It’s been almost one year since I did my grocery shopping guide post, it was screaming for an update. Not a lot of things have changed, I’m still the same household lady making endless shopping lists and counting every cent before I reach the till..
Going to the market is still one of my favourite things to do, I’m probably that weird friend that prefers to spend hours looking at food than clothes. Fact: every time I tell my mum what I bought she calls me the perfect housemaid –yep, that’s me. A little from here and there, here’s the revamp edition for a perfect grocery trolley:
Check those offers. Every time I pass by my local market I check the fruit and veggies. This is usually where the prices go up and down the most and most frequently, so it’s always good to know. Actually, last week I went crazy and bought almost 1,5kg of courgettes for 1 euro/kg –such a bargain!
Go for tinned food. I used to think tinned food was gross, and know I wouldn’t be able to live without it, literally. I buy lentils, chickpeas, peas.. everything tined. It’s really good, it saves me a lot of time and it’s cheaper than fresh products. Of course I prefer fresh vegetables, but I can’t deny these come very handy.
The under 1 euro rule. I know you must be thinking that I am very tight with my money but actually this rule saves me a lot of money. I only break that rule for fruit and veggies because this girl loves her greens.
Avoid meat and dairy. I’ve spoken about my usual diet before, and the thing is I haven’t bought any meat in Malta since I bought some chicken thighs in November and they were so gross I couldn’t finish them. I even have some of them on the freezer yet. As for dairy, I thought I would go dairy free because I have a very sensitive tummy and I have to be very careful with what I eat. So far, so good. I’ve replaced the meat and dairy for other products like vegetables and legumes, and as for the dairy, I haven’t missed it very much as I have never been very keen on it.
Escape the junk aisle. Really, avoid it at all costs. Actually, this is very simple if you follow my 3rd and 4th advice. If I’m fancying something sweet, I rather go to a local organic shop where I can find heathier stuff that at least I know won’t mess up with my body. Also, you might as well want to make your way to the fruit aisle again to load up on some quality sugar.
This came out longer than expected, but when it comes to food shopping, I ain’t got no stopping..
What are your shopping tips?
c a r l o t a r u l e s 