$100 Grocery Shopping Haul
This paycheck's budget for groceries is $150. Twenty of that is earmarked for Ben's breakfasts at work. Although I'm hoping we can keep that lower by preparing eggs, sausage, and biscuits at home! Another twenty is earmarked for milk. Milk goes on sale on Wednesdays at our local grocery store for $1.88 a gallon. We typically purchase 4 gallons.
Generally, I purchase enough food and other items at their lowest price to last 3-4 months. For example, if spaghetti is on sale for 49 cents a package, I'll buy 8 packages assuming we'll eat spaghetti twice a month. Most grocery stores are on a 3-4 month sale cycle, so by the time we've eaten all the spaghetti, it'll be on sale again!
These days things are a bit different since we don't know if we'll be moving for school in the next few months, or not. If we are moving we don't want to have a ton of food to pack, so we're focusing on eating the food in our freezer and pantry. Things are starting to get lean though people! Because of that we upped the grocery budget so I can fill some of the empty shelves!
I had $110 to work with to fill in any gaps over the next two weeks of meals. I went to 4 different stores to get the best prices on all the items. Here's what I ended up buying:
-50 lbs of potatoes $9.27
Kent's Market
-3 packages of tortillas $2.37
-8 Pringles $5.92 (Sale Price was $0.99 and I used two $1 off 4 coupons)
-30 single string cheese $5
-2 16 oz. sour cream $1.58
-2 lb brick of medium cheddar cheese $3.99
Total: $19.49
Lee's Marketplace
-2 family size Triscuits $4.21
-2 family size Wheat Thins $4.21
-0.88 lb of sliced ham $3.51
Total: $12.39
Smith's
-2 6-pks of Dr. Pepper $5
-7 2-pks of Chobani smooth yogurt FREE (Print the coupon at www.chobani.com while supplies last)
-2 Hershey Gold candy bars FREE (Smith's Friday Deals)
-32 oz. bag of frozen corn $1.89
-32 oz. bag of frozen peas $1.89
-3 boxes of Cheerios $4.47
-2 boxes of Reeses Puffs $2.98
-Basil $3.49 (This is expensive because I wanted the "pretty" bottle that I will then refill with bulk spices from Winco)
-5 jars of 16 oz. peanut butter $4.55 (sale price $0.99 and I had one $0.40 off coupon)
-1 jar of petite baby dill pickles $3.19
-1 jar of dill pickles $1.49
-Box of John Frieda hair color $10.49 (the most expensive thing I purchased, but cheaper than getting my hair dyed at the salon!)
-5 lb of carrots $2.99
-Garlic Bulb $0.34
-Broccoli Crowns $2.09
-Romaine Lettuce $1.29
-Celery $1.29
-3 bags of BBQ chips $5.97
-2 rolls of pork sausage $5
Total: $59.32
GRAND TOTAL: $100.47
Some of what was purchased is for specific meals we'll be having over the next two weeks. Others were purchased because it was a KILLER price and we'll use it before it goes bad. For example the sour cream. I debated between getting one or two. The best by date is April 4th. We'll definitely be able to go through both packages of sour cream in the next month and a half and $0.79 is a GREAT price for sour cream. Another example is the block of cheese. I bought cheese on my last grocery trip and we still have enough to last at least the next two weeks. BUT - $3.99 for a 2 lb block of cheese is the best price I ever see on cheese. It's worth it to buy extra and freeze for future use until it goes on sale again for that price. That is what allows us to feed our family of 6 on such a small budget. (I seriously don't think I can emphasize this enough!!!) Buy at the lowest price and buy enough to last until it goes on sale again!
I'm lucky to have several grocery stores within a short distance. I wouldn't drive a large distance to visit 4 different grocery stores for negligible savings. Those savings would just be eaten up in gas! If there's a discount store you know of that you never visit because it's out of the way, when you are in the neighborhood, add it to your stops. I actually sent me husband to Carl's Super Saver Store because it's on the opposite end of town, close to his work. He didn't have to go out of his way and neither did I to get the savings on potatoes. The more you do this - the easier it will become!!
