By Courtney McMahan, RD

Grocery prices have been steadily rising, and we are all feeling the effects. With record-breaking inflation, is it possible to eat healthily and affordably? Thankfully you can get the right nutrition without breaking the bank. 

Use the same ingredient for multiple meals. 

One of my favorite ways to get the most out of my groceries is planning multiple meals around the same ingredient. For example, if I buy a 5 lb bag of potatoes, I might plan to make stuffed potatoes, air-fryer french fries, and oven roasted potatoes on different nights that week. Using the same ingredient in multiple meals helps ensure that you use your ingredients before they go bad, and it reduces the number of ingredients you need to buy each week. 

Plan, plan, plan

Maybe the most important piece of advice for cutting down on your grocery bill is to make a plan. If you go to the store and just pick items out at random, you greatly increase your chance of impulse buying ingredients that you won’t use. Your plan doesn’t need to be detailed, but write down a few simple meals so that you have an idea of what to grab. 

Choose produce carefully

Pay attention to what produce is in season and on sale. Swap out expensive produce for something cheaper: use onions in place of shallots, use frozen blueberries in your morning smoothie in place of fresh, buy a head of lettuce instead of a salad mix. Canned and frozen produce are cheaper alternatives to fresh produce that are still very nutritious. 

Mix in some meatless proteins

While meat is a great source of protein, these are often the most expensive items on our grocery bill. Try having one meatless night per week where you use a plant-based alternative like lentils, tofu, or tempeh. Alternatively, you can do half meat and half plant-based protein.

Get creative with leftover items

At the end of the week, before you head to the grocery store, take one last look around your fridge, freezer, and pantry. There might be leftover ingredients that you can plan meals around before they go bad. Could you make a stir-fry from the veggies you never got around to using? Maybe there’s a box of pasta you forgot about. You might realize you have frozen broccoli in the freezer when you were planning to buy a fresh head. Making a habit of taking inventory before your shopping trip can save you a lot each week. 

Inflation is squeezing everyone’s wallet, but by following these simple tips, you can save yourself some cash and still feel good about the food you’re putting in your body!