So, since finding MMM a few months ago, I've managed to cut our utilities bills in half, shed over $6000 in annual spending without significantly impacting our lifestyle, and make some other improvements. However, the biggest expense we have is our grocery bill. With our household division of labour, my wife does all the cooking and shopping in our house. We are a family of 4 - two adults, an older teen, and one tween. My wife can't eat gluten, eggs, or dairy. We eat very clean, and apparently I eat "a lot". She shops at Superstore and Natures Fare (kinda like a Whole Foods place), and sometimes will bulk buy stuff at Costco. We can zip across the US border sometimes, but it's a 45 min drive, there are limits to what we can bring back, and the 30% exchange rate makes doing so less desirable than it used to be when the exchange rate was at par. Organic is a big thing to her.
Right now our grocery bill is around $400 per week. Yes, per week. As in around $20,000 per year. We almost never go out to eat - work lunches are brought from home. We do not waste a lot of food, either.
My wife claims that with her dietary restrictions, it would be impossible to cut it down and that people who have cheap grocery bills can only do so because they eat crappy processed junk food.
My question is this - is it possible in a HCOL west coast Canadian city to go below $100 per person per week given her dietary restrictions?
Before I dig into this, I'm looking for a bit of affirmation that not only is it possible, but that the ROI of my time will be worth it.
Fellow Canucks - am I barking up the wrong tree? Or is this a project worth engaging in? If it is, do you have any tips on how we can accomplish this?
Love my wife, she's awesome, so I'm not trying to disparage her, but I do see the potential to live more optimally for both of our benefit.
Thank you!