Stick to a grocery budget in 2015 Challenge

[riverffashion]

Well, I hav made excellent headway this month. No junk food at all ( was "supplementing" my ordinarily healthy choices and eating up my $$$$$! ) Have been eating various combinations of : lentils, beans, brown rice , quinoa, vegetables, fruits, hummus, nuts, seeds, soymilk, tea.
$20/week approx.

BTW, this is coming down from $400-500 monthly.

Must add for clarification this is just for me, no one else.

[NinetyFour]

My grocery spending has been all over the place this year.  This is just food, just for me.

Jan:  $89
Feb:  $116
Mar:  $167
Apr:  $139
May:  $206
June:  $214
July:  $257 yikes
Aug:  $171

My goal for September is $140.  I can do it.

Came in at $157.99 for September.  I had actually forgotten about my goal of $140.  Oops. But I'm pretty happy it was less than $160.

So far, for 2015, my monthly average is $168.62.  Would like to get that down to $160 per month.  For comparison, here are the monthly averages for 2014, 2013, and 2012.  I am going in the right direction!

2012:  $272
2013:  $233
2014:  $196

[bsmith]

My grocery expenses also vary, from about 360/month to 280/month. I don't spend the exact same amount, or even close to it, each month. Live and learn. Still much better than the $650/month from before I started MMM a few months ago.

[iknowiyam]

June spent/goal: $235/$180
Restaurants June: $133/$160

July spent/goal: $179/$180
Restaurants July: $197/$150

Household: 2
August grocery: $215/$180
Restaurants: $97/$150

Household: 2
August grocery: $227/$200
Restaurants: $147/$150

Not bad but not in budget. C'est la vie. At least I am still making my own bread - zero loaves purchased this year. Idk how we got so derailed on restaurants, though.

[jollygreen23]

We started cutting back on our grocery bill two months ago. Before, we were spending an average of $843 per month for a family of 5 + I'm now 8 months pregnant. (This bill includes expenses like paper products, hygiene products, and the big one--diapers!)

August's grocery bill was $598
September's bill was $620

I'm hoping to get October's bill to be the smallest yet. :)

[SuperSaver]

$103/$200 in groceries as of Sept 13. So happy! Aside from a few things at Costco this week we will hopefully only buy staples as we run out!!!

$153 restaurants, we were out of town 6 days this month and are planning one more meal out this month for cousins birthday. So goal is keep the pizza party to $47 or less.  Now that we aren't driving/staying all over the state I can actually batch cook us food.

$32/$32 alcohol (one handle of Kraken on sale). We did get 20 bottles of beer and 2 huge bottles of wine for FREE as my dad had tons of booze leftover from his wedding. We brought the beer to a housewarming party and regifted the wine to two different people who hosted us this month.

Hah! $212/$200 groceries. $32/$32 hosting alcohol and $496/$100 restaurants.
We spent $100+ the 18-20th when my cousin visited for 3 days instead of one, we spent $120 for my fiances birthday dinner/drinks in lieu of a party and then $65 when 7 friends drove two hours to visit unexpectedly. Sigh.

 We are trying for more  austerity measures in  October: $200 groceries, $25 alcohol, $50 restaurants.
My father and his new wife have a Birthday this month so we are supposed to meet them for dinner and drinks & we were supposed to take two of fiances cousins out for Nepalese to celebrate their birthday/college... I might see if the cousins will swap Nepalese for a homemade sushi party since one misssed the last one and insteAd of $120 to feed 4 it'll be $20 to feed 4 as I have most sushi ingredients on hand already.
Just got word after we got back from fiances birthday dinner it is a month or two away from "displacement" season at my job so we are slashing costs everywhere.

[Jakejake]

I came within a dollar of last month, weird.

Sept (2 adults): Net cost $67.07
Figured into this: $66 in coupons (includes bottle deposits for cans I found on my bike commute), $74 savings from markdowns, $67 free food from kmart, $57 in rebates.

We're at $867 for the year so far. On the surface things look good. But I'm scared my husband will divorce me if I bring home any more pie pumpkins.

[mm1970]

I have to check my budget.  So far I'm a little over budget for the year, maybe $125.

But it's going to get worse.

The drought is so bad that our pre-paid CSA is closing, 6 weeks early.  That's a good extra amount of produce I'll have to buy.

[Bee21]

Am getting excited about this now_ looks like I finally got the hang of, figured out what the fam is willing to eat without too much waste and managed to spend around 150pw consistently:  In September I spent around 150 pw on food (it is a good one for us, with a carnivore husband). October started well: week 1: $142; week 2: $79 so far, though I will need a top up shop on Sunday. 

I don't think I can go much lower than that, but am happy with the current numbers and I am glad I can finally stick to the budget these days.

[Bracken_Joy]

After my run of successful months, and then being barely over last month, I'm worried we'll be way over this month. We're ahead of the mint budget line, that's for sure!

[Pooperman]

Through May: $1,439.22/$1,500 ($300/month).

It's pretty much on autopilot now. We've gotten a handle on food and that's awesome. We eat decent stuff (a lot of staples), and even some fancy stuff on occasion. $150/person is a pretty achievable target!

Additionally, this is about what the SNAP benefit amount is ($350/month for two people). It takes a little planning, but it's totally doable.

June: $292.74/$300 or $1,731.96/1,800.00 so far.

Through the end of September:
July: $227.68
August: $349.21
September: $411.19
Total: $2,720.04/$2,700

After 9 months, we're only $20 over!

[SuperSaver]

$0/$25 alcohol for hosting
$124/$50 restaurant
$149/$225 groceries

My fiance's sister had an impromptu wedding and dinner out last week; my father in law to be picked up the tab for my fiance and I for dinner. That was unexpected and very nice of him. We've been trying very hard not to eat out, since  each time really adds up. We were well under for restaurants but one girls night out was a fourth of it and our greek date night was another fourth.

Bumping up our grocery budget to $225 for some restocking since we are actually running out of food in the house :) Dinner has been a bit of this and that this week to get us to Saturday when we can run errands. My work is feeding me 3 meals this week so that really helps!

Only one stockpile trip to Costco for several staples & two days of Halloweekend party left during the last 10 days.

[Bee21]

October looks good, it evens out at about 158 pw and I was stockpiling cleaning products and non perishables (jams, pasta, canned beans) heavily these weeks. We had meat every night (apart from an unsuccessful chickpea dinner)- mostly due to the yellow sticker bargains I found. I think I got the hang of this grocery game now, I am getting more and more confident that I can keep the groceries around 150 pw, especially if the stockpiling habit starts to make a difference.

[Bearded Man]

The op makes a good point. Not being fed and hydrated, and not packing snacks and drinks before leaving the house are huge. I have a lunch box I carry with when I go to the office, and sometimes longer trips. Why not be full before I leave and pack snacks, meals and sodas more often.

[Bracken_Joy]

Woo! We made it after all. $745/800 for the month of October.

[Bracken_Joy]

Woo! We made it after all. $745/800 for the month of October.

Oh! And $15/100 on restaurants. Take that, $500/month restaurant spending in 2014.

[Jakejake]

We're at $867 for the year so far. On the surface things look good. But I'm scared my husband will divorce me if I bring home any more pie pumpkins.

I tried to sneak in a case of winter squashes last week, and he immediately figured out they are just pumpkins in disguise. See attachment for view of the problem - this is after we've been eating one or two pumpkins a week for at least a month. But the whole case only cost two dollars!

Anyway, this month I came in at $76 final cost for the two of us, after using $78 in coupons, $12 in bottle deposits I found, $39 in free kmart food, and $67 in rebates. There was some splurgy stuff in there - some beef tenderloin, and 13 pounds (!) of cheese. For the year, I'm at $944.

[Bracken_Joy]

We're at $867 for the year so far. On the surface things look good. But I'm scared my husband will divorce me if I bring home any more pie pumpkins.

I tried to sneak in a case of winter squashes last week, and he immediately figured out they are just pumpkins in disguise. See attachment for view of the problem - this is after we've been eating one or two pumpkins a week for at least a month. But the whole case only cost two dollars!

Anyway, this month I came in at $76 final cost for the two of us, after using $78 in coupons, $12 in bottle deposits I found, $39 in free kmart food, and $67 in rebates. There was some splurgy stuff in there - some beef tenderloin, and 13 pounds (!) of cheese. For the year, I'm at $944.

Hopefully, you haven't gourded your husband into a divorce! (Get it? Gourded? Like Goaded? Good god I need a hobby).

Anyway, your squash look delicious. How are you using them up? I would love to eat more of them, but they are one of the few foods DH is pretty reserved about.

[Jakejake]

We've been eating baked squash, pumpkin bread, stuffed pumpkins, black bean pumpkin veggie burgers, pumpkin puree hidden in tomato sauce on top of pasta, and I've been having pumpkin smoothies every day for lunch. I've got pumpkin pancakes/waffles to try, and pumpkin/tomato sauce on pizza next.

[Bracken_Joy]

We've been eating baked squash, pumpkin bread, stuffed pumpkins, black bean pumpkin veggie burgers, pumpkin puree hidden in tomato sauce on top of pasta, and I've been having pumpkin smoothies every day for lunch. I've got pumpkin pancakes/waffles to try, and pumpkin/tomato sauce on pizza next.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll have to give the pasta sauce idea a try, and maybe the veggie burgers.

How do you make the smoothies? Do you bake and puree the pumpkin first, and what do you mix with?

[Jakejake]

I got a couple of my ideas - including the veggie burger one - from here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/pumpkin-recipes-please/msg847821/#msg847821

For smoothies, I have just been throwing a glob of cooked pumpkin into the vitamix with a scoop of protein powder and whatever else is on hand - thawed fuzzy gourds (like cucumbers, sort of), or kale, or a banana, along with whatever liquid I can score for free. Lately that's been rice milk or coconut milk. I've constructed a smoothie containment system out of an old wine box that's custom fit to my lunch box, so I can bike a quart mason jar of smoothie, and a quart mason jar of coffee into work without making a godawful mess.

[riverffashion]

We've been eating baked squash, pumpkin bread, stuffed pumpkins, black bean pumpkin veggie burgers, pumpkin puree hidden in tomato sauce on top of pasta, and I've been having pumpkin smoothies every day for lunch. I've got pumpkin pancakes/waffles to try, and pumpkin/tomato sauce on pizza next.

A small amount of pumpkin or squash is good blended or cooked into the broth of a soup (especially chicken soup). I mean a very small amount, like just enough to give it color and add to complexity of flavor, not to thicken or overpower with pumkin taste.

[WorkingToUnwind]

Too late to join this challenge? I reviewed our food spending on Mint for the past year. It's rough. My husband and I have spent anywhere from $900 to $1500 on groceries and restaurants combined each month. Ouch! We started changing our lifestyle two months ago, but that doesn't seem to have been showing up in our food choices. My husband doesn't drink and I have a glass of boxed wine or a beer a few times a week, so this spending really is mostly food.

• September we managed $950 with a breakdown of $600 on groceries and $350 at restaurants.
• October was about the same, with a toal of $985 broken down into $570 on groceries and $415 at restaurants. 

Ack, here's hoping that November is better! It is hard work reigning in the spending on eating. And I thought we had done better in October. Sigh.

I'm not really sure what our goal should be. Spend less. I'd like to get it down to $400/month but we're nowhere near that yet. Baby steps.

[4alpacas]

Too late to join this challenge? I reviewed our food spending on Mint for the past year. It's rough. My husband and I have spent anywhere from $900 to $1500 on groceries and restaurants combined each month. Ouch! We started changing our lifestyle two months ago, but that doesn't seem to have been showing up in our food choices. My husband doesn't drink and I have a glass of boxed wine or a beer a few times a week, so this spending really is mostly food.

• September we managed $950 with a breakdown of $600 on groceries and $350 at restaurants.
• October was about the same, with a toal of $985 broken down into $570 on groceries and $415 at restaurants. 

Ack, here's hoping that November is better! It is hard work reigning in the spending on eating. And I thought we had done better in October. Sigh.

I'm not really sure what our goal should be. Spend less. I'd like to get it down to $400/month but we're nowhere near that yet. Baby steps.

I was once in your place.  I started by looking at my receipt every week and keeping track of what I used (and what I didn't).  I also looked for cheaper options (looking for things in larger packages that I would use a lot, making my own, buying the store brand, fruit and vegetables in season or frozen). 

[Runrooster]

I tried to sneak in a case of winter squashes last week, and he immediately figured out they are just pumpkins in disguise. See attachment for view of the problem - this is after we've been eating one or two pumpkins a week for at least a month.

Your case sales are unreal. I'm thrilled if I can get produce down to 50 cents a pound. Also, squashes and pumpkins store beautifully in a cool garage, for months, maybe your husband wouldn't notice them there? I think of them like healthier potatoes: I could eat squash fries all winter.  Except, I can't.  I miss bread and rice, though neither is very healthy.

[riverffashion]

I tried to sneak in a case of winter squashes last week, and he immediately figured out they are just pumpkins in disguise. See attachment for view of the problem - this is after we've been eating one or two pumpkins a week for at least a month.

Your case sales are unreal. I'm thrilled if I can get produce down to 50 cents a pound. Also, squashes and pumpkins store beautifully in a cool garage, for months, maybe your husband wouldn't notice them there? I think of them like healthier potatoes: I could eat squash fries all winter.  Except, I can't.  I miss bread and rice, though neither is very healthy.

Love to see a recipe for squash fries , sounds great. Thx:)

[Bracken_Joy]

Too late to join this challenge? I reviewed our food spending on Mint for the past year. It's rough. My husband and I have spent anywhere from $900 to $1500 on groceries and restaurants combined each month. Ouch! We started changing our lifestyle two months ago, but that doesn't seem to have been showing up in our food choices. My husband doesn't drink and I have a glass of boxed wine or a beer a few times a week, so this spending really is mostly food.

• September we managed $950 with a breakdown of $600 on groceries and $350 at restaurants.
• October was about the same, with a toal of $985 broken down into $570 on groceries and $415 at restaurants. 

Ack, here's hoping that November is better! It is hard work reigning in the spending on eating. And I thought we had done better in October. Sigh.

I'm not really sure what our goal should be. Spend less. I'd like to get it down to $400/month but we're nowhere near that yet. Baby steps.

Never too late to join!

Like spending in general, the major first step is TRACKING. I know it'll feel onerous, but keep every receipt and categorize every purchase. Ex, we tracked for an entire year as we made changes (aren't tracking this month for the first time), and we settled on:
Protein, Dairy, Fruit/Veg, Beverages, Snack Foods, Pantry, and Household Goods.

Initially we tracked with a finer breakdown, but I found it to be frustrating to maintain. We're still in the process of lowering ours- although we added another adult to our household, so the numbers don't reflect the changes we've made well!

Another good tactic is to write up a list of the main recipes you make, and price them out. Then, eat more of the cheap foods you like, and less of the expensive ones.

[Salim]

Me, too, joining as of November 1, 2015. We, family of 2 humans and 1 cat, need to reduce our expenses more, and I took a look at food spending. In January of 2013, our groceries, pet food, and eating out added up to $936 or 779/157... terrible! October of 2015, the total was $816, which is still way too high.

A problem for me has been my special diet due to digestive issues, but I am learning how to deal with it. I have been put on three different (simultaneous) diets by my docs: gluten free, low FODMAP (no beans, onions, apples; restricted mushrooms and many other fruits and veggies), and balanced PH (going for about 70% alkalizing and 30% acidifying foods, which ends up a very low carb (minimal rice, quinoa, other grains, GF bread, etc.), mostly plant-based, minimal-grains diet). When I eat what is allowed on all three diet plans, I feel pretty well. DH can and does eat anything and everything.

So, I have been reading this thread, looking to improve. I made a menu and shopping list for this week, and today I rode my bike-with-trailer to the market and brought back a week's groceries (including dish detergent, but not cat food) for $59.03. Holy cow! Thanks for all the great ideas!

Current monthly (no cat food) food spending: $624 groceries/$73 restaurants

Monthly goal for 11/15 and 12/15: $324/73

[Pooperman]

Through May: $1,439.22/$1,500 ($300/month).

It's pretty much on autopilot now. We've gotten a handle on food and that's awesome. We eat decent stuff (a lot of staples), and even some fancy stuff on occasion. $150/person is a pretty achievable target!

Additionally, this is about what the SNAP benefit amount is ($350/month for two people). It takes a little planning, but it's totally doable.

June: $292.74/$300 or $1,731.96/1,800.00 so far.

Through the end of September:
July: $227.68
August: $349.21
September: $411.19
Total: $2,720.04/$2,700

After 9 months, we're only $20 over!

October: $352.27
Total: $3,072.31/$3,300

A bit more over, but still, it's not terrible :).

[WorkingToUnwind]

Okay, so I'm hearing that tracking is key. I've got it down to categories with mint that include restaurants vs groceries. Definitely don't have it down to food groups, and not quite ready to take that time consuming step (yet, I may change my mind next month if spending is still high). As an aside, groceries also includes household items. So we are spending a little less of food than I'm estimating.

I've really started thinking about the cost of each meal, especially over the past couple weeks. I'm trying to make sure the meals are cheap and delicious, but still healthy. This chicken tortilla soup combines ease, frugality, taste, and health. I'm hoping to compile more recipes like this. http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/12/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup-2/

We also fried a turkey the other week as a test run for Thanksgiving. 14lbs of meat meant a lot of turkey soup and 2 turkey pot pies (froze one for later consumption). I think those meals broke down to a couple bucks/pp/meal. Pretty good for my old standards, but not totally mustachian yet. We did save the oil for the next Turkey fry.

[Runrooster]

I use cubed potato/ sweet potato/ butternut. The easiest way to get that is to microwave them for 2-5 minutes, then peel, seed, cube.  Put in bowl with melted butter, salt, cumin, cayenne, smoked paprika. Shake to disperse.  Spread on baking pan to one layer.  Bake at 400 (I use the top rack of my toaster oven) for 45 minutes or however crispy you like.  I find I always want to take them out about ten minutes early, because they're soft and cooked and smell good.  But if I wait it out, they get a crunchy outside as it dries out.  You want ratios maybe?  The two pound pre chopped butternut goes on sale and I add 1-3 teaspoons butter or bacon drippings, depending how healthy I'm trying to be. Obviously spices are optional.

[Salim]

@ WorkingToUnwind

Some popular references for eating on a budget:

Good and Cheap cookbook, free PDF or with donation
http://www.leannebrown.com/

Website with great recipes
http://www.budgetbytes.com/

[Jakejake]

Put in bowl with melted butter, salt, cumin, cayenne, smoked paprika. Shake to diapers. 

Is that step necessary? Is it for good luck, like throwing salt over your shoulder?

[Runrooster]

I fixed the typo, disperse not diapers.  I abhor autocorrect, especially the most recent version.  You don't have to add any spices or fat, but it won't crisp up without it, at least in my oven, and the spice will fall off.  Maybe a convection works better?  They will also stick to the pan. Or did you mean the extra bowl?  I've tried mixing in the baking sheet and it doesn't work as well.  Spices stick to the pan instead of the squash. 

[WorkingToUnwind]

@ WorkingToUnwind

Some popular references for eating on a budget:

Good and Cheap cookbook, free PDF or with donation
http://www.leannebrown.com/

Website with great recipes
http://www.budgetbytes.com/

Thanks Mara!!

[Liralen]

July 2015 $651.70 ($650 total budget so I consider this a win)
Aug 2015 $908.12 (hosted bday party at our house but still...)
Sept 2015 $711.54 (seem to be getting back on track)
Oct 2015 $923.49 WTF?!?! I'm not sure how we spent so much. I think we slacked off and stopped paying attention to how much we were spending at the store. We also went grocery shopping the last day of October so that got included in that horrible total.

So, we're moving forward and trying hard in November. A week after our last October grocery trip we still have extra food that can be cooked so I think we at least planned out our meals better.

[mm1970]

I believe my original goal, when I started in late Jan, was $80 a week.  I have a CSA, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard.

And then it got hard.  So in May I started alternating $80 with $100.

Then in September, our CSA closed 6 weeks early due to the drought.  So I upped it again to $100 a week every week.

We are at $4844.82 for the year (family of 4), which isn't too bad.  But I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen. I've been hitting the 99c only store really hard since the CSA shut down.

$475.02    Jan
$301.11    Feb
$313.01    March
$296.89    April
$391.17    May
$355.98    June
$429.65    July
$482.02    Aug
$396.64    Sept
$445.85    Oct


All in all, I am fairly pleased. I could do better, but I already have to shop at 5 stores to get the best prices on everything.  And we eat a ton of produce, so that's the bulk of the cost.

[kathrynd]

This is the cost of our foods (and includes pain meds, toiletries,cleaning etc)
Canada. 2 adults



 
 

 
month of Oct  1-31  2015

$210.57 for 2 adults

340g cranberries- $1.46
coffee mate –Hazelnut –(700 PC pts)- $3.99
coffee mate- Caramel Vanilla-( 700 PC pts)- $3.99
4L milk – $5.99
mushrooms – $2.79 (reduced) =$1.39
fresh tomatoes =$2.99 (reduced) =$1.49
Cantaloupe(reduced) =$1.49
bananas= $1.46
butternut squash= $1.85
Honey ham= $6.99 (reduced) =$3.49
Garlic sausage 2 @ $5.99 (reduced)=$5.98
pork riblets $4.89 (reduced) -$2.44
whole chicken- $8.09
honey garlic sausage – $4.61 (reduced)= $2.30
4L milk 2 @ $5.39= $10.78
doz eggs 2 @ $1.99 = $3.98
ASA –500 ct- $11.99
4L milk – 2 @$5.59=$11.18
doz eggs – 2 @$1.99= $3.98
 Idaho scalloped potatoes 2 @ $0.99=$1.98
secret deodorant 2 pk- $2.50
chocolate bar 2 @ 2/$1.00= $1.00
400 ml mustard- $1.00
2 lbs carrots 2 @ $0.79= $1.58
3 lbs sweet potatoes – $2.97
2 lbs onions  -$0.79
10 lbs potatoes 2 @ $2.47=$4.94
Idaho scalloped potatoes 3 @ $0.99=$2.97
Baking Pwd-$2.20
sweet flake coconut- $2.48
ground walnuts- $2.56
Honey roasted peanuts- $2.58
semolina – $0.52
turkish apricots- $5.21
(with a $15 purchase receive a $5 gift card)
molasses-$0.85
graham crumbs=$5.60
mac &cheese sauce pwd=$2.33
ju jubes-$1.46
hickory smoked almonds-$3.41
vacuum yeast-$7.09
macaroons- $3.48
walnut halves-$4.31
pretzels-$0.29
jelly beans – $1.07
macaroons-$1.92
pistachios- $8.97
pumpkin seeds-hulled- $2.00
peek freans cookies- $0.65
pretzel sticks- $0.26
chow mein noodles- $0.28
hickory smoked almonds- $6.90
turkish figs- $2.30
instant yeast $4.99
rolled oats- $2.22
onion pwd- $0.43
garlic pwd- $0.77
chili pwd- $0.95
sweet basil- $0.19
candy-sweethearts – $0.49
 4L milk –$5.39
4L milk-$5.39
fresh cranberries 340g- $2.49
4L milk- $5.99
canned tomatoes- $1.00
 10lbs apples-$ 4.50

[riverffashion]

This is the cost of our foods (and includes pain meds, toiletries,cleaning etc)
Canada. 2 adults



 
 

 
month of Oct  1-31  2015

$210.57 for 2 adults

340g cranberries- $1.46
coffee mate –Hazelnut –(700 PC pts)- $3.99
coffee mate- Caramel Vanilla-( 700 PC pts)- $3.99
4L milk – $5.99
mushrooms – $2.79 (reduced) =$1.39
fresh tomatoes =$2.99 (reduced) =$1.49
Cantaloupe(reduced) =$1.49
bananas= $1.46
butternut squash= $1.85
Honey ham= $6.99 (reduced) =$3.49
Garlic sausage 2 @ $5.99 (reduced)=$5.98
pork riblets $4.89 (reduced) -$2.44
whole chicken- $8.09
honey garlic sausage – $4.61 (reduced)= $2.30
4L milk 2 @ $5.39= $10.78
doz eggs 2 @ $1.99 = $3.98
ASA –500 ct- $11.99
4L milk – 2 @$5.59=$11.18
doz eggs – 2 @$1.99= $3.98
 Idaho scalloped potatoes 2 @ $0.99=$1.98
secret deodorant 2 pk- $2.50
chocolate bar 2 @ 2/$1.00= $1.00
400 ml mustard- $1.00
2 lbs carrots 2 @ $0.79= $1.58
3 lbs sweet potatoes – $2.97
2 lbs onions  -$0.79
10 lbs potatoes 2 @ $2.47=$4.94
Idaho scalloped potatoes 3 @ $0.99=$2.97
Baking Pwd-$2.20
sweet flake coconut- $2.48
ground walnuts- $2.56
Honey roasted peanuts- $2.58
semolina – $0.52
turkish apricots- $5.21
(with a $15 purchase receive a $5 gift card)
molasses-$0.85
graham crumbs=$5.60
mac &cheese sauce pwd=$2.33
ju jubes-$1.46
hickory smoked almonds-$3.41
vacuum yeast-$7.09
macaroons- $3.48
walnut halves-$4.31
pretzels-$0.29
jelly beans – $1.07
macaroons-$1.92
pistachios- $8.97
pumpkin seeds-hulled- $2.00
peek freans cookies- $0.65
pretzel sticks- $0.26
chow mein noodles- $0.28
hickory smoked almonds- $6.90
turkish figs- $2.30
instant yeast $4.99
rolled oats- $2.22
onion pwd- $0.43
garlic pwd- $0.77
chili pwd- $0.95
sweet basil- $0.19
candy-sweethearts – $0.49
 4L milk –$5.39
4L milk-$5.39
fresh cranberries 340g- $2.49
4L milk- $5.99
canned tomatoes- $1.00
 10lbs apples-$ 4.50

Wow, those pricea are excellent. And you still have the variety. Fab

[kathrynd]

This is the cost of our foods (and includes pain meds, toiletries,cleaning etc)
Canada. 2 adults



 
 

 
month of Oct  1-31  2015

$210.57 for 2 adults

340g cranberries- $1.46
coffee mate –Hazelnut –(700 PC pts)- $3.99
coffee mate- Caramel Vanilla-( 700 PC pts)- $3.99
4L milk – $5.99
mushrooms – $2.79 (reduced) =$1.39
fresh tomatoes =$2.99 (reduced) =$1.49
Cantaloupe(reduced) =$1.49
bananas= $1.46
butternut squash= $1.85
Honey ham= $6.99 (reduced) =$3.49
Garlic sausage 2 @ $5.99 (reduced)=$5.98
pork riblets $4.89 (reduced) -$2.44
whole chicken- $8.09
honey garlic sausage – $4.61 (reduced)= $2.30
4L milk 2 @ $5.39= $10.78
doz eggs 2 @ $1.99 = $3.98
ASA –500 ct- $11.99
4L milk – 2 @$5.59=$11.18
doz eggs – 2 @$1.99= $3.98
 Idaho scalloped potatoes 2 @ $0.99=$1.98
secret deodorant 2 pk- $2.50
chocolate bar 2 @ 2/$1.00= $1.00
400 ml mustard- $1.00
2 lbs carrots 2 @ $0.79= $1.58
3 lbs sweet potatoes – $2.97
2 lbs onions  -$0.79
10 lbs potatoes 2 @ $2.47=$4.94
Idaho scalloped potatoes 3 @ $0.99=$2.97
Baking Pwd-$2.20
sweet flake coconut- $2.48
ground walnuts- $2.56
Honey roasted peanuts- $2.58
semolina – $0.52
turkish apricots- $5.21
(with a $15 purchase receive a $5 gift card)
molasses-$0.85
graham crumbs=$5.60
mac &cheese sauce pwd=$2.33
ju jubes-$1.46
hickory smoked almonds-$3.41
vacuum yeast-$7.09
macaroons- $3.48
walnut halves-$4.31
pretzels-$0.29
jelly beans – $1.07
macaroons-$1.92
pistachios- $8.97
pumpkin seeds-hulled- $2.00
peek freans cookies- $0.65
pretzel sticks- $0.26
chow mein noodles- $0.28
hickory smoked almonds- $6.90
turkish figs- $2.30
instant yeast $4.99
rolled oats- $2.22
onion pwd- $0.43
garlic pwd- $0.77
chili pwd- $0.95
sweet basil- $0.19
candy-sweethearts – $0.49
 4L milk –$5.39
4L milk-$5.39
fresh cranberries 340g- $2.49
4L milk- $5.99
canned tomatoes- $1.00
 10lbs apples-$ 4.50

Wow, those pricea are excellent. And you still have the variety. Fab

Thank you. The price I quoted isn't the price we paid. We used our points, coupons etc to reduce it further, but $210 is what anyone els would have paid.
Our cupboards and fridge/ freezer is so full, I can't buy  anymore  for awhile...unless an amazing price comes along :)

What really helps the most, is taking advantage of all the sales, loss leaders, points, incentives stores offer.
Stocking up when a sale hits, on stuff you buy anyways.
Buying ingredients instead of prepared food, when possible.

In the fridge, we have 12 blocks of cheese, 15 lbs margarine, 5 doz eggs etc.
Cupboard we have 5 lg bottle of peanut butter, 6 bottles of coffee, 50 lbs flour, 10 lbs sugar etc.

Be creative with meals and leftovers.
Enjoy..

[jollygreen23]

I'm done with the grocery shopping for November. Drum roll please!

$543.76

for a family of 6!

[FrozenAssets]

Can I subscribe to this thread with one month left in 2015?  I want to focus my efforts on reducing and maximizing our grocery budget in 2016.

We spend almost as much on food as we do on our mortgage, at around $1000/month for a family of 6.  ($1093 in November.  Ouch.) I know we can do better, and need the tips and encouragement you resourceful people so willingly share.

[Bracken_Joy]

Woo! We made it after all. $745/800 for the month of October.

Oh! And $15/100 on restaurants. Take that, $500/month restaurant spending in 2014.

I think we're done grocery shopping for the month!

For November groceries: we are just under the wire at $737/800. Restaurants came to $38/100.

It's looking like, all in all, we haven't gotten substantially more Badass on grocery costs (except for adding one more adult to the budget!), but we have gotten MUCH more Badass on restaurant spending. And our veggie consumption has reached unheard of levels, ever for us. I think I'm okay with this, all in all. Full analysis will come next month, to wrap up the year!

[kathrynd]

Can I subscribe to this thread with one month left in 2015?  I want to focus my efforts on reducing and maximizing our grocery budget in 2016.

We spend almost as much on food as we do on our mortgage, at around $1000/month for a family of 6.  ($1093 in November.  Ouch.) I know we can do better, and need the tips and encouragement you resourceful people so willingly share.

Shop alone.
Reduce the amount of prepared foods you buy.
Buy specials and stock up.When something goes on sale, that you buy a lot of, buy 10
Go to other stores occasionally and check them out. One store will not give you the best deal on everything.
Don't buy produce out of season, unless it is on sale, or cheap.
Be creative in recipes...substitute an ingredient with something you have...omit others

Don't fall for marketing. Store brands can be just as good as brand names. Organic is overpriced.
If you eat a balanced diet, you don't need vitamins and supplements.

Stop overeating.
Stop throwing out food.....if you are spending $1000 a month, you are throwing out food.
Make a treat...a treat. If you always have it, it loses its value.

[Bracken_Joy]

Can I subscribe to this thread with one month left in 2015?  I want to focus my efforts on reducing and maximizing our grocery budget in 2016.

We spend almost as much on food as we do on our mortgage, at around $1000/month for a family of 6.  ($1093 in November.  Ouch.) I know we can do better, and need the tips and encouragement you resourceful people so willingly share.

Shop alone.
Reduce the amount of prepared foods you buy.
Buy specials and stock up.When something goes on sale, that you buy a lot of, buy 10
Go to other stores occasionally and check them out. One store will not give you the best deal on everything.
Don't buy produce out of season, unless it is on sale, or cheap.
Be creative in recipes...substitute an ingredient with something you have...omit others

Don't fall for marketing. Store brands can be just as good as brand names. Organic is overpriced.
If you eat a balanced diet, you don't need vitamins and supplements.

Stop overeating.
Stop throwing out food.....if you are spending $1000 a month, you are throwing out food.
Make a treat...a treat. If you always have it, it loses its value.

I'll add a couple:

-If it comes in a bag or box, you're paying for advertising and air. Stick to things that don't have room to claim their own merits- meat, veggies, fruit, etc
-Grocery money should be for meals, not snacks or drinks. People spend a lot of unnecessary food on snacking and fancy drinks, when what they really need is a more robust meals and some habit changes.
-Always looks for recipe substitutions if you don't have something, before you buy. That marjoram your recipe calls for? Just use oregano. Otherwise you end up with bits and bobs taking up cupboard room and costing a fortune.

Good luck =)

[Pooperman]

Through May: $1,439.22
June: $292.74
July: $227.68
August: $349.21
September: $411.19
October: $352.27
November: $239.58
Total: $3,311.89/$3,300 ($11.89 over)

$300/month

[FrozenAssets]

My husband and I had a good talk about the grocery budget last night.   I shared your thoughts with him, and we went over what we spent last month.  I realized that we actually spent $1093 on groceries, and another $174 on eating out.  GAH. 

We're committed to lowering our spending, and appreciate your ideas!

Shop alone. YES.  Taking the whole family is distracting and overwhelming, I definitely need to do this.
Reduce the amount of prepared foods you buy.  We really don't buy a whole lot of prepared items.  A few snack items... and I do buy cereal for the kids, but we have so much oatmeal/hot cereal/steel cut oats, I'm not buying ANY cereal this month.  Eggs, toast & hot cereals it is!
Buy specials and stock up.When something goes on sale, that you buy a lot of, buy 10
Go to other stores occasionally and check them out. One store will not give you the best deal on everything. This is a good idea, and one I rarely consider.
Don't buy produce out of season, unless it is on sale, or cheap.
Be creative in recipes...substitute an ingredient with something you have...omit others

Don't fall for marketing. Store brands can be just as good as brand names. Organic is overpriced. I do try to avoid the dirty dozen, and buy organic milk/dairy since my kids eat a lot of yogurt and milk -- this will go down if they eat less cereal!
If you eat a balanced diet, you don't need vitamins and supplements. 

Stop overeating.
Stop throwing out food.....if you are spending $1000 a month, you are throwing out food. Does it help that I throw it out to the chickens? ;P
Make a treat...a treat. If you always have it, it loses its value.  Wise advice.  We treat ourselves a lot, and like treats.  Obviously.

I'll add a couple:

-If it comes in a bag or box, you're paying for advertising and air. Stick to things that don't have room to claim their own merits- meat, veggies, fruit, etc I'm going to try to be much more conscious of the prepackaged items I buy.  There are a few snack-type things we get at Costco that I couldn't make any cheaper, but I'm not sure we *need* them... they're just convenient and inexpensive.  Not necessarily the healthiest or best bang for the buck, though.
-Grocery money should be for meals, not snacks or drinks. People spend a lot of unnecessary food on snacking and fancy drinks, when what they really need is a more robust meals and some habit changes.  My alcohol budget is separate <Ahem.  I know...> and we don't buy anything to drink but milk and occasional juice for a treat -- ie. sparkling cider for the kids for Thanksgiving dinner.  We do buy some snacks and  ingredients for snacks, I need to calculate out those costs.
-Always looks for recipe substitutions if you don't have something, before you buy. That marjoram your recipe calls for? Just use oregano. Otherwise you end up with bits and bobs taking up cupboard room and costing a fortune.

Good luck =)

Punching myself here:

I have a stand-up freezer packed full of beef, caribou, salmon and bread. 
My regular freezer is full of fruit for smoothies, and chicken thighs.
I have enough oatmeal to last for an entire month or more of breakfasts.
I have staples like flour and butter and sugar and spices.
I have laying hens.

I have no reason or excuse to be spending so much on food.  I think my biggest problem is in organization, meal planning, and laziness.  It's "easier" to buy more fresh food than to pull ingredients from the freezer and pantry and USE.WHAT.WE.HAVE. So my goal for today is to make a meal plan utilizing what we have; 3 meals a day and snacks, and to stick with it, only buying what I absolutely need to round out those meals (I will need some fresh/frozen vegetables, etc.)  I'll post later with my plan!  Thanks again for the input!

[FrozenAssets]

So my goal for today is to make a meal plan utilizing what we have; 3 meals a day and snacks, and to stick with it, only buying what I absolutely need to round out those meals (I will need some fresh/frozen vegetables, etc.)  I'll post later with my plan!  Thanks again for the input!

Meal plan complete.  We have oatmeal, eggs, bacon, toast or pancakes for breakfast options.  Sandwiches, pasta or leftovers and apples or oranges or smoothies for lunches, and dinners are covered with frozen meats and fresh vegetables, rice & potatoes.  The only thing I need to pick up is butter, thought I had some in the freezer and I'm out.  :)

[ponyespresso]

I'm embarrassed to admit this but cut me some slack as I'm just starting to wake up to our lack of frugalness and lifestyle inflation and am embarking on a series of cost-cutting measures. Groceries and beer/wine is probably the biggest culprit.

Somehow in the last month we've spent $1300 on groceries/alcohol/household items/pet food! (Our local supermarket has become one of those Fred Meyers-like stores that sells all manner of things). There was also some cash back in there, as my CapOne 360 debit card incurs fees at our local banks. (see, I am frugal in some ways, I refuse to pay ATM fees). And, I threw two tamale making parties last month (which resulted in very low cost super tasty tamales, about $2-$3 per pound), but I spent a lot on ingredients and some participants reimbursed me with cash, so I'm not sure how much that was. Lets call it $1100.

I've set a December budget of $700 for groceries and $100 for alcohol. I'm planning on lowering it further with time, I'd like to get down to $400/month for groceries, but first I need to see what we really spend. And I have to admit, our household consists of two adults and one just about five-year-old child. [hangs head in shame]

I cook from scratch so I think our overruns are because of not paying attention to prices, which can vary a lot and again, just having this inaccurate picture of our spending. There is some produce waste as well (ugh I let the last of the farmer's market shishito peppers go bad!! there was $5 that went straight into the compost pile!) I think my husband has been spending a lot on beer & wine -- we've had some lifestyle inflation in that department.

Our town has two grocery stores, a standard supermarket (plus household crap), and a local co-op market. I like to go to Trader Joes once a month (it's a 45 min drive away). Costco is 100 miles away, but my best friend just moved there so we'll probably be going to that part of the state more often in the future so maybe it's worth a membership to shop their once or twice a year. (Or I might ask my mom to send me a few gift cards and try that strategy).

My goal is to lower our budget of course, but I don't want to start too drastically, and December will give me an accurate picture of our spending by separating out categories of items. I can continue to prune from there. Maybe we spend 500 a month. Maybe we spend 800. I don't know! I'd like to get to $400 a month for groceries during 2016.

I'm going to start making bread again (for about $1 a loaf) as my daughter LOVES bread and we go through two to three $5 loaves a week (I buy the bread made the morning I buy it that has recognizable ingredients). Which brings up a question -- how do you store giant bags of flour? I have this large galvanized can that holds probably 25 to 30# of dog food. I was wondering if I could wash it out, line it, and store a huge bag of flour bag in that. I suppose I could also bag it into smaller quantities and store in my chest freezer.

I like shopping (and supporting) my local food co-op but the prices are high. I'm going to try to get my favorite items they sell there -- produce, meat, and bulk legumes & grains (prices are good for bulk but I buy nuts at TJs), and get everything else somewhere cheaper. I might start volunteering there again to get discount cards. As for the fancy meat they sell, I've been trying to buy less meat to make up for the higher prices. And I know in general we can get more store-brand items and less name-brand.

anyway that's enough for now. I'm going to try to remember to post again in early January to keep myself accountable.

[Bee21]

Eh, november was not stellar, I was hoping to stay around 150 a week, but ended up closer to 170. Right now, i have a well stocked pantry and freezer, but the party and birthday season is upon us.

Just to brag, the bargain of the week, 3 large chickens for 3 dollars each, expiring next week. The checkout chick said they overstocked it, hence the price. Wanted to buy more of them, but a little old lady snapped up the other two. Can't be greedy :). Will have roast chicken tonight and will cut up an freeze the rest.