Grocery Budget

When I worked for a natural foods grocery chain, the biggest perk was the 20% discount I received on all items, including gluten free foods.  The store however would run a quarterly sale on all gluten free items at a discount of 25%.  Upon relocating I found that commuting was too much and resigned my position.  The sale stuck around, and with the some crafty storage ideas, I took full advantage. 

A similar chain in the area I live now called SproutsFarmers Market just finished one such sale.  This is what I’ve learned about taking advantage of their “Gluten Free Jubilee”:  

• ·         Make a list and stick to it.
• ·         Stay out of the isles that don’t carry the gluten free sale items.
• ·         Take only the amount of money you have budgeted to spend.
• ·         Pay attention to the prices as they ring up at the register.

We often make lists for the grocery store, but rarely stick to it.  If you are shopping a gluten free sale, only purchase gluten free things.  Staying out the isles that do not carry gluten free things removes the temptation to purchase other things.  By taking only the money you have to spend, you can’t go over budget.  And finally the register is a tool used by a person, thus not always perfect.  Paying attention to the screen can save much headache in the customer service line. 

Welcome

Have you ever wandered through the grocery store wondering "why does my gluten free food have to be SO much more expensive?"  I do all of the time.  As a full time student with a full time job, I find myself wondering how it's all going to come together in the checkout line.  And forget about eating out, when I find a place with a gluten free menu I find that the option for gluten free portion is for a single and the price is for a triple.  I have been gluten intolerant my entire life, but didn’t find out however, until I was a 20 something sophomore in college. 

All of the sudden there was a new line item in the budget for Gluten Free Food.  No more hot dogs at a cook out, no more nacho cheese at the baseball game, no more bread bowl for my soup.  Then there was the never ending reading list of ingredients.  Xanthan gum and modified food starch and, is this a preservative, or a new way to sneak wheat into my salad dressing?

After a lot of research and two years working at a natural foods grocery store, I made friends with experts and found a doctor who embraced my frequent “contamination” visits with a smile. What I’ve learned I hope to share in a useful way that not only sheds light on what being gluten free means, but can stretch grocery dollars farther.  Maybe even change a mind or two about how cheap and gluten free can coexist. 

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Tanpowpong P, Broder-Fingert S, Katz AJ, Camargo CA Jr. (2012). Predictors of Gluten      

Avoidance and Implementation of a Gluten-Free Diet in Children and Adolescents without Confirmed Celiac Disease. The Journal of Pediatrics, 161 (3), 471–475.

Weir, M. (2011). GLUTEN-FREE CONFUSION: Let the Gluten-Free Buyer Beware! Share Guide, 118, 14-31.