4 Shopping Hacks This TikToker Used To Keep Her Groceries Below $45
Written by
Kristopher Kane
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Budgeting and meal planning can feel overwhelming, but social media influencer Kristy Lechuga shares practical hacks on her popular TikTok channel to help viewers gracefully navigate this challenge. Her username on the platform is @asap.kristy, and with more than 187,000 followers and an average of 70,000 views per post, Kristy offers practical advice for many tuned-in consumers trying to eat well on a budget.
Using Kristy’s methods, you don’t need to compromise your health or taste buds to save money on your weekly grocery run. Keep reading for a closer look at Kristy’s frugal-but-not-fattening shopping habits and learn how to optimize a $45 weekly budget for two people without sacrificing the essentials or your favorite foods.
Grocery Shopping From Scratch With a $45 Weekly Budget
Before sharing her weekly shopping list, the social media personality was candid about the fact that she already had a collection of “basic ingredients,” such as eggs, bread and some leftover vegetables at home.
Her transparency is commendable, and she prioritizes honesty with her followers about the actual cost of her showcased weekly groceries, acknowledging the ingredients she already had on hand to better help them adopt her budget-friendly strategy. With that in mind, here are her four main hacks to save on groceries.
1. Take Inventory of the Ingredients Already on Hand
Kristy adopts a methodical meal strategy for each day, which helps her avoid the possibility of driving up her costs by buying items she already has at home. In her words: “Prior to each grocery run, I map out my meals for the week. This helps me determine precisely what I need to purchase.”
2. Preplan Your Grocery List
Kristy’s systematic approach also helps ensure that she’s meeting her nutritional goals with each grocery store trip. She explained her dietary goals: “My primary focus for this week’s groceries is protein. My plan is to have a higher protein intake compared to carbs this week.”
Kristy emphasizes the importance of grocery shopping with a premeditated meal plan. This efficient approach ensures that she knows exactly what she needs when shopping, reducing the risk of making unnecessary purchases.”
3. Emphasize Protein in a Balanced Diet
Kristy recognizes the health benefits of protein, particularly how it can increase satiety, leading to better weight management. To accommodate this, Kristy’s grocery list includes lettuce for ground-beef wraps, ready-to-eat salads and a wide array of frozen fruits to whip up refreshing smoothies. Additionally, she includes cantaloupe and potatoes for a controlled carb intake, as well as instant white rice.
4. Make Exceptions for Your Favorite Foods
Despite knowing that rice isn’t “the healthiest” food choice, Kristy endorses portion control as an alternative to completely eliminating it from her diet. This approach enables her to savor her favorite foods without significantly deviating from her health objectives.
In essence, through regulated portion sizes, Kristy strikes a balance between indulging in her beloved dishes and adhering to a healthy eating regimen. This method emphasizes moderation and reinforces that every food can fit into a well-planned diet, if consumed wisely.
Cost-Effective Grocery Shopping
At the end of her grocery haul, Kristy’s total cost lands right around $45. But when calculated per person, it’s approximately $22.50, making it a cost-effective and nutritious meal-planning strategy for two.
Kristy’s approach to grocery shopping is a practical guide to healthy, budget-friendly meals. It blends deliberate planning with the flexibility to make exceptions, maintaining a balance that makes her diet both healthy and enjoyable.
Achieving a Dietary Balance on a Budget
Lechuga’s grocery shopping strategy brilliantly marries health-consciousness with budget-friendliness. She turns a seemingly daunting task into a streamlined process by preplanning her meals, emphasizing protein intake, choosing healthy foods, making exceptions for her favorite foods and managing her portions.
The key takeaway? You can control your dietary choices and maintain a healthy, balanced diet even on a budget. It just requires planning, prioritization and a little practice making smart choices. With the rising costs of groceries, Kristy’s doing a service to her many followers and others who have read about her popular weekly shopping series in various media outlets.
By letting Kristy’s practical shopping hacks inspire your next grocery store visit, you can transform the way you view meal planning and budgeting. Your food doesn’t have to be bland, boring or bad for you — as long as you plan ahead and make thoughtful decisions.
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