Some Tips

In an ideal world, we’d all get our food from a local farmers’ market, where we would know that all the food we were getting had come from nearby and was in season and nutritious. Unfortunately, we can’t always shop at a farmers’ market, either because we lack transportation, our busy schedule doesn’t permit it, or we can’t afford it. So college students and recent graduates often find themselves trudging down to the local supermarket, determined to brave the aisles of packaged foods, to stand up to the devious marketing ploys, and somehow make it out with their health and their wallets intact.

I used to find myself overwhelmed by grocery stores. I didn’t know where to start, and I kept getting dragged into the aisles where I would waste time wondering if I needed something I just saw. This often resulted in me wasting money as well. So I developed a plan to help me save time, money, health, and sanity.

• Make a List – This is obvious, but it’s amazing how few people actually do it. Before you head out, open your cupboards and refrigerator and note what you need. If something is running low, but not actually gone, note that on your list as well. Spend a few minutes thinking about other items you may want to buy, such as ingredients for a special recipe or a new item you’d like to add to your diet. Prioritize your list based on what’s empty, what’s running low, and what you don’t really need but would like. Another strategy is to keep a piece of paper in the kitchen and write things down as they run out.
• Stick to the Perimeter – All the whole foods are around the edges of the store, so just pretend the aisles don’t even exist. Make your round, grab what you need and get out of there. The exceptions are for specific items on your list. It’s fine to browse in the produce section, because anything you get will be okay (if your budget can handle it). It is not okay to browse in the aisles, where items are strategically placed to influence buying decisions. Go in, get your item, and get out. In any case, if you’re sticking to a whole foods diet, you should have few items to get from the aisles anyway (pastas, sauces, canned fish, jams perhaps).
• Make it a Ritual – Once you know the layout of your preferred store, and you know what you regularly buy and keep in stock, you can make a ritual out of your shopping adventure. For me, it was around the whole perimeter – produce, dairy, fish – then back to the bread aisle, a quick stop at the freezer for frozen fruits, and done. Getting into a habit lets you do things quicker, but it also protects you from marketing gimmicks and compulsive buying. This is because once you have developed the habit of what you buy, you will be hyper-aware when you pick something unusual up, and you’ll really think about whether you need it or not. Maybe you do, maybe you don’t, but at least you’ll think about it.
• Weekly Shopping – Try to get all your shopping done at one time. For me, it was every other Sunday at Trader Joe’s for most things, and every Wednesday at the local produce co-op for veggies and fruits. On no other day of the week did I go to the grocery store. For this to work, you need to have a list and a budget. By doing all your shopping in one go, you won’t have to worry about taking time from your studies or a job just to grab something you forgot the last time you went shopping (and then when you get there suddenly, oh yeah, maybe I’ll buy some of this too, etc). I was pretty strict with myself about this; I did not allow myself to buy food except on designated shopping days. Sometimes that meant I had to improvise.
• Have a Budget – This is important because it lets you buy what you need in one shot (the only constraint being shelf life or your carrying capacity). First, just track what you spend so you get a sense of how much it costs to eat, then use that as an estimate and spread it out over the number of shopping trips you’ve planned. Be flexible at first as you get a sense of what your needs, but then stick to it. It helps to use your phone’s calculator at first, though this does slow you down. This is where your prioritizing comes in; if you go over budget, leave stuff you don’t need as much. I also got a sense for how much certain quantities at specific stores cost: a hand-basket at TJs was almost always about $50, give or take $5. A full cart was about $150.
• Use a hand-basket – You’re less likely to buy more than you need if you have to carry it. It become uncomfortable to overspend, and it will keep you from lingering.
• Learn Where You Can Compromise - This is something we’ll go into in more detail later, but for now, keep in mind that you may not be able to afford all organic. Some fruits and veggies can be bought conventional and it won’t affect your health too much. Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are often cheaper and more time-friendly. Because I didn’t have time to shop every day, I bought frozen fish instead of fresh. However, as I learned more about dairy, it became something I wasn’t willing to compromise on: it was either raw grass-fed, or I just didn’t buy it. Somethings will be choice, somethings will be necessity. I used to get really stressed about buying less healthy items, but you work with what you have, and you should give yourself credit for what you can do in terms of your health and sustainability.

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