Week 1 of budget grocery shopping/savings challenge has commenced! I went grocery shopping yesterday and I was a little unsure of how much I would actually save, but after all was said and done, I’m happy with the results and I am sure I will learn more along the way. In our small(ish) town there are a few places to get groceries, but only one store (Raleys) sells the dairy products we like. I was willing to go to other stores if the prices were substantially different, but if not, I was just going to stick to Raleys.
The Game Plan
The Menu
The Grocery List
The Cost
The Game Plan:
- I checked out the 3 stores grocery store adds around me (Savemart, Raleys, Safeway). In the future I might be able to save more by going to FoodMaxx (if I ever want the urge to run someone over) or the Mexican market, but for now I’m sticking to my favorites.
- I jotted down what food I had already and made sure that ended up on this week’s menu.
- made a meal plan for the week that consisted of items that were already in my pantry, ingredients I use on a regular basis, and recipes that weren’t going to have me dragging my feet to make dinner.
- There wasn’t a lot of deals in the sales ads that were meat or vegetable related, so I ended up just going to Raleys.
The Menu:
Dinner and leftover lunches
- Saturday: Beef Stew
- Sunday: Eating at someone’s house for Super Bowl
- Monday: Whole chicken in crock pot (also plan on making broth) with veggies
- Tuesday: Chicken chili (from the leftover chicken)
- Wednesday: Vegetable curry
- Thursday: Pork chops and vegetables
- Friday: Chicken verde and lentils with vegetables
Breakfast Choices
- Eggs and bacon
- Protein shakes
- Eggs and vegetables
- Leftover apple and oats
Snacks
- Cheese
- Apples and oranges
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate milk
- Hummus and carrots
- Raw almonds
The Grocery List:
- 12 oz green chilis
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 28 oz fire roasted tomatoes
- 30 oz white beans
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Apples
- Oranges
- Garlic
- Bell Pepper
- Spinach
- Limes
- Cauliflower
- Brussel sprouts
- Eggs
- Butter
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Half and half (husband drinks coffee)
- Whole chicken (I had already)
- Chicken breasts, thighs, or legs (I had breasts already)
- 4 thick cut pork loin chops
- 2 lbs stew meat
The Cost: $67.94
What I already had and didn’t need to buy:
Whole chicken (about $12 if chicken is pastured and organic)
Chicken breasts ($1.99-2.99lb)
1 small can of pumpkin (I think I paid maybe $2?)
Cheese (about $5)
Green sauce (about $3)
Peanut Butter (depends on brand, mine cost about $6)
Bacon (nitrate-free, $5.49)
Rutabega ($1.99)
Almonds ($7.69)
Whey Protein ($12 on sale, in a delicious banana cream flavor)
Spices and cooking oil
Total cost of items I already had: $54.69 – I could add the two together, but it really wouldn’t be an accurate number since I had purchased these items previously on another grocery bill, and most of us usually don’t start the week off with absolutely nothing in our pantry and fridge. Take out the snacks, and the total would be $24.
So about $85-92 (this week’s grocery bill + items already in my kitchen) was spent on a weeks worth of meals for 3 adults. All meals are grain-free and any of them can be made without dairy products.
I don’t think that is too bad at all. Certainly an improvement from our last grocery bill.
I will post the recipes as I go through them!
