Why Skipping Packaged Food Is My Secret to Grocery Shopping for One

Grocery shopping for a single person is challenging. Sure, it's not the same as being a parent of three small children trying to get everything you need for your family before the little ones lose their minds, but it's difficult in a different way. Especially if you, like me, kind of hate leftovers and have been known to let a single carrot rot in your crisper.

Over the years, though, I've found one strategy that really helps me shop for just myself: avoiding packaged food as much as possible. For example, instead of buying a 3-pound bag of carrots, I'll look for the loose bin of carrots, where I'll pick exactly as many as I need for the recipe I'm using or the snacks I'm planning. Instead of buying a plastic foam tray of chicken thighs, I opt to buy one single thigh from the butcher's counter. The best part is that loose bins of produce and the butcher's counter are often cheaper than the packaged stuff.

Some grocery stores are better for shopping this way than others. Though I keep Trader Joe's on rotation for frozen food and snacks, the store bags up items you'd be able to buy loose at other grocery stores, such as garlic, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Whole Foods, on the other hand, offers a lot of loose produce as well as a well-stocked bulk aisle. A farmer's market or co-op is another great spot for bulk bins of both dry goods and produce.

The bulk aisle may sound like the wrong spot for a smaller grocery list, but it's really more like a buy-what-you-want aisle. Just need a single cup of rice for a recipe? You can buy a single cup of rice in the bulk aisle. It's great for keeping your pantry decluttered so that you can see what you actually have on hand, or if you're trying a new recipe and aren't sure you'll want to use the ingredients again.

As a chronic over-shopper and person who cooks way too much food, switching to smaller amounts was an adjustment for me. A shaved Brussels sprouts salad for one person, I learned, really only requires about half a pound of Brussels sprouts — about seven large sprouts. This didn't seem like enough sprouts, even when I weighed them, but it was.

There's a learning curve on bulk bin shopping, but once you figure out where to go and how much you need, you'll curse the day you ever bought packaged produce, grains, legumes, and so on. The best thing about this strategy of shopping? All the money it saves me to spend on fun items, like delicious cheese or a nice bottle of wine. Just because it's only me doesn't mean I'm not treating myself.

Related:

• This 10-Item Grocery List for One Will Last You All Week
• 5 Cookware Essentials Anyone Cooking for One Will Use Over and Over
• Cooking for One? These 7 Simple Strategies Will Help You Grocery Shop and Prep for the Week