Friends and clients often ask me to show them how to grocery shop. I’ve even “trained” a few clients IN the grocery store – instead of working out, we meet at the grocery store and we walk up and down the aisles. Most people just don’t KNOW what to buy when it comes to healthy eating. In fact, I recently ran into a newer client at the store and she was quite proud of her shopping cart – it was full of “healthy, low fat” items <-her words, not mine. When I looked inside, I saw nutrition bars, “low-fat” white bread, “low-fat” snack mix, yogurt covered raisins, etc. No veggies. No fruits. No lean meat. I told her I’d bring her shopping with me next time. :)
Anyway, here’s what I bought:
Shopping List (if marked through, that means it either wasn’t on sale or I had to go to a different store.)
- Apples
- Bananas
- Clementines
- Grapefruit
- Berries (if on sale)
- Spinach
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Spaghetti Squash
- Carrots
- Avocado (x3)
- Naked Juice for Kombucha
- Prunes
- Figs
- Dates
- Lean Ground Turkey
- Lean Ground Beef
- Chicken Breast
- Eggs (x2)
- Egg Whites
- Roasted Almonds
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- Soy Crisps
- Bragg’s ACV
- Nature’s Path Cereal
- Brown Sugar
For H & C
- Mac N Cheese
- Baby Carrots
- Cereal
- String Cheese
The Haul:
Clockwise from the top: Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, Organic Whole Milk, Free Range Eggs, Cage Free Liquid Egg Whites, 99% Lean Ground Turkey, Golden Delicious Apples, Beets, Lemon, Carrots, Bananas, Strawberries, String Cheese, Baby Carrots.
Clockwise from the top: Figs, Dates, Shampoo, Natural Peanut Butter, Soy Crisps, Green Pepper, Avocado, Grapefruit, Wasabi Edamame Hummus (yum!), Luna Bars, Albacore Tuna, Low Sodium Almonds.
Clockwise from the top: Nature’s Path Millet Rice cereal (my favorite!), Mom’s Best Toasty O’s, Triscuits, Quinoa, Broccoli, Ginger Aid tea.
Check out how much I saved with coupons and my bonuscard! $41.09! Go here for my couponing tips!
Let me be frank here – I’m not always a saint in the grocery store, but it isn’t because I’m “nutrition-ignorant.” Sometimes I simply choose to look the other way and grab the yogurt covered raisins. There’s an important difference there. I think that we can EDUCATE people about how to eat healthier, but then it’s up to THEM whether or not they choose to put that education into PRACTICE. Same goes for fitness – I can meet with a client 2 times a week, but what really makes the difference in their body composition is how they PRACTICE the education that they receive from me.
I suppose practice really does make perfect.
QUESTION: How often do you grocery shop? Do you coupon?
splendid…lindsay
I love the grocery store a little too much. I mean, I don’t have to go as often as I do…I just like to go and see what I see…
I’m the queen of the manager’s special. Discount produce? COME TO MAMA!!!
I wish I could coupon that well!
And well said..nutritional choices are up to the individual and it is important to be educated on what’s best health-wise. It’s also healthy to treat yourself now and then to a not-so-perfect treat, especially if you know the facts.
ok everyone is commenting on your savings. im going to be the weirdo and comment on the last picture the little arm sticking out from the couch. sorry that’s all i saw. haha.
BUT i am huge on finding sales and using coupons, so great haul!
This looks so similar to my typical grocery haul! And I always coupon, and you can typically find me standing in the middle of the aisle sorting through my coupons to find the un-expired ones, haha.
Cool post! I wish I was more regimented about grocery shopping; because I live a few blocks away from one, I tend to go a lot and buy in drips and drabs, which isn’t very good for my wallet.. Thanks for sharing :)
I usually grocery shop only once per week (on Monday or Tuesday), but sometimes if I can’t find an item on my list during that first grocery trip, I’ll venture out a second time later in the week…
I’m not a big coupon person (although I was definitely raised on it – my mom was an avid Sunday coupon clipper :P), but that’s only because I tend to buy generic and therefore just rely on the store points/discounts…
I can’t believe you saved over $40 on healthy foods! It seems that often the only items I see coupons for are unhealthy over processed foods.
I do not coupon but I do pay attention to prices/sales. I shop every other week, and pick up milk in between. Staying away from the market is where I seem to save my most money lol
you saved over $40?! AMAZING!!! i get excited when i save a buck haha
Since it is just me, who I feed, I typically try to go once every two weeks. I hate wasting food, so I like to get creative and finish as much as possible in my fridge and pantry, before hitting up the store. I secretly love to grocery shop. It’s always pretty cool to have a cart filled of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but then also some nice treats hidden underneath it all. ;)
I got into the really bad habit of buying a week’s worth of food, then not using it so I’d throw things out. It was highly wasteful and I’m sort of embarrassed to even talk about it. Luckily, I now work a block from the grocery store so I go on a near daily basis. I run in, get what I need, then leave. It’s my way of not being wasteful and it’s close enough I can walk, so I’m not running out my gas.
There are a few things that I keep as a staple (oatmeal, peanut butter) but everything else (unless on a HUGE sale and freezer friendly) gets picked up daily.
Damn I need to start couponing! I always grab what’s on sale and definitely have the shopper’s card I use..but I don’t take advantage of manufacturer’s coupons nearly enough. Great shopping trip!
I used to be a once-a-week grocery shopper, but have since been going almost daily to pick up fresh produce/dairy/etc. With just the two of us in the house (and with considerably different eating habits) it’s been more cost efficient that way!
Couponing seems like a great concept and I’ve heard many bloggers talk about it but we unfortunately don’t have it around here.
It’s great you’re showing clients how to “shop healthy” as basic knowledge. Doing what you can and then hoping for them to stick with it for their own good. Though, as you said, none of us are saints and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for grabbing some not quite as nutritious foods every now and then.
Happy Wednesday to you!
I grocery shop 1x/week! Works for us-and about every 5-6 weeks go to SAMs or Costco to load up on salsa/milk/eggs/frozen stuff/TP/etc. I like going every week because it allows me to buy and use fresh all the time :)
That’s great savings! And a good haul…happy WIAW!
I try to only shop once a week, but in reality I usually end up having to stop on the way home from work at least once or twice a week to pick up a couple of items. I am in awe of your couponing savings, but that’s just not something I choose to make time for in my life right now.
Crap Lindsay, I shop just about every three days! We eat so many fresh fruits and vegetables, it seems like I’m always running out. It’s not a bad thing, but I do go a lot and sadly coupons don’t work for most of what we eat. With all the allergies and intolerances we have here, I make almost everything from scratch. I completely agree with you on training in the kitchen just like we train our clients in the gym. Practice definitely helps form habits and while the gym is great, really, what you eat makes the biggest difference when it comes to health!
I am currently living at home so my parents do the bulk of the shopping, luckily my family eats extremely healthy. I sometimes have to buy my own things when we run out though, i.e. bars, frozen fruit, apples when I eat them all :)
I really wish I couponed, but I just don’t have the patience for it. I love that Luna Bar flavor. It’s my favorite!
I grocery shop once per week and I never coupon! As a college student, it can get pretty difficult shopping for one person. I can’t buy anything in bulk! But, I find a way to make it work :).
Wow, I need to learn your coupon-ing skills! The low-fat processed food craze drives me nuts… it seems like we should be past that, and know that real food and fats are okay, but advertisers are a sneaky bunch.
Niiiiice! I am so impressed. :) Side note, dontcha just love Nature’s Path cereal? It’s so good!
I try to use coupons as best as possible, but I’m definitely going to check out your tips. Your haul is awesome, btw :)
Jason and I typically go to Publix or Kroger on Sundays together but occasionally, I’ll go to Trader Joe’s during the week (it’s near my office) instead. I am bad at couponing. I need to get better.
Have you given any thought to doing a post on kombucha????I would love to see how you make and harvest it!!!
YES! I have all the pictures, just need to write it!
Yay!!! I L.O.V.E kombucha, but have been intimidated by the process…I am excited to see how you make it work for you :)
I’m gonna need to start putting your couponing tips to work, lady! I’m been lacking in the coupon area! I’m good about finding sales but it’s definitely time for me to up my game ;) hope clara is feeling better!
she’s on the upswing – thanks for thinking of her! :)
for a fam of THREE I go waaay too often.
we plow through those fruits and veggies!
I wish Australia has a couponing system over here! Love your grocery stash ;)
Yes, I think it’s better to be educated and make a knowledgeable decision then to not realise you’re making the decisions (whether they be wrong or right).
omg I NEED to coupon but I’m so bad about it! Part of the problem is that I shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which don’t really do coupons. WF does, but I usually don’t buy those items…
Yay for couponing! It’s amazing how much you can save with a little organization. And if you have a store that doubles the value of a coupon on a certain day, that’s even better!