Fitness Unlimited September 08, 2010
Budget eating

Friday, September 12, 2008
Trader Joe's makes cents
Thoughts for the Week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited
Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
So I stopped by Trader Joe's yesterday to pick up a few items for the house, knowing they'll have just the products I need to add some variety to our pantry.  I found those items (e.g. jarred bruschetta sauce, roasted red peppers, portobella mushroom ravioli, mini dark chocolate bars, etc.) and got a pleasant surprise:  they haven't raised their prices!  I scurried home and compared my grocery receipt from last week at a bigger chain store to this one and found a gaping difference.  Boxes of cereal cost $1.50 less, individual yogurt cups cost $0.10 less each (which adds up to a lot when buying 10 per week), an 8 pack of whole wheat pitas cost $1.29 and their yummy garlic humus was $2.99!  I'm sure food prices need to adapt with fuel prices, but Trader Joe's found a way to keep it real.  Kudos!
Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 11:00 am
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Chopping dollars
Thoughts for the week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
5 tips for (healthy!) shopping  on a budget
  1. Plan menus & make a shopping list.  It's easy to overspend by wandering aimlessly through the grocery store.  Use your weekly circular from the newspaper to check for specials, especially on meats & produce.
  2. Buy store brands.  Private label brands can cost 15-20% less than national brand counterparts.  Many "generic" foods have just as high quality, too.
  3. Compare unit prices.  Use shelf tags to compare the cost per unit, not just the overall price.  This is one tip I've been exploring a lot lately.  The 100 calorie snack packs I've compared cost 200% more than the same food in a larger bag!  Invest in some reusable snack containers and portion them out yourself.  (Less to add to the landfill, too!)  Compare a bag of whole carrots vs baby carrots.  Spend a little time peeling them and save ~50%!
  4. Shop seasonally & locally.  Fresh produce usually costs less when it has less distance to travel.  Check out a farmers market!
  5. Be mindful of your protein choices.  Choose meats, poultry & fish that are on sale.  Use these foods in condiment-sized portions, or about 1/4 of your plate, and fill the rest with whole grains, vegetables & fruit.  Or try even less expensive dried beans and lentils!  At 89¢  per 1 pound bag you could cook up a nice lentil stew.  Just add tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers and some seasonings!  Or perhaps a bean burrito is more your style.  Never cooked with beans before?  Have no fear.  Most cans or bags come with a recipe printed on the label. 
Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 08:01 am
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