Grocery Saving Hacks: How an RD Shops on a $110 Budget

The Grocery Shopper: Lynn Grieger, RDN, Everyday Health Medical Reviewer

Family: Two members: Lynn and her husband (Lynn has two older boys who have moved out of the house.)

Location: Prescott, Arizona

Special Dietary Needs: None

Grocery Shopping Strategy

Spending time in the produce section is a must for Lynn Grieger, RDN. “My philosophy is that I try to buy fresh, healthy, nutrient-dense foods, and cook every meal,” says Grieger. “We follow a ‘flexitarian diet,’ or you could also call it a ‘plant-forward’ diet, where plants are the majority of foods on our plates,” explains Grieger. Cleveland Clinic notes that a flextarian diet is a primarily vegetarian-based diet, though people can be “flexible,” and have small amounts of meat. “Our plates are about 75 to 80 percent full of some type of vegetable, fruit, or grain, and then if there is some poultry, fish, or meat, it takes up 20 to 25 percent of the plate,” she says. Grieger’s husband didn’t always eat as healthy, but since Grieger does the cooking, he has adapted to Grieger’s nutritious grocery shopping style (and participates in the shopping, too). “He has expanded what he’s willing to eat,” says Grieger.

My Average Supermarket Trip

Lynn and her husband grocery shop in person, either at their neighborhood supermarket or at the town’s farmers market — and always go with a list. They usually do one main grocery shopping trip a week, and then go back again if they’re running low on any staples. And on weekends they’ll stop by their local farmers market to get fresh, in-season produce (mostly during the summer months).

These days, supermarket shopping looks a lot different for Grieger. Potential supply chain issues and staffing shortages at Grieger’s local supermarket have made it a challenge for her to find the products she needs to make her everyday meals, whether it’s dried beans or flour. “You’ll go to buy something basic like chicken, and sometimes there’s nothing on the shelf,” says Grieger. While Grieger closely follows a grocery shopping list, the recent lack of availability has pushed her to go off-script at times. “It does force me to be flexible — sometimes I can substitute an ingredient, but other times it’s what I really need, so I’ll shop instead for a completely different meal,” says Grieger. So Grieger’s key strategy? Always be ready to make a healthy ingredient swap or recipe switch on the fly.

Grieger likes to start in the produce section. “I buy two or three different types of fruit for snacking or adding to things like parfaits, and I look at price and what tends to be in season,” she says. Rising prices due to inflation have made comparison shopping that much more important for Grieger’s family. “We’ve definitely felt the inflation — grocery shopping is more expensive now,” she says. While Grieger likes to buy in-season and local produce, that isn’t always easy, either. “In Arizona, it’s too much of a desert to always find good local produce, but we do get good strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries in the summer, and sometimes I can find good peaches or pears.”

When fruit isn’t in season, Grieger will buy canned fruit in its own juice or frozen fruit. “I’ll zap it in the microwave, put it on top of Greek yogurt, and then I’ll sprinkle on some of my own homemade granola,” says Grieger. Pro tip: Grieger explains that store-bought granola typically contains high amounts of sugar. About ¼ cup of store-bought granola, for example, has 11 grams of added sugar, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And the American Heart Association recommends that women have no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. So, every couple of months she’ll make her own granola that includes rolled oats, chopped nuts or seeds, and a bit of maple syrup (her husband is from Vermont!) and puts it in a large storage tub.

As for vegetables, she’ll buy some fresh and some frozen, too. “I can’t get good fresh green beans in Arizona, so I buy frozen,” she explains. Grieger doesn’t eat much bread, but she likes to have some on hand. “When we do buy bread, I buy the 100 percent whole-wheat and I look for sales of the bread, and then I buy multiple loaves and put them in the freezer,” says Grieger.

When shopping in the dairy section, cheese is also a major item on the list — sometimes it’s for a snack, but mostly she uses it as an ingredient in her meals. “I usually have some string cheese, I have shredded cheese in cooking, and I always buy Parmesan for cooking, as well as some type of cheddar,” explains Grieger.

Because of Grieger and her husband’s flexitarian diet, meat isn’t the main focus of the shopping trip, but given inflation, it’s still a big expense. “I would love to buy salmon every week, but often it’s way too expensive,” says Grieger. Instead, she buys plain white fish, and seasons and cooks it herself (or, she’ll buy canned salmon, which is much more cost-effective than filets). “We have fish once a week, as well as chicken, or maybe a quiche, vegetable soup, vegetable pasta, or a Southwestern dish with beans — considering we live in Arizona,” says Grieger. As for red meat? They’ll eat it once a week or every other week, and if that’s the case she looks for ground beef that’s 95 percent lean. For other types of red meat, Grieger looks for cuts with the word “round,” “chuck,” or “loin” in them, such as top round or sirloin tip because these are usually leaner, she says.

Overall, though, it’s the vegetables that take center stage on Grieger’s shopping list. It’s a way of eating that Grieger learned from a very young age. “I grew up in northwest Indiana, and everyone had big gardens. We froze or canned fruit from our garden, so I grew up eating fresh food from home, and I thought that’s what everyone did,” Grieger adds.

What I Buy

At the Grocery Store

Mini Bagels Geiger likes to toast one with peanut butter one hour before she exercises (which she does six days a week).

Flaxseed Meal This is good for mixing into yogurt, fruit, and granola for breakfast, and also for adding to baked goods like muffins.

Fresh Spinach or Cheese Ravioli She mixes these with sautéed veggies like onion, garlic, tomato, or asparagus for dinner one night and has enough left for lunch the next day.

Tapioca Pudding Mix Made with fresh fruit, it’s a healthy dessert parfait.

Chocolate Milk Her husband drinks a glass of chocolate milk after he runs for recovery.

Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt She mixes this with fruit, homemade granola, and flaxseed for breakfast most days.

Berries Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries go into fruit parfaits or make a sweet side with lunch or dinner.

Clementines, Apples, and Bananas These fresh fruits are for snacks. Her husband eats one banana every morning for breakfast.

Canned Salmon This is used to make salmon patties for dinner.

Cherry Tomatoes, Green Pepper, and Cucumber She eats these raw with lunches or mixes into a salad.

Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes She roasts these for a dinner with chicken.

One Dozen Eggs She always keeps eggs on hand to use in recipes and hard-boils some to put into a salad.

Chicken Thighs and Chicken Breast When they’re on sale, she stocks up on these and freezes the extra.

One Gallon Skim Milk They drink milk with every dinner and often with lunch, and also use milk in cooking (such as in the tapioca pudding).

At the Farmers Market

Acorn Squash She’ll bake this for dinner with chicken.

Lettuce This is for salads for dinner or lunches.

Dates Dates are grown in Arizona, and two make a fantastic part of a snack or dessert.

Pea Shoots These are mixed with the lettuce into salads.

Total Cost: $110