We’re one week out of our 8 week $29 Grocery Budget Challenge and I am finally getting a chance to share my thoughts. I’m actually glad I waited until now to share since this morning was the first time I have grocery shopped without the limitations of the challenge guidelines.
The first thing I MISSED was shopping at one store. It would have been easier to just go to one and be done but I knew that I would get a better deal by shopping around since I need some produce for tomorrow.
The next thing I noticed was that I went into the produce store and didn’t add up totals BUT when I got to the register I had bought around the same $$ amount of produce I have been buying every week. The problem with this is that I didn’t buy all the produce I need for the week. However, I have meat in the freezer so I won’t go over budget. I just didn’t need to save a chunk of the budget for meat.
I also found that I have gotten so use to shopping for one week that I went into the stores thinking in terms of one week but not really buying the way I need to be. One of the biggest helps I learned is to figure out my budget and list ahead of time so I buy specifics and ensure I have everything I need for the week but not buy extras that sit and go to waste.
Since the challenge is over we are back to our $100 per week budget and I need to reprogram myself to think in terms of that budget while not reverting to old shopping habits. So what’s next?
I’m still figuring out what we are going to do for our next menu plan but that is probably not going to start for a few weeks. I took an inventory of everything I purchased this week and what’s already stocked (see list below) and am creating a menu plan from those things. As I discovered in taking inventory, I have so much in my cabinets/freezers and forgot so much of what I have already ‘stocked’ since we have been living on the week to week list, not to mention food that got buried in the freezer. I know there are also items I bought through those 8 weeks that are still languishing in the cabinet and I think everything needs a reset. (I am looking at you, garbanzo beans and black beans.)
$29 Grocery Budget Takeaways
- Create a shopping list BEFORE shopping
- Utilize sales at different stores
- Be more organized
- Keep a handle on impulse buys
- Limit processed foods as we really don’t ‘need’ many
- Make and use the meal plan
- Don’t stop and shop throughout the week for odd and ends. Eat what we bought – that saves quite a bit!!
- It’s harder to be stuck shopping at one store on a budget because you are locked into what they have selection and price wise but if it’s a store you know well it is much easier.
- Keep a price list so you start to recognize the sales cycles.
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Household Food Inventory
Cabinets
- Baking ingredients
- (2) Quinoa
- Marshmallows
- Matzo
- Graham crackers
- Food Should Taste Good Jalapeño tortilla chips
- Food Should Taste Good Olive tortilla chips
- Stacey’s Cocoa pita chips
- (2) Somersaults
- (3) cherry chocolate granola bars
- Sea salt and vinegar popcorn
- (2) single serve Food Should Taste Good cheddar chips
- Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips
- (2) ALT bars
- (2) packs snack olives
- Cracker crisps
- Peppercorn brown rice crackers
- (2) quarts salsa
- (1) can diced tomatoes
- (2) pasta
- (3) organic split pea soup
- (2) organic tomato lentil soup
- (1) organic tomato basil soup
- (1) organic southwest black bean soup
- (7) garbanzo beans (canned)
- (3) tomato paste
- (1) artichoke hearts (canned)
- (3) black beans (canned)
- (1) coconut milk (canned)
- (2) tuna fish (packets)
- (4) tuna fish (canned)
- 2# black beans (dried)
- (1) chicken broth (carton)
- (1) vegetable broth (carton)
- (1) beef broth (carton)
- Cowboy chili with quinoa and cranberry (box)
- (1) red enchilada sauce (canned)
- (1) couscous
- (1) organic bbq sauce
- (3) 1# garbanzo beans
- Dried split peas
- Cranberry and herb couscous
- 2# brown rice
- 1/2# pinto beans
- Farro
- Corn pasta
Refrigerator
- 3 mangoes
- 1 avocado
- 4 green peppers
- 2 kolrabhi
- 4 jalapeños
- Celery
- Lacinato kale
- Dandelion greens
- Parsnip
- Cherries
- 6 lemons
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- 1 zucchini
- Grapes
- Brussells sprouts
- 5 limes
- 6 green cucumbers
- 5 white cucumbers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 romaine
- 2 pounds baby bella mushrooms
- shiitake mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Artisan lettuce
- Cauliflower
- 2 dozen eggs
- 2 pounds grape tomatoes
- Fennel
- 2 pounds blueberries
- 2 pounds strawberries
- Rhubarb
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Oranges
- Jarlsberg
- Yellow Cheddar
- Heavy cream
- 1/2 pound mozzarella
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Milk
- Sour cream
Small Freezer
- 1 whole chicken
- (5) applesauce
- Black bean burgers
- (2) whole wheat pizza crust (small)
- Cheribundi smoothie packs (2)
- Marrow bones
- Frozen pumpkin (2)
- Ricotta cheese
- 3# corn
- Pizza dough
- Pancakes
- 1 T-bone steak
- 2 pounds chip steak
- 2 pounds beef suet
- 4 packs chicken drumsticks
- Shredded cheddar
- (2) Beef rump roast
- Beef top round roast
- Green beans
- Zucchini rounds
- Asparagus
- (2) tuna fillets
- 6 ounces cranberries
- 16 ounces blueberries
- Stewed squash and tomatoes
- (3) Split chicken breast halves
- 3# butter
- Edamame
- 3 beef soup bones
- 2 filet mignon
- Mini pizzas
- 1/2 bag frozen peas
- Chicken cheddar ziti
Chest Freezer
- 1# flounder
- (4) 1# cranberries
- (10) packages applesauce
- (3) broccoli puree
- (2) package Rainier cherries
- 1 package chicken drumsticks
- (2) 6 ounces beef jerky
- Frozen parsley cubes
- 1# andouille
- Homemade biscuits
- 2# broccoli
- (6) blueberries
- (13) 1# ground beef
- (2) chicken spiedie
- (2) strawberry freezer jam
- 16 ounce peas
- 16 ounce green beans
- (2) 16 ounce cauliflower
- (2) 6 cups tomato sauce
- 16 ounces chicken broth
- (4) 16 ounce strawberries
- 8 ounces black beans
- (4) 32 ounce ricotta
- Organic rolled oats
- Beef rump roast
- Zucchini rounds
- Beef suet (for tallow/lard)
- (2) 6 ounces blackberries
- Peaches
- 16 ounces mozzarella
- 16 ounces garbanzo beans
- Beef soup bone
- (3) sweet cherries
- (1) 6 ounce red raspberries
- Homemade grape juice concentrate
- Beef top round roast
- (2) beef sirloin steak
- Beef oxtail
- T-bone steak
- (2) London Broil
- Beef eye roast
- (2) packs beef soup bones
- (2) beef marrow bones
- 1# chicken sausage
- 1 split chicken
- Chicken taco meat
- Peach halves
- Tropical fruit
- (2) Pumpkin puree
- (2) grapes
- (4) sweet cherries (small jar)
- (2) cranberries (small jar)
- (2) peach puree (small jar)
- (1) strawberry puree
- (2) peaches for pie
- (2) peaches for cobbler
- (2) frozen peach slices
- (2) blueberry puree
- (7) shredded zucchini for muffins
- (12) banana puree for muffins