It was a pretty lovely weekend around these parts. Even though David was gone on Saturday, I still treated it like the weekend by taking the girls to two different farmers markets to start the day off.
Clearly Hailey didn’t have any fun.
I managed to fit in a short run (1.2 miles, but better than nothing right?), followed by a 15 minute swim in the lake.
It’s more challenging to get in exercise without helping hands, so I told myself that something was better than nothing. It’s amazing how even a short burst of exercise motivates me to keep it up. Feels so good.
Sunday morning was spent on the lake.
And the afternoon filled up with yard work and kitchen fun like transferring the kombucha to the secondary (I think it’s a tasty and fizzy batch- YAY!) and making a new frozen treat.
All in all, a pretty wonderful summer weekend.
And now, this week’s grocery haul. I started at the farmers market (list in hand).
It’s a combo of items from Davidson and Josh’s because I really like getting my new favorite milk from Josh’s.
Total $24.50
Saturday afternoon I finished the shopping up. Since I went with both girls, I needed a one stop shop, so I headed to Harris Teeter.
Wild caught shrimp (1/2 lb), 1 (10 oz) organic, grass-fed steak, 2 Smart Chicken breasts, 1 lb wild caught salmon and 2 pre-made burgers.
All of the above made 6 dinners plus breakfasts/lunches (obviously combo’d with what I already have at home- eggs, oats, shakes, etc)
Harris Teeter had some great sales, and my total was $115.74.
Total Weekly Cost: $140.24
That sounds more accurate to me than last week’s total.
I love that a few of you mentioned having a monthly budget rather than a weekly. That makes SO much sense because some weeks I stock up on more essentials, which raises the cost. I’m interested to see what our monthly total looks like right now.
What about you- do you track your budget weekly or monthly?
Or not at all?
Tina Muir says
What a wonderful weekend! I love that you are starting your girls off right by introducing them to farmers markets early. By the way, are those pics of your groceries taken on your bed? 😉 Hehe, that is the kind of thing I would do! I try to budget as best i can; this week I am in major use up everything mode as I am moving to Kentucky next week…..some strange meals are gonna come out haha!
Brittany Dixon says
Haha, it does look like the pics are on a bed, but they are taken on my kitchen floor with a white fabric just to make it easier to see the products 🙂 Good luck with your move!!
Jaclyn @ Bumpsweat says
I track our budget weekly. But I’m with you; doing it monthly makes a lot of sense. I’ll have to look into that.
Emily says
I’ve noticed our grocery store trips have become more frequent, and expensive, over the past few months as the baby has turned into the biggest eater in the house (how can a 19 month old eat soooo much??) so I’m working really hard on getting portions right for the kids (so we don’t waste a lot of half eaten, picked apart things…or the dog doesn’t get full meals from the kids) and hoping that will help get our grocery budget under control! I was spending about $200 a week! Now, that feeds 5 without eating out at all for a week but still, I feel like we can make our food go farther and our budget can probably go down to $150 without anyone starving 😉 it’s my project over the next few weeks!
Brittany Dixon says
Hey I think $200 a week is great for feeding all those mouths at home! And I remember being amazed at how much H ate early on too. Where do they put it all?! 😉
char eats greens says
Yay for more kombucha! I really need to get some flip-top bottles because my kombucha is almost done brewing and I plan on doing a second round fermentation! (I’m just worried that there might actually be ‘bad’ mold on my scoby though, so that could throw a kink in everything!).
We don’t really budget for groceries but we should!!! I really need to get into the habit of doing it!
John J. Stathas says
A wonderfully balanced weekend. You cover all the bases! Your daughters are fortunate to have you as a role model. Just as you had a great one.
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I tried the weekly approach for a while but quickly realized that some weeks were just totally different than others depending on what I needed to buy (staples vs. non-staples). So now I stick to a monthly budget, which allows so much more flexibility and less stress!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
Looks like a fun Saturday! We do track our budget, mostly for curiosity… I don’t worry too much about sticking to the budget unless it starts to get way out of hand. But moving here changed our budget drastically- cost of living is so much higher (outside NYC). We were consistently way over budget until we realized it was going to be the new norm and adjusted our budget line. Even farmer’s markets are ridiculously priced… I miss the good deals we used to get. And I sometimes stock up when visiting my parents in farm country PA where good, fresh produce is a fraction of the price. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve heard even farmers markets are so much pricier up north. It must have been a tough realization, but I think you’re right- just have to adjust the budget accordingly and keep on keepin’ on.. and visiting mom and dad 😉
Brittany from CountingMyCupcakes says
I have an overall monthly budget I try to stick to, but also pay close attention to each week’s spending to keep myself on track. I know if I spend what seems like too much one week, I need to be more careful the next week. That helps me stay on track for the month overall.
Ioanna says
I’ve been enjoying your blog for sometime now. Thanks for keeping it up and congratulations.
As a mom who hopelessly tries to re-establish a work out schedule I have a practical question. How do you combine toddler activity with running sessions?
Brittany Dixon says
Oh gosh, I have NO routine unfortunately. Right now I’m sticking to the ‘what I can when I can’ mentality (thus my 1.2 mile run ;)). During the week I can take the girls to our gym, but that can still be challenging with eating and nap schedules. It drives me crazy not having a set routine, but I feel better when I can sneak anything in. I’m hoping when fall starts I will have a better handle on things since H will be in a mom’s morning out a couple days a week and K will be a bit older and more predictable. Obviously this isn’t helpful advice, but the bottom line is I try to fit it in whenever I can, even if it’s just short bursts.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh gosh, I have NO routine unfortunately. Right now I’m sticking to the ‘what I can when I can’ mentality (thus my 1.2 mile run ;)). During the week I can take the girls to our gym, but that can still be challenging with eating and nap schedules. It drives me crazy not having a set routine, but I feel better when I can sneak anything in. I’m hoping when fall starts I will have a better handle on things since H will be in a mom’s morning out a couple days a week and K will be a bit older and more predictable. Obviously this isn’t helpful advice, but the bottom line is I try to fit it in whenever I can, even if it’s just short bursts.
Thank you for reading!
Jen says
Haha, okay, your totals this week make me feel better! I think we probably spend around 140-150 a week. Two grownups and one non-eating (other than breast milk) baby. I do tend to try to stick to a monthly budget, but I’ll say it’s really, really flexible. For me, having enough groceries and healthy items (plenty of fruits and veggies, etc., not as many snacky processed things) is worth paying more. I read somewhere that the percentage of our grocery spending (of our total spending) has shrunk over the years, but doesn’t it seem worth it to spend more money on something that supports our health? I think so. I do try to keep it in check, though!
Brittany Dixon says
I totally agree with you! I think I used to try and get the budget as low as possible, but we’ve readjusted things to allow money to be spent on higher quality food and vitamins. Investing in my family’s health is of tip-top importance to me!
Marjorie says
We track our budget monthly. I used to do the household budget, but my husband took the reigns after our son was born. I am struggling because I cannot see what I spent until after month end…which kind of defeats the point, right?!
We are trying to improve. I guess I could track what I spend myself, but then we’d have two of us tracking the same thing. And the point of him doing it was that I do not have capacity for one more task. So I am doing the best I can to try and shop the sales, get staples at Costco, etc.
Heather says
We tend to try and track things monthly rather than weekly, but I’m actually wondering if weekly would help us stay on track more. We’re terrible when it comes to budgeting, so I’m thinking that coming up with a monthly goal, but setting weekly budgets might be a better way to keep us on track. Love seeing what other people do budget-wise!
Mary says
I’ve been a reader for a few years now and I love these budget posts! I’m curious though, do you factor things like laundry detergent, household cleaning supplies and paper towel into your grocery budget? I’d be curious to see how those expenses affect the weekly total, as I know on weeks when I have to stock up on those my grocery store spend is much higher.
Brittany Dixon says
Great point!! Nope, those items are not factored in, so this is my food only budget. Since I have gone green with my home cleaners, laundry, etc (more info here –> http://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/shaklee/) I buy those online. For tp and paper towels, I buy in bulk (tag along with a friend to BJs ;)) every couple of months. And thanks so much for reading Mary 🙂
Brynn says
I do a weekly, but now want to change to monthly because each week can be so different depending on staple products. And some weeks I will snag lots of chicken if it is on sale, and then none for a week or two so that can skew the numbers as well. Love the monthly budget idea!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
Have you tried Homestead Creamery’s ice cream?! I just tried it a couple of weeks ago and it’s AMAZING! If you like their milk, I bet you’ll like it! 🙂
I’ve been trying to keep a better eye on my grocery budget lately, so I’m right there with you!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
After reading your post last Monday (Grocery Budget Week One), I paid close attention to my grocery spending last week, and we are definitely in the $125-$150/week range. I think it’s a little high, so I am going to continue to pay attention to weekly amounts to see if I can figure out what the big ticket items are. Last week I had to stock up on olive oil ($19 for a big jug) and some baking essentials, and those definitely hiked up the price.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yeah, olive oil weeks (or any condiment too) definitely raise the total bill. Track for a few weeks though and see if it evens outs 😉
Jenn says
Do you freeze your meat that you buy? If I buy 5 dinners on Sunday, the chicken or something will go bad by the time I cook it (4-5 days after I buy it). I go to the grocery store with a list – pretty much buy the same thing each week and it comes out to about $100. It’s only husband and I. Baby doesn’t require food yet!
Brittany Dixon says
I don’t usually freeze it, but I do check the dates. Chicken actually usually lasts the longest for me oddly enough, but I do try to eat the fish or shrimp within the first couple days of the week for that reason. I don’t want to eat something questionable 😉
Laura @ FitMamaLove says
Since I started shopping for all organic items, I kinda threw my grocery budget out the window. Before kids, I used to shop the ads at a variety of stores, but the ads are mostly good for non-organic items, so I don’t follow them anymore. Now I just try to buy things where I know they are cheapest, like stocking up at Costco.
Cynthia says
I usually have a weekly goal that I try to stick to as much as possible, but I basically track it monthly. Some weeks I am under the total and some weeks I am over. But it definitely balances out at the end of the month.
Jessica says
We do a two week budget for groceries. Our two week budget is $300. It helps me a lot because I can stock up on stuff at Costco then usually have enough left over to get the little necessities that we need during the week.
Maria says
I track our budget monthly via Mint.com. I’m almost always exactly on target no matter what stores I shop at: Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Trader Joe’s. I find it fascinating in that aspect especially since everyone seems to think Whole Foods is much more expensive than other grocery stores. It may be true, but I balance it out. Their 365 Organic stuff is actually cheaper than organic foods from Safeway and same goes for the organic meats. Or maybe I just tend to gravitate towards cheaper meals when I shop at Whole Foods? Either way, I spend about $350 a month for groceries + eating out. Not too shabby.
Mandi S says
I love that you buy sweet baby rays BBQ sauce. That is my all time favorite 🙂 I wish I had more places to buy organic. I live in a very small town with no grocery stores that provide many organic choices. It kinda frustrates me! I live right in between Memphis,TN and Nashville,TN. So it’s about 2 hours to find organic food ! But you do a fabulous job of buying food for your family
Mya Busby says
Hey Brittany! Just wanted to say that I buy that same milk (LOVE IT) at Kroger and they buy back the empty jars for $2 which I then use towards the purchase of a new one. I buy the half gallons so not sure what they’ll give you for the smaller ones but just an FYI