Stick To a Grocery Budget 2016

[Crystal1588]

February expected expenses are:
Grocery: $350
Dining out: $50
Target: $50

February check in:
So far, we are at $184.47.
$18.42 for household ($31.58 left in budget)
$38.99 for eating out ($11 left in budget)
$127.06 for groceries ($222.94 left in budget)

My husband bought lunch for his team at work, which definitely sank our eating out budget, but we should be able to come in under the other budgets. So far, so good.

So it's not going quite as well as I'd like but it is due to buying 3 months worth of diapers @ $.11 each (my stock up price is $.14 each) as well as some bulk products (toilet paper etc) that I only buy about every 6 months.

at the halfway mark, I'm at:
Grocery: $217.51 ($132.49 left in budget)
Household: $118.17 ($68.17 over budget)
Eating out: $50.61 ($.61 over budget)

Hoping to come in under budget for groceries so it's not a complete bust.

How's everyone else doing?

Final numbers for February:
Groceries: $377.89 ($27.89 over budget)
Household: $118.17 ($68.17 over budget)
Eating out: $57.02 ($7.02 over budget)
Alcohol: $23.11 -- not sure how to categorize this because it was a bottle of wine purchased at a restaurant but consumed at home.

Over budget: $126.19.  Hoping next month is better. We don't need to buy much for household stuff, so it should be a bit better.

[andy85]

single dude checking in...

Goals:
455/month for all consumables
347 - grocery (80/week - also includes paper products and toiletries)
43 - alcohol (10/week)
65 - dining out (15/week)

(math may be off due to rounding)

January check-in:
277.17 - grocery (55.43/week (*5 weeks) - also includes paper products and toiletries)
67.35 - alcohol (16.84/week - 4 weeks)
51.73 - dining out (12.93/week - 4 weeks)
Total: 396.25 for all consumables (58.75 under budget)

*i usually grocery shop on saturday or sunday and there were 5 weekends this month

February check-in:
232.70 - grocery (58.18/week (4 weeks - also includes paper products and toiletries)
12.97 - alcohol (3.24/week - 4 weeks)
42.24 - dining out (10.56/week - 4 weeks)
Total: 287.91 for all consumables (167.09 under budget)

Tried to go all month without buying booze...came close..only bought 1 cheap bottle of bourbon. Solid month.

[Nancy]

Did a bulk coffee buy this month, which severely cuts into my grocery budget. We have a lot of staples in the house, so I'm going to try and make it happen within budget.

Squeezed in at $297/$300.

[iknowiyam]

For 2 adults... January.
Grocery spending/goal: $159/$200
Restaurant spending/goal: $64/$50

Free food at work is still helping, now have started bringing home leftovers... Also, figuring out what is actually a good deal at Costco and getting it there. We are doing great on restaurants.

2 adults, February.
Grocery spending/goal: $147/$200
Restaurant spending/goal: $35*/$50

*Edited to correct restaurant spending.

[Knitwit]

Well, February stunk. Final total was $336.74. I don't know how we could've consumed so much in 29 days! This doesn't even include restaurants... Not that we spent a ton on restaurants, but still.

March 1 is a new start. March's goal is $300 - stretch goal $275.

[Bee21]

Well, we are under t budgeted amount, but disappointed that I couldn't do it under 180 a week. I was hoping for 160. We ate well though. Lots of fruit and veg, meat every day, packed lunches, entertaining people...

We ate out for the first time in 6 months ( w friends), and I almost fainted at the price. (150 for the 4 of us). And honestly, I cook so much better than that chef:) I forgot how expensive restaurants are.

I am planning to try a few new recipes as we were getting bored with the regular dishes. And I have to get some ideas for my husbands packed lunches as he is finally willing to take them ( and eat them too). I am happy w a soup or salad or sandwich, but he expects something fancy. And a lot of it.

[jennymouse]

Is it too late to join this challenge?  Although we are pretty good at sticking to a grocery budget in my family of four-- two adults/ two kids + a new puppy (oops!)-- our grocery budget is A THOUSAND DOLLARS!! I know, shocking right??  I have just come to this blog and have a new perspective now.  My new goal is $600 and I know we can do it.  I have just joined Costco.  I am 40 and have literally never been in a Costco before.  Wow!! That place is so disorienting!  You have to really have a good plan before you go in there.  And you have to have a good sense of what things are per unit because it's hard to comparison shop with their increased sizes of everything.  Many things were cheaper at the regular grocery store. 

[cats]

Did accounts for February....we were once again over, GRRR.  Our average for the year so far is a little less than last year, but not much.  However, we just had the baby and this month's goal is basically to hunker down, eat out our food stash, and only buy fruit/veg/eggs.  Hoping we can stay under $200/month for the next couple of months to even things out.

The chard, snow peas, and arugula in our garden have also all just started going nuts so that's a bit of a savings on fresh vegetables!

[kathrynd]

From Canada here...we (husband and I ) only spent $118.78 because of coupons and store incentives.If we had paid for everything it would have cost $185.55

Because we stock up when something goes on sale, and don't just stick to one store...and don't buy groceries (we are there for specials and reduced foods) our monthly grocery list may look incomplete or odd.

month of Feb 1-29  2016


 
camebert cheese $6.59 (reduced)= $3.29
cooked whole chicken- $9.99 (reduced)=$4.99
3lb parkay margarine 3 @ $3.33=$9.99
reduced produce 3 @ $1.49= $4.47
2lbs bananas= $1.75
spicy kelbassa sausage $5.99 (reduced)= $2.99
coffee cream flavoring- $3.99
mushrooms $3.29 (reduced) (200 PC pts)= $1.64
produce reduced 2 @ $1.49 =$2.98
PC mini naan breads 5 @$1.69 (reduced) (2000 PC pts) =$4.20
450g cheese  4 @$4.48 (reduced) =$8.95
 2 lbs carrots- $0.97
2 lbs onions- $0.89
1.41 lbs vine tomatoes= $1.82
 1 kg Skippy peanut butter 2 @ $2.00= $4.00
apricot jam 2 @ 2/$3.00= $3.00
750 ml olive oil =$5.00
nachos- $1.99
 1 lb strawberrries  3 @$1.47= $4.41
spinach- $1.99
broccoli- $0.97
1.46 kg sweet potatoes= $3.12
cheddar cocktail sausages $1.96
Brothers Honey garlic pepperoni- $3.07
 apple pie- $3.99
10 lbs – apples- $5.95
parsnips- $1.95
3lb  bag of apples -$4.00
 cantaloupe $2.47 (reduced) = $0.99
rainbow pepper 4  pack = $2.47
4 pk tomato=$2.99
227g mushrooms= $1.97
 2-4L milk @$5.69=$11.38
2- marmalade 2/$5.00 = $5.00
4L milk- $5.69
1.89 L ice cream=$3.69
2-4L milk @$5.69=$11.38
2-4L milk @$5.69=$11.38
sour cream- $1.99
10 lb potatoes- $2.00

[ohsnap]

Is it too late to join this challenge?  Although we are pretty good at sticking to a grocery budget in my family of four-- two adults/ two kids + a new puppy (oops!)-- our grocery budget is A THOUSAND DOLLARS!! I know, shocking right??  I have just come to this blog and have a new perspective now.  My new goal is $600 and I know we can do it.  I have just joined Costco.  I am 40 and have literally never been in a Costco before.  Wow!! That place is so disorienting!  You have to really have a good plan before you go in there.  And you have to have a good sense of what things are per unit because it's hard to comparison shop with their increased sizes of everything.  Many things were cheaper at the regular grocery store.

You can do it!  My household of 4 adults spent exactly $600/mo last year (well $600.50!), and I'm aiming a little lower this year.  I count dog food in the "pets" category, though.

Costco will definitely help.  Here are the items I purchase there that are much cheaper than other stores:  cheese, milk, beef, tuna, sausages, many canned goods such as black beans & tomatoes, hot dog/hamburger buns, mayonnaise.  I almost never buy chicken there because I can usually find it on sale elsewhere for cheaper.  And the produce is in such huge quantities that I rarely buy that, either, because I always end up throwing away half. :(  Also, I hate to admit it, but my young-adult children love convenience foods, so when stuff like Hot Pockets are on coupon, I buy a box. 

Good luck!

[elaine amj]

Finally tallied everything yesterday. $634 for the month of February for our family of 4 in Canada. Better than $770 in January :)

Still some more work ahead. We have slacked off a bit. I am learning new recipes so not always only shopping stuff that is on sale. But trying to stick to that for the more expensive stuff. Still have a big stash in the freezer so will continue to eat out of that whenever possible.

Hubby and I are eating a lot of fresh veggies and I am finding that is pricier because they're not always on sale every week and they are perishable so hard to stock up on them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eliza]

Joining in since one of my goals for this year is actually tracking all of my spending.

Total Food and Beverage goal is $300/month, including:
$150 on groceries
$50 on alcohol
$100 on dining/drinking out

February Check In
$36.29 on groceries
$95.34 on alcohol
$206.17 on dining/drinking out
$337.80 Total

So not as good as I had hoped, but not terrible.  The month included a bit of travel - a one week work trip and two long weekend fun trips, and plenty of wine and beer.  If you back out my per diem from work travel, the net spending would be $131.30. 

This month is shaping up to be pretty spendy in the alcohol and dining/drinking out categories as I am in the middle of a ~3 week work trip to NYC.

[SuperSaver]

My budget seems to be okay.
We decided March 1st to buy a house and found one, got pre-approval, a real estate agent, did a walk through, wrote an offer and now have a contract within a one week span... So we have been eating out a lot and driving all over to 4 different locations all a half hour from one another.

Groceries are $158 and Restaurants are $97 so far. Booze is zero.

Life should settle down while we wait for my mortgage guy to approve the condominium and undergo house inspection so we will try to eat down the fridge/freezer to help for next months potential move- although our new place will only be a 30 minute drive from our current location. It seems like a hassle to pack frozen food and cart it all the way to the new place. We have been subsiding on prepackaged food, processed junk and fast food the past week so hopefully that is through. Also my company is about to feed me for the 4th time tomorrow this month....I'm starting to miss home cooked meals now. 

[Knitwit]

Happy mid-March! So far, groceries this month have totaled... drumroll... $67.48! That should get me to the end of the week at least, so that's awesome.

With Easter coming up, I anticipate a little more spending around the end of the month. We're running a bit short on some staples, so we might also have a large-ish shop coming up soon. Aiming to stay under $250 for the month.

[ShortStuff]

This is such a great idea, as Food is our #2 monthly expense behind Housing.  I imagine it ranks that way for many Americans. 

We're a family of 2 adults. We also discovered last year that we had been spending above our monthly target of $520 for food (all, including restaurants and groceries).  2015 was the first year we actually tracked it, so hopefully we only go down from here!  For February it was $542 for us. Not wildly off base but hopefully we can lower it in March. 

We now have a rule that we only eat at restaurants if 1) someone has given us a gift card, or 2) it's a special occasion such as a parent's birthday, etc., or 3) we have an out-of-state visitor about twice a year. 
Some tips: even with recent visitors, we cooked food a few times and served wine for them at home, and it was successful.  It doesn't always have to be eating out everywhere.  Plus people enjoy being able to talk and hear each other in your home.  Then while sightseeing we brought a backpack with snacks and water bottles, which helped hold us over until we did eat dinner at a restaurant.

[kathrynd]

Happy mid-March! So far, groceries this month have totaled... drumroll... $67.48! That should get me to the end of the week at least, so that's awesome.

With Easter coming up, I anticipate a little more spending around the end of the month. We're running a bit short on some staples, so we might also have a large-ish shop coming up soon. Aiming to stay under $250 for the month.

Very nice :)

For my husband and myself...we are currently at $50.25 for March
my best buy this week was a bottle of barbeque sauce on sale for 40c :)

[Bee21]

151 this week. Yay!

[monstermonster]

I'm at $100 for the month so far. Not nearly as good as some of you! Also no spending on restaurants or bars this month so I'm doing well for me!

I posted this in the grocery tracking thread but here is the ranking (the high "dairy" was a sale on fancy vegan cheese meant I stocked up on things to freeze.)

[iknowiyam]

For 2 adults... January.
Grocery spending/goal: $159/$200
Restaurant spending/goal: $64/$50

2 adults, February.
Grocery spending/goal: $147/$200
Restaurant spending/goal: $35/$50

2 adults, March.
Grocery spending/goal: $95/$200
Restaurant spending/goal: $49/$50

I am shamelessly taking leftovers from work and pairing them with fresh fruit and vegetables. Also, our entire restaurant budget was just one very nice dining experience. I will try really hard not to shop again until April, as we have plenty of veg at the moment.

[JoRocka]

I joined MMM a little later- so I'm slowly catching myself up on challenges/needs that are relevant to what I can handle.
Grocery shopping is something I can manage pretty well- make up not so much- but groceries I can do.
I figure I spend between 250-300$/month on myself- I have a long distance fiance who is here 2 days a week and we only eat dinner together as I'm at work when he is here.  This does not include what I spend on quick pick ups, Wawa coffee runs or food for my dance events.

Goal- 250$/month on TOTAL food expenditures
Groceries- 200$/month
Take out/quick snacks- 50$/month

So yeah- I've got a new spreadsheet up and running for myself to track groceries and money spent on food I don't prep.

So what it's already April- always time to improve. :)

[dandypandys]

MR Dandy and I are aiming for 500$ a month.. looks like we can do it for March which is our first month trying but it is pretty close.
We shop at publix when there is the gas card deal, (love those) trader joes, and aldis. It includes feeding 2 kitties :) We eat organic mostly.

[monstermonster]

Well, March was mostly a total fail. I'm still digging into why I spent so much on groceries this month (I stocked up on a few things, but not *that* much- luckily I've been categorizing all month.) Total food spend:

Groceries: $182.33
Sparkling Water: $10.00
Restaurants: $0 (yay!)
Booze for Home: $0 (yay!)
Bars: $5.53
----------------------------
Total Food: $197.36

One of my highest months ever for groceries- perhaps this is because I wasn't eating at restaurants or drinking so I was buying more groceries. Maybe it because sparkling water is so expensive and I drink a lot more of it when I'm not drinking booze. Maybe it's because my partner was out of town for two weeks so I wasn't splitting as many expenses. I did stock up on vegan cheese as it was on sale, and I splurge on snacks once or twice. Sadly, far and away from my goal of $140/month.

But on the flip side, no restaurant or booze spending, and just a few dollars on club soda at bars all month!

[cats]

Just added up March spending and we came in at $180!  I was actually thinking it might be a bit higher than this as I have eaten out once, and we did also buy a little bit of meat (grocery store randomly had lamb shanks on special, which we both love...lamb shank crockpot curry, yum).  And while we haven't been buying tons of groceries, there have been a few other "luxury" purchases (some extra sharp cheddar, a few chutneys from the Indian grocery).

So our monthly average is now trending downwards, yay!  We're averaging $375/month, under the $400/month goal.  If we can keep April and May similar to March (which is the plan), we'll be under $300/month.  June we may have exhausted some of our pantry supplies and do a re-stock in advance of my returning to work, July and August there are no particular impacts one way or the other forseen (so hopefully under $300), September we go on vacation for half the month so that could be another high spend period (low groceries but high eating out likely).  So it's not a sure thing but I think we still have a shot at averaging $300/month for the year, which would be about $2500 reduction in spending relative to 2015.  Not shabby.

[JoRocka]

Welp- now that it's the end of the month- I took a minute to go through my account and add up my expenses for food, alcohol and any sort of meals I purchased. #disappointmentabounds

Total Expenditure- 488.33
Groceries- 400.07
Alcohol- I couldn't find any direct purcases from liqour in my account- so this is probably wrapped up in Groceries)
FastFood- 88.26

I did have a weekend travel trip- which is why my "fast food" bill is abnormally high- I buy a lot of WaWa coffee when I'm on the road- and I purchased a days worth of salads from wawa while I was away- which was cheaper than eating out while away.

I suspect my bill was closer to 500 given there were at least 2 cash meals of 15-20$ unaccounted for in my direct account. so- I can safely say 500 for the month of March.

Which for one person is astonishing and makes me a little sad- but it's a place to start!!!  Room to improve and halve that if I can!!!  April is here- so new attempt!!!

[Bee21]

I happened to be next to the meat manager when he was discounting meat and scored 3 boxes of organic free range etc chicken thighs for 5.40. I asked him when they usually reduce the meat but he said it depends, between 4-6pm, 20% if it expires next day and 80% on the expiration day. So it won't help, but it is good to know.I usually drive 10 minutes to the more expensive supermarket where I can easily buy the discounted meat at 10 am with my regular shop. We have been within the food budget since I discovered their sticker shelf, and cook whatever I find there. This plus the Indian fruit and veg shop next to it is well worth the drive.

I made chicken soup last night, tonight it's enchiladas, and I still have 2 boxes in the freezer. Am thinking of satay chicken skewers on the barbeque for Saturday. Wil have to debone the damn thing though.

[SuperSaver]

Checking in for March Goal: $525 (groceries, booze and restaurants) Stretch goal of: $475.
Actual: $ 340 groceries and $270 restaurants = $617
So semi fail whale. $92 over budget. Not going to be too hard on myself. Currently facing an ungodly amount of stress and work but trying to persevere. I will do better next month for sure.

Since money is snug as we hoard all the cash for (hopefully) April's settlement...April Goal: spend absolutely the bare minimum on food and drinks. We still have a mostly full pantry and freezer and a semi stocked fridge. I batch cooked last night since I really need to eat down the house.

Welcome JoRocka and Dandy!!!
monstermonster- Whooo! on the Zero for booze. Also your graph is so fantastic to look at :)

[andy85]

single dude checking in...

Goals:
455/month for all consumables
347 - grocery (80/week - also includes paper products and toiletries)
43 - alcohol (10/week)
65 - dining out (15/week)

(math may be off due to rounding)

January check-in:
277.17 - grocery (55.43/week (*5 weeks) - also includes paper products and toiletries)
67.35 - alcohol (16.84/week - 4 weeks)
51.73 - dining out (12.93/week - 4 weeks)
Total: 396.25 for all consumables (58.75 under budget)

*i usually grocery shop on saturday or sunday and there were 5 weekends this month

February check-in:
232.70 - grocery (58.18/week (4 weeks - also includes paper products and toiletries)
12.97 - alcohol (3.24/week - 4 weeks)
42.24 - dining out (10.56/week - 4 weeks)
Total: 287.91 for all consumables (167.09 under budget)

Tried to go all month without buying booze...came close..only bought 1 cheap bottle of bourbon. Solid month.

March check-in:
209.54 - grocery (52.38/week (4 weeks - also includes paper products and toiletries)
91.67 - alcohol (22.84/week - 4 weeks)
67.52 - dining out (16.88/week - 4 weeks)
Total: $368.43 for all consumables ($86.57 under budget)

Drank and ate a lot this month...warmer weather..more socializing...still under budget as a whole though.

[EngineerYogi]

I don't want to check in >_< you can face punch me in my journal where I disclosed my abhorrent food spending for the month of March.

New goals for April:
Groceries $500
Eating Out $300

Food is an expensive category for us, it's one of our few hobbies so we keep this budget higher than most. But $800 total food spending is still a big cut back from how we typically spend. I'll be more mindful this month.

[dandypandys]

March 2016
$434 for groceries for the month  - made a bit of effort to shop smart, but not as much as we could have.
$0 dining out
$0 drinks-

Next month we are aiming for $400, doubt we can manage it though as it is both of our birthdays month and we already have some socializing organized.

[iknowiyam]

March 2016
$434 for groceries for the month  - made a bit of effort to shop smart, but not as much as we could have.
$0 dining out
$0 drinks-

Next month we are aiming for $400, doubt we can manage it though as it is both of our birthdays month and we already have some socializing organized.

Zero restaurant and zero drinks? Way to go! That by itself is good.

[dandypandys]

Husband is tee-total, and i keep him company, unless out with friends.. and this month i only did an eating with friends thing once, and what we did was get some frozen pizza and wine from whole foods and split the bill- so i just included it in groceries.
Does make me realize how little i socialize since getting married though, oops.

[JoRocka]

Welcome JoRocka and Dandy!!!
monstermonster- Whooo! on the Zero for booze. Also your graph is so fantastic to look at :)

Thank you thank you :) Happy to have a space to try to improve spending!!! 


Funny- I was telling my FH (future husband) that I spent to much money- and I wanted to get it closer to 50$/week for groceries- and he says that it's to little- that it's Ramen level of food consumption.

I said CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I find that odd given FH eats very little- he's a 1 meal a day kind of person- and typicaly sticks with carbs and meat- mostly carbs- and one chicken breast or maybe eggs and a muffin- he's got the worst diet EVER (he's an adult whatever) but he doesn't actually eat that much. I suspect most of his money is spent eating chicken from a chicken card in NYC where he works- which duh- is expensive as fuck.

Coworker also seems to think it's pushing it.   And I did all the math's- and 400$/month- is 100 per week and roughly is 5$ a meal- which really when you look it at like that is pretty damn good- but 400 just seems SO EXCESSIVE.


I find it all interesting and fascinating.  But a challenge none the less!!!
:D

[monstermonster]

Welcome JoRocka and Dandy!!!
monstermonster- Whooo! on the Zero for booze. Also your graph is so fantastic to look at :)

Thank you thank you :) Happy to have a space to try to improve spending!!! 


Funny- I was telling my FH (future husband) that I spent to much money- and I wanted to get it closer to 50$/week for groceries- and he says that it's to little- that it's Ramen level of food consumption.

I said CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I find that odd given FH eats very little- he's a 1 meal a day kind of person- and typicaly sticks with carbs and meat- mostly carbs- and one chicken breast or maybe eggs and a muffin- he's got the worst diet EVER (he's an adult whatever) but he doesn't actually eat that much. I suspect most of his money is spent eating chicken from a chicken card in NYC where he works- which duh- is expensive as fuck.

Coworker also seems to think it's pushing it.   And I did all the math's- and 400$/month- is 100 per week and roughly is 5$ a meal- which really when you look it at like that is pretty damn good- but 400 just seems SO EXCESSIVE.


I find it all interesting and fascinating.  But a challenge none the less!!!
:D

$50/week is totally not ramen-level consumption at all! I shop nearly entirely at whole foods (I am really lazy, it's only 2 blocks from my house) which is not cheap, and I'm still well under $200/month (this month I was really high but still under that). If I went to grocery outlet more, I could get my monthly groceries down to $125 or so and still eat well. Most of my meals cost $.50-$1.80/meal and I almost never have ramen (and I only do it when I'm making fancy ramen because I want it!)

The key is limiting your meat and alcohol consumption  and eating in season when produce is cheap. Check out budgetbytes

[www.montanahappy.com]

Started April 1st, one person my goal is $200 per month.  Currently I have a full pantry and a freezer full of food that I can dip into.  I plan on making my own cleaning supplies.  I think the best way to make this not a sacrifice is to make a game out of it.  Game on!

[JoRocka]

Welcome JoRocka and Dandy!!!
monstermonster- Whooo! on the Zero for booze. Also your graph is so fantastic to look at :)

Thank you thank you :) Happy to have a space to try to improve spending!!! 


Funny- I was telling my FH (future husband) that I spent to much money- and I wanted to get it closer to 50$/week for groceries- and he says that it's to little- that it's Ramen level of food consumption.

I said CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I find that odd given FH eats very little- he's a 1 meal a day kind of person- and typicaly sticks with carbs and meat- mostly carbs- and one chicken breast or maybe eggs and a muffin- he's got the worst diet EVER (he's an adult whatever) but he doesn't actually eat that much. I suspect most of his money is spent eating chicken from a chicken card in NYC where he works- which duh- is expensive as fuck.

Coworker also seems to think it's pushing it.   And I did all the math's- and 400$/month- is 100 per week and roughly is 5$ a meal- which really when you look it at like that is pretty damn good- but 400 just seems SO EXCESSIVE.


I find it all interesting and fascinating.  But a challenge none the less!!!
:D

$50/week is totally not ramen-level consumption at all! I shop nearly entirely at whole foods (I am really lazy, it's only 2 blocks from my house) which is not cheap, and I'm still well under $200/month (this month I was really high but still under that). If I went to grocery outlet more, I could get my monthly groceries down to $125 or so and still eat well. Most of my meals cost $.50-$1.80/meal and I almost never have ramen (and I only do it when I'm making fancy ramen because I want it!)

The key is limiting your meat and alcohol consumption  and eating in season when produce is cheap. Check out budgetbytes

Yeah- I've read enough to realize from other people it IS doable. Unfortunately I'm a HUGE fan of meat (jokes?? giggity giggity)- but typically I stick with chicken and I do my best to stock up when it's under 2$/pound.

I'm coming off a 5 month bulk and transitioning into cutting which means must less food- so that will help. I"m thinking if I can keep myself to under 40$ a week I'll be okay- I spent 35 last week and I feel like I'm going to just make it till Friday.  I did get a cheat because FH ordered me and "i'm sorry I ate your pizza" pizza (he ate my left overs!!) for me Saturday but that didn't come out of my wallet and got me dinner Sat night and lunch Sunday- but regularly I mostly eat chicken and veggies and bacon and eggs.

I'm going to probably drop my yogurt- which makes me a little said- but I'm finding I'm skipping eating it and after a few days I just throw it away- so money wasted.

But if you can do it at Whole Paycheck- I mean whole foods- then I definitely can do it. I have access to an Aldi- but honestly I hate that their produce turns like in 2-3 days and then I throw it out b/c I only like to do produce once a week.
So Shop Rite typically fits me needs. I do try to stick with seasonal and frozen veggies so that definitely helps.

I'm not unhappy- week one is looking good for me!!!

[JoRocka]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

[eliza]

Joining in since one of my goals for this year is actually tracking all of my spending.

Total Food and Beverage goal is $300/month, including:
$150 on groceries
$50 on alcohol
$100 on dining/drinking out

MarchCheck In
$48.52 on groceries
$211.81 on alcohol
$293.86 on dining/drinking out
$554.19 Total

Exploding volcano of wastefulness.  Mostly understandable as I was away from my home for 25 days in March - networking with coworkers drove up dining/drinking out and my contribution to a long weekend family trip was buying the booze ($125 of the total).  Still room to improve. 

I am seeing that my dining out budget might need to be raised slightly.  I do enjoy a good meal out and I need to do some degree of networking (sadly, very common in my field) so I'm trying to strike the right balance.

[Bee21]

158$ For this week's shop.And ate well thanks to stocking up previously on meat. Am kicking myself though as i found half a packet of expired frozen salmon while cleaning out the freezer and had to throw away a head of lettuce ($1.30) because there was a disgusting fat hairy caterpillar in the middle of it. And the damn thing wasnt even organic. Yuck.

[robartsd]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I usually agree on the preferring meat over tofu; however, I must say that tofu is all about how you season it - done well it can taste good (but don't expect it to taste like meat). Most people can simply reduce their meat consumption because their diet has more than it needs. Beans are a great inexpensive source of protein. Nuts are another vegan protein source. Any of these vegan protein options can be made into very satisfying meals, but in my experience they are best appreciated for what they are rather than expecting them to be a substitute for meat.

[MayDay]

I need to join.

We are family of 4.  2 years ago when I first joined Mr. MMM I went super nutso on reducing grocery spending.  I categorized every grocery expense and had a huge spreadsheet, etc.  It helped, but was not sustainable.  PLUS ALSO I like some convenience food dammit.  I like grabbing one dang yogurt asnd not having to scoop it out into a bunch of containers from the big one. 

Anyway.  I need to work on this more.  We just finished eating down the deep freeze full of garden stuff that I froze last summer, and there is not fresh garden food left to eat, and all the produce is $$$ this time of year because winter.  And I am having gardening expenses come in. So as we head into the most expensive grocery season, I need to apply myself to cutting costs. 

Jan: 611
Feb: 658
Mar: 615

I tell myself we spend 500 a month but obviously I am a lying liar who lies.  To my credit, March included a 120$ order of tea which will last until Oct/Nov (yes we drink a lot of tea). 

[JoRocka]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I usually agree on the preferring meat over tofu; however, I must say that tofu is all about how you season it - done well it can taste good (but don't expect it to taste like meat). Most people can simply reduce their meat consumption because their diet has more than it needs. Beans are a great inexpensive source of protein. Nuts are another vegan protein source. Any of these vegan protein options can be made into very satisfying meals, but in my experience they are best appreciated for what they are rather than expecting them to be a substitute for meat.

I've definitely had some delicious tofu (the Moroccan restaurant where I work makes tofu shcwarma? (spelling) and it's stunning)- and I KNOW it can be done (My friend and I are considering trying that sweet spicy tofu dish this weekend)

I guess not so much a direct meat replacement- kind of like spaghetti squash is delicious- but it's still not pasta... but is it worth the trade off to sub it out occasionally.   My protein needs are generally higher than others (I aim for 140 grams a day)- and I'm less concerned with a direct replacement- and more about cutting corners financially- can I get my protein in at a more cost effective rate.

[monstermonster]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I have literally no advice on meat because I've never had it in my life, but I will say there's a lot of budgetbytes meals that include meat! Check this out: http://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/meat/ If you don't like tofu, you can still do meat and bring down your costs!

[EngineerYogi]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I usually agree on the preferring meat over tofu; however, I must say that tofu is all about how you season it - done well it can taste good (but don't expect it to taste like meat). Most people can simply reduce their meat consumption because their diet has more than it needs. Beans are a great inexpensive source of protein. Nuts are another vegan protein source. Any of these vegan protein options can be made into very satisfying meals, but in my experience they are best appreciated for what they are rather than expecting them to be a substitute for meat.

I've definitely had some delicious tofu (the Moroccan restaurant where I work makes tofu shcwarma? (spelling) and it's stunning)- and I KNOW it can be done (My friend and I are considering trying that sweet spicy tofu dish this weekend)

I guess not so much a direct meat replacement- kind of like spaghetti squash is delicious- but it's still not pasta... but is it worth the trade off to sub it out occasionally.   My protein needs are generally higher than others (I aim for 140 grams a day)- and I'm less concerned with a direct replacement- and more about cutting corners financially- can I get my protein in at a more cost effective rate.

As a meat eater who "tracks macros" I found my best bet was to just hunt sales and get meat if I could find it for $2/lb or less, $3/lb is okay and anything over is going to be hard on the budget. Eggs and dairy are good too, but if you look at cost per 24g of protein, $2/lb chicken breast(which is a steal of a deal in my area) is better than $1.65/dozen eggs (which is the cheapest I've ever found either).

My math is like this
$2/1 lb of chicken: Four 4oz servings and one 4oz servings is about 24g of protein
$1.65/1 dozen eggs: Three 4 egg servings to get 24g of protein (6g of protein per egg)
$6.36/2lb Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Four 227g servings and one serving is 23g of protein

So you are at $0.50/serving for chicken, $.55/ serving for eggs, and $1.59/serving for greek yogurt, if you chicken runs you $3/lb then you are at $.75/serving and if the eggs cost $2.08/dozen (the typical best price in my area) they are $.69/serving. I don't buy tofu (I used to... but I haven't in a long time) so you can double check price per 24g serving. Protein powder is another option, if you can find a tub with 30 servings for $20 you are at $.66/serving.

[JoRocka]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I usually agree on the preferring meat over tofu; however, I must say that tofu is all about how you season it - done well it can taste good (but don't expect it to taste like meat). Most people can simply reduce their meat consumption because their diet has more than it needs. Beans are a great inexpensive source of protein. Nuts are another vegan protein source. Any of these vegan protein options can be made into very satisfying meals, but in my experience they are best appreciated for what they are rather than expecting them to be a substitute for meat.

I've definitely had some delicious tofu (the Moroccan restaurant where I work makes tofu shcwarma? (spelling) and it's stunning)- and I KNOW it can be done (My friend and I are considering trying that sweet spicy tofu dish this weekend)

I guess not so much a direct meat replacement- kind of like spaghetti squash is delicious- but it's still not pasta... but is it worth the trade off to sub it out occasionally.   My protein needs are generally higher than others (I aim for 140 grams a day)- and I'm less concerned with a direct replacement- and more about cutting corners financially- can I get my protein in at a more cost effective rate.

As a meat eater who "tracks macros" I found my best bet was to just hunt sales and get meat if I could find it for $2/lb or less, $3/lb is okay and anything over is going to be hard on the budget. Eggs and dairy are good too, but if you look at cost per 24g of protein, $2/lb chicken breast(which is a steal of a deal in my area) is better than $1.65/dozen eggs (which is the cheapest I've ever found either).

My math is like this
$2/1 lb of chicken: Four 4oz servings and one 4oz servings is about 24g of protein
$1.65/1 dozen eggs: Three 4 egg servings to get 24g of protein (6g of protein per egg)
$6.36/2lb Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Four 227g servings and one serving is 23g of protein

So you are at $0.50/serving for chicken, $.55/ serving for eggs, and $1.59/serving for greek yogurt, if you chicken runs you $3/lb then you are at $.75/serving and if the eggs cost $2.08/dozen (the typical best price in my area) they are $.69/serving. I don't buy tofu (I used to... but I haven't in a long time) so you can double check price per 24g serving. Protein powder is another option, if you can find a tub with 30 servings for $20 you are at $.66/serving.

well that's mighty interesting. thank you for the break down- nice to see other people working this out.

I pay about 4.99 for my favorite greek yogurt and I get about 6 servings out of it.  And it's one of my more "pricey" protein splurges- but I just cannot eat chicken for all my meals.
Typically I go with
meat for lunchish
yogurt/protein powder for afternoon/evening
bacon and eggs for dinner
Right now I've got a GIANT tub of casein vanilla I got for free (YAY) and I put it in my yogurt and my oats and that gets me 1.5-2 scoops a day (WIN).

Do you mix your proteins up and take the hit on the price- or do you eat chicken 2-3 times a day?   I've found I can get damn close to 160 with my general food routine as ist is.

I'd say my biggest challenge is- I only cook 1x a week- and that is generally my lunch- I could buy more chicken and cook bigger batches on the weekend- but generally I only manage to cook enough for lunch- and then do eggs for dinner.  And god- I go through a lot of eggs- I've been hitting a dozen a day at this point (not all whole- a mix of whites and whole)- and that's a pricey protein source. But trying to come home at 2230 and do more cooking outside of scrambled eggs is so exhausting.

[jooles]

I need to join.

We are family of 4.  2 years ago when I first joined Mr. MMM I went super nutso on reducing grocery spending.  I categorized every grocery expense and had a huge spreadsheet, etc.  It helped, but was not sustainable.  PLUS ALSO I like some convenience food dammit.  I like grabbing one dang yogurt asnd not having to scoop it out into a bunch of containers from the big one. 

Anyway.  I need to work on this more.  We just finished eating down the deep freeze full of garden stuff that I froze last summer, and there is not fresh garden food left to eat, and all the produce is $$$ this time of year because winter.  And I am having gardening expenses come in. So as we head into the most expensive grocery season, I need to apply myself to cutting costs. 

Jan: 611
Feb: 658
Mar: 615

I tell myself we spend 500 a month but obviously I am a lying liar who lies.  To my credit, March included a 120$ order of tea which will last until Oct/Nov (yes we drink a lot of tea).

Self awareness, transparency, and entertainment wrapped into one.  You're my hero today :)

[jooles]

I've fallen off the wagon.  I'm not sticking to my budget.  Still we have some wins to celebrate, but it's past time to get back on track. 

Goal for the remainder of April - Feed two adults on $7/day ($49/week) and keep non food spending (toilet paper and booze etc.) to $25/week.

Thanks for refreshing my inspiration and renewing my will.

Will report back at the end of the month.

[EngineerYogi]

So- I was reviewing the budget bytes- she uses tofu- I'm not a fan- I'll eat it but eh- I prefer meat.

Knowing that meat gets expensive- have you all collectively found you can alternate/sub out meat with tofu- get your protein and save money- or is the trade off about the same in terms of seasoning additions to the tofu??

I usually agree on the preferring meat over tofu; however, I must say that tofu is all about how you season it - done well it can taste good (but don't expect it to taste like meat). Most people can simply reduce their meat consumption because their diet has more than it needs. Beans are a great inexpensive source of protein. Nuts are another vegan protein source. Any of these vegan protein options can be made into very satisfying meals, but in my experience they are best appreciated for what they are rather than expecting them to be a substitute for meat.

I've definitely had some delicious tofu (the Moroccan restaurant where I work makes tofu shcwarma? (spelling) and it's stunning)- and I KNOW it can be done (My friend and I are considering trying that sweet spicy tofu dish this weekend)

I guess not so much a direct meat replacement- kind of like spaghetti squash is delicious- but it's still not pasta... but is it worth the trade off to sub it out occasionally.   My protein needs are generally higher than others (I aim for 140 grams a day)- and I'm less concerned with a direct replacement- and more about cutting corners financially- can I get my protein in at a more cost effective rate.

As a meat eater who "tracks macros" I found my best bet was to just hunt sales and get meat if I could find it for $2/lb or less, $3/lb is okay and anything over is going to be hard on the budget. Eggs and dairy are good too, but if you look at cost per 24g of protein, $2/lb chicken breast(which is a steal of a deal in my area) is better than $1.65/dozen eggs (which is the cheapest I've ever found either).

My math is like this
$2/1 lb of chicken: Four 4oz servings and one 4oz servings is about 24g of protein
$1.65/1 dozen eggs: Three 4 egg servings to get 24g of protein (6g of protein per egg)
$6.36/2lb Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Four 227g servings and one serving is 23g of protein

So you are at $0.50/serving for chicken, $.55/ serving for eggs, and $1.59/serving for greek yogurt, if you chicken runs you $3/lb then you are at $.75/serving and if the eggs cost $2.08/dozen (the typical best price in my area) they are $.69/serving. I don't buy tofu (I used to... but I haven't in a long time) so you can double check price per 24g serving. Protein powder is another option, if you can find a tub with 30 servings for $20 you are at $.66/serving.

well that's mighty interesting. thank you for the break down- nice to see other people working this out.

I pay about 4.99 for my favorite greek yogurt and I get about 6 servings out of it.  And it's one of my more "pricey" protein splurges- but I just cannot eat chicken for all my meals.
Typically I go with
meat for lunchish
yogurt/protein powder for afternoon/evening
bacon and eggs for dinner
Right now I've got a GIANT tub of casein vanilla I got for free (YAY) and I put it in my yogurt and my oats and that gets me 1.5-2 scoops a day (WIN).

Do you mix your proteins up and take the hit on the price- or do you eat chicken 2-3 times a day?   I've found I can get damn close to 160 with my general food routine as ist is.

I'd say my biggest challenge is- I only cook 1x a week- and that is generally my lunch- I could buy more chicken and cook bigger batches on the weekend- but generally I only manage to cook enough for lunch- and then do eggs for dinner.  And god- I go through a lot of eggs- I've been hitting a dozen a day at this point (not all whole- a mix of whites and whole)- and that's a pricey protein source. But trying to come home at 2230 and do more cooking outside of scrambled eggs is so exhausting.

I love variety and I don't mind the extra work it takes to track recipes so I tend to eat varying things daily. I flex between cooking a lot of food on the weekends or planning a handful of very fast dinners during the week. Here is an example day from last August (before I was in a big calorie cut, and also I'm currently on a "diet break" so I'm not tracking right now): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/engineergirl1?date=2015-08-10 I hit my protein with eggs, a turkey burger with cheese, bison chili and 2 scoops of powder plus a little incidental protein here and there. You can thumb through my MFP diary and see how things change daily to weekly. If you see any meals and want recipes let me know ;) The only downside, I haven't done a lot of food tracking while budgeting at the same time... It's a bridge I'll cross eventually, I'm just in a funky place right now...

[TabbyCat]

Joining! I actually have no idea what we spend on food right now - life has been very stressful lately so we just stopped keeping track. We've agreed to budget after we move and things settle down. We will also have space for the first time to buy foods in bulk (giant bag of Costco rice, I'm looking at you). My husband is really into prepared foods and snacks, so it may be hard to get him on board, but my plan is to track what we spend vs what we could spend and show him how much we're loosing after accounting for lost interest on savings.

[JoRocka]

I love variety and I don't mind the extra work it takes to track recipes so I tend to eat varying things daily. I flex between cooking a lot of food on the weekends or planning a handful of very fast dinners during the week. Here is an example day from last August (before I was in a big calorie cut, and also I'm currently on a "diet break" so I'm not tracking right now): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/engineergirl1?date=2015-08-10 I hit my protein with eggs, a turkey burger with cheese, bison chili and 2 scoops of powder plus a little incidental protein here and there. You can thumb through my MFP diary and see how things change daily to weekly. If you see any meals and want recipes let me know ;) The only downside, I haven't done a lot of food tracking while budgeting at the same time... It's a bridge I'll cross eventually, I'm just in a funky place right now...

Looks good- 190 is fricking impressive- I"m happy when I hit 160.   Although- I'm eating about 1000 calories less than that right now- I've got a very aggressive cut going through May- so only 1500 or so- less if I can stomach it.

interested in the About time Peantu butter for sure- that's a crap load of protein for only 150 calories- I think regular peanut butter is something like 6 grams for 190 calories (2 tablespoons per serving).

[JoRocka]

In other news- I thought I was doing REALLY well- and I went to ShopRite last night- and Talenti Gelato was on sale for 1.99.

I've never seen it that low- 2.88 was the lowest I've seen. so my trip to get eggs and bacon wound up being a 40$ trip. Which is unfortunate but I did manage to secure veggies and things for the rest of the week into next week- so I'm sitting at 75$ for the month- but I"m not feeling really uncomfortable out it- I think my overlap between weeks is okay.  That's still under 100 for 2 weeks which is on target.

I may just need yogurt and meat and I'll be all set! in theory!