I can honestly say
that grocery shopping is the only shopping I truly enjoy. Add in the challenge of doing so with a
miniscule budget and I'm all in. I've
decided to continue in 2018 with our current budget of $150 per month (USDA average is $500 for a family of 3 on the Thrifty Plan) for food
and $25 per for nonfood items. Can we do
it! Yes, but will we? That is certainly the goal.
Some of you have
asked for more details and specifics with regard to how I shop in order to stay
within our budget. Especially as I not
only manage to feed a family of three, but also keep a well stocked pantry and
chest freezer. I will do my best to accommodate
you.
As most of you
already know I keep a spreadsheet and I track every penny as it is spent. At the end of each month I share that
spreadsheet with you to show what I bought and how much I paid. I will include my nonfood spending this year
as well.
One thing I've learned
is that in order to maintain this budget I cannot be loyal to any one
store. Prices fluctuate and change with
the economy and different stores have different overhead. They also have different sales, so I
literally shop around for the best prices. I'm also not brand loyal either and never really have been. I look for the best quality at the lowest possible price.
I shop around for
coupons online and in the store ads as well as on their websites. I have a store loyalty/rewards card for each
store that offers one and I download a lot of digital coupons and special
offers. The more I use it the more they
tend to offer.
I keep a pantry list
of items I want to stock and make sure I have all of those items on hand. With a well stocked pantry and freezer I can
make pretty much anything we want and accommodate guests for a meal as well.
Additionally I meal
plan, we eat leftovers, pack our lunches, keep dining out to a minimum and enjoy
a lot of healthy food. There are plenty
of fresh fruits and vegetables in our home at any given time. Eating healthy is not expensive. But, eating junk
is.
Once again I'll be
shopping and sharing with all of you what I buy and how I do it. So stay tuned! And of course, I am always happy to answer any questions you may have.
I think this post needs to go viral! I am so tired of hearing people say they can't afford to eat healthy! I tell them all the time that it is NOT expensive! I know I will be sharing this a few people in my life! I look forward to sharing your future posts on how you do what you do!
ReplyDeleteI too, love to grocery shop! It is a game to me... I am in control of what we eat for the week with in my budget!
You are so right. It really isn't expensive to eat good wholesome food. Its the processed stuff that blows the budget.
DeleteEating junk food is very expensive in the long run, for sure! Your food always looks so yummy and healthy.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love hearing that. Yes, junk food not only blows the grocery budget, but it compromises our health too, which is very costly.
DeleteMy budget is the same as yours but mine includes the nonfood items as well. It is tough but I try to shop the sales and make due with the best I can find. It can be done for sure but like you - I buy little processed junk. I have a few exceptions - like tortilla chips but we mostly buy the basics. I try to stock up when nonfood items are on a good sale. I haven't had to buy laundry detergent in a while because of great sales on it this past year. A penny saved is a penny earned for sure!
ReplyDeleteI would have to say my biggest junk food purchase would be tortilla chips too, but this year I'm scaling back on those as well. We really don't need to eat them that often.
DeleteI got a good deal on laundry soap last year too and stocked up. I'm hoping to find another great sale this year, fingers crossed.
I am very impressed with $150 a month. I am usually a $150 a week for a family of 4. I don't shop around like you do so this year I'm going to try and at least get down to $500 a month.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great goal and I wish you well. Even at $500 you are well below the national average for a family of 4.
DeleteThank you for sharing the new numbers that were put out for Nov 2017 on how much the government thinks it costs to feed a family. ;) I was shocked when I added up how much they think Jeff and I would need to spend on the thrifty plan. Granted we get a good chunk of our meat for free since we have hunters in the family, but even without that we would still spend way less than they say we should.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty crazy isn't it? If I spent the full amount I'd run out of places to put the food and then talk about waste! No wonder Americans send so much to the landfill.
DeleteI am hanging my head in shame... I spend that much almost in a week and I am only ONE person :( I have got to get my sh*t together this year!
ReplyDeleteTania
LOL. You are doing just fine. :)
Delete