{"id":893,"date":"2022-07-18T12:52:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T12:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=893"},"modified":"2022-07-18T12:54:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T12:54:52","slug":"how-to-combat-rising-food-costs-before-during-and-after-the-grocery-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=893","title":{"rendered":"How to Combat Rising Food Costs Before, During, and After the Grocery Store"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"893\" class=\"elementor elementor-893\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2c3b2b4b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2c3b2b4b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-39ffd014\" data-id=\"39ffd014\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa014f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-title elementor-page-title elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"aa014f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Combat Rising Food Costs Before, During, and After the Grocery Store<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-317e28e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"317e28e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-894\" alt=\"picture of grocery store receipt among other objects\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?w=1640&amp;ssl=1 1640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=1024%2C577&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=768%2C433&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=1536%2C865&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Untitled-design-2.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76adc169 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"76adc169\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Grocery shopping.\u00a0 Gotta admit, I don\u2019t do it often.\u00a0 My partner is nice enough to hit the store most weeks, so when news reports kept saying food prices are going up, I generally ignored them.\u00a0 But, it\u2019s getting harder to ignore&#8230; \u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Per the USDA: \u201cIn 2022, food-at-home [grocery store] prices are predicted to increase between 8.5 and 9.5 percent, and food-away-from-home [restaurant] prices are predicted to increase between 6.0 and 7.0 percent\u201d. That\u2019s a lot.\u00a0 That\u2019s almost another $1 for every $10 you spend.\u00a0 Compare that to prices in 2020, \u201cfood-at-home prices increased 3.5 percent and food-away-from-home prices 3.4 percent\u201d and \u201cfood-at-home prices increased 3.5 percent and food-away-from-home prices increased 4.5 percent\u201d in 2021.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, some individual foods are up even more than the average, a lot more.\u00a0 The USDA is estimating a 13% increase in poultry and 20% increase in eggs.\u00a0 Egg!\u00a0 Which used to be my go-to cheap protein source.\u00a0 Maybe not anymore\u2026<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, time to trim the fat (get it?\u00a0 Ha!).\u00a0 Predictions are the prices might level off in about 6-9 months, but who knows.\u00a0 In the meantime, time to start saving some money.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Before You Hit the Store<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Make a list<\/em>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know, I know, you\u2019ve heard this one.\u00a0 But it\u2019s TRUE!\u00a0 Going to the grocery store, list in hand, helps keep you from spending a lot on foods you don\u2019t need.\u00a0 Plus, it saves you from forgetting something and having to make another trip (and we all know we don\u2019t want to waste gas!)<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Take a peek at the weekly ad for your favorite store, and try to build some meals around foods that are on sale.<\/li>\n<li>Map out your weekly dinners (and even lunches and breakfast). This can save you from take out, fast food, or just time running to the store again. \u00a0<\/li>\n<li><em>Reverse shop<\/em>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check your fridge and pantry before you hit the store.\u00a0 Don\u2019t buy apples when you already have them; they\u2019ll likely go bad before you use them all up.\u00a0 Have some broccoli in your fridge on its last leg? Plan a dinner in the near future to use it up.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>At the Grocery Store<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>You\u2019ve heard \u201cDon\u2019t go hungry\u201d but have you heard \u201cGo Alone\u201d.<\/em> \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both your appetite and people can cause you to add more to your cart than originally planned.\u00a0 Everything looks good when you\u2019re hungry, if it\u2019s on the list or not.\u00a0 And going with kids, a friend, or a spouse means it\u2019s just more eyes spying things you want, but don\u2019t need.\u00a0 You can only say no so many times\u2026<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Shop in season, if it\u2019s out of season, stock up on canned or frozen fruits and vegetables<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s summer now, so lots of tomatoes, corn, and lettuce are in stores, and when things are plentiful, they tend to be less expensive.\u00a0 If things are out of season (think winter squash, brussel sprouts, or kale) canned and frozen fruits and veggies are just as healthy (possibly even healthier since they\u2019re picked and processed at the peak of freshness). I love stocking up on peppers and onions, broccoli, and frozen berries.\u00a0 Canned potatoes, beans, and tomatoes are always in my pantry.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Time to think about meat alternatives<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The foods with the highest price increases this year are most of our animal products- beef, pork, poultry.\u00a0 No need to give them up, but adding foods like beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, lentils, etc, to your diet can keep your protein intake up and your spending down.\u00a0 Use them in place of, or in addition to, meat or poultry so you don\u2019t need to buy as much.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Be flexible so you can buy what\u2019s on sale<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of me writing salmon on my list for Wednesday nights dinner, I just write fish.\u00a0 If it\u2019s taco Tuesday, see what is least expensive while you\u2019re in store: ground beef vs ground turkey vs shrimp (hint: you can find frozen shrimp on sale, which is great since you can use exactly how much you want and reseal the bag!).\u00a0 If you like vanilla yogurt, get the brand that\u2019s cheapest.\u00a0 Pick whatever cereal is cheapest if you like a few different ones.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get hung up on a specific item (asparagus) when you can just say \u201cveggie\u201d and get whatever is the best buy.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Buy in bulk<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a great idea for things like oats, rice, pasta, cereal since they are things that won\u2019t go bad too quickly and it\u2019s typically cheaper to buy a large bag than a few small ones (but see below- unit pricing, because it\u2019s not alway the case).\u00a0 You can also sign up for a warehouse membership (like Sam\u2019s Club, BJ\u2019s, or Costco) to help you get a lot of items in bulk, but it does cost money upfront.\u00a0 Plus, for smaller family units, the food might go bad before you can use it all, though one solution is buddying up and splitting the big pack of strawberries, or the 2 gallons of milk.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Buy plain<\/em>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more a food is processed, the more it\u2019s going to cost.\u00a0 Plain brown rice costs less than minute brown rice, which costs less than fancy flavored rice. Side note:\u00a0 This is healthier as well, since you\u2019ll be able to control what goes into the food like sodium.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Buy store brands.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically the store brand is the exact same thing as the name brand, just without all the colorful marketing (think cereal with mascots).\u00a0 You might not be able to give up all your name brands, but even switching over a few can add up!<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Do the leg work yourself.<\/em> \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Already cut up fruit is much easier, as are the 6 ounce yogurts, but that convenience tends to cost you.\u00a0 Try and make your own snack bags of chips when you get home in reusable snack bags.\u00a0 Not only will you save money, but you\u2019ll cut down on trash and help the planet!\u00a0 Win win.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>After the Grocery Store<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Follow through with your meal planning<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It won\u2019t save you any money if you buy ingredients to make dinner; then, they go bad while you order take out, or meet friends at a restaurant.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t do take out or meet friends, just incorporate those meals into your meal planning so you don\u2019t over buy.\u00a0 (Bonus tip from a friend: If you do miss a meal you were planning, make it anyway and freeze it!)<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Last in first out<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means, when you\u2019re putting food away, the new food goes in the back of the pantry or fridge, and the older food moves to the front.\u00a0 This keeps food from expiring in the back of your cabinet unknown to you.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Have a \u201cUSE ME\u201d bin in the fridge<\/em>. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similar to the last in, first out idea, designate a spot in your fridge for items that need to be eaten in the next 1-2 days.\u00a0 I do this with leftovers (we\u2019re notorious for packing up the leftovers, only for them to get lost in the back of the fridge to be thrown out 4 days later), fruits, vegetables, anything about to expire.\u00a0 It makes it so simple to find a snack or a vegetable for dinner if you look there first and you throw out less (or\u2026maybe nothing!\u00a0 That\u2019s my goal)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How about some other tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ever Hear of the Unit Price?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of pulling out your phone to calculate which food is cheaper, the information is right there for you!\u00a0 The unit price is the best way to compare two different sized items.\u00a0 The retail price is the cost of the item; the unit price tells you the cost per ounce, pound, gram, etc.\u00a0 It makes it very simple to know you\u2019re getting the cheaper item (be aware, the larger size is not always cheaper, especially when something is on sale)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Have you tried ordering grocery delivery, or pickup?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hear me out.\u00a0 I stick with my list, hit the register, only to be shocked (seriously, every time) by how much my total is.\u00a0 In comes shopping online.\u00a0 I am fortunate enough to have a grocery store that offers delivery or pick up.\u00a0 The nice feature is that you can sometimes get a delivery discount for \u201codd\u201d delivery times- like a Wednesday or Thursday night.\u00a0 Or a discount for a larger delivery window.\u00a0 Suddenly my delivery fee is $3 instead of $8 and you know I would have bought more than $3 worth of impulse buys.\u00a0 Both options allow me to watch the total of the order accumulate as I go.\u00a0 Sometimes I take out a few items I can get next week to keep it in check.\u00a0 I shop the deals\/sales\/coupons and make sure they come up before I check out.\u00a0 I know exactly how much I\u2019m spending.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Rewards<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are lots of ways to get money back after shopping. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some apps give you cash back for uploading your receipts (Ibotta or Fetch for example). \u00a0<\/li>\n<li>If you shop frequently at a store, sign up for their rewards program.\u00a0 Some give you gas, cash back, more coupons\u2026. It all helps.<\/li>\n<li>Check your credit card.\u00a0 You could try a rewards credit card like Whole Foods or Amazon.\u00a0 Other credit cards let you select what category you want to earn rewards for, so pick groceries instead of restaurants (if that works to your advantage).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hope this helps, even a little bit.\u00a0 These tips can not only help cut a few dollars off your bill, but are healthy and help reduce food waste, triple score!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did I miss anything?\u00a0 Comment below so we can share everyone\u2019s smart tips!<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stay Happy, Stay Healthy<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-643\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=133%2C102&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?w=1650&amp;ssl=1 1650w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=300%2C231&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=1024%2C789&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=768%2C592&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=1536%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 133px) 100vw, 133px\" \/><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.\u00a0 For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0 Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (<a href=\"http:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/\">simplestartnutrition.com<\/a>) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.\u00a0 We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">References<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/food-price-outlook\/summary-findings\/\">https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/food-price-outlook\/summary-findings\/<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6cd2ce6 elementor-post-navigation-borders-yes elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-navigation\" data-id=\"6cd2ce6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-navigation.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation__prev 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class=\"post-navigation__next--title\">5 Ways to Optimize Time Spent with Your Dietitian<\/span><\/span><span class=\"post-navigation__arrow-wrapper post-navigation__arrow-next\"><i class=\"fa fa-angle-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Next<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grocery shopping.\u00a0 Gotta admit, I don\u2019t do it often.\u00a0 My partner is nice enough to hit the store most weeks, so when news reports 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