Grocery Shopping Package-Free for the first time!

Well, I had quite the adventure this weekend! It all started on Friday! I got off work at 3:30, went straight to Kroger, and then to the Commissary. Saturday I went to Whole Foods in the am and then to a year-round farmer's market in Norfolk, VA. 

First, let me tell you a little bit about how I used to shop for groceries:

I'm a budget nazi. Like, for real. It all starts with meal planning. I create a google document every week and finish it by Sunday. It includes what we're going to eat for lunch and dinner every day, recipes, and a grocery list. 

Usually, I would go to the Commissary and write down all the prices of what I need. Then, I would go to Kroger and do the same, meanwhile loading my cart with everything that was cheaper. I would go back to the Commissary and finish buying anything that costs less there vs Kroger. 

Sometimes, things are cheaper at Kroger. Sometimes, things are cheaper at the Commissary. Sometimes, Kroger has better produce. Sometimes, the Commissary does. 

There is never an item that is always cheaper or better quality at one place versus the other. 

That's why I comparison shop every weekend. It doesn't take as much time as you would think, because Kroger is 1/2 mile from the Commissary. And I BLITZ through the store. I get in, get what I need, and get out. If grocery shopping on a budget were a competition, I would win. 

So, after reading about how people who have started the zero waste lifestyle have saved money, I was super skeptical. I already save so much money comparison shopping! We spend anywhere from $50 to $80 a week for food. It varies, depending on what we're planning on eating that week and what necessities I've ran out of. I save anywhere from $10 to $30 each week simply by comparison shopping.

Here's what I've discovered after this weekend:

1. PRODUCE STICKERS EVERYWHERE. Surprisingly - the commissary had the most produce sticker-free. 
2. EVERYTHING was pre-packaged at the food market, and prices were OUTRAGEOUS. $15 for a small jar of honey?! No thanks! I can get it locally from Whole Foods for $4! 
3. Self checkout was probably not the best decision at the commissary.
4. The commissary doesn't have a standard meat counter, so because of health codes I couldn't get meat in bulk. 
5. Meat at Whole Foods? I see why Bea Johnson only eats meat once a week - expensive! 
6. Kroger was the best place for getting my meat package free <3
7. Whole foods has some awesome items in bulk, but the only thing I ended up getting in bulk was coconut aminos and banana chips(and the banana chips taste terrible).

Lesson of the day - Whole Foods and farmer's markets aren't all they're cracked up to be. You can find what you need at regular grocery stores, but you might have to suffer through some food stickers. Oh well. 

Belle helped me out at the Kroger meat counter - and she was so nice! She thought it was cool that I was getting my meat put into mason jars :-) 

I came home, produce went in the fridge, meat went in the freezer (don't fill your mason jars all the way if you're going to freeze them! Fill them about 1/3 of the way, refrigerate them overnight, and then add the jar - without the lid - to the freezer. The next day you can put the lid on.