$100 A Month Grocery Budget In 2021

 

Can I keep us in groceries this year with only a $100 a month budget?  Well, we certainly shall see.  I do think it is entirely possible, especially with all the prep work I put in last summer with canning as well as stocking up on pantry and freezer essentials.  Right now there are only two of us ($100 = $50 per person) with an occasional third one from time to time that visits and loads up on Mom’s home cooking and occasionally shops the pantry. 

 

Nothing beats a good grilled cheese & tomato soup

My youngest and I seem to prefer rather simple meals and neither one of us minds leftovers one bit.  In fact, I think we actually prefer them.  So for me to make a large meal and then have leftovers to reheat for a couple of days is right up our alley.  Especially when it comes to packing our lunches for work and school.

 

I download a lot of digital coupons and still clip paper ones from time to time

With regard to shopping I’m all about sales, markdowns, clearance items, coupons, stocking up on loss leaders and using rewards points.  I am not loyal to any one store either which allows me a lot of flexibility to shop where I know prices are lowest on the items I want.  This leaves me with a lot of options of where I can shop for food – Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, Trader Joes, Winco, Cash & Carry (Smart Food Source), Wal-Mart, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market and Dollar Tree.  I do not shop at Costco simply because I don’t want to pay a membership fee.  I have plenty of other options available to me so I’m happy to forgo Costco right now.

 

I base my meal plans off of items I already have on hand

This year I will continue to shop carefully and use all of the resources at my disposal.  Along with that I plan to meal plan, cook simple, thrifty, yet healthy meals for us and eat up our leftovers in order to avoid food waste.  Avoiding food waste and utilizing what we have to the fullest means we will need fewer groceries too.  And, for those who are wondering if I will be planting a garden this year that is a resounding NO.  I am not a gardener.  I’ve tried many, many  times, and I am done trying.  So no garden this year. 

 

If this topic is of interest to you at all I will be sharing quite a bit of what I am doing to stay on budget in the coming year.  I will also be tracking my spending to make sure I stay on budget with a monthly recap as well as sharing my shopping trips in some of my posts.  I’m sure there will be some new recipes to share as well.

 

I am excited to be able to get back to my $100 grocery budgets and seeing how it all plays out this year.  It will be interesting to see if I am not only able to stay on budget, but also maintain our food stores.  I am feeling pretty confident about it.