Grocery shopping teaches you how to budget and stay healthy

Gabriella Blanco/ Contributing Writer

Adulting isn’t all work, bills, existential crisis, shower, and repeat.  Some parts of it are pretty mundane.

Grocery shopping is such a basic chore that it’s easy for it to be seen as a no-brainer for a lot of birds who have left the nest for the first time, and it can be daunting when it doesn’t go as planned. It’s a chore that will really teach you how to budget and maintain a healthy lifestyle so you can adult.

In my first year living away from home, I didn’t have a clue how much adulting and grocery shopping would go hand in hand.

It’s true what they say: You don’t know how well you have it until it’s gone.

Now, that’s not to say that I was a hopeless cause who burnt boiled water or set their kitchen on fire from making toast. But I did eat out a lot. For a young person though, this might be normal, especially if they have a hectic schedule or just need a convenient meal.

What no one really made clear to me when I signed the housing forms and got my key was just how “on my own” I was.

I was an adult, but this was baby’s first time fully adulting. It may have meant no more mom asking me to do stuff, but it also meant no more mom coming home with my favorite snacks, drinks and all the things that had sustained me for 19 years.

I remember the first time I crossed the street to Publix. I filled it with items I was used to eating back home, but when the cashier rang up the total cost, I didn’t have enough in my card.

How to maintain a budget is one of the first things shoved down young adults’ throats, and it’s one of the most important parts of being an adult. Budgeting isn’t just for our needs — we all have bills to pay — it’s also for our wants.

The newfound freedom of grocery shopping on your own can lead to buying items you want rather than items you need. As delicious as junk food is, it has side effects that you want to avoid.

 

Acne, weight gain, and fatigue are just some things a poor diet can muddle with, and they’re all something people can do without.

This is where budgeting starts to get important.

To help you stay on budget and maintain a healthy lifestyle, I have some tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

When going to the grocery store, writing down what you need helps so much. You get a clear plan of what you need and, before you even head to the store, you can keep your eyes peeled for coupons or sales.

To stay healthy, a good trick is to head to the frozen aisle for produce since they don’t expire at the rate that the ones out in the actual produce aisle does. Plus, if there’s a sale, buy in bulk so you don’t need to make frequent trips and dipping more into your funds.

It’s a very “parent-like” technique but I’m pretty sure they know what they’re doing here.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash.