Tips on Staying Green at the Grocery Store

It is getting easier to live a greener lifestyle. More and more companies are striving to make their products’ plastic-free or recyclable, meaning that you are throwing less away and living more sustainably.

However, although there have certainly been improvements, there is still a lot of work to be done. For example, grocery stores currently toss 10% of all food waste in the U.S annually.

If you are trying to live a greener lifestyle, here are some benefits of living greener and how you can stay green while shopping at the grocery store.

Benefits of a green lifestyle

  • You will save money on your utility bills: if you take the steps to make sure that your house is energy-efficient (through insulation, double glazed windows, etc.), you will not only be living a greener life, but it can also help you save hundreds of dollars every year on your Vectren energy bill.
  • Reduces environmental pollution: the most obvious advantage of living a greener lifestyle is that it helps you reduce the amount of pollution you are producing. If you walk more, use your car less, and reduce your plastic usage you will be having less of a negative impact on our planet.
  • Leads to a healthier life: if you really want to live a greener lifestyle, you may have thought about going vegetarian or vegan. Even if you only slightly reduce your meat consumption and start eating more fruit and veg, you will be leading a healthier lifestyle.

How to stay green at a grocery store

  • Bring your own bags: while a lot of stores no longer provide plastic shopping bags, not every grocery store has made this switch. One of the biggest sources of supermarket waste is disposable, single-use plastics. So, next time you go shopping, bring your own bags.
  • Stay away from plastic: where you can, try your best to buy groceries that aren’t covered in plastic. If your local grocery store has a butcher/fishmongers, you can avoid buying plastic if you take some Tupperware with you.
  • Change who you shop with: if you really want to shop greener, you need to take stock of where you are shopping. Chain supermarkets are often cheaper but are usually not very environmentally friendly. Try to find smaller grocery stores or markets that will sell the same products but without the plastic. Not only will you be more eco-friendly, but you will also be supporting local businesses.
  • Refuse receipts: a lot of stores now allow you to choose whether you want a receipt or not. Unless you specifically need one, don’t get a receipt, as this can help cut down your paper usage.

How to save money on groceries

  • Write a shopping list, and stick to it! When you go to the shops without a list, you are more likely to spend more as you buy whatever you fancy. When you have a list, you are less likely to make impulse purchases and will save money in the process,
  • Shop in season: when you’re shopping on a budget, its really important to follow this rule. Out of season, fruit and vegetables usually cause a lot more, and they rarely taste as good.
  • Don’t shop when you’re hungry: this is the golden rule of shopping, never do it when you’re hungry! Otherwise, you may end up buying a lot of food you fancy in the moment, which can lead to a much larger grocery bill.
  • Meal plan: before you even go shopping, you should sit down and create a rough plan of what you want to eat for the week. This way, you can be certain that you will have enough to eat for the week and won’t have to go and spend more money at the grocery store during the week.