Ohio-based creator Jackie Mitchell (@jackiemitchellll) has amassed more than 200,000 followers on TikTok by sharing her practical meal planning strategies and budget-friendly grocery shopping tips. And who couldn’t use more of either of those?

Her content resonates with followers looking for ways to save money and shop efficiently while still preparing delicious meals. To demonstrate her expertise in all of the above, Mitchell’s videos often highlight her $80-per-week grocery hauls, showcasing how she manages to shop on a weekly budget of under a hundred dollars for two people who cook all their meals at home.

The creator specifies that her grocery hauls cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week for both Mitchell and her husband. In most of her videos, she begins by heading to a major grocery chain and explaining why she chose that supermarket for her shopping trip. Then, she walks her followers through the meals she has already planned, recipes she has saved, and the reasons she is purchasing each product.

In one video, as requested by her followers, Mitchell highlights the basic principles everyone should know to reduce food costs. Even if you don’t specifically follow the $80 budget, these tips can dramatically change your grocery game. Here are her top tips that you can implement at home to save money while still making meals you’re excited about.

Pick a grocery store based on weekly deals and promotions

Mitchell visits a different grocery store each week based on the best weekly deals and sales available nearby, which she checks online in advance. She finds that being flexible rather than always sticking with the same store enables her to compare product prices across various brands and take advantage of the most competitive prices.

To implement this strategy yourself, you can check resources like the Aldi Weekly Ads to learn about discounted prices at the chain, Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyers to see seasonal products and occasional deals, or the Kroger Weekly Ad for promotions like “buy one get one free” for certain items.

Plan your meals around the proteins on sale

Because proteins are often the most expensive part of a grocery haul, Mitchell finds that structuring her weekly meal plan around discounted proteins helps reduce overall grocery costs. You can check which meats are on sale through those weekly flyers and online postings, or in-store if needed, and then decide what to make based on the deals you see.

This week, seasoned chicken skewers and a family pack of chicken wings are both on sale at Aldi through June 3. Although these two items are only slightly marked down from their original prices, these savings accumulate over time. Following Mitchell’s advice, you could meal plan around these two poultry options for the week. You should also consider buying meat in bulk when excellent discounts are available, and simply freeze any extra portions for later use.

Use leftovers for lunch

Mitchell explains that she finds it more budget-friendly to cook one large meal and eat the leftovers for lunch rather than spend extra money on lunch-specific ingredients like deli meat and prepackaged snacks. She says, “They [deli meats and prepackaged snacks] might be convenient, but they are way more expensive than what they’re worth.”

To achieve this, Mitchell chooses the discounted options for ingredients with extra portions (like that family pack of chicken wings) and explains, “I want to make sure [dishes I make] serve at least double my household size, so that we can pack leftovers.”

In one video, she explains that for dinner, she made yogurt-marinated chicken with a cucumber quinoa salad on the side, then mixed the leftovers of the two dishes in a container and packed them for lunch the next day.

Related: How to Use the 6-to-1 Grocery Shopping Method to Save Time and Money

Buy versatile ingredients when you can

With practice, Mitchell has found that it’s possible to reduce grocery costs while also diversifying her recipes. She suggests buying versatile ingredients such as potatoes, beans, and lentils that can be used in a wide variety of recipes.

She suggests that home cooks, “Find recipes of different cuisines that use similar base ingredients.” You can stock ingredients like rice in your pantry, which is used in so many dishes from around the world, and decide what to make with it based on the protein or other ingredients that are on sale that week. She assures her followers that with intentional planning, you can make meals that are affordable but not boring.

Related: How to Make 4 Family Dinners on Just $20, According to a Dollar Tree TikToker

Keep an open mind

Mitchell encourages those seeking to maintain budget-friendly grocery shopping habits to keep an open mind when it comes to meal planning and ingredient selection. While she isn’t telling her followers to consume things they don’t enjoy, she says, “You have to be [at least] somewhat willing to work with what’s on sale near you and what’s in season near you.”

This might mean opting for chicken when it’s discounted, even if your preferred protein is steak. You can also try substituting discounted ingredients in your favorite recipes — if there’s a promotion on parsley, make pesto with that instead of basil.

Instead of shopping based on cravings, she prioritizes being practical and flexible. If you follow Mitchell’s content, you’ll see that each week she is open to building her meals around different proteins, seasonal ingredients, and what’s affordable.

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