Author Topic: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks  (Read 8047 times)

Britan

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Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« on: September 30, 2021, 01:02:57 PM »
Since I’ve been pregnant, our grocery costs have been easily in the >$800 range each month for two adults and one toddler (2). We can do better than this, I’m sure. In part I’ve gotten lax because 1) my son has expensive taste (I mean I can’t complain *that* much that he likes salmon, mushrooms, and avocados?), 2) I’m biking for groceries so $$$ Safeway and While foods are my only options, plus I can only cart back about 3 days of meals at a time on my current bike, 3) I’ve been craving expensive things (smoked salmon and nuts!) 4) I’m third trimester and am running out of energy to cook anything that takes longer than five minutes of standing up time. 5) organic berries. $$$.

Ok now that my lame excuses are out of the way… I would like to get this down. This is going to be half a rambling post as I work things out on my own but also opening the floor for suggestions…

Looking through my past grocery lists, we typically get: a bunch of veggies, usually things like bell pepper carrots mushrooms zucchini, and organic berries (I don’t like getting the conventional “dirty dozen”,nuts like cashews or walnuts or “candy trail mix” (peanuts raisins m&ms)…inevitably some aisle stuff like canned coconut milk for curries, tortillas for tacos, pasta and sauce, inevitably some expensive staple we are out of like a spice or olive oil, 1 lb salmon filet per week, chicken thighs (bnls sknls lately because I am super averse to the greasiness lately even though I typically prefer it), maybe 1 lb ground beef/week for something like tacos, bulk eggs only if I drove there, ALL of the dairy - lots of whole milk, 5% Greek yogurt buckets when it’s on sale, cheese sticks, healthy bread (why must it cost 4x the amount?!), and at least ingredient for one “slap together” meal like precooked sausage+fresh pasta. Not typically all these things at once, but that’s most of what makes it into our lists. And I don’t go off-list. I’m weirdly strict about that.

I feel like we eat pretty healthy and I don’t want to cut back on that, but there must be something I’m missing in terms of also not spending a small fortune? Our budget used to be more like $500/mo.

There are a few areas we could cut costs: meat being one. Given that my toddler $&@$ing loves salmon, I still plan to get that once a week, plus it’s stupid easy to fry a filet. I typically get 1lb, and we split three ways, so it’s not a large serving. But we do have meat pretty much every dinner and I don’t think that’s necessary. Plus, unless I happen to land a sale (before the shelves are cleared), the cheapest I ever see bone in skin on chicken thighs is $2.99/lb. Anything more desirable is even more $.

Any recommendations on tasty, filling vegetarian meals that require very little prep and don’t involve beans? I’ve tried a number of vegetarian recipes before that don’t go over super well because they either aren’t filling enough or are too “bean-y” and make for a “gassy” house. Good canned fish recipes welcome too. Son loves tuna salad. DH not so much…

Another area is snacks. Only the toddler really snacks. I avoid the packaged stuff like the plague so that’s good. But my son likes berries (organic), cashews, walnuts, granola bars (ok these are packages they are my lazy snack), Greek yogurt, and avocados. While I won’t complain about his tastes for a two year old, they are all really pricey… besides packaged garbage, what else makes for a healthy toddler snack?

We buy all our “household goods” at Costco and categorize them separately, so it’s not that bringing up the cost.

Veggies are also a big cost. It’s hard to find anything fresh under $2.99/lb for conventional produce at this Safeway. And going into winter I think we’ll want to go more towards frozen. But I don’t know how to prepare frozen veggies besides peas in a way that doesn’t come out garbage? But I’m a garbage cook and just steam them in the microwave so maybe that’s my problem?

And perhaps my problem is that I’m a garbage cook who is now also exhausted all the time so I’m defaulting to more convenience meals. I used to meal plan a lot more, so I could buy more things like meat or spices more efficiently. I primarily follow recipes, and try to go to the letter, but somehow it just never seems to turn out that great or go over well with the whole fam. Tried budget bytes stuff, Serious Eats, other popular recipe websites, a few cookbooks for instant pot recipes… doesn’t seem to matter what it is.

Sibley

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2021, 01:42:12 PM »
Well, stop getting organic and your food costs would go down some. Also look into food delivery. If you can get the bulk of your food from Aldi or Meijer that would be cheaper, though then delivery charges.

Your cravings are going to go away soon, don't torture yourself while you're growing a human.

TrMama

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2021, 02:28:07 PM »
Well, stop getting organic and your food costs would go down some. Also look into food delivery. If you can get the bulk of your food from Aldi or Meijer that would be cheaper, though then delivery charges.

Your cravings are going to go away soon, don't torture yourself while you're growing a human.

This is exactly what I was going to say. Find a cheaper grocery store and get the heavy, shelf stable things delivered. Or take the car once/week and get a bunch of produce. Or take the car and do curbside pickup, or send your DH. Being pregnant is a very temporary state. A few extra trips with the car aren't going to make much difference either way, but if they help you spend less on groceries and get more rest your whole family will be better off.

If you don't have a freezer, consider getting one. When my kids were hatching/small I used our freezer like a very close grocery store. It held meat, baked things, frozen fruit/veggies and sometimes even whole extra meals. It was the bomb. Now that they're teens, it's just as important and lets me stock up on stuff when it goes on sale.

As for cheap toddler snacks, have you tried bananas? Oranges? Crackers with peanut butter? Hummus? My own Spawn2 has been know to inhale 4-5 bananas in a single sitting, starting around age 4. As your own kids get older and choking becomes less of a concern, you can also start serving cheap things like celery boats with PB, or popcorn.

As for frozen veggies, I don't care for most of them either, except for peas. The area I save time and effort in cooking is by peeling and chopping fresh veggies in bulk. For example, when I buy a head of celery I wash and chop the whole thing at once. Then I store the sticks or dice in containers in the fridge. Now it's ready to be tossed into a recipe or eaten as a snack. I do the bulk chopping when I have the time and energy for it, so when later I'm more tired cooking is easier. Prepping this way also reduces the number of dishes I have to wash.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2021, 02:28:55 PM »
I think you've hit on some of the contributors to high costs. Organic berries (or even conventional ones) are very expensive, and meat can be too. Your comment that you can't find fresh produce for less than $3/pound raises some red flags. What are you buying? How much does it cost? The front page of this week's Safeway ad in Seattle says they're selling fresh broccoli and cauliflower for 99¢/pound this week; bell peppers and medium-sized avocados are $1.25 each. Certain other veggies (carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, yams) I never see sold for more than $2/pound. Find some recipe that is heavy on these ingredients. Even supplementing with some more expensive stuff (mushrooms are delicious) you should be able to average much less than $3/pound for your veggies.

Being a "garbage cook" is not a permanent condition. Cooking is a skill that requires practice, but anyone can do it. I recognize that free time to master new skills is perhaps not something you have in abundance for a while with a new baby on the way, but don't get discouraged. You can do it!

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2021, 03:38:58 PM »
So for more concrete troubleshooting, I did a fairly normal shop at Safeway today. Planned for four dinners: chicken tikka masala, salmon/sweet potato/frozen veg, scrambled eggs for dinner, and pasta +meatballs. Using a number of staples I already have, so I don’t have to buy more. Plus things for basic lunches (sandwiches) and breakfasts. Here’s the damage.

Signature (Safeway store brand) brand “Cheerios”: 2.19
Signature  PB: 4.99 (40 oz)
Store brand jelly: 3.19
Store brand maple syrup: 6.49 (usually a Costco purchase), sale from 6.99)
Olive oil: 7.99 (sale from 11.99; 1L)
Tea: 2.99 (sale from 3.99)

Milk (gallon): 2.99
Bread: (Arnold oatnut): 4.69 (??? This was not the advertised price?)

4x boneless skinless chicken thighs: 3.48 (managers special - 50% off bc it needs to be used by tomorrow)
1 lb salmon: 8.99 (farmed)

Carrot “chips” (slices): 2.50
1 zucchini: 1.82 (2.49/lb)
1 butternut squash: 3.77 (1.49/lb)
Celery: 2.49
4 bananas: 1.13 (0.59/lb)
3 lb clementines: 4.99
2 avocados: 4.00
4 bell peppers: 5.00
3x organic berry 6oz each: 9.98

Total: 83.67
For four days worth of dinners… even though I already had half the ingredients… yeck. Besides the berries, I don’t typically buy organic. But I’d rather have no berries than conventional berries. As we head into winter I think it won’t be as much a problem because they’ll be out of season, we’ll have to do something else for snacks.

I could make the trip to Aldi. There’s one near me but it’s more of a corner store size, veeery limited in their produce department. I know they have more in the Aldi in the city I used to work in… However Costco is closer. It would be ~30 mins out of my way vs Costco is more like 20 minutes. Though lol I could face punch myself for the way we do Costco runs too. Besides that, the only grocery stores near me are Safeway and Whole foods (both within 1 mile) and corner stores, which are exponentially more expensive for less variety. The good(?) news is there are other neighborhoods in this food desert of a city that have it even worse and fresh produce literally isn’t in stores? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Also broccoli was 2.49/lb today at Safeway. Conventional. Conventional avocados were 2 for $4, which is their *sale*. While I could eat cabbage all day (I mean I could eat rice and beans every day and be happy), DH isn’t a fan and neither is DS, and if 2/3 of us will complain about it, I’d rather not waste effort to make it. Squash is cheap these days though. I will have to learn to cook it… but it’s a start. I figure some hidden veggie butternut squash muffins are gonna be my first trial lol.

Anyways, I have to make dinner but at some point once this toddler is done having a screaming meltdown that I won’t hold him while frying fish, after we eat and get him down to bed, I’ll look back and see what of this makes up the biggest percentage and where I can get more bang for the buck.

Morning Glory

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2021, 03:59:43 PM »
We buy frozen berries at Costco, and I think they are sometimes organic (husband does the shopping so I'm not sure). They have a lot of organic frozen veggie options too, if you have the freezer space.

My grocery spend for September was just as high ($932 for two adults, two kids, and one dog), even though produce is cheaper here. I really don't know wtf is going on since I didn't look at the receipts, just the transactions in Mint. Our average for last year was ~500 so this is a big change. It didn't seem like we ate a lot of meat or convenience foods, and I'm not the one who shops so I can't tell you if overall prices have increased. I know we had a run of produce that went bad really fast so it could be supply chain issues.

MudPuppy

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2021, 04:02:12 PM »
How do you mean plan? Do you have a set of recipes you like to follow?

Carrots, onions, potatoes, cabbage, bananas, and (basic) apples are all quite nutritious, inexpensive and simply increasing the proportion of your diet that these account for helps a lot.

The cheap proteins in our home are eggs, lentils (red and brown), tvp, and beans (garbanzo, pinto, black, and white are our most common).

Our non-fresh veggies tend to be canned tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and frozen broccoli. I know frozen isn’t your preference but I don’t think that they roast any differently than fresh do.


Other than the gas, what’s the resistance to beans in your household? Do they feel repetitive? Bland? Is it the specific beans-and-rice pairing that gets the thumbs down?

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2021, 05:52:44 PM »
On mobile… quoting is hard.

Mudpuppy:
Oh, I’ve never tried roasting frozen broccoli. I will have to try that.

Typically, I plan out 3-4 dinners for meals. I try to get things I already have most of the ingredients for (spices etc). Lunches either are leftovers (for me) or PBJ/tuna salad sandwiches and snacks for DH and DS. Breakfasts are mostly Costco staples. Oatmeal with frozen cherries, Cheerios and milk, bananas, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, and the ingredients are pretty shelf stable. So I don’t really “plan” those per se. We just have the ingredients on hand and make what we feel like. Overall though meal planning is a huge anxiety trigger for me especially lately. I still do it because I can’t not, but trying to find recipes that DH And DS will both eat, and I won’t randomly be averse to, which we also haven’t eaten within the last 2 weeks (repetition here usually leads to complaints) is like trying to juggle wet cats.

Im not sure the resistance to beans. I love chickpeas and could eat them all the time. I think it’s that everything beans is kind of a chili or stew and that is too repetitive?

Morning glory:
I also like the Costco frozen berries. They typically have organic frozen here too which is nice. Well put them into oatmeal to thaw or into yogurt or smoothies. I think we’ve just bought more fresh because that’s more “normal” for straight snacking or going into a lunchbox.

I’m weirdly glad I’m not the only one that noticed grocery spending suddenly going up. I also haven’t had perfect insight bc DH has been doing more of the grocery runs since he typically has the car during the week and I’m too pregnant to walk around the grocery store with a toddler who wants to buy EvErYtHiNg. I tend to shop my making a list and staying to the list, keeping to sales. I think DH is more of a “walk the aisles and see what looks good” shopper.

I did notice that various fall squash are relatively cheap right now (at 1.49/lb they were the cheapest fresh veggies there today). I think that’s a fall trend. I’ll have to look up some good recipes and hope the fam doesn’t get sick of them after two meals, haha.

APowers

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2021, 06:41:01 PM »
OP, are you in mainland US? If so, where? General location--maybe closest major city, asking so I can look at your regional Safeway ads.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2021, 07:23:43 PM »
OP, are you in mainland US? If so, where? General location--maybe closest major city, asking so I can look at your regional Safeway ads.
Hm, mainland US but don’t like sharing location but that’s a good reminder to look at the weekly ads when I do my planning, so I can plan to buy things that are on sale.

This week, front page items are:
Chicken thighs, drumsticks and leg quarters 99c/lb (I can confirm that they were all sold out by the time I got there though because I am always on the lookout for this sale)
2.99/lb pork loin, also sold out
7.99/lb strip steaks
6.99/lb shrimp
4.99 for 8lb of navel oranges (no way we’d go through that, hence I got the clementines, which were also on sale, though not in this circular)
Buy2get1 pineapple cantaloupe or mini watermelon (whole - unfortunately I’m just not in a place where I can process stuff like this to actually eat it right now otherwise I would)
BOGO muffins
10 for $10 of a number of canned goods I don’t typically buy. Hunts manwich sauce? Canned veggies (maybe I should be more open to this?), Kraft Mac n cheese, campbells gravy. The remainder of the front page is stuff I don’t buy anyways. Soda, ice cream, chips… page 2 is mostly things like this too. Lots of soda sales this week. I choose to save on soda by just… not buying it ever though.

Under meat I see the salmon deal I got at the store. (8.99/lb) Perdue roasters (whole chickens) we’re 1.49/lb. but also sold out.  For fresh produce, the only other ads are for cut fruit ($6 ea for 20-24 oz depending on the fruit), buy 2 get 1 on prepackaged cut vegetables, 3 for $12 pre cut 12 oz butternut squash or zucchini , 2 lb grapes for $5 - I do wish I had seen that one, and $5 for 16 oz salad greens.

This reminds me though, with online ordering more of a thing, I can also probably look at prices of stuff online before I go, so I can more effectively plan meals.

MudPuppy

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2021, 07:28:01 PM »
Quote
Im not sure the resistance to beans. I love chickpeas and could eat them all the time. I think it’s that everything beans is kind of a chili or stew and that is too repetitive?

I like chili/stews but I really don’t care for soup, so I kind of get it. Some ways that I have used beans in the last few weeks: blended white beans with Alfredo sauce (pre made, on clearance for $1!), sautéed some finely sliced leeks and poured the mixture over store brand pasta. Made burritos with “refried” beans made in the pressure cooker. Shakshuka with white beans. Air fryer falafel wraps and air fryer fries. Lentil sloppy Joes (you could use that manwich sauce for an easy dinner). Black bean burgers. One skillet Greek inspired turkey and rice that I adapted from Budget Bytes to also include chickpeas. Feta, cranberry, and edamame salad (bonus- frozen edamame).

Anon-E-Mouze

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2021, 07:37:07 PM »
You've received lots of useful suggestions already, so I'll try to focus on just a few points:

1) Ditch the dairy (or most of it). It's not that good for you and it can be expensive. There are other sources of nutrients (like calcium) with fewer negative side effects.

https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/health-concerns-about-dairy

Also, from an ethical perspective, dairy requires the repeated insemination of cows, whose babies are then taken away from them so that humans can drink the milk meant for the calves. Cows mourn the loss of their babies - and then they're impregnated again and go through the cycle of pregnancy, birth and loss repeatedly. You mentioned you're pregnant - so I thought this perspective might resonate with you. (The exploitation of cows is also very damaging to the environment.)

2) Beans (and gas - and boredom). You can reduce the gassy effect by rinsing the beans before using them. If you cook dried beans, add a small piece of kombu (a kind of seaweed you can get in an Asian store or on Amazon) to the cooking liquid. You can cook dried beans much faster without any pre-soaking if you add kombu, and it will help with the gas. Also, for most people, the more frequently you eat beans, the less they have that gassy effect - your body adjusts.

What do with beans that aren't a stew or chili? 

A) I add beans to dishes like potato salad (cold or warm) and tomato-based pasta sauce.
B) I also sometimes add a small quantity of beans (usually mild beans like navy beans, cannellini beans or great northern beans) to soups and then blend them into the soup to make it thicker and bump up the protein/nutrients. For a simple tomato soup, I might add 1 or 1.5 cups of cooked beans and blend the whole soup until smooth. For other kinds of soups (like a chunky soup), I might blend 1 cup of beans with liquid from the soup (and maybe cooked potatoes) and then add the pureed liquid back to the soup.
C) Make-ahead burritos. I use beans in lunch/dinner burritos and breakfast burritos, prepare a batch of 8-12 at a time and then freeze them individually. Thaw one in the microwave for a minute and finish it in the toaster oven or a frying pan to toast it up and make it crispy.
D) Black bean and mango salad is one of my favourite dishes. (Also include red onion, a bit of jalapeno or hot sauce if you want, and a little lime juice.)
E) Try this recipe for Chickpea Cutlets from the Post Punk Kitchen. They're a great substitute for beef burgers or chicken fingers.
https://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/
F) Make black bean brownies: https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-black-bean-brownies/

Tofu:
A) Tofu can be quite inexpensive, especially if you buy it in Asian markets. We add regular, firm tofu to pasta sauces, chili and soup. I'm not a huge fan of tofu's texture, but in dishes like this it's almost invisible and it takes on the flavour of what you're cooking. It's an easy way to add protein (and, for certain kinds of tofu, calcium). Also, the myth about tofu having too much estrogen is just that - a myth.
B) It can be harder to find, but smoked tofu is very flavourful and the texture is great. We use this when we can find it in stir fries and curries.
C) You can add silken tofu to desserts for creamy puddings etc, instead of dairy.

Frozen fruits and veggies: I'm a fairly picky eater when it comes to vegetables (which can be challenging, since I'm vegan ...) But I love frozen fruit and it's usually much less expensive than fresh fruit. So we keep our freezer well-stocked with frozen berries and mangoes. We also keep frozen corn, frozen peas and frozen carrots for adding to soups and chili.

Metalcat

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2021, 07:56:55 PM »
There are countless dishes you can make with legumes that don't even need to be remotely repetitive.

I do love soups and stews, so I do have a lot of recipes for those, but I have around 150 inexpensive, mostly legume based recipes that I cycle through. And none of them are boring.

The cornerstone of cheap groceries is cooking with cheap main ingredients.

I hear you, DH and I used to live on salmon, avocado, and other fresh veggies. But it cost us 4-5 times as much as it does to cook legume based meals.

And it's great that your kid likes salmon and mushrooms, that means that that can be their special treat dinner for when you want to spoil or reward them. It doesn't have to be all the time. I love sashimi, but I don't get it every week.

GoConfidently

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2021, 08:56:37 PM »
It sounds like you’re in a rut and not a very confident cook, so you’re not adapting as prices change. It happens. I’m curious about your food waste. Maybe you’re super on top of it, but if you have to shop every 4 days I’m wondering if everything is getting used up. I like to meal plan based on overlapping ingredients. So a bunch of kale may be used for a salad with protein on top one night, an Italian soup with potatoes and sausage, and sautéed as a side dish. No waste and if I don’t want to do the last two right away, kale freezes super well. Start with the sale items and build a menu from there.

I’m going to leave some ideas below because I think actual recipes are more helpful than generic advice.

Recipe for those cheap fall squashes and it’s meatless: https://cookieandkate.com/vegetarian-stuffed-acorn-squash-recipe/ (super adaptable recipe so just swap out ingredients if you see something you don’t love. Just taste as you go along and adjust if needed)

Roasting frozen veg: https://primalpeak.com/roasting-frozen-vegetables/

Buddha Bowls: https://eatwithclarity.com/buddha-bowls/

Breakfast for dinner: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/breakfast-taco-hobo-packs-with-black-beans-zucchini-and-corn-56389752?intcid=inline_amp&_gl=1*5eaybz*_ga*YW1wLTRlcVlEdHlUNVRLT3FjSEhLLV83M1hCelZQQmR5bENsZTZKMXhvSVlfM2JWOHB1bjJhVS13TEFVWE5CeGdyTkw.

Stuffed sweet potatoes: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/stuffed-sweet-potatoes-with-beans-and-guacamole?intcid=inline_amp&_gl=1*ny6yfa*_ga*YW1wLTRlcVlEdHlUNVRLT3FjSEhLLV83M1hCelZQQmR5bENsZTZKMXhvSVlfM2JWOHB1bjJhVS13TEFVWE5CeGdyTkw.

Turkey and sweet potato chili because ground turkey is super cheap and it’s different than boring old chili: https://www.skinnytaste.com/no-bean-turkey-and-sweet-potato-chili/ (I made a version of this with added black beans and chipotle peppers because I like it spicy)

Curry chickpea salad because y’all like curry but hubs won’t eat tuna salad: https://www.budgetbytes.com/curry-chickpea-salad/

Fish tacos with cabbage slaw and a cheaper cut of fish: https://www.budgetbytes.com/fish-tacos-with-cumin-lime-slaw/

Salmon burgers using canned salmon: https://www.budgetbytes.com/cajun-salmon-burgers/

Hope one of throes sparks some ideas! Good luck!


APowers

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2021, 10:09:47 PM »
OP, are you in mainland US? If so, where? General location--maybe closest major city, asking so I can look at your regional Safeway ads.
Hm, mainland US but don’t like sharing location but that’s a good reminder to look at the weekly ads when I do my planning, so I can plan to buy things that are on sale.

This week, front page items are:
Chicken thighs, drumsticks and leg quarters 99c/lb (I can confirm that they were all sold out by the time I got there though because I am always on the lookout for this sale)
2.99/lb pork loin, also sold out
7.99/lb strip steaks
6.99/lb shrimp
4.99 for 8lb of navel oranges (no way we’d go through that, hence I got the clementines, which were also on sale, though not in this circular)
Buy2get1 pineapple cantaloupe or mini watermelon (whole - unfortunately I’m just not in a place where I can process stuff like this to actually eat it right now otherwise I would)
BOGO muffins
10 for $10 of a number of canned goods I don’t typically buy. Hunts manwich sauce? Canned veggies (maybe I should be more open to this?), Kraft Mac n cheese, campbells gravy. The remainder of the front page is stuff I don’t buy anyways. Soda, ice cream, chips… page 2 is mostly things like this too. Lots of soda sales this week. I choose to save on soda by just… not buying it ever though.

Under meat I see the salmon deal I got at the store. (8.99/lb) Perdue roasters (whole chickens) we’re 1.49/lb. but also sold out.  For fresh produce, the only other ads are for cut fruit ($6 ea for 20-24 oz depending on the fruit), buy 2 get 1 on prepackaged cut vegetables, 3 for $12 pre cut 12 oz butternut squash or zucchini , 2 lb grapes for $5 - I do wish I had seen that one, and $5 for 16 oz salad greens.

This reminds me though, with online ordering more of a thing, I can also probably look at prices of stuff online before I go, so I can more effectively plan meals.

Location: Safe house, USA. No worries.

I *always* check the weekly flyer before I plan my errands. Also, make sure to ask for a raincheck if they are out of an advertised item (like the chicken). Then, when it's not on sale and not sold out, you can still get the sale price. I only ever buy chicken on the 99¢ sale, and then repackage and freeze it for weeks when it's not on sale. I probably have 10-15lbs of chicken in the freezer right now. Spending 2-4x the sale price on something hurts my frugal soul.

sonofsven

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2021, 10:10:18 PM »
I love enchiladas, I used to make a black bean/chicken filling but lately I've been roasting potatoes and other root vegetables and using that as the filler instead.
Homemade enchilada sauce is really easy and so much better, plus I get the small bag of shredded cheese ("Mexican blend") so it's really easy to do.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2021, 05:41:47 AM »
It sounds like you’re in a rut and not a very confident cook, so you’re not adapting as prices change. It happens.
I think you nailed it here. I know what food goes over well here and I buy it regardless of price. I try to find the sales but sometimes they aren’t good, and I buy it anyways.

Quote
I’m curious about your food waste. Maybe you’re super on top of it, but if you have to shop every 4 days I’m wondering if everything is getting used up. I like to meal plan based on overlapping ingredients. So a bunch of kale may be used for a salad with protein on top one night, an Italian soup with potatoes and sausage, and sautéed as a side dish. No waste and if I don’t want to do the last two right away, kale freezes super well. Start with the sale items and build a menu from there.

Yeah food waste is another big factor. I won’t complain much about the toddler because he’s 2 and can be expected to not drink all his milk, come home from daycare without touching the lunch he doesn’t like, etc. I think the biggest source is me. I’ve thrown out meat that might be perfectly good because it “smelled funny” (literally everything smells funny to me right now, one of the most minorly annoying pregnancy symptoms). I’d say 80% of our leftovers get trashed so I’m trying not to make them right now. I’m the only one who ever usually eats them for lunch the next day, and I’ve been getting weird aversions to leftovers so even I’m over here eating sandwiches instead. I’m hoping this particular trend ends once I’m not pregnant any more And i can withstand the smell of meat again.

I used to meal plan like this, back when we were paying off a student loan. I always started feeling like a bamf for coming up with a variety of meals that used similar ingredients but which, to me, were very different. But all the feedback I got was like… if I made two chicken recipes back to back, like chicken tikka and then chicken tacos, it would be “chicken again?” Or if I made the same type eg tacos more than once in two weeks, it would be “can we not do this recipe for a couple of weeks? We’ve had it a lot recently”. I’m lazy and a bad cook so I prefer personally to do a recipe a lot so I can learn what makes it better (and easier) and what doesn’t work, and can have more muscle memory to remember what all goes in a dish. But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too. 🤷🏻‍♀️At this point I’m reaching DGAF levels of pregnant so maybe I’ll resurrect some of those old meal/grocery plans I had forgotten about.

I like these recipe ideas! I’ll have to try some. Especially that acorn squash, that stuff was on sale and probably will be for the foreseeable future because: fall. Then again I brought home a butternut squash and literally haven’t even used it yet and DH was like “well as long as we don’t overdo it on the squash…”
« Last Edit: October 01, 2021, 06:51:48 AM by Britan »

Sugaree

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2021, 06:29:19 AM »
Meal planning has been something that I've done for awhile.  What I've been working on lately has been choosing meals that have ingredients in common so that I'm not throwing away so much.  For example, this week I'm having peanut stew and noodles/vegetables in peanut sauce.  Peanut butter isn't likely to go bad before it gets eaten, but it cuts down on the number of items I'm buying for the week's menu.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2021, 07:10:22 AM »

Location: Safe house, USA. No worries.

I *always* check the weekly flyer before I plan my errands. Also, make sure to ask for a raincheck if they are out of an advertised item (like the chicken). Then, when it's not on sale and not sold out, you can still get the sale price. I only ever buy chicken on the 99¢ sale, and then repackage and freeze it for weeks when it's not on sale. I probably have 10-15lbs of chicken in the freezer right now. Spending 2-4x the sale price on something hurts my frugal soul.

I had no idea you could do this!!! I figured I was just SOL. Who do I talk to about a rain check? Cashier, butcher, customer service? How does one ask for this? This might literally change my life. It kills me to buy chicken for more than 99c/lb, but I do it so often, unfortunately.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2021, 07:14:48 AM »
It sounds like you’re in a rut and not a very confident cook, so you’re not adapting as prices change. It happens.
I think you nailed it here. I know what food goes over well here and I buy it regardless of price. I try to find the sales but sometimes they aren’t good, and I buy it anyways.

Quote
I’m curious about your food waste. Maybe you’re super on top of it, but if you have to shop every 4 days I’m wondering if everything is getting used up. I like to meal plan based on overlapping ingredients. So a bunch of kale may be used for a salad with protein on top one night, an Italian soup with potatoes and sausage, and sautéed as a side dish. No waste and if I don’t want to do the last two right away, kale freezes super well. Start with the sale items and build a menu from there.

Yeah food waste is another big factor. I won’t complain much about the toddler because he’s 2 and can be expected to not drink all his milk, come home from daycare without touching the lunch he doesn’t like, etc. I think the biggest source is me. I’ve thrown out meat that might be perfectly good because it “smelled funny” (literally everything smells funny to me right now, one of the most minorly annoying pregnancy symptoms). I’d say 80% of our leftovers get trashed so I’m trying not to make them right now. I’m the only one who ever usually eats them for lunch the next day, and I’ve been getting weird aversions to leftovers so even I’m over here eating sandwiches instead. I’m hoping this particular trend ends once I’m not pregnant any more And i can withstand the smell of meat again.

I used to meal plan like this, back when we were paying off a student loan. I always started feeling like a bamf for coming up with a variety of meals that used similar ingredients but which, to me, were very different. But all the feedback I got was like… if I made two chicken recipes back to back, like chicken tikka and then chicken tacos, it would be “chicken again?” Or if I made the same type eg tacos more than once in two weeks, it would be “can we not do this recipe for a couple of weeks? We’ve had it a lot recently”. I’m lazy and a bad cook so I prefer personally to do a recipe a lot so I can learn what makes it better (and easier) and what doesn’t work, and can have more muscle memory to remember what all goes in a dish. But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too. 🤷🏻‍♀️At this point I’m reaching DGAF levels of pregnant so maybe I’ll resurrect some of those old meal/grocery plans I had forgotten about.

I like these recipe ideas! I’ll have to try some. Especially that acorn squash, that stuff was on sale and probably will be for the foreseeable future because: fall. Then again I brought home a butternut squash and literally haven’t even used it yet and DH was like “well as long as we don’t overdo it on the squash…”

Get the Paprika app. I don't memorize any of my recipes, and a lot of legume based recipes have similar steps and processes, so it's easy to master the basics.

With the Paprika app, everything is displayed in an easy to follow way. I have all of my recipes categorized by key ingredients and recipe type, so I can generate a meal plan and print out a shopping list within 5 minutes.

That said, a family that refuses to eat leftovers is a family that is disrespecting your hard work, IMO.

Zhiantara

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #20 on: October 01, 2021, 08:01:24 AM »
But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too.

Nope, not too sensitive. It sucks when people don’t like what you cook.

Maybe, if he wants things to be different, then he might need to be the one to make it happen. Sometimes people don’t realise that their expectations are unreasonable until they’ve had to try to live up to them.

Also, you’re raising a small human and growing another one. Your job is a Provider of Nourishment, not Chef.

I hope you get some useful suggestions here - meal planning can be hard work.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #21 on: October 01, 2021, 08:05:49 AM »
I just wanted to post a WOW at third trimester pregnancy and biking for groceries!

Metalcat

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #22 on: October 01, 2021, 08:06:39 AM »
But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too.

Nope, not too sensitive. It sucks when people don’t like what you cook.

Maybe, if he wants things to be different, then he might need to be the one to make it happen. Sometimes people don’t realise that their expectations are unreasonable until they’ve had to try to live up to them.

Also, you’re raising a small human and growing another one. Your job is a Provider of Nourishment, not Chef.

I hope you get some useful suggestions here - meal planning can be hard work.

Yes, definitely not too sensitive.
If I was given attitude for buying a squash with the aim of cooking meals with it from scratch, it would not end well for my spouse.

GoConfidently

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #23 on: October 01, 2021, 08:21:19 AM »
I’d say 80% of our leftovers get trashed so I’m trying not to make them right now. I’m the only one who ever usually eats them for lunch the next day, and I’ve been getting weird aversions to leftovers so even I’m over here eating sandwiches instead. (Snip)

But all the feedback I got was like… if I made two chicken recipes back to back, like chicken tikka and then chicken tacos, it would be “chicken again?” Or if I made the same type eg tacos more than once in two weeks, it would be “can we not do this recipe for a couple of weeks? We’ve had it a lot recently”. I’m lazy and a bad cook so I prefer personally to do a recipe a lot so I can learn what makes it better (and easier) and what doesn’t work, and can have more muscle memory to remember what all goes in a dish. But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too. 🤷🏻‍♀️At this point I’m reaching DGAF levels of pregnant so maybe I’ll resurrect some of those old meal/grocery plans I had forgotten about.


Ok, two more things after reading your reply.

One - if you’re throwing away a lot of leftovers you’re probably cooking too much at each meal. Try to reduce portions even if that means adjusting recipes. I would also start freezing individual sized portions of leftovers that do freeze well for easy lunches after the baby comes. Buy stacking containers so they won’t take up as much space in the freezer (which shouldn’t be too full based on how you say you’re buying groceries).

Two- outside of the pregnancy aversions, it sounds like your DH is the picky one. I’m inclined to say let him cook if he’s that picky, but that’s probably not going to be helpful. Maybe it warrants a discussion. Is he concerned about food costs, or does he think it’s just a drop in the bucket and can’t be bothered to worry about what’s on sale? Does he have some childhood trauma or habits around food that makes him think leftovers are bad? Does he dislike your cooking? Is he just a picky eater? Does he have heartburn and doesn’t want to talk about it because it makes him feel old? Most importantly, what would an ideal week of meals look like to him? Find the root of the problem so you can align expectations.

And lastly I’ll just say that I doubt you’re a bad cook. You might be a boring cook, but getting edible and healthy food on the table regularly means you have some skills. Find a YouTube channel that you connect with for inspiration, dive into the why things work instead of specific recipes, and don’t overwhelm yourself with trying too many new things at once.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #24 on: October 01, 2021, 08:34:59 AM »
I haven't read through the whole thread, but here are some thoughts:

- When I was pregnant with my first, I CRAVED red meat (iron deficiency, perhaps?) I could've eaten steak every night. I didn't, but it was nonetheless an expensive time for us. Listen to your body and cravings. (With my second, I would've eaten anything so long as it was on a flour tortilla. Weird.)

- I have two children under five with expensive tastes: they both love avocados, blueberries, and smoked salmon. My five-year-old can sock away sushi like no one's business and asks for it all the time. We are happy to buy avocados and blueberries as part of our weekly menu, and we get smoked salmon on occasion, but sushi is a special treat and often for lunch, rather than dinner, when we can get a lunch special.

- We have a lot of low-key meals. A favorite is bread/fruit/cheese: a take-n-bake baguette from Aldi (can be frozen and put in the oven to thaw/cook), diced cheese cubes or Brie, and a litany of whatever fruits and veggies we have on hand (avocado, apples, clementines, carrots, grape tomatoes, etc). This is also a great option for buying a produce loss-leader at your supermarket and ensuring its eaten. Pasta is cheap and easy, and can be as low-key/intensive as you like (jarred sauce, anyone?) and if you don't do long noodles it's pretty toddler-friendly. Tacos can also be toddler friendly if you treat them like roll-ups: a little smudge of refried beans, which are super-easy to make at home, some cheese, avocado slices, and pico de gallo. Roll it up tight and expect a wee bit of mess when they unroll it and poke/lick it.

- Finally, give yourself a bit of grace getting through this temporary period in your life. The third trimester and transition home are hard - even harder when you're navigating going from an only child to two. I'd say if $500/month isn't killing your budget right now, give yourself grace to get through the holiday season and the initial weeks of postpartum recovery and reassess your grocery spending and meal planning in 2022.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #25 on: October 01, 2021, 09:02:04 AM »
Ok so I have my groceries for the next few days but I think my next couple of concrete steps are:
1) cut out fresh berries for now. We have like 3lb frozen organic from Costco and those can be used for most of our berry usage (I even snack on frozen berries but I’m weird like that). It’s getting to that time of year that fresh berries aren’t even that good anymore anyways. This should cut almost 10% of a grocery shop like the last one.
2) do my next trip at Aldi. I’ll see if the one nearer to me has changed at all since I’ve been there. Hopefully they’ve expanded a bit. And worked on their security… Ive been hesitant to go since my friend (who swears by Aldi And still goes after this) had to call security and police for an assault in the store mid afternoon with her two toddlers in tow. But I think that hesitation is probably some… I dunno elitism? On my part?

Thats some low hanging fruit right there.

APowers

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #26 on: October 01, 2021, 09:59:26 AM »

Location: Safe house, USA. No worries.

I *always* check the weekly flyer before I plan my errands. Also, make sure to ask for a raincheck if they are out of an advertised item (like the chicken). Then, when it's not on sale and not sold out, you can still get the sale price. I only ever buy chicken on the 99¢ sale, and then repackage and freeze it for weeks when it's not on sale. I probably have 10-15lbs of chicken in the freezer right now. Spending 2-4x the sale price on something hurts my frugal soul.

I had no idea you could do this!!! I figured I was just SOL. Who do I talk to about a rain check? Cashier, butcher, customer service? How does one ask for this? This might literally change my life. It kills me to buy chicken for more than 99c/lb, but I do it so often, unfortunately.

You're welcome. :)

I always ask the cashier as I'm checking out. A pleasant "Oh, I was looking for the 99c chicken you had in the flyer, but they were completely out back there. Can I get a raincheck?" works great. In my experience, they usually have a pad of raincheck slips in their checkstand somewhere, and will write one for you on the spot. If it's an obscure item, they'll usually verify that it's in the ad; but most of the time it's a popular item, they know they're out, and will write the raincheck without having to look.

You might have to specify an amount of product, but I think that's mostly just to deter people from buying massive bulk later when they're not prepared for it. Just tell them double the amount you were planning, and then don't think about it.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #27 on: October 01, 2021, 10:12:58 AM »
I’m weirdly glad I’m not the only one that noticed grocery spending suddenly going up. I also haven’t had perfect insight bc DH has been doing more of the grocery runs since he typically has the car during the week and I’m too pregnant to walk around the grocery store with a toddler who wants to buy EvErYtHiNg. I tend to shop my making a list and staying to the list, keeping to sales. I think DH is more of a “walk the aisles and see what looks good” shopper.

I'd guess, this is largely what's driving up your grocery spending. Prices are definitely up, however your DH's method of shopping is usually the most expensive way to go about things. My DH is the same and I'll confess that he's taken over our 2nd fridge (which I wanted to just unplug) with expensive cheese.

My workaround, when I don't want to do the shopping myself, is to order our weekly groceries online and then send DH for curbside pickup. This works great, when he doesn't then go into the store to buy more stuff.

I'll also echo the other posters who mentioned your DH's attitude and pickiness would not go over well with me. My DH is also pretty picky and used to be an asshole about meals. When the kids were younger they picked up on this and were also bears about meals. It made things so much harder. At 13 and 15 they're now old enough to be more rational about things. Anyway my response to mealtime attitude is to issue "the Talk" about how rudeness has no place in our house, they're lucky to get any food at all, DH and I worked hard to afford the food that's on the table and furthermore if they don't like what I cook they're welcome to buy and make their own food. Then I revert to cooking like a single gal for a few days. That means only my favorite meals and since I know they won't like it anyway, I cook single gal sized portions. Or I just eat the leftovers of the previous days meals they rejected and they can fend for themselves. Obviously you still have to feed the 2yo, but I'd be very careful not to cater to him too much so he doesn't become more picky than necessary.


2) do my next trip at Aldi. I’ll see if the one nearer to me has changed at all since I’ve been there. Hopefully they’ve expanded a bit. And worked on their security… Ive been hesitant to go since my friend (who swears by Aldi And still goes after this) had to call security and police for an assault in the store mid afternoon with her two toddlers in tow. But I think that hesitation is probably some… I dunno elitism? On my part?

Those are some great changes. Your reaction to the security issue isn't out of line. I'd probably react similarly. In fact, I quit shopping in person entirely last fall after an encounter with a physically agressive anti-masker. I didn't step foot in a grocery store for over 6 months, although that was also partly to avoid Covid.

PMG

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #28 on: October 01, 2021, 10:34:51 AM »
I just have to chime in and say that this also might just be a phase. You’re going to need some easy things for the next few months. Sure, work on things, but don’t be too hard on yourself right now either. Keep some easy things built in to your plan.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #29 on: October 01, 2021, 10:55:58 AM »
Ok so I have my groceries for the next few days but I think my next couple of concrete steps are:
1) cut out fresh berries for now. We have like 3lb frozen organic from Costco and those can be used for most of our berry usage (I even snack on frozen berries but I’m weird like that). It’s getting to that time of year that fresh berries aren’t even that good anymore anyways. This should cut almost 10% of a grocery shop like the last one.

You're not weird. My kids like to eat the berries frozen too. My oldest will specifically ask for "frozen fruit".

youngwildandfree

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #30 on: October 01, 2021, 11:19:13 AM »
Another vote for note being too hard on yourself while growing a human, and having some frank conversations with the spouse on pitching in more if he's grumbling about what you are working hard to provide.

One more thought, depending on where you live farmers markets or farm share programs can be a great source of local fresh veggies and fruit for less money than the grocery store.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #31 on: October 01, 2021, 12:04:53 PM »
I just wanted to post a WOW at third trimester pregnancy and biking for groceries!
Hah thanks. Yeah if my trip doesn’t require eggs or a gallon of milk, I bike on the way home from getting my son from daycare since it’s right on my route. Buuuut Safeway is downhill from home. Actually that might be bonus points for Aldi… it is uphill from home so I’d be riding home downhill w groceries instead of uphill.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #32 on: October 01, 2021, 02:32:30 PM »
Ok so I have my groceries for the next few days but I think my next couple of concrete steps are:
1) cut out fresh berries for now. We have like 3lb frozen organic from Costco and those can be used for most of our berry usage (I even snack on frozen berries but I’m weird like that). It’s getting to that time of year that fresh berries aren’t even that good anymore anyways. This should cut almost 10% of a grocery shop like the last one.

You're not weird. My kids like to eat the berries frozen too. My oldest will specifically ask for "frozen fruit".

Mine love frozen blueberries in a bowl with milk. The milk freezes, it’s like a science experiment! :-)

Cranky

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #33 on: October 01, 2021, 03:10:12 PM »
I’ve been to a lot of Aldis, even back when they were a lot more basic than they are now, and I’ve never felt unsafe.

One thing you can do is switch to their whole wheat bread and save yourself 50% of what you’re paying. It freezes well. Toast is an excellent snack.

LD_TAndK

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #34 on: October 02, 2021, 04:03:31 AM »
For grocery delivery, a good option near me is Walmart+, which is $98 a year. It allows unlimited free same day delivery from the closest store. Their online app makes it easy to price shop and slowly build a grocery list, rather than making quick decisions in store. If you pair it with a walmart credit card through capital one, you get 5% back.

I don't personally use the service because I don't mind going to stores

Kwill

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #35 on: October 02, 2021, 04:49:23 AM »
It's interesting to hear everyone's suggestions for meals.

One snack I remember having a lot and liking as a child was apple slices with peanut butter. I imagine that's got to be cheaper than avocado or organic berries as a snack, and it has some protein.

If I bought bread thinking it was on sale and then had it ring up a lot more than I expected, I would probably challenge it. Some supermarkets in the US have policies where they will give it to you for free if it rings up wrong, but at least you should have a chance to either get the sale price or pick something else.

Whole wheat bread might be cheaper than specialty breads, but it might actually also be healthier. I think "whole wheat bread" is a controlled term so that the FDA mandates that the bread actually has to be made with all whole wheat flour. Anything else like "whole grain" or "healthy wheat" means whatever the company making the bread wants it to mean. I remember my mother telling me this, but here's an article about it.

herbgeek

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #36 on: October 02, 2021, 05:24:56 AM »
So many good ideas here.  Seasonal foods are cheaper.

For fun/inspiration, I like to watch "Struggle Meals".  Its on the Tastemade network, I also see clips for free on Youtube.  The chef is entertaining and focuses on way to use cheap ingredients and stretch expensive ingredients.  The original seasons were advertised as meals under $2 a plate - this is no longer being said, but still reasonable costing meals.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #37 on: October 02, 2021, 06:12:32 AM »
Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

I feel like I’m kinda blaming my DH for being picky, but tbh he hasn’t been so much lately. It’s just what it felt like when I used to do more cost conscious meal planning, but a lot has changed in the last couple years since then. I think it’s just my anxiety and me trying to come up with excuses as to why I can’t do these things *that I already knew were the answer*.

At the end of the day, the $800 grocery bills aren’t breaking the bank. We still sock away a lot, and that’s without being particularly frugal. It’s just… well 1) $800/mo for two and a toddler seems absurd, 2) it feels like we are spending $300 more than we used to but it doesn’t feel like we are getting $300 more in quality or quantity and 3) since I do 99% of the meal prep, I feel like it’s kinda my responsibility (and also something I can control lol). Plus who wouldn’t love an extra $300/month in the bank?

I think this will be easier than I’m making it out to be. Switch snacks, with flexibility to what’s in season (apples are a great idea! It’s apple picking season!) Use the weekly ads to plan meals, and plan to have a few with similar ingredients. Perhaps shop at Aldis (it’s not Aldi in general I have a safety issue with, i liked the one in the county when it was on my clown commute drive home, it’s just the location of this specific one is… known locally as not a great area, but maybe it’s changed, i hear they had a big reno recently). Mix in a few fun vegetarian dinners. All do-able things that I already knew but needed to hear from other people, haha.

herbgeek

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #38 on: October 02, 2021, 06:51:16 AM »
Another book I found useful, besides the Budget Bytes one, is this one:  https://www.amazon.com/Wildly-Affordable-Organic-Fabulous-Planet-All/dp/073821468X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wildly+affordable+organic&qid=1633178673&s=books&sr=1-1

I found this most useful not so much for the recipes, but for the meal plans, shopping lists and prep/cooking plans.   The plans are seasonal (fall, winter, spring, summer). The author does a few hours of prep once a week in order to streamline during the week.  There is a strategy section for how to get ahead if you only have 20 minutes a day, if you don't have a big chunk of time to devote on a weekend (and with a toddler, you likely don't have this).

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #39 on: October 02, 2021, 04:44:30 PM »
Regarding Aldi. they are definitely cheaper. At one point in my city they were building out new locations at a rapid pace so check again to see if there's a new one you might prefer. Since the pandemic started I've been doing a lot of pickup orders there through Instacart; at first they were free but now cost $1.99. Chicken thighs are routinely $0.99 - $1.19 per lb. and I think you'll find other items on your list competitively priced.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #40 on: October 02, 2021, 04:57:46 PM »
Regarding Aldi. they are definitely cheaper. At one point in my city they were building out new locations at a rapid pace so check again to see if there's a new one you might prefer. Since the pandemic started I've been doing a lot of pickup orders there through Instacart; at first they were free but now cost $1.99. Chicken thighs are routinely $0.99 - $1.19 per lb. and I think you'll find other items on your list competitively priced.

I’d probably feel better doing pick up. I see they’re on instant cart (though it says it’s 3.8 miles from me which it is definitely not that far?) And from the looks of the app, they have more in stock than I would have expected. I think I’ll try this. Bummer about the fee, but it’s a smaller price to pay over expensive Safeway food.

Edit: oh I see why. The one near me does not do Instacart, apparently. I’d have to go to the one further out for pickup. I could do that with the car. It’s not particularly bikeable though unless I want to be biking along a “highway” (has stoplights but is 3 lanes each way). And that location isn’t quite as… sketchy… as the one closer to me so I wouldn’t mind just regular shopping there. But it’s not significantly different from how I shop now, would just be ~4 miles to Aldi vs 0.9 miles to Safeway.

Edit 2: DAYUM looking at these prices, I’m sold. It will be ~15 m out of my way to drive there, but some things are like half the price of Safeway! Safeway sale mushrooms are 2.50 a package, but $1.45 at Aldi. And if delivery isn’t that expensive, maybe some of the savings can pay for that, haha.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2021, 05:13:45 PM by Britan »

seemsright

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #41 on: October 02, 2021, 05:56:15 PM »
But the level of repetition I need to feel like I’ve “mastered” a dish hasn’t gone well in the past here, and nothing is worse than spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, just to hear “I’m sick of this recipe” and then have to go clean up the kitchen. But maybe I’m a bit over sensitive too.

Nope, not too sensitive. It sucks when people don’t like what you cook.

Maybe, if he wants things to be different, then he might need to be the one to make it happen. Sometimes people don’t realise that their expectations are unreasonable until they’ve had to try to live up to them.

Also, you’re raising a small human and growing another one. Your job is a Provider of Nourishment, not Chef.

I hope you get some useful suggestions here - meal planning can be hard work.

Yes, definitely not too sensitive.
If I was given attitude for buying a squash with the aim of cooking meals with it from scratch, it would not end well for my spouse.

lol. I spent the summer gardening. We are starting to harvest winter squash. I spent yesterday cooking a hubbard squash that was so big that I had to drop it on the garage floor to break it open then spend multiple hours baking it in the oven in batches. I think I ended up with 40 cups of squash or something crazy like that.

I will be making our meals around this one squash (I have 2 more in my garage) Today I made 'pumpkin pie' oatmeal for my 11 year old. I took some yogart and mixed it with the squash, added a bit of pumpkin pie spice and some dry oats to the top and a bit of maple syrup and my 11 year old thought that was the best breakfast ever. For tomorrow I will make pumpkin pancakes and white bean and pumpkin chili This will give me a opportunity to clean out the fridge.


hooplady

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #42 on: October 02, 2021, 06:30:02 PM »
I’d probably feel better doing pick up. I see they’re on instant cart (though it says it’s 3.8 miles from me which it is definitely not that far?) And from the looks of the app, they have more in stock than I would have expected. I think I’ll try this. Bummer about the fee, but it’s a smaller price to pay over expensive Safeway food.

Edit: oh I see why. The one near me does not do Instacart, apparently. I’d have to go to the one further out for pickup. I could do that with the car. It’s not particularly bikeable though unless I want to be biking along a “highway” (has stoplights but is 3 lanes each way). And that location isn’t quite as… sketchy… as the one closer to me so I wouldn’t mind just regular shopping there. But it’s not significantly different from how I shop now, would just be ~4 miles to Aldi vs 0.9 miles to Safeway.

Edit 2: DAYUM looking at these prices, I’m sold. It will be ~15 m out of my way to drive there, but some things are like half the price of Safeway! Safeway sale mushrooms are 2.50 a package, but $1.45 at Aldi. And if delivery isn’t that expensive, maybe some of the savings can pay for that, haha.
Yes, not all of them are pickup locations. I've steered away from doing the full Instacart delivery service for a couple reasons - there are a lot more fees and tips added on, and I don't really like the idea of some stranger doing the shopping for me. At least with the pickup option it's a store employee doing the selection and bringing to my car. It might not be the same everywhere but I like sticking with the store employees if that option is available.

Runrooster

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #43 on: October 03, 2021, 01:35:31 PM »
I wish I had some insight here, but mostly it sounds like you have limited grocery stores and picky eaters. 

I'm lucky to have the opposite issue, although I hit 4-5 stores a week, they're only about a mile out of the way on the way home.  And, after 3 months, my local Asian and Indian stores (in the same shopping mall so I think of them as one) are having great clearance produce.  Fortunately my parents will eat pretty much any thing I put in front of them, even though the nectarines were starting to brown.  Plums, rambutans, guavas, bell peppers, Indian squash, cauliflower, tomatoes around $1/pound, some much less.  I would guess I'm saving $20/week this way, out of our usual $400/month for 3 people.

I recently went to Aldi's for the first time in years, and was floored.  The produce and bread were amazing prices and good quality.  It is out of the way for me, or I might quit shopping at mainstream Safeway/Giant/Harris Teeter altogether.  In general the sale prices of the chain stores seem comparable/better than everyday prices at Aldis.  But it's also a brand new Aldi's, so the quality may worsen over time.  They're supposed to open a Lidl basically across the street from Aldi's, so I might be making that extra trip every week once that happens.

I don't have any advice into turning picky eaters into manageable eaters.  I'm stunned by the story of your making two different chicken dishes one day after the other and getting complaints.  I often make 4 days worth of the same dish - chicken biryani is a big pot, chili, idli/sambar is a truckload - and expect my parents to eat it.  My solution to the repetition issue is that I won't make the same dish again for a month afterwards. Beans we made this afternoon will last for 2-3 days, then we'll make other beans because we almost always have some beans. Vegetables we'll make something new most days but also take out one old dish.  I mean my parents came from a country without refrigeration and so they were used to food being cooked fresh every day, but they realized that wasn't reasonable after working a 10+hour day in the US.  What are the 7 proteins your DH expects you to make in rotation - chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp, beans, pasta, tacos, pizza?  Does he complain if he has to eat chicken for dinner and also lunch the next day?  Does he come from money, like growing up with a personal chef?  Oh, my family's even less picky about breakfast, which the same omelet/toast/tea every day.  My Mom occasionally makes pancakes - for dinner.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2021, 01:54:48 PM by Runrooster »

seattlecyclone

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #44 on: October 03, 2021, 03:53:37 PM »
I miss living in a city with an Aldi. They haven't made it out to the PNW yet. We have Grocery Outlet which is roughly as good on price, but the quality is less and it's far enough out of my way that I never bother going. Instead we make a trek out to Costco about once a month and hit up Safeway for loss leaders and fresh produce/bread/dairy in between Costco trips.

hooplady

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #45 on: October 03, 2021, 05:49:53 PM »
Aldi is an interesting business model - limited selection focusing on staples, mostly their own brands, lots of organic options. None of that "paradox of choice" nonsense, for most items you only have one option. Bring your own bag or pay for them. Requires a quarter deposit to use a cart. You either love it or hate it, I'm totally in the former group.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #46 on: October 03, 2021, 06:21:00 PM »
Don't forget that if you buy anything from Aldi that isn't to your liking, you can return it no questions asked. And they should still have the Twice as Nice Guarantee. Basically, any Aldi exclusive food items (with some exceptions like wine or non-food items) you bring it back, they'll give you a replacement AND refund your money. You get a new item for free basically. They do returns with receipts on everything else in the form you paid, and they're generally very good about returns.

I would start doing a weekly stockup drive to an Aldi for staples they have cheaply and especially their sales items. And don't forget to check out their discounted goods. I routinely pick up meats and cheeses that are still good for half price if they're within a day or so of their sell by date. I have been buying/freezing things like pork loin and chicken for years like this and never had any quality issues. Scored organic ground beef one year for $1.50/lb and took like 16 pounds home to the freeze. They get shipments in pretty often but you can ask when they get their trucks in so you can try to time your shopping for the day they get the sales stuff for the best selection.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #47 on: October 04, 2021, 08:59:16 AM »
I would start doing a weekly stockup drive to an Aldi for staples they have cheaply and especially their sales items. And don't forget to check out their discounted goods. I routinely pick up meats and cheeses that are still good for half price if they're within a day or so of their sell by date. I have been buying/freezing things like pork loin and chicken for years like this and never had any quality issues. Scored organic ground beef one year for $1.50/lb and took like 16 pounds home to the freeze. They get shipments in pretty often but you can ask when they get their trucks in so you can try to time your shopping for the day they get the sales stuff for the best selection.

Agreed on shopping the sales for things like meat. Pro-tip: if you find 3lbs of ground beef on sale, divide it out before freezing so you don't have to thaw (and use!) all 3lbs at once! (Can you tell we've made that mistake before?)

Also, it is super-rare that we find sales that beat Aldi prices for sandwich bread, bagels, take n' bakes, etc. so we usually buy 2-3 at a time and freeze what we don't immediately open. When we finish one, we'll pull out a frozen one and thaw for a day on the counter before putting in our cupboard. Buying multiples of things like this might make the trek out there more worthwhile for you, as bread can be PRICEY at some stores.

Britan

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #48 on: October 04, 2021, 09:35:16 AM »
Just used instacart to get Costco and Aldi delivered. Impressed at the prices and ability to price compare: Aldi apples were cheaper than Costco! Next time though I will either get Costco chicken or do pickup if I’m getting chicken from Aldi. Suuuper unimpressed with the Aldi delivery. Raw leaking chicken was bagged on top of the apples. So now I’m down 3 lb apples, and had to bleach wipe everything else in that bag (thankfully all else was packaged).

All in all, Aldis was $43.35 and Costco was $41.78. Same price as my last grocery shop, except I was able to get some bulk pantry staples that will last awhile and just generally WAY more food for the same price. I do still need to stop at Safeway for a few things that weren’t at either location. Apples (siggggh), frozen cherries, and frozen peas (which were weirdly sold out both places?). But this should help the budget significantly even without major modifications to *what* we are buying.

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Re: Grocery budgets and meal planning and snacks
« Reply #49 on: October 04, 2021, 09:39:43 AM »
Just used instacart to get Costco and Aldi delivered. Impressed at the prices and ability to price compare: Aldi apples were cheaper than Costco! Next time though I will either get Costco chicken or do pickup if I’m getting chicken from Aldi. Suuuper unimpressed with the Aldi delivery. Raw leaking chicken was bagged on top of the apples. So now I’m down 3 lb apples, and had to bleach wipe everything else in that bag (thankfully all else was packaged).

All in all, Aldis was $43.35 and Costco was $41.78. Same price as my last grocery shop, except I was able to get some bulk pantry staples that will last awhile and just generally WAY more food for the same price. I do still need to stop at Safeway for a few things that weren’t at either location. Apples (siggggh), frozen cherries, and frozen peas (which were weirdly sold out both places?). But this should help the budget significantly even without major modifications to *what* we are buying.

Yay! I was literally just wondering how this was going for you. It sounds like you were able to use all the suggestions here in a way that makes your life better and your budget lower. Way to go!