for the last six months or so, i've been doing monthly grocery shopping whenever i go into grand junction. maybe im just used to shopping in salt lake, but gosh- our grocery stores are so expensive here. people told me that i'd just get used to it... but when im paying almost double on some things - it makes me cringe. (not to mention... there are just some things you can't find here. some stuff you just have to order on amazon or go to a big town for.)
when i started doing this, i didnt think it would be a huge savings - but it really ended up being that way. my budget for a months worth of groceries (for our family of 5) is $350. and usually I keep it between $275-300. i was already using the gas to go to GJ for my doctors appointments, so I had to be there already. i'd keep a list on my phone of things we needed during the month. (of course, i have a pantry stocked with staples, so that makes it a lot easier to plan ahead) but as things got low, i'd add them to my list and get them the next time i was at the store. same with all those 'household' items. if we were getting low, i'd just write it down.
i found something very interesting. (and this was a newsflash for me. me, who would go to target like 4 times a week. seriously- its like this pin.) i was saving so much money! not just because i bought everything at a store that was a lot cheaper, but because i wasnt going to the store - except once a month. every time i would go to the store - even just the grocery store here, i would find something that sounded good. or something i 'thought' i needed. (yeah. like those oreos.)
and saving money is good. especially when you need to save up for a new vehicle. suburban... here we come.
***UPDATE***
after i posted this on instagram, i had a lot of people who wanted my list. so here it is. for this month especially, i chose easy to prepare foods. (we have about a 50+ meal rotation, and we keep adding to it. daniel gets sick of foods quite quickly... so we really have to have variety!) i know that there will be those sleep deprived days that i dont feel like making dinner, so hence the easy. also, we do eat a lot of japanese food - simple recipes passed down from my mom's side of the family. i'll try and link up to as many recipes as i can.
a question i get a lot is what do we do for fresh produce if i only shop once a month. we usually get a bountiful basket every 2 weeks. this is usually enough for snacking on fresh fruit and veggies in addition to what i buy at the store. also- with this month- i put all my produce needs on a separate list. i dont know what order i'll feel like cooking these- and really- i just dont know how it will be easing into life with 4 and school starting. i dont want to buy a ton of produce that will just sit and go bad if i decide that i'd rather eat out every single day. (just kidding) i plan on hitting the local grocery store for my produce needs as they come up.
i always like to have some sort of side dish with our meals. a fruit and vegetable. (or even a salad! something i havent been able to eat my entire pregnancy!! every time i eat raw veggies, i puke. strange.) something to make it a healthy meal for all of us. sometimes i'll just pull whatever i have on hand, or sometimes i'll actually plan ahead and shop for it. but im not really including them below. i'll post some of my favorite side dishes later.
i will make sure we are well stocked for breakfast (cereals, oatmeal... sometimes i will make a bunch of waffles or breakfast burritos and freeze them) i make my own bread for sandwiches for lunch (i got into this during my 3rd pregnancy when all i could eat was bread. and let me tell you after making my own, i couldnt ever go back to store bought. unless its great harvest, of course! i make the bread in the bread machine and then bake it in a normal pan. because the bread machine pans are weird.) and make sure that we have good meats and cheeses on hand. we also eat leftovers for lunches too. then i will usually plan out after school snacks (rice cakes, yogurt and berries etc) and put those on my list.
i'll admit by about the beginning of the 4th week, i have that 'i need to do more grocery shopping' feeling. but all in all, its been a good little system that works for our family! and the best part? i dont have to figure out what to make when its 5 in the afternoon. that, is the best part ever.
1- carne asada street tacos
2- pot roast / potatoes / carrots (crock pot)
3- teriyaki pork tenderloin (crock pot)
4- rumbi grill rice bowls
5- spicy honey glazed chicken + rice
6- spaghetti + french bread
7- chicken spaghetti casserole
8- balsamic chicken pasta
9- chicken + broccoli bake
10- sandwiches + potato fries (on homemade bread - we usually pile them high with deli meats, bacon, tomato, avocado etc)
11- grilled chicken + pasta salad
12- green chili soup + bread (another super easy under 20 min meal i'll post)
13- beef stroganoff
14- chicken + egg with rice (a japanese dish i grew up on. super easy and tasty!)
15- baked potato bar
16- japanese spaghetti (this is plain spaghetti noodles, carmelized onions seasoned with soy sauce. daniel loves to add bacon in too)
17- peppered chicken + rice (chicken cut into chunks, cooked in a skillet, seasoned with a bit of pepper and soy sauce)
18- chicken noodle soup + seasoned rolls
19- lasagna + corn + french bread
20- meatloaf + cheesy potatoes (aka... funeral potatoes!)
21- fried rice / egg drop soup (from scratch. no frozen gross stuff please. i'll post a recipe because its easy peasy. and much healthier.)
22- curry rice (another japanese staple and one of our favorites)
23- breakfast burritos
24- hamburgers / hot dogs (bbq)
25- tater tot casserole
26- homemade pizzas
27- omlets
28- taco soup (another recipe i'll post. this makes up in less than 10 minutes!)
29- chicken parmesan / macaroni grill bread
30- cashew sweet + sour pork w/ rice
*gosh. we eat a lot of carbs. hahaha.
Wow! That's impressive. You should post your monthly grocery list. I always end up spending around $500! And I've tried the two week shopping but not the month and it's tough! Does your bountiful basket count as part of your monthly food budget? And how often do you go out to eat?
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was spending so much too, but not getting anything! Seriously, some of the stuff in the stores here (especially during tourist season) is double the price that it is at Walmart. I felt like 3 days later we had nothing in our pantry. So... I thought that something had to change! Yes, the Bountiful Basket is included in my budget. And when I have left over in my bugdet, I save that money for my big Sams Club trips to stock up on pantry items (which usually happens every 3-4 months) I get things like flour, sugar, rice... stuff for my pantry. I try to have all the basic ingredients on hand. I also like to save the left over money for times when things go on a really good sale (like case lot sales) so I can stock up and build up things for food storage and stuff. For me, the key is to have all the basic things I use on hand. Most of the recipes that I have use staple ingredients.
ReplyDeleteAs for the eating out... we dont do much of that anymore. I've been pretty strict on what goes into my food during this pregnancy because certain things have triggered my stomach issues. But overall, living in a small town... there isnt a ton of restaurants to eat at. So... I got bored kind of quick. ;) When I go to a bigger town, we eat out at some of our favorite places. But here... I usually just end of cooking.
you are amazing!!! shopping once a month would be SO nice. and curse living next to targets and wal marts where i go almost every day and spend money i don't need to! your meal list looks delish. i want to try your street tacos! yum!
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