Budget Tips & Hacks for Shopping Organic in 2023
The New Year is here! We’d all probably love to leave inflation behind, but, unfortunately, the financial squeeze is likely to continue in 2023. For those feeling a bit stretched and stressed and looking to make a fresh start with responsible spending habits this year, we’ve got some tips for you. Through a combination of buying in bulk, being intentional in your shopping and a little bit of creativity, you can stretch your dollars a little further in 2023, and beyond.
Buy in Bulk. Take advantage of your membership to wholesale clubs and BOGO sales in your local grocery store. Think about the food items you constantly restock or those favorites your family just can’t get enough of. When those food items are offered in bigger packaging and you know it’ll be consumed before the expiration date, stock up!
Be Intentional. Strategy is key when grocery shopping! How often do you buy a single-use product for one recipe? Then you end up throwing it away because you forget to use the leftovers before it goes bad? All. The. Time. Going forward, try buying multi-use, versatile products that can be used in several different recipes throughout the week.
Get Creative. Stumped on how to get the most out of all your groceries with as little waste as possible? Try incorporating your leftovers in meals through the day! Instead of only using chicken for dinner, think about how this protein can work into other meal types too. For breakfast, how about chicken and waffles or a breakfast taco? For lunch, try topping a salad with extra shredded chicken. You can even use the leftovers for snacks like buffalo chicken dip or in spinach artichoke dip.
Ready to get started, but not sure where to begin? We’ve started an example shopping list and menu using one of our favorite ingredients – organic orange juice! You’ll also find other overlapping ingredients too so you can make your weekly grocery trip worthwhile.
Grocery Shopping List (multipurpose items!):
- Uncle Matt’s Organic Orange Juice
- Organic eggs
- Organic avocado
- Organic baby spinach
- Organic bell peppers
- Organic beets
- Organic cilantro
- Organic red onion
- Organic lime
- Organic tomato
- Organic radish
- Organic chili powder
Breakfast: We’re kicking off the day with Mixed Veggie Hash with Eggs. We know this recipe ingredient list looks lengthy, but a lot of the spices you probably already have on hand. Plus, this recipe can be modified to accommodate what you like best. Make sure to enjoy your veggie hash with a nice glass of Uncle Matt’s Organic orange juice.
Lunch: Smoothies are a great way to use up leftover produce and add a boost of nutrients to your diet! Better yet, they are fully customizable and full of nutrition when packed with healthy fruits, veggies and a scoop of organic protein powder. Try our Shamrock Smoothie and Berry Beet Smoothie as inspiration for your next blend. These two also reuse the spinach, beets, avocado and orange juice from breakfast.
Snack: You know that avocado, bell pepper and red onion you chopped up this morning? Use any leftovers to make guacamole! Enjoy our delicious Game Day Guac, made with Uncle Matt’s OJ of course, as a midday snack or as topping on your tacos for dinner (or your eggs for breakfast tomorrow!).
Dinner: Here’s your chance to use that bundle of cilantro you bought …again! Our delish Orange Pork Carnitas recipe also reuses may of those spices you put in your morning egg and veggie hash. With a little bit of a citrus kick from our organic orange juice, you have the ultimate main dish filled with intentional ingredients. Top it with our Game Day Guacamole or our Citrus Avocado Dressing (which also recycles ingredients, giving your shopping list even more bang for the buck!)
Drink: Margaritas go great with carnitas, and our Orange Chili Margarita uses organic orange juice, lime juice and chili powder. Hmm…where have we seen those ingredients before? End your night with this refreshing libation. After all, all these groceries have to be used before they go bad, right?
Feeling inspired? Get creative and get started on your own multi-purposed grocery list! You’ll be amazed at how far you can stretch those dollars with a little bit of planning.