The Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide
If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I LOVE the grocery store, and I spread my grocery love around. My top 3 stores are Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, in ascending order. But, like most of you, I can't buy 100% of my groceries at any one of these places - well, I could at Whole Foods, but it would be my whole paycheck, as they say.
So, I put together my ultimate grocery shopping guide that covers the items I tend to buy at all 3 stores. They are in JPEG version so that you can download them and save each one as an image directly to your phone! I'll give you a couple of guidelines, as well, in order to explain the thought behind these lists:
- I'm fully aware that you can get some of these items at all 3 stores. In fact, I really would buy everything from Whole Foods if it was financially smart! Instead, I sorted the items to put on each list based on lowest price and best quality aka organic. In some cities, your Trader Joe's and/or Sprouts will have more options than mine may in Colorado Springs. I can't always find a wealth of organic veggies and fruits at TJ's, so I listed the ones that I typically find. Sprouts has an organic section, but sometimes, certain items are very picked over or lesser quality, so I upgrade to Whole Foods. Thus, the sorting you see on the lists.
- As far as snacks and dry goods go, the more expensive the store, the better the ingredient quality. TJ's has a lot of snacks that are made with canola oil or preservatives, so you won't find me buying those. Sprouts is the "in-between", and Whole Foods has the best specialty items.
- I listed the protein that I buy from each store, but remember that I use Butcher Box, as well. I only buy my fish at Whole Foods because I'm very particular about the quality.
- The 365 brand at Whole Foods saves on cost AND is high quality.
- Always look for additives in trail mixes, dried fruit, nut milks, and chips!
Share these with a friend, and let me know how you split up your grocery shopping!
