Hello and happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend. Ours was filled with soccer and basketball. Both girls scored a basket in their games and Hailey’s team placed second in the championship; it was so enjoyable to watch them play. David was in Atlanta on Saturday so the girls and I ordered a pizza, read Harry Potter, then watched Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. They loved it!
It’s the last day of the month so I added up all my grocery spending and… my goodness; this month feels painful to share. See January’s spending here. I knew it was going to be higher because it was a busy month and I fell off the meal planning train for some of it. I also relied on higher-priced convenient food items when we weren’t feeling well.
Still, the bill is surprisingly high. While the purpose of this exercise for me was to simply observe, I am going to have to implement some changes for March.
I know grocery prices are going up in significant ways right now. I also know that I can do better than this, even with inflation. The best ways to lower my monthly grocery spending are:
- Add in more vegetarian meals. There is a reason Dave Ramsey advises beans and rice; rice and beans. It’s cheap and nutritious.
- Cook from scratch ingredients. Heat and eat and other conveniences definitely make my bill rise quickly.
- Make a meal plan and stick to it.
- Shop my pantry and freezer first. Next meal plan, I’ll pull out what needs to be used and plan around that.
Ok, let’s get to the nitty gritty.
- Costco $633.34
- Whole Foods $449.10
- Publix $287.51
- Aldi $106.24
- Food Lion $57.56
- Lowe’s Food $34.36
- LKN Butchery $29.92
- GRAND TOTAL: $1,598.03
I had a big Costco run because as soccer starts back up, I need more easy snacks for the kids. I get the dried mango, applesauce pouches, frozen burritos, yogurt smoothies, and more fruit. I picked up a lot of staples from Aldi, like bone broth, tortilla chips, and pasta to stock the pantry. I also had to buy some meat for Finley while we’re still working out the best way to feed her raw in a reasonable way.
I also had to use grocery delivery ($$) and David bought some groceries on his own, too. I’m not surprised it is so high I suppose, but yikes, seeing it in print feels like a wake up call. I guess that’s the whole point of the exercise though! On to March now, and I’m determined to reel it in bit.
Marie says
I’m sure you’ve looked at the prepared dog foods, but in case you haven’t seen this one, I’ve been really happy with the Stella and Chewy’s Frozen Raw Dinner Patties. They make two sizes. My dog loves the surf ‘n turf ones and I feed him 1/2 a large patty for breakfast (he’s around 28-29 lb). I’ve found its a pretty easy way to incorporate raw food in his diet. For dinner he gets the Stella and Chewy’s Raw Blend Wholesome Grains kibble in the red meat flavor. I tried the Raw Blend Grain Free kibble I fed my last dog, but he wouldn’t always eat it. After switching to the Wholesome Grains, he gobbled it up. As a puppy, and a larger dog than mine, Finely definitely eats more, so this may not be economical for you for daily feedings. But the patties may be nice to have on hand for variety or convenience.
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you for this info! I found a place in Atlanta that makes blended raw food and just ordered a little to try for the busy weeks. It’s been such a learning process. This is helpful input; thank you!
Lori C says
I tend to spend a lot on groceries, as well. I donβt buy a lot of processed food, but I do buy organic, pasture raised, etc, just like you. Sometimes I feel guilty, but then I remind myself that unlike other women, I do not spend a lot on clothes, makeup, shoes, etc. Healthy food and supplements and the like are what gives me the greatest happiness. So perhaps another perspective to contemplate.
Brittany Dixon says
I feel very much the same way! I fully believe it’s worth it and prioritize it over other things I could spend money on. But goodness sometimes the price still make my eyebrows raise! π