout I have too much produce almost every fruit and every veggie. In reality I only needed enough to last a week. Which means more waste.
During the pandemic here in Oz (Australia) I have seriously embraced the online shopping facility of our local supermarkets, fruit & veg markets, butchers etc. Being an older Aussie (married with husband and children for over 45 years!) I was the only provender and shopper of food!
Prior to the pandemic, I found Listonic a really wonderful smartphone application.
Whenever you deplete something from your pantry/freezer/refrigerator... simply use your smart phone to add it to your shopping list. When you next shop you can check off having purchased/added the item to your cart. SIMPLE!
No more wondering what you need, ran out of.
And let's be honest here, we are all pretty much inseparable from our mobiles, so it's not as though you have to find a pen, consult a fridge magnet list, find a notepad.
Makes weekly shopping so much easier...
Loving your videos Mike!
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Great vid. Couple of very helpful tips.
I was taught when shopping for avocados to look for ones with the stem still on. When the stem is pulled off the area around it is prone to deteriorate quicker.
At my Whole Foods, the Instacart shoppers regularly destroy a fair amount of produce by squeezing EVERY fruit or veg on their order that says "ripe" such as avocado or stone fruits. As a result, you can select pieces that look ideally ripe but are ALWAYS brown and bruised throughout the inside and therefore are often unusable. I have learned to buy green avocados without damage and with the top stem intact. Leave on the kitchen counter for a few days and they are perfect. If they have become ripe but I wont use them that day, I immediately stick them in the fridge, which greatly slows down the ripening process. They will still ripen more but usually stay nicely green and unbruised inside, even if they get a bit softer than I would like. Yes I know I am picky, but as a senior on a fairly tight budget, I want quality produce when I buy it. Also, since I don't have a car any more, I don''t want to spend money for rideshare trips more than every 10-14 days or so. There's another market I can take a bus to if I have forgotten or run out of certain things, but I try not to forget or run short, so yes I use a computer list of the things I buy, which I can just update every time before I shop, checking what i already have vs what I need for the recipes I am using. I have to watch the $ these days and these things--and all the learning from YT folks like Mike and also viewers--help so much.
I use a preprinted list with items organized by grocery store aisle. As I am cooking throughout the week, I put a check mark in the box by items I need to restock.
I see this is a Halls, TN # and may be linked to overseas German speaking website. This is likely a scam
Plan your week of meals in advance, incorporating meals that make use of leftovers (a whole roast chicken, leads to leftovers for chow mien). Sounds boring but that way you shop for what you need. Then stock up on items you’re running low on and your staple foods.
If you can memorise the layout of your grocery store, you can then write your shopping list in that order, you are less likely to miss/forget items (how many times have forgotten an item and had to go back in).
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I used to work in (what we call) a supermarket in the UK and the world food aisles were a revelation.
One step further is going to a cash and carry (wholesaler) or just expanding your circle of friends.
I've had so many ingredients, recipes and actual meals given to me by people from just talking to them, getting to know them and what food they like.
Obviously, I always try to return the favour with my increasingly competent cooking. It's just nice to know and eat with new people from a different background though.
Pro tip. (This might go against your sponsor but...) Community Gardens are so awesome.
I create a week's menu so, when I shop, I'm putting together the experience of the week's meals in my head as I shop, anticipating the enjoyment they will bring.
The only thing I hate about grocery shopping these days is the price tag at the end. $60 for two bags of groceries is ridiculous. Thanks for this video though. When inflation/grocery stores racking in record profits is done hopefully I will return to enjoying my grocery store shopping experiences again.
Prices are never going down…
@@cerberez1 yes they will. This has happened before.
Sliced ham 15.00 a pound no pig tastes that good
I go shopping on a day when there is a farmers market right next to the grocery store and I shop there first to support local pesticide-free growers. If they don't have what I need that day the grocery store will. Oh, and bring your own reusable bags!
More people need to talk about the guy at the end - that was so wholesome! 🥺
This video was great, will definitely keep these tips in mind as I learn how to master the balance of grocery shopping.
I like to do a mental walk through of my favorite store while I make my shopping list. I find it but inspires me on planning meals for the week! But it also helps me remember items I might need to check my stock of that I didn’t check before.
I also saw someone made the comment not to go shopping when you are hungry, that is so true! Hungry me will spend about $75 more then just eat me!
One thing that I always do, is if a shelf stable item, like say pasta is on sale pick up a few of them for later. Most households are only about 72 hours from starvation in a disaster. You don't have to be a pack rat but having a few things extra that will last is always a good idea.
I'm pretty curious to know how much your basket ended to be for this week.
Also i'm surprised to hear you advocating for selecting only the best looking produces; that's how you end up with quite some waste. It would be interesting to balance this out with a video dedicated to cooking with less appealing produces.
He didn't mean best looking aesthetically. He meant good quality. He encouraged using less appealing product if it'll last more meals especially in the meat section
He says that yet hes not looking for prettiest stuff he tests it for squeeze and ripeness fruit/veggie wise =))
Please, Please, Please don't press the avocado with your thumb to see if it is ripe!! You leave a bruise that will ruin it as it ripens, and that will now end up in the garbage for the next shopper. You can tell how ripe it is by holding in your palm and gently sense its firmness.
@@susansmith7415 I think you're entirely unaware of how much food is wasted xD dont sweat it Susan , and if the other shopper doesnt know how to pick their food its kinda their own fault.
I have a white fridge and i use it as a whiteboard for my shopping list. It has helped so much because as soon as i realize im out of something, its right there for me to write on
I LOVE that you tackle all the obstacles to home cooking !!! 💪❤ Even though I've become a vegan since my bento days, I still consider you my all time favorite cooking channel because you talk about cooking in such a global and pragmatic (yet so fun and creative) way. I adored the part about cleaning in your previous video (kitchen towels !!), for me cleaning is the biggest biggest reason why I sometimes won't want to cook a meal. 😄 Anyways, just wanted to send a little love towards your way, I'm off to watch the video now ! 😊
My pet peeve about shopping isn't being overwhelmed by the products, but the fellow shoppers, especially in high season times
One tip I would add is to talk to the people who work at your local grocery. If you take the time to build a relationship with the people who work at the meat counter, for example, they'll learn to know what kind of products you like and can give you heads up on good buys, or when restocking occurs so you're not choosing between the last few packs of product.
Another would be to go early if possible as groceries are most fully stocked at opening.
Instead of writing the list, I add to my online cart throughout the week. Then I order and they bring the groceries out to the pickup spot. That's nice because I'm on a bicycle so it saves me having to lock it up and carry my pannier around.
Another reason why this is good is I can only fit so much on the bike (tho it's more than you'd expect). So I literally can't over-shop and every item has to count. Plus the ride is nice.
A tip for doing pickup: use the item notes to offer an alternative for anything important in case they can't find it. For example on yukon gold taters I might note "any potato is ok" just to make sure I get something if yukons are sold out.
I really love how the new Amazon stores are set up. It’s so easy to scan in using your phone shop scan out and bag at the stations. I absolutely hate standing at checkout lines. I really wish they had a store near me but unfortunately they don’t. I love convenience. The stores are clean beautiful with open isles they are well stocked and everything looks so fresh.
I go thru my fridge and either use up what I have and prep produce to use right away or freeze. I check my pantry and spices to see what staples I’m low on. I always keep a list going and add to it like you do 😁I also use tried and true recipes and usually only make 1 new thing each week 😊
Something I like to do when it comes to work lunches. I like to divide my lunches into individual bags so when I'm packing it, I just grab the bags.
your basically one of the best yt channels ive been watching ur chanel back when u and ur bro used to cook together and i have been inspired ever since thank u for all the hard work u put in ur vids keep inspiring more people ;)
im from Egypt and our national dish is foul (Fava been dish), falafel with a fresh baking mill of fresh egyptian bread (Aish Baladi) super good every day at 6am we'd line up for breakfast to go to school its a third world country so we grew up with a different life =style /) we never have rasism there all love we had Africa next to us we loved it as our brothers. But srory for blabering so much when i found this channel i really liked it since im a stoner and i used to by fast food and didnt like it so much i like our dishes and lucky i found an egyptian restrant that opened in Riverside, CA, and it made me feel and home i always cook or usually go to his restrant with my family and we got to know him anyways id love to teach u some things about our culture that be awsome thanks for allways inspiring us. 👊
My wife and I use the "To Do" app on our phones to keep and maintain our shipping lists. We're more likely to have our phones handy, so we talk throughout the week, update the lists and plan our shopping trips. We create lists for each store we visit (Costco, Walmart, Asian grocery) and check off items as we get then. Best part is that you can both share the same list, add and remove items and it ensures we're both on the same page. Very convenient and it's been a game changer for us as we've been cooking at home more during the pandemic. All of the other points in this video are spot on! Grocery shopping can be daunting if you're unprepared and just winging it, but a little preparation and foresight goes a long way.
Our method is basically sprint planning with 2 sheets (two weeks meals) in a spreadsheet which get meals added from our cookbook collection. As we add the meal we add the ingredients to the shopping list or directly into our online shopping cart. Saves a lot of time because it's one shop that takes about half an hour total including the planning and lasts two weeks - you can always mix up days or defer meals if you decide to eat out.
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I do all of my pantry shopping online for pick up at the store. It saves me time, money and energy. I'm less likely to impulse buy when I'm sitting comfortably at home with a nice snack. I can check my inventory while I shop and search for recipes for unusual items while I shop. Then choose my produce at the store before I pick up my groceries. 10 minutes in and out.
Impulse buying is a dangerous pitfall. For all you fellow ADHDers out there, make sure your meds are working before you go! Don't do the thing where they aren't at full power yet and you end up wandering around like you're trapped in that infinite IKEA SCP.
@@thaliacrafts407 I've got pretty bad ADHD but I've just trained myself to treat not buying something as a reward, so I didn't buy something that costs $5 that's like finding $5 on the ground.
We use Todoist and Amazon Alexa to add anything we need to get. Super easy to pull that list together for our weekly shopping trip.
Then we calculate out our needs on a monthly basis. Helps us stick to a good budget but also enjoy the food!
Every time I shop I always check the Asian aisle, there’s always a jar of sauce I like to try to add to any protein & veggies, in the end it always turns out delicious. That RED BOAT FISH SAUCE always add an umami flavor to any of my dish. Yummy 😋
Loved the video on the information side as always, but Amazon fresh, really?! With everything we know about amazon, i'm super disappointed 😔
This may be a bit much for some but my wife and I come up with a meal plan for the week, create a shopping list on a shared list app and then organize the items in the list by order of where they generally are in the store (if you go to the same store several times a month you’ll eventually get to know where everything is). The time invested upfront is worth it when you save time at the store from knowing what you’re going to get and where it is, don’t end up with decision fatigue trying to figure out what to cook and buy for the week while at the store, and it still gives us the opportunity to be sporadic and try something new if we want.
I have the same thing. My daughter and I have a shared online list that is in the order of where things are in the store. So I can go right to the isle get it and skip the others so I don't get side tracked and end up buying things we don't really need.
@@shannonhight4339 yesss! That’s a huge one, buying only what you plan/ budget for yet still being able to be at store and get something extra of you’re feeling sporadic
My husband likes to do the same thing, but as I am the main cook and prefer to cook based on my mood, it doesn’t always go to plan! Take today, I have to cook sausages (as they are due to go out of date), but I haven’t decided whether to use them in a lentil dish, a pasta dish or a old U.K. favourite; toad in the hole (or oven cooked sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter)…
The grocery store chains I frequent have apps that let you make a grocery list, so that's very helpful, it also calculated what the total will be, which is also helpful.
My tips:
use a grocery list app, add stuff as noticed rather than relying on a piece of paper that might be forgotten or damaged. Save favorites to help you determine what you’re going to get.
Bring your own reusable bags!
Frequently used items buy in bulk. We shop and Costco & ALDI once per month, two weeks apart. Other closer stores for little things we need in between, good planning keeps those to a minimum.
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I buy dried herbs at the bulk counter and then refill the empty jar at home. You probably pay $5 for a new jar of herbs, but usually less than $1 for a bag of the same herb. We also hooked up with a local beef rancher and now we get a box in the spring that lasts us the year, vacuum packed and frozen and the flavor is way better than fresh, plus we support the local rancher.
In which store do you find a bulk counter? Genuinely asking because I'm curious if there is any near me.
@@kaemincha The local IGA store in my town has one.
@@kaemincha I live in the Netherlands and there's a local Moroccan grocer that sells herbs and spices way cheaper than the bigger Dutch chains. I don't know where you live, but try looking outside your own community. You might be pleasantly surprised!
I LOVE the bulk section of my store. Unfortunately this was an Amazon commercial and they don't have a bulk sections in their stores.
Take your time. Don’t rush. If you’re new to supermarket, find out what items or brands work for you. The label checking might seem to last ages in the beginning but you only have to do that a couple of times and then you know what you can grab and what’s good for your body!
I had the habit of writing down the ingredients that wasn't readily available on hand, mostly the fresh items that really helped our a bunch 😀. Thanks for doing this video 😀
I was just over in Oceanside today! Had no idea you were this close. Great video, and it was nice to see inside the new Fresh store that I keep hearing about.
“Don’t damage the fruit”. Proceeds to bruise the peach.
😁
Yeah, that really bothers me. It seems like so many people do this and it basically shortens the life span of the produce which I suppose on a personal level doesn’t matter but on a mass level it does.
Yeah as someone who worked in a fresh produce section this sequence was really irritating. The amount of produce that goes to waste because it's not up to quality standards (bruises etc) is crazy already, if everyone handled produce this roughly we'd be in trouble
And breaks the stem off an avocado!
🤣🤣🤣 I doubt he was bruising it, you can test for softness without bruising produce
I shop with my 5yr old kid (homeschooling). I make a game out of our groceries shopping. "Okay we need bread in aisle 9. Can you help me find it?" Also we chat on what time of snacks we can make.
awesome. This are some core memories for your kiddo
that painters tape roll and marker fridge magnet at 1:43 is a convenient life hack !!
The guy at the end is just the kind of character that I have enjoyed encountering since moving to the northeast. Certain areas of the country excel at this type of theater and I absolutely love running across the masters of the craft ;-)
I’d be interested to know what you bought in this video and what the final price came to. I just moved to the Czech Republic for school for a semester, and I’m currently trying to build up my dorm kitchen and learn how to cook. I don’t have a lot of cooking skills or kitchen supplies (yet), so I’d be interested in seeing how much a weeks worth of shopping may cost. Great video, very useful for me right now! I try to think of recipes I want to make when I go out to shop 🛒
First off THANK YOU for saying what I already know I'm allowed to touch and be selective with my food!!! This is something that I've been given a hard time over in the last few yrs and as you said it's gonna get washed anyways. A tip I'd give especially with rising food costs is check out the sales flyers before you go and use them to stock up on things that are a good deal. As well know how to convert down to a comparable size to know whether the bigger or family pkg is actually a good deal or not. For example if looking at apples how much is per pound vs buying a bag sometimes buying the bag is more than the individual apples per pound.
Exactly! Prices are high so I want the best bang for my buck. My local store always has a discounted section with slightly damaged produce which I regularly buy from, but if you are charging the same price for everything, you better believe I'm going to be picky.
Really good tips. I use the app any list to keep up with my groceries so as soon as I empty something it's on the list.
I shop my pantry as much as possible, have a menu planned for at least the week and try to only go to the store if I can't substitute something.
I'm scraping pennies like I scrape the bottom of the mashed potato pan lol
We do a family meal and schedule plan weekly. Taking suggestions from each family member, and try to meld meals around events such as band practice, soccer, and scouts. Then all meal items get added to the shopping list, if we don’t have a said item.
Additionally buying family packs of protein, is very cost effective. Depending on what the item is, we can sometimes divide and vacuum seal meats for another day. Lastly never shop when hungry. Thanks