Interesting times. We find ourselves at home without many of the conveniences we enjoy in our everyday lives. Around every corner there is an opportunity and in this time of isolation it could be a great time to find a better way of doing things. Get yourself prepared for when things return to normal. A great place to start is something we do every day, eat. This situation is going to get challenging for a lot of folks and I want to talk about ideas that will help meet your nutritional and budget needs. Before you go any further, my recommendation in times like this is to perform your due diligence and vet any information you read regarding protections in the form of nutrition, activity or home remedies. Be skeptical of any ‘boosts’ or ‘quick fixes’ being peddled by people, unfortunately, trying to take advantage of vulnerable people.

Being home I find myself in the fridge or pantry a little more than I would like. With many recreational facilities being shut down, including our own, activity levels will drop for some and significantly for others. This will lead to a caloric surplus and a gain of unwanted weight if an outlet for activity is taken away.

Panic shopping has set in and a lot of staples in your diet may be hard to come by. First, I want to give a big thanks to all the hard-working employees of grocery stores. I am a little biased because my dad is one of them. When brainstorming for topics in this article I spoke to him and what he is experiencing on the frontline. Also, I got him to speak about my parent’s experience budgeting for a family of six, four members being very hungry, active kids.

First of all, I am not a financial advisor, but I am budget-minded when it comes to putting together my family’s weekly menu with my wife. With the future uncertain we want to get ahead of things and make sure we are still buying quality food with our budget in mind. Creating a weekly menu outlines all of the things you will need. This is a great way to help you stick to buying ONLY what you need. With other activities hard to come by, incorporating everyone into the plan can be a fun weekly activity. When building a menu try to come up with ideas that maximize items on your list. Overlap and maximizing each item can cut down on the number of items you may have to buy and storage space in your fridge or pantry. Spinach is an item we buy quite often that can be incorporated into quite a few things such as greens on a sandwich, pasta, smoothies, omelets/frittatas, salads or a pizza topping.

When you’ve finalized your menu and ready to shop make sure you are not shopping hungry. Going to the store on an empty stomach can cause you to shop for WANT and not NEED. I have fallen to this in the past and purchased appealing things in the moment because my stomach was empty. Another suggestion when going out to shop, if at all possible, try to leave the kids at home. Their understanding of wants and needs are different from ours when it comes to grocery shopping unless you want a cart of sweets and treats.

Seeing items on sale highlighted in yellow, “GROUPS OF” at this price, or members pricing all looks like a great deal. It is supposed to, the labels have big bold colours and writing to grab your attention. Much like nutrition labels, having an understanding of price labels at your local grocery store can help you make a more informed purchase. I only recently became aware of the ‘price PER’ on store item tags thanks to my sister-in-law. When buying two similar items, one regular-sized on sale and one bulk item not on sale, I always check the price per to see if I am getting a better deal. If it is a bulk item and I know I will use all of it, I don’t mind paying the larger price on the label if I know it will be cheaper in the long run.

Here are some of my dad’s insight into any trends or tips he has noticed during the pandemic. 

  • Always check the fliers for the best deals
  • Buy club packs or bulk
  • Stock up on food storage items such as freezer bags and Tupperware
  • People are buying less readymade items such as fruit & vegetable trays.
  • The cost difference between buying generic and name brand has shrunk over the years
  • Flour and yeast are sought after items. More people are baking their own items
  • Speak to a store manager to find out when deliveries are being made and plan accordingly

I hope this has helped in some way to prepare yourself for future shops. In the second part, I will look at healthy recipe ideas that you can stretch out over the course of the week while in isolation.