HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES ARE JUST THAT, CHOICES YOU MAKE

 

Do you have an unhealthy food list? Discretionary foods also known as empty calories or junk food are those you ponder buying because you know they aren’t the best for your health and budget. The reason they are silent killers is because 9 times out of 10 they are cheaper to buy however it’s not really as inexpensive as you really think. Convenient yes, frugal not so much.

Unhealthy food is not only saturated in the fast-food  and restaurant market but highly advertised at the grocery store. The only way to get around it is to avoid it. You almost need to pretend it doesn’t exist. Many shoppers are opting for click and collect, food delivery and online grocery shopping simply to avoid the temptation of buying foods they don’t need or aren’t necessarily healthy for them.

Keep in mind what is healthy to one person is not to another but for simplicity we’ll stick to junk food and pre-made meals.

What’s your motivation?- Ask yourself that and answer it.

Smart shopping, saves money and they buy only what they need without extra motivations. The only down-fall is you miss out on any of the in-store savings. Perhaps if we didn’t buy those either we’d still be ahead in the grocery budget category too. You probably know this is our silent killer which we’ve been working on for almost 6 years now.

Most grocery shoppers have an excuse each time they come face-to-face with these silent budget killers. It happens to everyone, even us but it takes more than just not putting these foods on your grocery list to eliminate them from your grocery shopping.

Chocolate doesn’t ask silly questions chocolate understands – Britney Spears

Related: Health benefits of dark chocolate

If you’re the type of grocery shopper who has no interest in making changes to your grocery budget and the types of foods you purchase, stop reading this post now. It’s not for you. I’m always on the hunt to learn more about the habits of grocery shoppers who want to make changes to their grocery budget.

 

Managing your time

 

Cooking takes time and effort BUT consider how important using that time to make healthy food would be rather than watching television, surfing the web, random shopping trips for nothing but ending up buying something.

I get it that plenty of people have a limited budget but that doesn’t mean we eat unhealthy food just because we believe it’s all we can afford. There is always a way to create healthy meals without those foods that add extra expenses with no added nutritional value.

For example: Making a pot of soup is not only healthier but inexpensive compared to buying cans of soup. This isn’t a hard-core type of unhealthy food but more of a convenience.

One of my readers on the blog who participates in What’s For Dinner on my Facebook page always amazes me with the foods she eats. She is on a tight budget for one BUT she’s always cooking homemade meals. On occasion she splurges with a trip to the local restaurant or out with her mates otherwise she’s a true home cook.

Another friend of ours is a running fanatic who just turned vegan and can’t say enough good things about her new lifestyle choice citing that grocery costs are lower because she doesn’t buy meat and uses that money to splurge on vegan products. You won’t catch her eating anything sugar-filled or unhealthy either. This is her choice BUT she’s doing it.

Some people can’t fathom the Keto diet that Mrs. CBB has been on for 2 years but it has allowed her to drop and maintain weight after child-birth, her cholesterol is perfect and blood pressure unremarkable. All of her meals are homemade and if she wants a sweet treat we create it as sugar-free and enjoy. One of her favourite treats is Chocolate Avocado Pudding.

 

Junk Food Problems

 

On occasion we buy cookies or pre-made treats for our son as we hope to rid of unhealthy food in our house and replace it with nutritious foods that are satisfying. So far we have no issues feeding him a bowl of steamed broccoli as he thinks it’s the best thing ever. We struggle to get much else into him apart from fruits, pizza, hotdogs, sausage and yogurt. Sometimes he gets toast but not often as we don’t care for bread in our family like we once did.

We’ve learned that if we buy it and it’s in the house we’ll eat it. Don’t buy it and you’ll have to figure out another way to get the tummy good feeling without the guilt. This means you also stay away from ordering out or hoping down to the corner shop to pick something up. Those types of unhealthy food options are obstacles in our lives and although moderation is perfectly find most of us struggle with it.

 

Grocery Shopping Spy

 

I’m a grocery shopper observer solely for the purposes of this blog because it helps me to understand a bit more about the shopping habits of shoppers while in the grocery store.

Some of the things I watch for include:

• Does the shopper have a grocery list
• Does the shopper carry a mobile phone/use one
• Does the shopper read product labels
• Does the shopper get easily influenced by free food/samples
• Does the shopper get influenced by other shoppers
• Does the shopper inspect the produce they purchase
• Does the shopper have any potential distractions
• What types of food the shopper purchases

I could keep this going but for the sake of keeping you awake just know that I’m no longer just a grocery shopper I’m an undercover grocery shopping explorer. Since starting Canadian Budget Binder the grocery budget has been by far the biggest topic that Canadians and those from overseas come to CBB for.

I often wondered why so many people were worried about the cost of groceries in Canada and with over 5 years of exploration I’ve come to the conclusion that we just can’t say no to junk food. It doesn’t matter whether your grocery list has junk food on it or not there’s some driving force that pushes us to buy something naughty that either increases our grocery budget or takes away from nutritious foods that should be purchased.

For example: Someone says they can’t afford to eat healthy fruits and vegetables because they are too expensive BUT a quick look at their grocery shopping and it’s clear in part why this is happening. Junk Food is empty calories, high carbs, high in sodium.. tastes great but generally crap for our health and well-being.

The reason we buy unhealthy food is because it’s a good-feeling food, inexpensive and in most cases pre-cooked. No one jumps for joy because they get to eat a plate of broccoli while watching a movie . No, they want popcorn and whether it’s smothered in salty butter or seasonings it’s still junk food. It’s not the butter either, it’s the sodium and carbs that keep consumers coming back for more. Even our son likes plain popcorn now and then but would rather drink a large bucket (no joke) of water instead.

Replacing movie snacks with fresh-cut vegetables, variety of nuts along with a small bowl of popcorn is far better than just popcorn. There’s nothing wrong with splurging to buy junk food once in a while or even once a week. What matters is how often you are eating it and how many types of junk food you are putting into your body on a daily basis. If we compliment our snack-time with more healthy food and a small portion of junk food you will find more money is available for healthier foods on your grocery list.

Consider the last paragraph comparable to those who opt for a smaller plate rather than a larger one because they know they will eat less on the smaller one. It’s all about perspective when eating foods in moderation. Moderation though has become daily moderation and if you truly want to kick the habit of eating too much junk food you’ll either get rid of it or limit it to once a week as a splurge.

There is no reason we need to eat junk food but the next time you are grocery shopping have a look in grocery carts going up and down the aisles. Pretend you’re looking at something else while you’re being a cart snoop just to see what types of junk foods Canadians are loading up on.

Going to Costco is one of the worst places for consumers to stock up on junk food. Over the past year we’ve enjoyed a Costco membership but from our experiences junk food comes in mass quantity which ends up in your kitchen pantry if you buy it. Some consumers buy so much junk food in bulk they run out of room in their grocery cart. From monster bags of chips to cases of pop we are consuming junk food on an alarming level and when you pair that with convenience type foods that’s a grocery budget disaster waiting to happen.

 

Healthy food vs. Unhealthy Food

 

What is considered healthy food and junk food?

I’ve heard it all before and to be honest, it’s not my problem, it’s yours. No one will ever push you to spend your money so you shouldn’t take offense when others choose to eat differently. I don’t. I just blog about ways you can make changes that might help. You know your game, play it wisely.

• We’re all going to die anyways
• Prove that unhealthy food is no good
• There’s more chemicals in other types of foods we eat
• Who cares I’ll eat what I want
• I can’t afford to eat healthy food
• Unhealthy food tastes so good though
• It’s cheaper to buy and that’s all I can afford

You might be asking yourself what unhealthy food is and I wish I could tell you exactly but I can’t. I consider whole food to be natural and easy to understand. Our bodies and health rely on us to make informed decisions. If I were constructing a list of unhealthy food that I wouldn’t want to eat purely based on processing and ingredients I’d have a pretty big list. I’m one of those guys who tries to stay away from unhealthy food because it tastes so good or it’s convenient. I’m not angel but the importance of this blog post is mindfulness.

Stop and consider what you are putting into your shopping cart and body before you spend the money. I’m betting you could cut a few products from your grocery list to free up money to splurge on something else such as those peaches you’ve been eyeing for the past two grocery shops.

I’m certainly not here to argue with anyone about unhealthy food because we all know what junk food looks and tastes like. It is your choice whether you eat it often or limit yourself as a reward once or twice a week in small portions. Perhaps a simple reminder once in a while is all we need to keep our grocery budget and healthy motivations on track because we all know how easy it is to fall off the food train.

Your budget Your choice so don’t assume you can’t do it, give it a shot and make positive changes for a healthier you.

Discussion: Question: What types of unhealthy foods do you enjoy that you could do without or replace with something else?

 

November Grocery Game Challenge

 

Join in the 2017 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) fun and post your grocery shop in the comment section of each GGC blog post. Here are The Grocery Game Challenge rules to get you started and where you’ll also find a link for the 2017 GGC schedule. Please feel free to download, save and even print the schedule.

Post your shop and you can be next.

New monthly prize: See the Grocery Game Rules

• 20 Baking Essentials To Power Up Your Kitchen

 

 

2017 Grocery Shop Results

 

Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2017: $3180 or $265/month (The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings)

• Total Grocery Budget for this Month: $265
  
• Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $265
  
• Total Gift Cards used to date: $0
• Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
• Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
• PC Points Plus Earned to date: 750,000
  
• Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0
• Shoppers Optimum: 995,000 points
  

Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)

• Zweet to cash out : $18.25… no idea where the money went but it seems we have $0.
  
• Checkout51 to cash out : $24.50 we cashed out so we’re back at O.
  

 

Our Grocery Shop This Week

 

Costco

• Double Pack Extra Large eggs $4.99
• Milk 2% $4.27
• 6 x 10% Cream $2.05
• Bananas $1.49
• Almond flour $17.99

Total Out-of-Pocket $30.79

Zehrs

• Organic purple cauliflower $4.99-50% ($2.50)
• Organic Portobello Mushrooms 50% off $6.21 ($3.11)
• Organic Mixed Greens 50% off $6.99 ($3.50)
• Celery $1.99
• Orange and Yellow Peppers 50% $5.85 ($2.93)
• 4 x Philadelphia Cream Cheese $2.99 ($11.96)
• Fennel $2.99
• 4 lbs bacon $10
• Strawberries $3.99
• Organic green beans $3.99-50% ($2.00)

Total Out-of-Pocket $44.97

Note: All totals below already have tax factored into them.

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