Thanks for all the support on Friday’s post. I’m happy to report I have officially snapped out of it after a low key weekend full of yard work, swimming, walks, a movie and a lot of down time with my family… and wine.
Instagram repost. Sorry, I try to avoid doing that!
Moving on… Once upon a time I was pretty good at tracking our grocery budget. I hopped from store to store to get the best deals. Then I got super pregnant and had Kaitlyn and it all flew out the window. Well, not everything. I still did my meal planning and tried to buy smartly, but a few more convenience items made their way into my cart and tracking what I was spending fell by the wayside.
Now that I’m a few months (almost 3- gulp!) into this mommy of two gig, I’m ready to refocus on our grocery budget. However, instead of starting off with a set budget, I wanted to buy as usual to get an idea of our starting point. Since so many of you enjoy grocery shopping as much as I do (we are a funny breed, aren’t we?) I thought I’d track it along here on the blog!
I went shopping yesterday after planning for 5 dinners for the whole family and 1 dinner for just David and Hailey, as I have a girls night out planned (cue my twirling and singing through the hillside a la Julie Andrews). Plus dinners and breakfasts.
I started off at Josh’s Farmers Market.
All local (except for the cilantro), but none organic (except for the cilantro).
Total haul – $22.35
Then I headed to Target for part 2 of our shopping because I also had to pick up a Hailey Now Goes Poop In The Potty toy!
She requested the train.
My Target haul:
The grass-fed organic steaks were on sale- wahoo!
Total haul- $60.45
Grand total for the week: $82.35
The total is a bit deceiving though, as I’ll need to hit up another grocery store today (probably Harris Teeter) for shrimp (the ones at Target looked anemic and were farm-raised and I try to do wild caught when I can), some breakfast burritos for David (until I have time to make my own again) and some creamer which will probably add another $20 or so to the total.
Still, $100 for the week sounds low to me, so I’m going to track for another couple of weeks to see what it averages out to. Knowing I already am stocked on some things we need like pizza sauce, coffee, eggs, milk, etc means that the total is artificially low.
Do you track your grocery spending?
How many stops do you hit up each week for groceries?
* Thank you all for entering the Pacific Foods giveaway! The winner is Beth! Check your inbox and thank you all for reading!
Karen says
Budget yes, track not really. We need to eat so I buy and we eat. Most of the time it is around the same amount every week.
I make two stops usually. One place for meat and another for everything else. Once in awhile I will add in Costco but only occasionally.
Jaclyn @ BumpSweat says
Ha, I used to track how much we spent each week, trying to keep it at or below $100, but having baby on the way tanked my enthusiasm for tracking and running from place to place. We do get a CSA share each week, along with milk and eggs from a local farmer. I fill in the extras with trips to Aldi and Costco, with the (very) occasional trip to Trader Joes.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I budget and track weekly.. or the hubby does! I try to do less than $100 a week- doesn’t always work though. Especially on weeks that I am out of EVERYTHING!
Nicole says
Since I’m just cooking for me, myself, and I, right now, I’m keeping track of my weekly grocery spending so that i can compare it to when I’m at home, and we are cooking for 3x the amount of people. I usually just go to Trader Joe’s, but I recently discovered some decent deals at another grocery store that’s much closer to me.
Grocery shopping for 1 is hard! Especially because i buy cheaper family packs of chicken, but there’s no way Im going to eat 7 chicken breasts in one night! ha!
Monica says
Oh my goodness! If only I could spend that little! We only are a family of two adults and a one year old, and I almost always spend double that per week. I think our big problem is that we don’t meal plan…at all. Plus, I’m a vegetarian and my husband is a meat eater, so we eat different things each night. I’ve been really trying to figure out how to cut down. If I could get it to around $100 a week, I’d be ecstatic!
Brittany Dixon says
I don’t think it will stay this low! Like I mentioned, I’m going to track a few weeks’ worth because I feel this week was artificially low!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Seriously, I feel like you post my life on here! I used to bounce around from store to store all in one day before kids, but no more! I do not plan our meals, but I have gone through phases of planning them. I just load up on a bunch of healthy things and throw stuff together during the week and my grocery shopping is all over the place.
If this is really your total, that’s great. And amazing! I know mine is way higher than that. Maybe there is something to this meal planning thing?
Brittany Dixon says
Haha, no, like I mentioned at the end, I feel like this is artificially low. Even after I pick up those extra items, some basics we usually buy aren’t accounted for (coffee, milk, etc) because I already have them on hand (including one meals’ worth of chicken). That’s why I want to track a couple weeks!
Kristin says
I love seeing grocery budgets! Thanks for sharing. I’d love it if my family’s was that low. Just curious, what meals are you making with those ingredients?
Brittany Dixon says
Sunday was steak, corn and arugula salad and tomatoes
tonight is crockpot chicken with brown rice pilaf and broccoli
tuesday will be chicken tortilla soup
wednesday- grilled shrimp tacos
thursday- freezer lasagna (moms night out!)
friday- pepperoni and veggie pizza with salad
We’ll see how the next couple of weeks compare- I know it won’t be this low all the time!
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says
I used to go only once per week (saves money with less impulse buys and less gas), but now that I’m a SAHM, it seems we’re always in need of something mid-week. Sooo yeah, 2 or sometimes even 3 times. Yipes! (but the third is sometimes just a weekend beer run 😉 haha)
Marjorie says
We used to be so much better about budgeting. Now we still track, but it is after month end. I just meal plan, stock up on a few things when they go on sale, and mostly buy what we need right now and try to do the best that we can. I also try to limit myself to once a week grocery trips, and once or twice a month to Costco.
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I try to keep our weekly grocery budget to under $100. I find that when I plan everything out and only buy the things on my list I am way under (duh!). But every now and then, a few fun things catch my eye. 🙂
Jessica @Myhealthypassion.com says
AH! This is something I REALLY struggle with! I have a hard time with meal planning then budgeting for them meals…its a work in progress!
Kristin P says
I try so so hard to keep our budget around $100, but the past several months it’s been impossible. We used to eat out on the weekends, but now with a little baby, we’re eating in pretty much every weekend so that’s adding to the grocery budget. I’d say we spend $120-150 a week, depending on how much stuff we need (that includes beer/wine which are necessities!). I meal plan every weekend for the week, I try to prepare meals that will give us leftovers for the following night. We aren’t vegetarians, but every now and then I plan a meat free meal to save. We also bring lunch to work every day (adds to grocery costs, cuts down on eating out costs). I refuse to scrimp on veggies and fruits, I get what we need and try to save in other places. But man, it’d be great if I could get our budget down a bit!
Maria says
I track our food spending on Mint but don’t really keep a budget as it always evens out to be about 50-70/week, regardless. Feeding two people who eat most of their meals at work is really cheap. Imagine that 🙂
I HATE going to multiple stores though certain stores have what I like/need. I love Trader Joe’s, but they don’t have conventional items that I sometimes need at a chain grocery store. And Target is great for their prices on yogurt and the frozen breakfast burritos I love. With traffic and parking woes, I usually end up at the brand new Safeway beside my office, which I go to after the work day. If I end up spending more than TJ’s, it does save on time and gas, so I think it evens out.
Jenny says
That dinner looks beautiful!! There’s nothing better than a meal on the back porch with a view of Lake Norman 😉
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
Some weeks we do pretty well and keep our budget low and other weeks it can be double the amount. I am horrible at sticking to a meal plan; I usually buy food for 2-3 days at a time, so I am at the grocery store at least twice a week. My husband and I like to eat according to whatever we are feeling like, so sometimes I won’t go shopping until the day that I’ll be cooking.
Maria says
I end up going to at LEAST three different stores a week because a) I like different things at different stores and b)I can never plan far enough ahead to buy it all under one roof even if I wanted to, ha. Why is grocery shopping so fun? People either love it or hate it! Clearly I’m in the love camp!
Jerrica says
I always go to Costco every other week, sometimes once a month, and plan to spend around $100. That is where I buy all meat, enormous amounts of dog food, eggs, yogurt and bread. Weekly I will stop by Trader Joes and Safeway, spending around $50-70 at each place. I try to look at the monthly budget instead of weekly. Some weeks we run out of things faster and some weeks we eat out more so I like to do an overall assessment. $600-700 for the month is great for us-feeding 4 people, an enormous dog and a cat. These are some of my favorite posts of yours. Grocery budgeting fascinates me 😀
Paulina says
My husband usually picks up the groceries on his way home from work every Friday. Lately I’ve been really great at meal planning during my lunch break on Thursday or Friday so I’ll text or email him a picture of our shopping list. We usually just shop at Meijer and Costco for everything but if we plan to visit my parents on the weekend, we’ll get our produce from this great little shop near their house. I have no idea how much we spend per week but I think it’s somewhere between $130-$160 depending on if we’re restocking on a lot of Costco stuff or not. My 6 month old has started to eat BLW foods and I am curious to see how our budget will change next year when we’re feeding 4 people.
Kristi says
I try to keep it around $100/week but that is getting tough as I’ve noticed prices rising at the store. On most weeks my husband, 18mo old, and I all eat 3 meals a day from home and lately I’ve been finding myself low on options around the house.
I’m curious how you decide what to buy organic and what to buy conventional? When my son was born we went heavy on the organic cheese, dairy, meat, eggs, and produce. But some things, like organic string cheese, are just ridiculously expensive. I’m looking for some ways to cut back on the budget and with the controversy over organic certification I’m starting to wonder if it matteds. Ugh! Would love to hear some others’ opinions on this!
Jen says
I used to be SO GOOD at shopping and eating on a budget (I also completely adore grocery shopping), but in the last few years, and especially the last few months since my daughter was born, I am horrible at this. Also, I eat a primarily vegetarian diet and my husband does not, so I haven’t been in the meal planning for both of us groove, which I think would help save money. I want to start eating as a family more often, though (again, since we have a child now), so I am hoping that will help. Organic/grass fed meats and cheeses and organic stuff adds up quick, though! I am incredibly impressed by you only spending 100 bucks to feed the whole family!
Sarah says
Like Kristi mentioned above, I am also curious as to how you decide what to buy organic, and what to not. I decided it was important to feed organic eggs, dairy, and meat to my 19 month old since I don’t want her little immune system to be subjected to antibiotics and hormones, but organic cheese and meat are just so darn expensive! Also, I feel organic produce is important, too, because I’d like to avoid toxic chemicals. I do refer to the clean fifteen list often, and buy those items conventional. One more question — I am curious about how you go about your weekly meal planning. Do you first plan out whatever you feel like eating for the week, and then buy those items at various stores? Or do you look at store flyers and then plan your meals based around items on sale? I’m confused as to how I should approach it, it’s like a horse before the cart kind of thing…lol ☺️
erin says
yes, I would also love to know how to use the flyers to “save” money. Sometimes I wonder if it would even be worth it, as how much time and money would I be spending on DRIVING to all the places with the “sale”… great question!
erin says
Please let us know if you plan a meal based on coupons! 🙂
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I am awful about spending a lot of money while grocery shopping! I normally average somewhere between 70-90 and that is for ONE person! I really need to reign it in!
Christina says
I love reading about others’ grocery budgets! I would say ours is around $100-$125/week for 2 adults and 1 toddler, but like you said it totally depends on how many “basics” I have on hand. One interesting trend I’ve noticed is that when I meal plan (most weeks), I go to one grocery store one time during the week (spending in the range above). When I don’t meal plan, I tend to hit up several different stores, spending about $50 at each one (~$150/week), and STILL fall short on meals and snacks for the week. Good lesson for myself about the importance of a plan 🙂 #nerdalert
emily says
Love this!!!! I look forward to read what you discover with this journey 😉
We budget $400 every two weeks ( family of 3) and a trip in the middle for fruits and veggies, we shop three main stores and work with local businesses to buy bulk items every other month ( like coffee.. etc) The two trips take some skill with a toddler!
Danica @ It's Progression says
For my husband and I, we spend somewhere between $80-110 a week on groceries. We eat mostly organic and rarely go out to eat, so I’m pretty proud of that!
Kristin says
Ugh grocery prices are SO expensive here on Long Island, NY! I live in a rural vacation spot and the farmstand and farmers markets are all more expensive than the grocery stores. Prices are jacked up bc it’s trendy for NYC ppl to go to the farmstand. I splurge on local produce in the summer from the farmstand bc it tastes so much better though! My farmers market haul was $70 last week for the same amount of produce u got! I usually spend about $80-100 on groceries a week for my 2yr old and I. That’s with a loose meal plan and all home cooked meals. Once every few months I will load up on TJs stuff (soy milk, dry good, oils, granola bars etc) but it’s an hour and a half away. I have another Daughter as well but she is exclusively Breastfeeding currently. I really try to stay under $100 bc I’m a single mom on a major budget.