I'm a 'zillennial' struggling to survive inflation. Here's what I buy for one at Trader Joe's to keep my budget tight and eat well.

• I live just outside of New York City and shop at Trader Joe's for groceries each week.

• As someone living and working in pricey states, I enjoy Trader Joe's food selection and prices.

• I enjoy the frozen meals at Trader Joe's and the chain's guacamole, eggs, and mandarins.

With the rising prices of essentials pushing the cost of living up, I've had to tighten my budget wherever possible in the past few months.

As a "zillennial" (someone in the middle of the Millennial and Gen Z generations) who lives in New Jersey and commutes to New York City for work, I also have to deal with inflation in two of the most expensive states to live in,

I've become creative with my recipes to keep my grocery budget low, and Trader Joe's price points and tasty options allow me to do so.

Here are groceries I typically buy for just myself on my weekly trips to Trader Joe's.

Eggs are always on my shopping list.

I use eggs when I prepare a loaf of bread from scratch each week. I also cook eggs in the morning to pair with toast because I like to eat a lot of protein before work.

Eggs are the item I use the most each week, so I prefer quality eggs. For me, that's pasture-raised ones laid by hens free to roam their land.

A dozen pasture-raised eggs costs me $5 at Trader Joe's.

Spinach is my vegetable of choice so I usually grab a bag.

Vegetables are necessary for a balanced diet, and spinach is my vegetable of choice.

It can be used as additional protein in my eggs, a substitute for lettuce in my BLT snack wrap, an ingredient in a smoothie for extra nutrients, or as a base for a side salad.

A 6-ounce bag cost me $2 on this trip.

Guacamole is one of my go-to snacks.

I like to eat guacamole as a healthier snack. Avocados are rich in fiber, which is beneficial for gut health.

I think chips and guacamole is the perfect snack to pack for the office or to eat before bed.

A container of Trader Joe's chunky homestyle guacamole costs $4.50.

Tomatoes add a farm-fresh flavor to my meals.

When I'm feeling fancy, I add tomatoes to my eggs, but I mainly use them as toppings in my BLT and tuna sandwiches.

Two tomatoes cost me just over $2.50 on this grocery run.

I depend on tortillas throughout the week.

Tortillas are the base for almost all of my meals. I use them to make BLT snack wraps and tuna wraps throughout the week.

If I want to make chips for my tuna or guacamole, I cut the tortilla into eight pieces and fry them in olive oil.

A pack of eight tortillas costs me $3 at Trader Joe's.

Mayonnaise is my one-size-fits-all condiment.

Mayonnaise is one of the main ingredients in my tuna sandwich and BLT, so I get two meals for the price of one condiment.

Mayo has a longer shelf life than produce, so it doesn't have to be restocked weekly but I always make sure I have some in my fridge.

A 16-ounce jar of Trader Joe's organic mayo costs me just under $4.

Trader Joe's has a great selection of frozen pizzas.

I'm still learning to eat completely clean, so I still like to have a frozen pizza at least once a week.

Trader Joe's has various options with different crusts and toppings, so I like to try a different one from time to time.

Most of the pizzas at Trader Joe's are around $5.

I end my week with frozen dinners.

When my meal prep for the week is running low but I can't go grocery shopping again just yet, I'll eat frozen dinners from Trader Joe's.

My favorite frozen dinners (aside from the pizzas) are those inspired by Indian cuisine.

The vegan tikka masala, which costs just overt $4, is a must-try.

Mandarins help me satisfy my sweet tooth.

When I want something sweet — which is after almost every meal — I challenge myself to snack on fruits instead of refined sugars, so I grab a mandarin.

They're quite small, so I can also pop them in my bag when I need a snack during my commute or between meetings.

On this trip, I got a 2-pound bag of mandarins for $3.50.

Turkey burgers don't take much effort to make.

Turkey burgers are an easy meal I like to make most weeks. All I have to do is season the meat, roll it into a ball, flatten it into a patty, and fry it.

I'll make a few patties and pop them into the fridge to cook throughout the week.

Since I make bread from scratch, I don't need to buy buns at Trader Joe's. Mayo is already on my grocery list, so I'm good with condiments, and then I add personality to the burger with tomatoes and spinach.

One pound of ground turkey was $7 on this shopping trip.

Trader Joe's pancake bread is heaven-sent.

I have to cave on more processed sweets sometimes, right? When I do, it's with Trader Joe's pancake bread.

It's the fluffiest, sweetest, most flavorful bread I've ever consumed, and it pairs great with morning coffee.

A loaf of pancake bread is $4.50 at Trader Joe's.

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