grocery shopping on a Budget. I'm a Whole Foods girl, which means I've seen a few *aggressive* grocery bills in my day.

But Ryan is the kind of guy who prefers to keep our bank accounts left unterrorized by my trips to the store. Like all things in marriage, compromise is key, and the result is the LSF healthy grocery shopping technique… amazing food all week long, and it won't break the bank.

Know Before You Go

The success of your budget-friendly grocery list starts before you walk through those automatic doors. Before you grab your keys and hop in the car to head to the store, take five minutes to take stock of your kitchen and figure out what you need (and more importantly, what you don't!). Make a list divided into categories (produce, dairy, meat) so that you don't waste time making unnecessary trips back and forth between sections…aka have less opportunities for temptation (stay back, cookie dough!)

Bonus: Make some meal plans too, so that you won't have to run back to the store for supplemental ingredients mid-week. The Hot Body Meal Plan is KEY for meal-planning – you'll get your full grocery list every week!!

Never Shop Hungry

Grab a little (or big :D)snack before you start shopping. Remember that list you carefully made before you went? Yea, well if you don't have a little food in you, soon it will be a series of loose "suggestions."You'll over-shop and be more prone to reaching for the empty calories in processed foods and sugars.

Do The Math

Do some research and figure out the cost of some of your favorite health foods per serving. For example, oats are a great way to start your morning, and some of the generic brands cost around 10 cents per serving…. yea…. 10 cents. I don't know your life but I feeeeeel like that's pretty doable! That means $$$ left over to splurge on some fresh fruit or goji berries to dress it up a little bit… and you're still spending about a dollar on your breakfast! Basmati or brown rice is another super cost effective base ingredient. Add some saut√©ed veggies, turmeric and other spices, and you're dining like Beyonce on a college girl budget.

Don't Forget The Snacks

You can be the biggest boss babe at planning out healthy meals for the week, but let's face it – you are going to need snacks! . Make sure that you account for these mid-afternoon cravings and buy some healthy and filling snacks like flaxseed crackers, nut butters, or greek yogurt. Otherwise, you'll be scouring your pantry for something to eat and that's when you find that jar of pink frosting from Christmas 3 years ago…and it's just not a great outcome for anyone involved. Moral of the story: SNACKS, BUY SNACKS.

Take The Long Way

Most grocery stores are designed to get you shopping the middle aisles of the store, where the aisles are packed with processed foods and the kind of junk that you crave like ALWAYS (sneaaaaakkkkyyy!). Start by sticking to the perimeter of the store, where you'll find fresh produce, dairy, unprocessed meat, the bakery, etc. When you have your staples, you can top it off with some center-aisle goods (like oats or ingredients for your fave healthy cookie recipe because #balance).

Girl, you work hard all week to feel (and look!) as good as you do, and those moments in the grocery store are crucial. Make sure you show up prepared with these handy little tips so that you can spend all week kicking booty in the kitchen AND in the gym! We even made you a grocery list to make it extra easy.

Comment below with YOUR amazing tips for healthy, budget-friendly shopping, let us know? Happy shopping, babe.