Happy Wednesday, friends! Today I’m talking about how we save money on our grocery budget!
Joe has always been a budgeter and frugal with how we spend our money, and it has rubbed off on me over the years. For one, we have student loan debt that we are working on paying off, but we also want to make sure our money goes to things we actually truly value. And of course we are still learning and growing as we go!
When it comes to food, we value feeding ourselves and our kids with wholesome foods, and I enjoy cooking “clean” meals as much as possible. As far as organic vs. non organic, I generally follow the dirty dozen and clean 15 guidelines. With that being said, our grocery bill was creeping up higher and higher, and I knew I had to get it back down (without couponing – I mostly shop at Trader Joe’s). So, here are my tips for how I got our grocery budget down:
1. MAKE and STICK TO a BUDGET.
Joe and I made a monthly budget, so we work with a monthly budget amount for food. It gives us flexibility week to week if we have to spend a little more for some reason. We know to cut back the next week to keep it in budget.
2. Take inventory of what you already have.
Before I even sit down to make a list or plan meals, I check what have in our pantry or fridge that I can utilize. There have been times I find that I have a couple cans of beans, or random veggies that have gone unused. So I factor those in to my meals for the next week.
3. MEAL PLAN.
By making a meal plan and a list of ingredients, I know exactly what I need, and I know it will all get used. This also prevents me from buying something I really don’t need, but just like. For instance, I am walking through Trader Joe’s and see the raw kale pesto that is super yummy and am tempted to put it in my cart to have on hand. Well, I know from all of the meals I planned that I don’t need it this week, so it can wait til next week.
4. Use similar ingredients in multiple meals.
If I want to make lentil soup for a meal, which requires a bag of lentils, I will plan a second meal that utilizes lentils so that one bag of lentils will provide for 2 meals. Another example: If I am making a pot of sauce for pasta or pizza, I may make tomato soup since I have the tomato sauce on hand.
This is also easy to do with potatoes, rice, beans, or a whole chicken. This week I bought a whole chicken and am using half for chicken and rice soup, and the other half for chicken and vegetable curry over rice.
5. Go meatless!
I’m sure not everyone will love to hear this, but I buy meat for 2-3 meals and that’s it. I buy organic, grass fed, hormone free meat when I buy it, so it made sense for us to just cut back on meat, and it has been great. In my opinion it’s better for our wallets, our health and the environment. Pinterest is full of ideas for vegetarian and vegan meals.
Some meatless options I love: falafel, black bean tacos, lentil soup, veggie stir fry.
6. Be determined to use what you have.
This is a discipline I am working on! It’s tempting to not want to cook what you planned or use up what you have, and run to the store or order food out, but there are multiple reasons why this is worth it. For one, you are sticking to your budget so money can go elsewhere (savings, home repair, debt, vacation, etc), and two, you are reducing waste. This is a big deal, and something I am becoming more conscious about. My dad is so good at looking in his fridge and cabinets and whipping up a gourmet meal with whatever they have on hand. It inspires me to do the same!
7. Choose to make something homemade.
Instead of buying store bought hummus, cake mix, frozen pizza, etc, challenge yourself to make it yourself. Not only is it cheaper, it’s healthier for you too! Win-win! Some of my favorite things to make homemade: hummus, broth, bread, pita, granola, almond milk, nut butter, etc. (I don’t always do all of these all at once!)
These are the tips I follow when I grocery shop and plan my family’s meals for the week, and it has definitely helped lower our spending on food over the last few months.
Do you budget or meal plan? Do you have any tips to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!! Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
