Bring your reusable shopping bags! Keep them handy in the trunk of your vehicle and make a habit of taking them into the store with you each time. Plastic waste is a huge environmental issue and there is no reason to use the store’s plastic grocery bags if you don’t absolutely have to.
An insulated reusable shopping bag or small cooler is great to keep in your vehicle to transport frozen foods home on hot summer days.
Don’t shop for groceries on an empty stomach! When you’re hungry, everything looks delicious and you come home with more groceries than you would if you had eaten before you shopped.
Stick to the perimeter and outside aisles of the store. Processed foods tend to be located near the center of the store.
Frozen vegetables can be a great choice. They are often flash-frozen shortly after being harvested and retain most of their nutrients.
Read labels on everything and check expiration dates.
Generally speaking, the shorter the ingredient list on the box or can, the better.
Don’t buy cans with dents or bulges.
Avoid buying packaging with tears or openings.
Generic-brand goods are often identical to their brand-name counterparts and have a lower price. However, this is not true of all products, so test them and see what you like.
Buy fresh herbs and dried spices in smaller amounts to keep them potent (buy them whole and grind them at home, or get them in bulk as needed).
Buying dried spices in bulk (for instance, spooning the desired amount out of a jar at an organic food market) is usually shockingly less expensive than purchasing prepackaged spice jars at the supermarket.
Local food markets specializing in Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and other international foods are great places to get items such as rice, meat, and spices, and they are often less expensive than American-style supermarkets.