Grocery Challenge Week #3: It Can Be Expensive to Eat Healthy!

So last week I said I was going to go through my freezer and stockpile more carefully so I wasn’t spending a fortune on groceries. Well, then my husband and I decided to try a new diet plan which included a lot of items we didn’t have on hand. Once again, I’ve found myself shopping way over budget.

So what’s the best trade off?

For me, even though I’ve spent about $200.00 in groceries this week, I physically feel a lot better, and have lost a few pounds too. I’ve been eating lots of lettuce, cottage cheese, eggs, and chicken. The only items I really had on hand were bags of chicken that I bought on sale last month, several cans of tuna, and salsa. Everything else I had to purchase.

I’ve been purchasing a lot of my fresh produce items at Aldi because I find the best deals there on a weekly basis. However, when you’re going through a bag of lettuce per person each day, it can add up even at $1.00 a bag or less. Oh, and did I mention that this diet plan includes drinking Almond milk? I had no idea how expensive that could be! I know I’ve seen coupons in the past for almond milk, but of course I don’t have any right now.

Perhaps I should have also planned ahead in May and planted a garden to save money on a lot of fresh produce items. Even though we missed the boat on planting our own garden, I am thankful that my parents’ and in-laws’ gardens now have vegetables ready for picking.

So what should my plan be next week?

Plan ahead a bit more on our meals and try to use as many of the same ingredients for multiple meals and snacks. I also need to raid the gardens at my parents and in-laws for some more fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini!

Oh, and most importantly, stick with our new diet! (which we are now calling a lifestyle change because it truly doesn’t feel like we’re on a diet!) I will still be watching what I spend on groceries, but my focus has changed to buying only items that are on our healthy lifestyle plan.

Read part 1 and part 2 of the grocery challenge!