Urban Eden

Congratulations, you are officially on your own. You have you own place and the cupboards are bare. You don’t get paid for two weeks and not sure what or how much food to buy. How can you get the most food out of the money you have. 

First point to understand is the layout of a grocery store. The outside perimeter of the a grocery store has all the essential items without the fluff. In layman’s terms it means that all the essentials are in the outer area of the store and the middle aisles have the nonessential like canned/packaged food, along with your favoite junk food .  The outer perimeter will have meat, diary, bread, vegetables and fruit. On your first shopping trip you may need to go down the inner aisles, but normally avoid these aisles to keep on budget. This will avoid temptation  to buy items you do not really need and cannot afford. Another important consideration is to eat before going shopping to prevent being hungry and filling your cart with all your favorite comfort foods.

Ask around to find out which grocery store in the area has a large bulk bin section. This is the best way to get the most bang for you buck.  Normally, the best deals at the grocery store is buying the largest size to get the lowest cost per weight. The way to get around this is bulk bins. In this area the price per weight is the same whether you get one ounce or one pound. Yeah, it is not in a pretty package but the point is getting the most for the least amount of money.  You will be surprised just how much is available in this section.  Since you only have to get what you will use until the next payday, there will be no worry of spoilage and will save room.

Now it is important to think about how much time and where you will be eating each meal of the day. Will you be eating your breakfast as you are running out the door to work? Do you need to have a lunch made before you leave each day for work? By the time you get home at night will you be too tired too cook? These are all important considerations to help you get only what you need and have time to prepare.

Come back soon to get your grocery list ready before you head to the store.