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Grocery Budget Challenge Week #1
I’m so silly. When the thought of having to buy all of the groceries for the week in one shot, I got nervous. I made a meal plan, wrote a gigantic grocery list, and planned to go to two markets.
Didn’t happen.
Yesterday morning I woke up and headed on foot to Whole Foods. When I go there walking I bring a dorky grocery cart and have to remember that anything I buy must fit in the cart. Luckily my Whole Foods list wasn’t too long.
But then I was in the Italian foods aisle checking out my lists and I had a revelation. There were only about 5 items from Wegman’s that we really needed for the week. Everything on the Whole Foods list + those 5 items should easily last us through the week. I quickly canceled my trip to Wegman’s and got everything we needed at Whole Foods. I didn’t buy oranges, orange juice or enough bottled water since my cart would have been too heavy, so I might have to go back later in the week for those items. I didn’t get any lettuce either, but we might be able to make do with other vegetables we have in the house.
Anyway, I can’t say for sure right now, but I think it was a success. The fridge is well stocked, and with some use of our pantry we should be just fine. And nothing will go to waste.
The greatest success of all? I only bought one item off the list- red grapes. I have an excuse though, really! It is so hard to find red grapes that are exactly the way I like them- super round, hard, and sweet. When I see them (rarely) at the market I can’t resist! They put us back $7.57, but I don’t mind. Totally worth the extra expense.
I also used coupons for the first time in a long time, saving us $14.50. I used these Alexia coupons from some summer conferences as well as a coupon from Lucini (one of my favorite brands of jarred sauce ever- actually, it’s the only jarred sauce I’ve ever actually used!!!). Total savings? $14.50, not counting the items on sale.
Here is our skeleton meal plan for the week, which is the first plan I’ve made in almost 2 years.
Meal Plan
Breakfasts: english muffins with PB & J, cereal & milk, eggs
Lunches:
PB- leftovers (4 lunches), fruit, yogurt, bars
RG: tomato & mozzarella salads, crunchy bread, juice
Snacks: chips, apples, oranges (must buy!)
Dinner:
Sunday- eggplant lasagna
Monday- chicken, Alexia baked fries, steamed sugar snap peas
Tuesday- eggplant lasagna leftovers
Wednesday- out to dinner
Thursday- pantry meal
Friday- whatever PB feels like cooking. He is the master of turning random ingredients into a delicious meal.
Grocery List
2 containers fresh mozzarella
large bottle Smart water
San Marzano crushed tomatoes
jar Lucini tomato vodka sauce
peanut butter chip ice cream (splurge! $5.69)
ricotta
bone in chicken breast
5 organic Gala apples
1 bag red seedless grapes (splurge! $7.57)
sugar snap peas (woah- just noticed how pricey they are… $5.99 for a small bag????)
campari tomatoes
regular tomatoes
1 lb strawberries (on sale)
gnocchi (splurge! $4.99)
3 pkg Alexia fries (coupon)
1 organic eggplant
whole wheat english muffins
1 loaf ciabatta
5 rolls
Grand total: $89.13
Items I didn’t get but might buy during the week:
eggs
5 oranges
bottled water
crackers
orange juice
kalamata olives
watercress
radishes
romaine
Grade I give myself: B
I probably could have done a lot better, but for our first week I am proud. Even if I buy all the extra items on the second list my grand total for the week won’t be more than $120 or so. Not bad for us. Let’s see how the rest of the week goes…
16 Responses to “Grocery Budget Challenge Week #1”
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OH man. The day I spend under $100 will be exciting. I think you did great!
Wow- I think you did awesome. I’m with Jessica. I never see a number under $100! And the meals all sound tasty
i’m super picky about my grapes too…and only like them the way you described them! so hard to find good grapes these days 🙂
I don’t even want to tell you how much we spent on groceries yesterday, but it was an insane number. In my defense, we cooked for a big group yesterday so a lot of that was the cost of meat (filet mignon) for the group. I will definitely be following this series because I am always trying to cut our grocery budget! The problem is that I like to cook, esp. with really good ingredients. I get too many ideas and buy so much stuff…but we do end up eating (most of) it. I need to be better about utilizing the ingredients in my freezer to help the budget more.
Nice work–thanks for sharing a glimpse into your shopping!
that’s awesome! ps i LOVE sugar snap peas and since they’re so $$ i buy the $1.50 bags in the frozen section and let them thaw, haha 🙂
Sounds like you did AWESOME for your first week! With a meal plan and only one item off the list? Be proud!
Looks like you did a great job but I am wondering why you are buying bottle water – it is expensive and you can drink it from your tap or even buy a filter to add to your faucet.
@Heather, We do use a Brita but for the last week the water has tasted funny from the tap (even after filtering it) so I am buying bottled until we can figure it out.
I’m wondering about the bottled water too. Why not use a Brita and reusable water bottle?
@Lauren, Please see the comment above! The bottled water is a new and temporary thing until we figure out what is going on with the tap. We use a Brita but suddenly the water doesn’t taste right.
I have been completely lost this past week and a half since my husband has been in the hospital – I feel lost without grocery shopping or meal planning – I think you did a great job, especially since you bought everything at Whole Foods!
nice job! and hey, your savings were > the cost of the grapes, I’d say that’s a win 🙂
I am doing a REAL FOOD challenge over on my blog and I need to figure out a budget!!! It is so not easy..I love that you posted yours 🙂
This is such a great idea! I might do this too! Goodness knows I need to save money. Nice job!
I think you did great! That’s about how much I spend on groceries! I don’t mind indulging a little on the food I eat b/c its what fuels me for the day to day activities!