By Taylor Sutton, MS, RD
United Supermarkets’ Lifestyle Desk
I think we can all agree that when we go into the grocery store these days, value is on our minds. No matter whether it is our physical dollars or our mental dollars, we want to make the most of them. Before we dive in, let’s clarify — what is a “mental dollar?” Well, in this case, a mental dollar is the cost of your time. We have to judge whether these tasks are worth our mental dollars or if the task can be outsourced or delegated.
With that in mind, here are some things we like to think about to make the most of our budgets.
Watch the weekly ads! This is the oldest “trick in the book!” It shouldn’t come as a surprise to most people, but the ads house some great information on how to help plan your weekly meals and snacks.
For example, if pork is on sale try making pork for three of your meals like bbq pork tacos, pot roast, and pork enchiladas. Not only is this a great money saver but you can increase the versatility of your diet quality by incorporating new things weekly to provide different nutrients based strictly on price. If you couple this with other promotions like, 4x points, you’re really upping your game.
When you are shopping in-store or online, compare different brands and even store brands of similar products to see their price per ounce. While a product might have a lower price, it doesn’t always indicate you’re getting more bang for your buck. Check the price tag and go from there. The only caveat to this is that if you only need, for example, a small amount of a product and you know you’re never going to use it again then purchase the smaller item. This decreases food waste which in turn would have increased the amount you spent on the product since some of it was thrown away.
Remember the mention to the “mental dollar” we talked about? Our time is so precious and you get to determine where you spend it. For example, would you like to cook a whole chicken from scratch or do you need a shortcut? Here are three of the same product in different forms and price points: frozen chicken, whole chicken, rotisserie chicken, canned chicken and already pulled chicken. They will each be priced differently but with the more “convenient items” comes more time back in your bank. The grocery store is filled with opportunities to save both time and money and you get to decide where that fits within your lifestyle.
Apple Oatmeal Mug Cake
What You Need
- 1/4 c. Red Apple of your choice
- 1 tsp. Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/3 c. Ultrafiltered Milk
- 1/4 c. Oats
- 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Apple Pie Spice
- 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
How It’s Made
1. Grate apple.
2. In a small bowl stir all ingredients together and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds or until set.
