Saving money At The Supermarket

Love bargains and saving money? Me too! Find out how to do this AND achieve your weight goals on How to Gain Healthy Weight on a Budget.

Food shopping is a major expense for most people so let’s see what we can do to save some money.

Now, eating well on a budget is a pretty big topic, so we’ll be coming back to saving money in different ways, just because there are lots of ways not to break the bank when eating big.

Today’s post focuses on gaining healthy weight on a budget when shopping at the supermarket.

It’s not hard to eat good quality food for weight gain even on a budget. With some planning and imagination, you’ve got this.

                                     Guide to Affordable Supermarket Shopping

1. Check what you already have at home

So it actually all starts right at home.   

Before you head over to the supermarket, check what food you’ve already got and can use at home. 

Have you got some kitchen staples that you can use like oats, wholemeal pasta, beans, rice, frozen vegetables etc?

Next, go through the supermarket specials on catalogues (online, in the local paper or delivered to your mailbox) to see what’s discounted, and get ideas of what to cook with these specials.

1. Make a meal plan and shopping list

How to gain healthy weight on a budget means planning.

Once you know what you’ve got at home and what you need to get, the next thing is make a meal plan for the week ahead.

Don’t forget to include food for snacks.

Because I like to drink my calories in between meals, this means fruit, yogurt and milk are must-haves in my meal plan.

Of course, batch cooking meals to eat over several days will also save you time and money.

To clarify, it doesn’t mean you have to eat the same rice meal for the next 5 days (unless you want to).

So first, write your meal plan down- whether on a post it, fancy shopping list notepaper, or on your phone. Wherever. Just make sure you have a list.

Second, on the same piece of paper/ post, make another list. This is your shopping list and what you’ll go armed into the supermarket with to save $$.

2. Shop at a discount supermarket

In Australia on every Wednesday and Saturday morning, a queue snakes its way outside the local Aldi stores well before 8am.

Part of the reason is for its advertised Special Buys on those days (homewares, clothing etc.). But it is also due to its everyday cheaper food prices.

Discount grocery stores have lower prices on lots (not all) of food compared to the more established and better known grocery shops, and can save you quite a bit of cash.

On the whole, I like Aldi for the lower prices, but also because the organic food range there is much more affordable than the regular supermarkets.

Be warned though if you’re going to Aldi, to avoid the centre aisles which are filled with tempting nice-to-have-but-don’t need items.

And of course stick to the lists you’ve made.

3. Buy seasonal

How to gain healthy weight on a budget also means buying food in season. This is great for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is easily available, abundant, with lots of variety, which means it is cheaper.

It will also be fresher and taste a lot better. Also you’re supporting local farmers and the community.

And remember, lots of supermarkets have online and in-store pamphlets with budget recipe ideas for foods in season.

While there may be something exotic about eating Californian cherries during the Aussie winter, it’s going to cost you. 

And all those food miles are also not great for the environment. (You know that fruit will have come from a long way off and have who-knows-what preservatives in it to keep it looking pretty.)

4. Swap and sub

So here I’m talking about two things: substituting name brand for supermarket brand items.          

Also, swapping more expensive ingredients for cheaper ones e.g. protein.

Generally for staple foods or single food  common items like baked beans, dry pasta, tinned vegetables like corn, chickpeas, beetroot etc, one brand tastes much like the other.

The supermarket brand is usually cheaper with a similar quality to a name brand.

In short, save your money and pick the supermarket brand.

I doubt you’ll notice the difference most of the time and it will help you achieve the goal of gaining healthy weight on a budget.

Also when it comes to making food swaps, you can save money by making simple swaps as well. For example:

• Choose frozen vegetables over fresh vegetables that aren’t in season.
• Pick cheaper cuts of meat/poultry e.g. chicken legs are tasty, filling and cheaper than chicken breast.
• Swap a recipe ingredient like lamb mince with canned tuna for a pasta bake.

5. Bulk Buy

This is a great way to save money BUT it needs to make sense.

We’re not talking hoarding (think Australia and toilet paper at the start of covid) or stashing food in an underground bunker as “just in case” doomsday prepping.

There isn’t any point bulk buying something because it is on special if you won’t eat it all before it expires.

Another thing to keep in mind is having the storage space to store the bulk items at home.

Only bulk buy long lasting and food items that you need and know that you will USE, and try get them on special as much as possible.

Here is where those supermarket weekly or monthly specials guides come in handy.

This is also a good way to start stocking up on some healthy staple foods on standby for weight gain.

6. Buy milk

Milk is a great source of protein, calories as well as a number of nutrients. As such, it is excellent for building muscle.

Milk is also easy on the wallet (I’m referring to full cream cow’s milk.) Other types of milk such as plant milks can be quite pricey.

A large cup of milk contains about 150 calories.

You can have it as a hot beverage (like hot chocolate), cold beverage (milkshake), add to healthy desserts, eggs, cereals, porridge, soups, and my favourite, smoothies.

While it is refreshing drunk on its own, the magic happens with what you can add to it.

A spoonful of peanut butter, honey, yogurt, banana and suddenly you have a healthy drink with over 500 calories.

Milk is a simple but effective strategy in how to gain healthy weight on a budget.

I’ve also personally found that drinking your calories is much easier that eating them for healthy weight gain. What I will stress though, is to add it to your daily food plan, not replace a meal with the liquid calories.

This is one food item that you’re going to want to have in your shopping list every week to help with gaining healthy weight on a budget.

7. The frozen section

Now I just want to be clear that I’m not talking about buying frozen microwave meals and foods like pizzas, ice creams, waffles and so on. That stuff won’t do your body any favours.

To clarify, frozen fruit, vegetables, unprocessed seafood, meats and poultry is what we’re looking for. These tend to be much cheaper than their fresh equivalent especially when out of season.

The benefit of raw or unprocessed frozen foods is they are easy to prepare, affordable and are packed with nutrients.

Frozen fruits and vegetables for example, are picked at their peak and frozen when they are most nutrient dense.

In fact, this study  is one of several that found there wasn’t much difference in nutritional value between fresh and frozen foods.

Some studies suggest frozen foods have better nutritional value to some fresh food, as the latter has a shorter shelf life, can quickly spoil and lose nutrients as it goes off.

So, can you find frozen foods that will help with healthy weight gain? Of course you can. 

Some examples include fish, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), meat (beef, lamb, venison, goat, veal etc.) maize (corn), cassava, sweet potato, yams, taro, tofu, mango etc.

Pass by the fresh fruit and vegetable section on your way to the frozen food section to check and compare the prices. Some frozen food may be more expensive e.g. fresh mangos in season will likely be cheaper than frozen mango pieces. 

8. Buy versatile foods

Don’t forget to include food ingredients that are affordable and versatile. Non-perishable foods are especially good value as you don’t have to worry about food spoilage within a short time.

In other words, the coconut flour is out. It’s not a priority! It’s expensive and has limited use.

Coconut milk on the other hand (canned, boxed or powdered) is a great buy. This is something I get all the time because it is cheap, multipurpose and packs good calories.

For instance, I use coconut milk in curries, breakfast cereals, smoothies, desserts etc, all within the same weekly meal plan which means I use it all up with no waste.

Another good buy at the supermarket that I personally love is a full roast/rotisserie chicken.

It’s cheap, already cooked and finger licking ready to tear up.

This is also a great source of calories and can be used in so many ways. You’re limited only by your imagination.

How about with mashed potatoes, hot or cold chicken salads, sandwiches, pastas, frittatas or quiches, omelettes, fried rice, quesadillas, soup (using the bones) etc.

Mind you, buying a whole uncooked chicken will also save you money at the supermarket.

A few other cheap and versatile ingredients include eggs, oats, bananas, milk legumes, and canned tuna.

9. Shop once a week and don’t shop when hungry.

How many can relate to dropping into the supermarket “just for some toilet paper” and coming out with 9 other items including chips, ice cream and a 6 pack of some drink?  

That’s what happens when we:

• Randomly go to the supermarket several times a week.
• Shop without a plan and without a list
• And shop when we’re hungry.

It can end up costing you a small fortune.

And this is another simple but practical tip for how to gain healthy weight on a budget.

Let’s be honest. Stopping off the supermarket for “one-off items” and sticking to that requires a will- power most of us just don’t have.

I used to head to the shops after work and the gym to pick up some milk. Worst idea ever!

I was hungry after a workout and would come out of the shop munching on the biggest bag of oversalted chips. 

Or come out with fish ‘n’ chips from the fish and chip shop next door (which wasn’t what we were going to have for dinner until 10 minutes ago).

So stick to shopping once a week and only with your trusty shopping list to keep you on track with your budget.

This year we’re all going through tough times with covid.

But difficult as these times may be depending on where in the world you are and the current covid restrictions in place, the limits on movement (in our case to the supermarket) can actually help you save money.

Finally

To summarise, saving money on food shopping doesn’t mean tasteless food or unhealthy choices. Also, that extra $$ you save can go to other goals in your life.

And remember feel free to start off with one tip, or a few, and ease your way into gaining healthy weight on a budget at the supermarket.

Would you like to know what to eat today to boost your immunity and health? Imagine having lots of energy, looking healthier, with a strong immune system to protect you from sickness. That was my dream several years ago.

But it took some figuring out. Now, I’ve written before about how I was always catching colds, the flu, sore throats over and again. At the same time, being sick also made me lose weight!

And that was annoying. Because you probably know that when you’re feeling unwell you often don’t have an appetite. And so I would focus on drinking fluids like soups, teas, lemon drinks with ginger for recovery, but those just don’t have many calories.

So then I started to look into how to avoid falling sick, boost my immunity and meet my weight gain goals. To find food that nourishes, protects and heals. And guess what?  I found I could do it by turning to the fridge, freezer, fruit bowl and pantry.

Hey, if you’re looking to super-charge your defence system against infections, knowing what to eat today to boost immunity and health is pretty important. Other things like enough exercise and sleep, managing stress, not smoking and keeping a healthy weight are also necessary.

But today, we’re going to focus on food for better immunity and health.

                     How To Eat Your Way To A Stronger Immune System

1. A Balanced diet.

The first thing is the need for a balanced diet including lots of whole foods. Whole foods are minimally processed and as close as possible to their natural state.

 A balanced diet includes whole foods and gives you the nutrients and calories your body needs to function optimally. Check out this post for more info.

In short, a balanced diet contains the following basic food groups.

• Carbohydrates including whole grains and cereals – To provide energy.
• Protein – For muscle growth and repair
• Fruits and vegetables – For vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
• Fats – To provide organ protection and warmth.
• Dairy or alternatives.  For calcium and vitamin D.

2.Focus on fruits and vegetables.

So, while fruits and vegetables are a part of the balanced diet, they really deserve their own spotlight because of their central role in fighting disease and infection.

Why? Because they play an essential part in boosting immunity due to their nutrients which are needed for tissue repair, wound healing, immune function, and may reduce the risk of cancers.

The essential vitamins include A, B (group), C, D, E and K.  Some of the minerals include potassium, sodium, calcium etc.

The reason there are guidelines outlining how much fruit and vegetables we are to eat everyday is because many of these nutrients can’t be produced by the body, and are needed to sustain life.

To clarify, you may have heard of “eating the rainbow”, which basically means eating a range of brightly hued vegetables and fruits for improved health.

It’s pretty amazing when you think about it, how colourful they are. And no, it’s not just to make us to want to rush out and eat them.

Fruits and vegetables, spices, nuts, herbs and legumes fall into 5 colour groups, with each colour having its own phytochemicals / superpowers/ disease fighting properties.

• Red- Contains lycopene, an antioxidant that supports heart health and may protect against cancer. (Strawberries, apples, tomatoes, beetroot, red capsicums etc.)
• Orange/yellow – Contains carotenoids and vitamin C which promote healthy vision and boost the immune system. (Oranges, pumpkin, mangos, bananas, pears, capsicums, carrots etc.)
• Blue/purple- With resveratrol and anthocyanins which may protect cells from damage, against cancer and heart disease(blueberries, eggplants, purple cabbage, plums, prunes, purple grapes etc)
• Green- With chlorophyll, vitamin K for bone and blood health, and cancer fighting properties (Green leafy vegetables, broccoli, kiwis, peas, green grapes etc.)
• White/brown- Consist of phytochemicals like allicin and quercetin which are anti-viral and anti-bacterial. (Garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, white onions etc.)

Mind you, this isn’t anywhere near a complete list.

I personally found this bit was crucial with what to eat today to boost immunity and health.  I went from catching a cold or flu every few weeks to not having one for well over 12 months.

3.Anti-inflammatory Foods

What is inflammation? Inflammation is your body’s natural response to a foreign body such as germs, chemicals, pollen etc. The immune system sends white blood cells to protect the area and this response can lead to pain, swelling and redness among others.

Today, we are exposed to many sources of inflammation. Think cigarette smoke and poor air quality, alcohol and industrial chemicals, toxins in food, water, skin or hair products etc.

While the liver and kidneys filter these toxins in the body, they can get overwhelmed by large amounts. Over time, this can lead to chronic inflammation which can cause tissue damage and disease.

Importantly, eating foods rich in antioxidants can protect us from higher levels of inflammation and cell damage. This discusses how to use food to fight inflammation.

Luckily for us, there are tons of anti-inflammatory foods out there. For example nuts, turmeric, fatty fish (e.g. salmon and tuna), tea, olive oil, ginger, fruits and vegetables, whole grains (beans, lentils etc.).

On the other hand, there are also inflammatory foods which are to be avoided because they contain unhealthy fats and cause blood sugar to spike. For instance processed foods, deep fried foods, sugar, foods with high amounts of trans fats and even red meat.

• Fermented Foods

Science has only recently begun to understand how important the gut is for immunity.

Did you know about 75-80% of the immune system is found in the gut. There are literally trillions of bacteria living there. To keep bacteria healthy, they need to be fed the right foods for good immune function.

Say hello to my little friends….. fermented foods.

Fermented foods are preserved using a natural process where yeast and bacteria  break down food into other particles. And this process also supports the growth of probiotics or good bacteria which gives these foods their distinct taste. As a result they have high amounts of vitamins and minerals which can strengthen an immune system.

There are lots of fermented foods including yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, miso, pickles and some cheeses to name just a few.

So just to clarify, eat small amounts of fermented foods, but do maintain them in your diet regularly for immune function.

• Protein

Lean protein is another vital food because it helps in recovery and healing after sickness. Protein builds up and repairs cells, body tissue as well as antibodies that fight infections. In addition, many protein sources also contain iron and zinc.

Firstly, the body needs zinc for immune function and wound healing.

Secondly, iron is needed for cell function.  Low iron can suppress the immune system and cause anaemia. Similarly, a general lack of protein in the diet can lead to reduced immunity and feeling constant fatigue and weakness. See this for more on iron and immunity

Foods rich in protein include lean meat and poultry (beef, chicken, turkey), fish, milk and other dairy), eggs, beans, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, peanuts and oats among others. See this for a guide to easily keeping some protein rich kitchen staples on hand.

• Water

Importantly, don’t forget to stay hydrated. Yes, something so simple but oh, so important.  After all, our bodies are made up of roughly 60% of water and it is crucial for so many functions.

For example, absorbing nutrients, preventing some health conditions e.g.  constipation and urinary tract infections, improving energy levels, waste removal and regulating temperature.

It is good practice start your day with a glass of water to rehydrate after you wake up. While we’re asleep for 6-9 hours each night, many of our body functions continue as part of the repair process, and use up water.

Additionally, don’t forget to drink lots of water during the day (at least 8 glasses including soups, juices, and other fluids).

Foods that support immunity and weight gain goals:

Finally, here is a short list of tasty foods with the function of supporting immunity and weight gain goals.

• Fatty fish.
• Plain yogurt.
• Nuts.
• Oats.
• Avocado.
• Lean meats and poultry.
• Dark chocolate (I knew you’d like that one).
• Beans and legumes.
• Milk and dairy.
• Sweet potatoes.

To sum up, try these suggestions for what to eat today to boost immunity and health. Give it a go, your body will love you for it.