Penny-Wise and Pound-Savvy

I get asked a lot about the cost of eating healthier, and the challenges of losing weight. The cost of food has never been a big issue, and not because I have tonnes of money but rather because I am savvy when it comes to buying food. I am a grocery flyer girl and I know my food prices. That being said, the cost of food lately has sky-rocketed and I think we could all learn a trick or two when it comes to saving money. Especially when learning to cook healthier and on a mission to lose some weight.

Take red meat for example, it's pricey! - I started incorporating a couple of meatless meals each week when I first joined WeightWatchers. These meals were lower in WW points and I felt better consuming less red meat that soon I realized I wasn't eating it at all.

I am not recommending this lifestyle choice to everyone... it just happened for me... I eat chicken, turkey, fish that I can digest much easier. Chicken, turkey and fish can all be expensive too but as I mentioned before I am a flyer gal..and that means that I am an opportunistic shopper. I have a chest freezer so when foods I like go on sale, I stock up, and save. I bring the items home and portion them out and label them with dates before freezing so that I have them ready to grab and thaw. As a side note, when buying chicken breasts, I prefer buying the ones with the bone in as they are cheaper and they give a better flavour when cooked. Then I can also re-cook the bones in a pot of water with some seasoning to make broth for soup. Winner winner, chicken soup dinner!

I also choose seasonal fruits & vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables that are in season ensures better tasting food at reasonable prices and therefore better bang for your buck. Eat more citrus in the winter months when they are in season (albeit from other countries) but they taste divine and there is so much to choose from, oranges, grapefruit, pomelo, mandarins, tangerines, blood oranges etc. Frozen fruit goes on sale regularly and is great for smoothies, oatmeal bowls, and low-cal crumbles. Also don't forget to check out the reduced racks in the produce department when shopping as you can pick up some fantastic deals at 1/2 or 1/3 of the price. I have come home with bags of fresh fruits and vegetables for $30 - regular price $80 so it is worth checking around. Get to know the produce Manager on a first name basis, it helps!

All this can be time consuming, I won't lie. Sometimes in order to cash in on a bargain you may need to buy more than you need but you can freeze or preserve it. Some of you may not be inclined to do that and I get it, so find a friend or family member to share in on the score! Get them to check out different stores for other types of bargains and then meet-up and swap. Just get eating the healthiest way possible. For the folks south of our Canadian borders, I envy you and your 'couponing'! I can only imagine how much you are able to reduce your grocery bills by using coupons down there. We do not have that same luxury up here, at least not to the same degree. But there are still ways to cut a few corners and there are some amazing Apps that can help. For instance FLIPP, an app for flyers is great. Also if you are a Costco member you can benefit from buying in bulk. You know what you enjoy, so make a list of go-to items and watch for them to go on sale. Then you can pounce like a kitten and snag a deal.

Here are some of my Costco favs:

Firm Tofu - 4 large tubs to the pack

Kirkland Canned Chicken Breast - 6 large cans

Kirkland Organic Salt Free Seasoning

Kirkland Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt - 3 tubs

Organic Arugula Lettuce Tubs (cold fridge area)

Celery Hearts (cold fridge area)

One Degree Organic Sprouted Oats 5lb bag

Floating Leaf Wild Rice Blend 2 x 3lb bags (when on sale only)

I'd love to know what your favourite food items are. Please let me know in the comments. Share your money saving tips - we can all benefit from grocery savings or your methods in the kitchen that can help us reduce costs (and also cut back on calories). I believe that if you have difficulties with losing weight, share it with others, and if you are able to find a solution then share that too. And in the meantime, if you can save a few pennies in the process, heh, why not?