This month, we are following a$25/week grocery budget for our family of 5. Here is exactly what we bought, where we shopped the last 2 weeks, and how we are $7 under budget.
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This month, as part of our #CheapHealthyCostco Experiment, we tried Once-a-Month-Shopping.
Basically, at the beginning of September, we bought most of our pantry and freezer staples at Costco. We supplemented with a few buys from other stores with better prices.
After setting aside money for a bulk produce order and milk from a local farm, we have $25/week for fresh produce, eggs, and any deals we find throughout the month.
Here is what we bought the first week of September.
Today I want to what we bought the 2nd and 3rd weeks of September.
2nd Week of September
In addition to our $25 budget, we had an extra $10 that I had set aside for some bulk oats. However, my friend with the oats negotiated a trade for some of the bulk produce I got last week (three cheers for creative crunchy friends!). This brought our weekly budget to $35.
When I picked up the bulk produce, there had been a mistake with my total, so I ended up with $17 to add to our weekly budget.
So altogether, this week we had $52 to spend on food.
Sprouts
Sprouted spelt flour – $13 for a 10-lb bag
(Believe me, this is a painful purchase. But we have a mild gluten-intolerance in our home, and this flour is the best and most affordable thing we have found.)
Organic carrots – $3.98 for 5 lbs
Organic celery – $.98/bunch
Total spent at Sprouts: $20
Kroger (Part 1)
Riced cauliflower (clearance) – $1.99
Orange bell peppers – $.99 for 4
Total spent at Kroger: $3
Costco
(Not pictured)
Kirkland organic eggs – $3/dozen
Organic romaine hearts – $4.99 for 6 hearts
Total spent at Costco: $12
Kroger (Part 2)
Organic yogurt – $1.99 each (after sales and e-coupons)
Uncured turkey bacon –$2.99 each (after sales and e-coupons)
Nitrate and nitrite-free lunchmeat – $1.99 each (after sales and e-coupons)
Mom’s Best cereal (clearance, from the scratch-and-dent section) – $.99
Parsley – $.89/bunch
Total spent at Kroger: $17
Total spent the 2nd week of September: $52
3rd Week of September
Kroger
I was really excited about the ground beef, because this is a FANTASTIC price. The Applejacks are part of our 80/20 rule – we try to eat really clean 80% of the time, and 20% we leave for treats. Cold cereal is our weakness.
The rest of the items weren’t the best prices. However, this week I am making videos featuring recipes from Dinner for a Dollar on Facebook and Instagram TV, so I bit the bullet.
Organic grass-fed ground beef – $4.49/lb (after sales and e-coupons)
Apple jacks cereal (clearance, from the scratch-and-dent section) – $1.29
Red onion – $.77
Organic green pepper – $1.39
Shaved parmesan – $2.99
Total spent at Kroger: $22
Total spent the 3rd week of September: $22
So far, between all three weeks in September, we are $7 under budget!
This Week’s Menu
Between what we already have from our Costco haul and what we bought, here is what we plan to eat this week.
Breakfasts:
Lunches:
PB&J with the Easiest Bread Ever
Bean bowls (either canned or Cumin Beans), cheese, chips, veggies
Dinners:
This week I’m making mostly recipes from my cookbook Dinner for a Dollar: Real food recipes for less than $1 a serving.
Similar versions of some of these recipes are on the blog already, so I will link to those. But I will make the Dinner for a Dollar versions this week.
Broccoli Parmesan Noodles and salad
Lentil Soup (my kids’ favorite soup! In the cookbook), with bread or biscuits (from 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget (affiliate link). Read my honest review here!)
Cajun Beef & Rice (in the cookbook), steamed veggies
Hamburger Soup with bread or biscuits
Snacks:
Fruit – apples, pears, and plums that we got in bulk last week
What You Can Do Now:
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