I have been getting asked a lot recently how I only spend $20/week on groceries (and this includes shampoo, toilet paper, deodorant, etc.). I know many people who have been spending a lot more every week than they want or even plan on. Here are some simple solutions to help you get started on cutting your budget down to $10/person/week.
1. PLAN: Ok, so I don't always have the time to write out exactly what we are eating for every meal each week and don't know what I will be craving on Saturday at 1 o'clock. However, it's good to take stock of what is in your kitchen every week and have a general idea of what you can make. My goal is to have at least four possible big dinner options every week. For example, this coming week I plan on making spaghetti, herb chicken drumsticks and garlic/butter pasta, hamburger helper, and sweet and sour chicken with white rice. For the other nights, Sam and I like to eat out about once a week for dinner ($10 for both of us), might be going over to a friend's house, and are ok with eating leftovers.
2. WEEKLY SHOPPING: I hear a lot of times about people running to the store a couple of times a week because they run out of "necessitites" like eggs or bread. I've noticed with myself and others that these quick trips cost a lot more in the long run than one planned trip every week. I go to the store with my $20 and get what I need for the week; no going back unless it is something important (like I forgot to get ice cream for my 21st birthday party...). This helps cut down on those impulse buys and really makes you think out your week (back to step 1). But what if you do run out? Get creative! Out of milk and you were going to make that hamburger helper? Get on Pinterest and look for another recipe! Investigate substitutes for different ingredients. Or, do a simple search online for recipes with what ingredients you do have. There are lots of ways to go around missing one ingredient.
3. STOCK UP: When I first started out on my $20/week budget, it was tough to make anything that wasn't super basic because I was spending 99% of my money on meat, fresh produce, and basic ingredients. It takes awhile to be able to build up your pantry. A good way to help this is to stock up when something is on a good sale. I will stock up on boneless skinless chicken breast (which I use an awful lot) when it goes on sale for $1.59/lb and ground beef when it is on sale for $1.69/lb and not have to buy those items the next week or two. That first week is tougher because I will pretty much only buy meat, milk, and bananas, but the next couple of weeks you can start diversifying your pantry. Those are the weeks I get to have fun picking out sauces, buying the olive oil, and getting my brussel sprouts! The majority of those items last a lot longer so you only have to pick those up once in awhile.
4. DON'T BUY FOR 1 RECIPE: There's this sweet and sour chicken recipe that I've been wanting to try forever (and I get to try it this week!), but I've had to wait on it because it had a bunch of ingredients that I don't normally use and didn't have. For example, this recipe calls for corn starch, ketchup, and soy sauce. If I went out and bought those in one week for the one dinner, I would spend about 1/3 of my budget for the week on 1/21 of my meals. That's crazy! So, you wait for a coupon to come out on corn starch and buy that one week, and so on and so forth. I only go out and start buying random ingredients if I start seeing a couple recipes that I would like to try that call for them. That way your ingredients go a lot farther.
5. PRICE MATCH: 4 out of 5 weeks I go to Walmart to do my shopping. It's not that I really like the store or their selections, but I do love the price match. The only time I don't go to Walmart is when a store (like Fry's) has a really good sale and I have coupons that will be increased to $1 that go with the sale. That's more rare. However, every week I can mix and match different sales from about 8 stores that conveniently send me their ads every Sunday and Wednesday. I make my list for what I need first (that way you don't just buy something because you find a coupon), and then go through the ads and coupon inserts to find the lowest price for the item. I then make my final list with the exact item, the sale price, and what store the sale is from. That way, when I go to the store, I avoid impulse purchases because I have my exact list, and I know that I am going to stay on budget. If Walmart has it cheaper, all the better!
6. EAT LEFTOVERS: When I cook my "big dinners," I always make a little more than I know we are going to eat. It rarely costs much more and saves you more in the long run. Sam is really good about eating leftovers for his lunches when he goes to work. He will happily eat the same thing a couple of days in a row. However, I normally eat at work as I either get free or 50% off lunches Monday-Friday (it costs about $8 at most per week). Sam eating the leftovers for lunch saves a bunch and makes it easy to get out the door in the mornings.
So these are just a few tips to get you started on cutting down your grocery budget for the week. It's not about cutting the quality of your food, just eating quality food on a budget. Sam always jokes that since he has gotten married he eats twice as well for half as much :) Do you have any other tips to share? Let me know how it goes!
Awesome tips, Kamber!
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