19 meals for $68??
If you haven't read my post on how to prepare for a meal prep, definitely check that out first!
So this week I decided to make three meals:
quinoa bowls with sausage and Brussel sprouts
chicken taco bowls (made in the instant pot)
BBQ chicken quinoa bowl (in the crock pot).
First, I made my list and organized it by where I would find things in the store.
I do my weekly shopping at Safeway for one reason: THE POINTS. When I lived in Nebraska, I always shopped at HyVee for the same reasons. Safeway has a points card that allows me to save money in store as well as rack up points which I can later use towards savings on gas. And now that I live in a state where the gas price is $3.60 a gallon, I love not having to pay that!
Before I go to the store, I always check the Safeway App for the Weekly Ad and Just for U savings. The Weekly Ad is crucial to my cost savings strategy. For this weeks meals, I needed 2 pounds of chicken. Pre-packaged chicken (ie Tysons or something similar) would be $15 for 2 pounds. However, the Weekly Ad showed that there was a deal on chicken at the deli counter. I asked for 2 pounds of chicken and the sticker from the Deli counter rung that up as $11.46, which was already cheaper than the pre-packaged. However, at the checkout, the price reduced to $5.20 for two pounds after my member rewards number was entered!! This made the price of the chicken half of what it was originally labeled as.
At Safeway the Just for U savings are based on things you usually purchase. It will generate coupons or points deals it thinks you might want. For me, this was the yogurt I buy for my snacks. I was able to save .50 from that as well as .50 from regular rewards, for a total $1 off the regular price. Additionally, Safeway often has lower prices on their store brand. This makes their canned goods about $1 each after member savings.
Lastly, the points system allows you to earn 1 reward for every $100 you spend. 1 reward= .10 in off a gallon of gas (up to 7 rewards at a time). This is the biggest help for me. I usually save the rewards and use 4-5 at a time when buying gas. You can also use the rewards in store if you don't want to purchase gas for things such as $5 off your next purchase or a free produce item.
I'm not sponsored by Safeway, I have just learned that they offer the highest quality produce while also allowing me to save money and earn rewards in return. Below are pictures on my receipt that detail each card savings. I hope this was helpful! Eating healthy does not have to be expensive, but it does take some planning ahead!
