Healthier on a Budget - Go Beyond the Perimeters and Know a Good Price

For the full Healthier on a Budget series, click here.

Many "healthy eating" guides recommend shopping just the perimeter of grocery stores. All I can say is their grocery stores must not be set up like the ones I shop at.

Typically, right by the entrance is BOGO or other sale items that are heavily processed with lots of preservatives (Hamburger Helper, Poptarts, etc.). Go around the perimeter and you'll normally find fresh produce (that may or may not be in season), raw and deli meats, a bakery with plenty of processed "enriched" baked goods, and the refrigerated section with Pillsbury cookies and Reddi-Whip alongside the milk and cheese. Some of this is good. Some is really not.

Instead of shopping just the perimeter, how about shopping the whole store with a careful eye. The frozen section in particular can be a gold mine of healthier foods. Find frozen fruits and vegetables picked at peak season, seafood, and whole grain products like Food for Life and Kashi.

Down the breakfast aisle, there's whole-grain cereals (just watch the sugar content) and old fashioned rolled oats. Down other aisles, you'll find dried and canned beans, canned seafood and meats, brown rice and quinoa, canned vegetables and fruit (in 100% juice), a range of healthy spices, 100% fruit or vegetable juices, fruit spreads, and dried fruit (go for varieties with no added sugar). For a quick serving of vegetables, make a meal with tomato-based pasta sauce or salsa. There are also lots of nuts and nut butters, but check ingredient lists of flavored nuts, trail mixes, and butters. Popcorn is a whole grain, but opt for plain and flavor it yourself.

After sale prices and coupons, some great deals can be found with many of these. I've gotten Adam & Eve juice, Green Giant and Steamfresh frozen vegetables, Muir Glen tomato sauce, and Del Monte canned tomatoes all for free thanks to sales and coupons.

As long as you don't get sucked in by the unsubstantial claims (like sugary cereals that try to make up for it by saying it's "a great source of fiber"), it's safe to peruse the offerings towards the middle of the store. The key is to not buy something just because it's a good deal. Save your money for items that are healthier and ones you'll actually use.

But how do you know if it's a good price for healthier foods? I recommend keeping track of sale prices so you know what a great deal is. For a few months, I kept an Excel spreadsheet of sale prices of the foods I bought the most. It wasn't long before I saw patterns of sale cycles (when or how often specific products go on sale) and could recognize rock-bottom prices (extremely low prices and the perfect time to stock up). Keep a sheet in your coupon binder or in your wallet that lists the low prices so you can easily check it while your out shopping.