Hey Mustachians -
This is my first-ever MMM forum post. I'm a relatively new reader, and while I realize this is a common question, I've scoured the forum for weeks looking for help, to no avail. Can you guys help me lower my grocery bill? I'm providing exact costs and the exact meals I eat.
I'm a single male with no kids. I'm very active and I eat quite a bit, but follow a similar diet to MMM himself. Current protein intake is around 140-150 grams per day with only one serving of meat, and I'd like to keep it about at that level to support weightlifting and activity, if at all possible. But my monthly total cost is over $300.
I live in a semi-rural area with no access to Costco/Sam's Club, and food prices/taxes are quite high (mountainous Carbondale CO... there is a 3.5% sales tax here for groceries). I'm going to include my actual barebones grocery list below with real prices. All of this is unfortunately for non-organic, conventional produce and mass-produced meat. I've split it up into items I buy weekly, and items I just need about once a month. Any thoughts how can I reduce it?
Here are the meals I'm eating, almost the same everyday:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 oz cheese, 1 cup frozen peppers/onions, 1 scoop peanut butter, 1-2 tablespoons oil
Lunch - Basic salad: 1/3 bag spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup lentils, 1 hardboiled egg, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 1 stick celery, dressing
Snack 1: 1 banana, 2 scoops PB, 1 scoop protein powder
Snack 2: 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1-2 scoops PB, 1 scoop protein powder
Dinner: 4 oz chicken or ground beef, 2 cups frozen veggies, 1 cup marina sauce or 1/4 cup salsa, 1-2 tablesoons oil, and sometimes about 1/4 cup rice
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
I'm moving in August to a different city that is larger, less rural, lower sales tax (my town taxes groceries), and has a Sam's Club, so hoping that will help. But in the meantime, any ideas?
Thanks!
BK
Weekly Shopping List (Cost w/Tax Included)
30 eggs $5.88
2 lb cheese $5.18
4 bags pepper/onion $5.34
2 bags frozen brocolli/cauliflower $2.67
1 jar peanut butter $3.11
7 Bananas $2.07
2 bags spinach $4.14
7 roma tomatos $3.00
4 cucumbers $2.00
1 bunch celery $2.00
1 bunch carrots $2.00
1 bag dry lentils $3.00
16oz chicken $3.26
16oz ground beef $4.65
1 jar sauce $2.50
1 jar salsa (for eggs/burger) $3.09
Weekly Total $53.88
4 Week Total $215.53
Items bought monthly:
2xOlive Oil (for dressing) $16.00
2xSalad dressing packets $4.00
Oatmeal $3.00
2xCoffee $13.00
2xRice $4.00
5lb Protein Powder $55.00
Total for Monthly Items $95.00
Grand Total $310.53