EAT BEFORE BUYING GROCERIES
One of the best ways to stick to your budget (and your diet) is to make sure you eat a good meal or at least a hearty snack before you step foot inside your local grocery store.
When your hungry, it’s easy to make bad decisions because your body is craving something and your eyes think every thing you see could be the solution, especially if it contains lots of sugar. It’s hard enough to plan your meals, make your lists, and stick to your food budget, so why make it more difficult by buying lots of things you really don’t need just because you’re hungry?
Schedule your grocery shopping just after lunch or breakfast if possible.Stopping off at the grocery store on the way home from work just before dinner time is a recipe for disaster. If you find yourself remembering you need something while you’re out but haven’t eaten in a while, try to avoid shopping at that moment. Go home, eat a protein bar, then go back.
Most people agree it’s best to shop from a predetermined list based on what you need for the week (minus what you know you already have at home) and to really stick to it. Paper, digital, stone tablet, whatever your method, a simple list will help you navigate the aisles of shiny and colorful, but often less nutritious, products demanding your attention and calling out your name, begging for a place in your shopping cart.
You can also try planning out your weekly meals to include many of the same ingredients used in different ways each day, so you’re using up more of what you buy and buying fewer items overall.
Try this experiment. Make a list of a few things you need. On one day, skip breakfast and right around lunchtime or when you’re really hungry, head to the store and try to buy only the things on that list. The next day, do the same thing but enjoy your breakfast and eat lunch before attempting to buy the same items (or a similar list of items). Compare your receipts from the two days. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hungry day included some chips or candy bars while the not-hungry day receipt was pretty close to your predetermined list.
It’s a small trick with a big result. Just remember to eat before you buy groceries, and you’ll save as many calories as you will dollars.
