Grocery Shopping and Menu Plan (plus, the Living Water total!)
On Wednesday of this week, I had my most unusual grocery shopping trip ever, because I was wearing a microphone and had a video camera following me (I felt so reality-show-ish!). I did manage to stay on budget, though, despite the unusual circumstances!
Here's what I bought.
and here's what I spent.
- Aldi-$64.12
- Weis-$35.81
Total-$99.93
If you remember, at the beginning of this month, I pledged to send all of my leftover December grocery money to Living Water. Despite some abnormal holiday-related food expenses, I managed to spend less than $400. In fact, I have $62.07 left in my envelope, and that will be going directly out to Living Water. Yay! That money will provide clean drinking water for 62 people for a whole year, which is awesome.
If you joined me in saving your extra grocery money for a charity, I'd love to hear about it, so please share in the comments.
Here's what we're eating for dinner this coming week.
Saturday
- Pizza
- root beer
- green salad
Sunday
- French Toast
- Fried Mush
- OJ
Monday
- BBQ Beef Sandwiches
- homemade buns
- green salad
Tuesday
- Chicken Tacos
- fruit salad
Wednesday
- Tortellini Soup (recipe is coming this week!)
- Honey-Glazed rolls
- green beans
Thursday
- Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Brown Rice
- Fruit Salad
Friday
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
- green salad
- garlic bread
I love your idea of giving leftover grocery money to charity! I'm embarrassed to say that we don't have a grocery budget. But I am working on one and I think I'm going to do the same with any leftover money.
Stephanie
I am so impressed with your food budget. And, you make it look so effortless and easy! I too do not have a food budget - though I know we spend way too much on that category. I spend a lot on items for school lunches for my three older kids' lunches. I know this is one area of my life that could be scaled back - resulting in huge savings - which my husband would love. It does take thoughtful attention though.....and when times get busy I tend to lose focus.
I saved $26 in December. I've started shopping every 2 weeks, instead of every week and it's really helped me to stay within my budget. It's a lot easier to think in terms of $80 for two weeks, instead of $40 for one week.:P I find that I spend an average of $65 per shopping trip. I used my extra grocery money to shop at the after Christmas sales!
I think I am going to try shopping weekly instead of every 2 weeks. As a single mom working 3 12hr shifts a week, church activities and a busy teenage daughter, I think it might work better and eliminate food waste.
FYI- As a single mom, I get the best information and ideas from families that are living cheerfully on one income. While I may work outside the home, I am still a homemaker and full time mom. Thank you for sharing your life and know that your cinnamon twists have blessed my family and co-workers.
Kristin you are always so inspiring. I am a big advocate of charitable giving. I live on on 12K a year and find ways to give. It's not always about giving cash. Sometimes it's volunteering or this year I knitted hats and donated to my local thrift market that benefits kids and women's programs. When we open our heart to giving, God finds a way even on a budget!
I notice you have root beer often but I haven't noticed it in your grocery pics. Do you make it yourself?
Tammy, I am in awe of your budget!
ksmedgirl, it is in there fairly often. We have soda once a week with our pizza on Saturday nights, and I usually pick it up while I'm grocery shopping. This week we have a two-liter that my husband picked up after I went shopping, so that's why it's not pictured. I have not gotten inspired enough to brew my own soda! lol
You didn't buy any stuffed animals this week. 🙁 Did the cameras inhibit you?
Hee. My kids forgot to go and get their stuffed animals before I took the picture this week...we were all off our usual routine!
(just so everyone know, the stuffed animals in our weekly pictures are not new purchases...the kids just pick one or two from their collections to hide in the pictures)
I am going to start saving and giving to chartiy too. Tomorrow I will make my budget for the year and decide on a charity. Thank you for the inspiration!
Re long underwear - I wear it often - even if the house is warmer, our outside temp has been running below zero and it feels cold. I use cotton ones, and sometimes add knitted leg warmers. Also recommend padded slacks. Enjoy your blog.
We are a family of 5( dad, mom, ds14,dd10 and ds5) and I am curious how much of your grocery bill is spent on meat, that is the one item that seems to break my budget. The thought of $100.00 for a week would just send me over the moon. I just can't seem to get our grocery budget that low.
Could you share as to where to start cutting back, or direct me to a post that already talks about this issue.
ps I am already making your sandwich bread and we love it!
Thanks - Rachelle
I wrote a post way back at the beginning of my blog about meat. One of the main ways I save money is by not buying a lot of it! lol Here's the post on that topic:
Liz! You rock! That's awesome.
Rachelle, we try not to eat a lot of meat...I wrote a post about that way back when I first started my blog:
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2008/07/1-we-dont-eat-a-lot-of-meat/
I also keep a careful eye on sales...I usually can get chicken breasts for $1.69-$1.99/pound, I can get chuck for $1.99/pound, and so on.
And, we just don't eat some cuts of meat. Beef is rarely cheap enough for my taste unless it's a chuck roast or a London Broil cut, so we don't eat a lot of beef. We also don't eat a lot of pork, because it's often pretty expensive around here.
I wouldn't stress about getting things down to $100/week. Your family most likely has larger appetites than mine (your kids are older than mine), so just do the best you can. $100 might not work for you, but maybe you could cut back some on the meat and reduce your grocery spending a bit. Don't be discouraged!
I'd rather watch a segment on your grocery trip than some "coupon queen" who's spent hours a week clipping coupons for a bunch of processed foods. You are much more of an inspiration.
I'm with you about the cold thing, too. More than 3 or 4 layers and I just can't move. I also find it a pain to try to get work done around the house or office when you're in a big bulky coat. It's a good thing when I was born when I was, because I would have not done well when heat just came from a woodstove or fireplace! My favorite pair of long johns that I have are Cuddle Duds brand and they have good 2-way stretch in them so that they fit snug under your pants without bulking up. I got them at Target for about half price, but even if I had to pay full price it would still be worth it compared to my cheapy cotton thermals.
I would be very interested in a post about frugal & healthy snack options. My 6-year old eats well at the "main" meals, but due to lots of running around and general growth spurts, also snacks 2-3 times per day. We work hard to keep his snack options healthy (cheese and apples more often than cheese and crackers, for example), but it can be hard to work variety into the picture.