Have you ever left a grocery store wondering how your bill got to be so high? This has happened to me more than I care to admit but, ever since trying the 28-day meal plan, I’ve made much more of an effort to pay attention to my food-spending habits. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing to pay for convenience, sometimes it’s worth taking the extra time to prep meals and snacks in order to save money. After all, every little bit adds up! Check out these three thrifty snack hacks to help you shop smart and save a little cash.
Instead of buying: fruit on the bottom yogurt
Try: Frozen berries (no sugar or syrup added) and a 32-oz. container of plain yogurt
Frozen fruits and veggies are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts and last much longer to boot. Measure out frozen berries into a reusable container, add a dollop or two of yogurt and pop in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to eat in the morning, drain the extra liquid, stir and enjoy!
Instead of buying: pre-packaged snack bars
Try: Making your own energy bars/bites
These popular no-bake cashew coconut bites have been a hit with TOPS members and are simple to make. While you do have to roll up your sleeves and take time to make them, you’ll have pre-portioned deliciousness ready to grab when you need an afternoon pick-me-up.
Instead of buying: chips from the vending machine
Try: Plain, air-popped popcorn with your favorite seasonings
If you need a salty and crunchy fix, plan ahead for the week by buying a bag of air-popped popcorn. You can save even more by buying popcorn seeds and popping them yourself, but if you’re thinking, “Who has time for that?” a bag will do just fine. Three cups of plain popcorn is just one starch exchange and has roughly the same amount of carbs as one ounce of potato chips (which is about 10-13 chips). Add a pinch of garlic salt and parmesan cheese for a savory snack.
What are your go-to snack hacks? Tell me about them in the comments section. Happy snacking!
A favourite low cal snack of mine is turnip or rutabaga, peeled and sliced, sprinkled with Trader Joe’s no sodium 21 Seasoning Salute, with salsa for a dip.
Thanks for sharing, Marion!
Thanks for the helpful tips, Maggie. Pre-packaged snacks are definitely more expensive and are often less healthy (and less eco-friendly)! Another good salty/crunchy option is to roast fava beans or chickpeas at home and season them with your favorite spices, instead of buying the packaged ones (from brands like Saffron Road or Bada Bean Bada Boom or Sahale or The Good Bean, to name a few).
That’s an excellent tip, Robin. I’ve tried roasting chickpeas a couple of times and need to do this again. Delicious and super affordable!
Great topic! 🙂 I also like to get the plain no sugar yogurt. Seems like there are more than 101 ways to fix it. Some favorites of mine are . . . using natural cocoa powder with a little stevia for sweetness. Can add a walnut garnish, or any other type of nut. Or raisins, or a little banana. Or dried cranberries. Mix well. Another unusual one I do for health is take some yogurt, chop a little raw onion, sweeten with honey and shake on some cayenne pepper. Mix well. Cayenne pepper (not cooked) helps a person internally. Same principle applies with raw onion (a gentle cellular cleanser).
My husband will like the idea if onion in plain yogurt.
Thanks
Thank you for sharing!
I like to freeze grapes, make sure you count out a few each time because they are addicting. I also eat sugar free popsicles.
For the airpopped popcorn I use the pumpkin flavored seasoning that Chex-mixes has at the holiday time. It is a little sweet and a little salty and tastes better than popcorn loaded with real butter and salt.