So. I’ve got this friend. Her name is Mrs. Hillbilly. Maybe you’ve heard of her. 😉 She is a busy mom with a full time job and she wants to get control of her spending. She asked for my help. And I agreed to help her… for the next 90 days.
She has 2 areas she really wants to work on.
- Grocery budget
- Â I have no idea where it went money
Hey, we’ve all got to learn how to budget sometime… right?
She is a business professional who works with the public so she doesn’t want her face on the blog {totally understandable}. So, over the next 12 weeks I am going to help her try to reduce her spending. Her husband, Mr. HB is optimistic but doubtful that I can help her. She is, after all 50 years old. And old habits die-hard.
Lets prove him wrong.Â
Yada yada yada, blah blah blah, I sat down with Mrs. HB a few days ago in her kitchen and asked her a few questions to see just how much work I was getting myself into.
Mavis: How many times a week do you pop into the store for food?
Mrs. HB:Â 5. I feel like I’m ALWAYS stopping for just one thing.
Mavis: How much do you spend on an average shopping trip?
Mrs. HB: Costco $300, Grocery Stores $150? I’m not really sure.
Mavis: How much do you think you spend a month on groceries a month if you had to guess?
Mrs. HB: $1,200. Maybe more. Probably more.
Mavis: How much would you like to be spending on groceries each month?
Mrs. HB: $800
Mavis: How much do you think you spend on convenience food? {lunches out, Starbucks etc}
Mrs. HB: I have no idea…. guesstimate $150?
Mavis: Do you think you could cut back on convenience  food? If so, by how much?
Mrs. HB:Â Yes….by $75
Mavis: Do you do any sort of meal planning?
Mrs. HB:Â No, not really. I have tried a few times but failed.
Mavis: Â What has been your biggest hurdle in the past when it comes to making meals for your family ?
Mrs. HB:Â Deciding on what to make for dinner when I get home from work and making sure everyone is in agreement and likes it as well as. Then, having everything that I Â need to make the meal and of course the time to cook it BEFORE WE HAVE TO HEAD OUT THE DOOR FOR KID ACTIVITIES. UGH!
**************
After I fell off my chair… I got back up and we started to hatch a basic plan for the first week. The bottom line was, I didn’t want to overwhelm her with too much information. So I tried to keep it as simple as possible.
Here’s what I came up with:
- Make some sort of meal plan for the next 7 days {this included her family eating out twice a week}
- Make a list of what groceries Mrs. HB needed for the next 7 days
- Prepare a few meals in advance for the following 7 days
- Sign up for 1 rewards/rebate program
- Go grocery shopping with Mrs. HB and observe, observe, observe
First things first. I asked her if she had any coupons. She did. A $1.00 off coupon for coffee and a $1.00 off coupon for Biore’ strips. At this point I asked her if her “grocery money” included toiletries and meds. She said yes.
I helped her sign up for iBotta. And then, since it was friday, I walked her through registering her Fred Meyer card online so she could take advantage of the Fred Meyer ecoupons and their friday freebie program {last week the freebie was a bag of organic tortilla chips}. It took awhile but we did it. 😉
Then she made her grocery list. I was concerned because it didn’t have a lot of items on there…. well, not for someone who spends $1,200+ a month on groceries and toiletries. But she was sure she had enough on her list to make it until the following week. {I should mention here that her goal for the next 90 days is to just go to the grocery store once a week in hopes it will curb some of her nonsense spending.}
Our Fred Meyer Trip
We walked out of the store around for $40 and she had a big smile on her face and said she had never walked out of a grocery store only spending $40 before for two bags of groceries. Twice while we were in there she mentioned wanting to get a cup of coffee at the Tully’s’ stand in the store. Both times I asked her if spending $5 on one cup of coffee was on her list. 😉 Both times she said NO and soldiered on.
Our next stop was Costco. And, on the way there she mentioned stopping Starbucks. I distracted her until we got to Costco. As we were pulling into the parking lot she told me that Costco has a coffee machine set up in the food court and a cup of joe costs just $1.00 and well wasn’t that better than spending $5 at Starbucks?
“Ya, but if you can wait for a cup until after we go to Costco, I’ll get you a cup of coffee…. it will be my treat.” Â The woman was all smiles.
At Costco… she stuck to her list with the exception of one thing. A Costco rotisserie chicken. I was shocked. When we got there I asked her how she normally shops at Costco and she said what I would imagine is how a lot of people shop there…. get a cart and walk up and down every single aisle and be tempted by everything they see.
Luckily she stuck to her list and walked out only spending around $53. Which was a HUGE improvement from her usual $300 Costco shopping trips. True, I could have pointed out cheaper ways to buy what she did, but for this first trip, I just really wanted to see what she was going to purchase. In the following weeks I’ll help her cut the costs.
Remember that coffee she kept wanting to spend money on? Ya, so, I took her to my bank and we got coffee, cocoa and candy for FREE. 😉 It was hilarious.
When we got back to her house we made a few things for the upcoming week:
Freezer Meal – Lasagna
Crock Pot Meal – Pulled Pork Tacos {I’ll post the recipe soon}
Work Grab and Go Salad – Quinoa Salad
Breakfast Grab and Go – Superpower Muffins
Everyday Item – Homemade Granola
It was fun and I really had a good time getting together with Mrs. HB to try and help her curb your spending this past week. I told her to keep track of everything she buys over the 7 days and when we meet up again we will prep a few more meals and go grocery shopping. My thinking is that if we can reduce her spending each month by about 12-15%, at the end of 3 months, she should hit her goal of whittling her grocery budget down to $800 a month. Â I think with her, if we try to do too much all at once, she’s more likely to fail. So in this case, slow and steady wins the race.
~Mavis
P.S. I would LOVE to hear from anyone who spends over $600 a month on groceries and toiletries. What are you buying… and do you have some tips for Mrs. HB so she can work on her grocery budget? She’d love all the advice she can get.
Cher says
I spend $800/month on groceries….that is for my family of 5 (3 teenage boys)….I also run a childcare in my home, so feed several extras at every meal….I also tend to be the parent that signs up for more than my share of team food at football, basketball and Scouts. I do get a meal reimbursement for daycare meals through the USDA meal program for my daycare kiddos (about $300/month) the majority of my spending is milk, fruits, veggies, cheese and meat, I always shop sales and match up coupons where I can, but don’t by many prepared meal type foods, mostly ingredients….crackers and cereal are my main prepared foods….we have decided that I’ve gotten too good at shopping ahead and filling the freezers (3!) so the goal for the next 3-4 months is to buy no meat and eat what we’ve got in there 🙂
Brianna says
Mrs. HB sounds completely like my parents. My parents use to each stop by the grocery store every night after work and go grocery shopping without lists or a budget, they would have so many duplicates and forgotten food in their house. They are both retired now and ‘watch’ what they spend, but still buy expensive food (certain meat cuts, out of season veggies, anything labeled gourmet, etc.) and they still overstock their pantry and fridge with things that are used once and forgotten or Costco impulse buys. No menu planning, no grocery lists, I never hard ‘no’ in a grocery store, and I didn’t grow up eating leftovers and they still don’t eat leftovers (but they do save them). I never saw it as an issue until I married my husband and he pointed it out, what I thought was ‘normal’ is a recipe for disaster. If you can change Mrs. HB, then maybe there is hope for my parents. I will anxiously be awaiting this post every week.
Amy says
Some thoughts – For my family of 12 (myself, husband, and our ten kiddos – all living at home, 2 working outside the home and attending college classes) my grocery budget is $400 per month – this includes paper products but does not include meat (we raise our own on our “hobby farm”)
Meal planning – make a plan, write it in pencil 🙂 and have a couple of convenient “emergency back up” plans just in case the plan doesn’t fit the real-life calendar – because it’s going to happen whether we’re prepared for it or not.
Pre-make meals – many things can be premade over the weekend, or even once a week, etc… I love the ability to make a recipe 3 or 4 times the size we need and freeze all but the one I need for that day’s meal – one for the oven, the rest for the freezer. Doesn’t take an entire day of meal prepping, doesn’t take a full weekend of cooking up a storm 🙂 One or two days a week just mix up extra big batches of what you’re making – by the end of the month you have a month’s worth of pre-made meals.
Let the family learn to suck-it-up 🙂 What I make is what I make. With ten kids, you know not every one likes every thing – but as mom/ cook/ nutritionist/ grocery shopper/ you-get-the-idea 🙂 I know what people like, what their allergies are, and what they really just can’t swallow. I make a main dish, a bread, and a fruit or veggie side – everyone will like at least two of the three or four things on the table – they eat what they are served or they miss out. Dessert is a treat we don’t have often, and when we do, it’s only for those who eat a reasonable amount of supper. I’m mean like that. And it works. 😉 Husband is the only one who gets to yay or nay the meal plan. Of course I am always willing to take suggestions and requests when planning meals!
I meal plan for 2 weeks at a time – I created a simple spreadsheet, marked by day and meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) – for those who are on the go all day, that’s probably overkill – for those of us home with kiddos it may be a life-saver 🙂 no trying to figure out what to come up with for lunch, and no “we just had that yesterday” complaints 😉 not that it ever happens around here, haha. After making my meal plan (remember that this includes a couple of emergency back up plans) I assess my pantry and freezer, then make a grocery list based on what I need.
It’s taken a few years (yes, years) of practice in limiting my grocery trips to just what’s on the list with a rare exception of picking up clearance items I know will be on a very-near-future list, or the rare special treat.
It also really (really, really!) helps to go with a cash in hand budget – it’s amazing how much this curbs the temptation to spend more! How can you spend more when you only have cash? And if you’re having trouble keeping track of your spending, take along a calculator 🙂
Remember that it’s always a work in progress – and give yourself some grace as you learn to budget more carefully 🙂
Mrs. C. says
Wow, I’m with you. The only thing I remember everyone in my family just loving and agreeing on was pizza nights. That’s it. My mom would say that her kitchen was not a democracy.
I live in the middle of nowhere, so I bulk buy, sometimes half a cow, and freeze it. I will load my cart when there are sales, so some months I have a huge bill, and other months it is close to $0 because I “shop” from my pantry and freezers. Keeping an accurate inventory really helps with this.
Amy says
Yes, pizza night is everyone’s favorite here! Homemade crust, store-bought cheese and sometimes toppings…
We’re out in the sticks, too – which I think actually helps! Having a large family, I tend to buy in bulk as well, but find that it’s still good to check those prices because sometimes the bulk buy is a LOT more expensive. I limit my shopping to three stores – I know what staples they carry at a steady price and what to get where for the best deal 🙂 Canning season? Bulk bag 25 pounds of sugar for homemade jams and jellies… Baking time? Albertson’s (surprisingly) has the best price on unbleached flour! THey also have the best price on gallon milk in my area.
Produce is the high dollar part for me – and it’s way too easy to go over budget in the produce section! Something I loved the last couple of years was making friends of a sort with our local produce manager – in conversation the topic of waste came up – how much the store would throw away (!!!!!) because it wasn’t perfect produce – for some things I was just astounded, rattling off the many things that could be done with that “old” produce – some with tiny bruise (apple) or a poke spot on a pepper… ends up the produce manager hates the waste as much as I do and asked if I’d be interested in buying “old stuff” by the case – how much? $5. per case. Seriously. I have enough bell peppers to last a year or more – oh my! And canned at least 10 cases of apples and pears more than I had planned to, but wow at that price, how could I refuse?? Cut out the old spots – the chickens love them!! And it’s less chicken feed/ scratch grains that I need to buy for them as well! Double bonus 🙂
There’s another thought – talk to your produce manager – if you’re willing and able to put in an extra hour or two on grocery shopping day, see about buying “scratch and dent” produce and see how much that saves your budget! 🙂
And yes to amazon – for those few things you cannot easily get locally or you simply get less expensively on amazon (and free shipping to boot!), why not save where you can?! 🙂
It’s actually kind of a fun challenge 🙂 and what a great feeling to sit back and see how much you’ve saved – and what you’ve accomplished (!!) when it’s all said and done!
Teresa says
Okay, this post is hilarious! No disrespect Mrs HB 🙂 but it is funny. Many years ago I was a single mother trying to make ends meet on welfare and food stamps. I learned how to stretch a buck and still eat healthy. When my kids were younger they were wanting those Lunchables as their friends were eating them for lunch. Now they thank me for sending them to school with healthy lunches. We are empty nesters now and I work part-time but I still watch my pennies. We eat most dinners at home and enjoy going out for lunch or breakfast. Making the switch to saving money and getting better organized about meals will help Mrs HB and her family. Best of luck, and remember how precious friendship is in the journey.
Sara L says
and remember how precious friendship is in the journey – this part was really sweet – yes, your friendship is the most important thing in this experiment – good luck Mrs. HB!
Nicole says
Before even heading to the store, I make a list of potential meals I already have on had [or might be missing one key ingredient. ] That really helps to cut down on frequent trips when I realize I am out of something.
Stephanie says
Our family (3 people) grocery budget is $400 per month, not including toiletries, medicines, or cleaning products (they each have separate envelopes). The closest Costco is 2.5 hours away, so we make due with the grocery stores. I try to skim the ads each week, and target the week’s meal plan around items that are on sale or items we already have. We also leave a couple nights for leftovers since there always seems to be some. Before I head to the store, I check out my paper coupons and my e-coupons from the local stores’ apps. Since we budget using an envelope system, I bring the envelopes that I will need for the trip, and no more. And everything is done in cash, so there is no overspending.
You are doing Mrs. HB a great service. Reading you blog helped us skim our budgets down and grow more food, where possible.
Keep up the good work!
Sheila says
As a recovered over spender at the grocery store, my number one tip would be to learn what a good price is for items you buy regularly so you know when to stock up. When I started on my journey to save money I had no idea how much a gallon of milk or a dozen eggs cost, or anything else for that matter! Once you know, you can stock up when you see a great price!
Veronica says
Yes!
Ruth says
I surely thank you.I am going to try to start doing the best I can with what I have.I wish someone can tell me about this ibotta & how it works.Where I live there are Kroger,Bilo,Food Worlds & Walmart
Judy says
Hi Ruth,
Ibotta is an app you can download on your phone. When you buy groceries you hang onto your receipt and packaging until you check to see if anything is on the app that is a rebate.
Basically its like getting a coupon but without all the clippings. They have many stores in the app and many items that change weekly. Sometimes I hit a bunch of items i’ve bought and sometimes its one or two.
So lets say for example, that Bananas are listed on this week in Ibotta and and they are giving you ,50cents for purchasing them, You simply scan the sku code and scan your receipt and they add the money into your Ibotta account and it keeps collecting with your purchases through the months. You can then trade the cash in on a gift card like resturants,etc.. or have them send it through an account like paypal to you,
Its actually very simple to do.. Take a look at it.. I love mine.. theres many perks to it.
Nancy says
Do you have to have a smart phone in order to do Ibotta? I always say “I don’t have a smart phone, but it’s smart enough for me.” Now I am thinking, maybe it is not smart enough for me.
Judy says
It helps to have a smart phone because you download the Ibotta app from the “playstore” on your phone. It has to be a phone that does Data and is wifi adaptable.
I am not sure if you can download it on a regular laptop but you can do it on an Ipad or any type of Pad if you have that.
Melissa says
It only works with Android and iPhone operating systems. If you have a windows phone, or a tablet that doesn’t use one of those two OS, you’re out of luck. You will miss out on all of the start up incentives and won’t be able to do what you need in order to get credit for your purchases. I signed up, then read all the details and immediately asked to cancel.
Lydia says
Over the past year I have closely tracked my family’s grocery spending and discovered that we consistently spend between $1000-1200 a month. We are a family of 3, my daughter is 3. That’s a lot of money, especially when you look at what Mavis has been spending. Even Mavis’ overspending is nothing compared to what I spend…ugh! Here’s what I’ve come to conclude over the recent months. Groceries are increasing in price (I live in Canada where our food is definitely more expensive than in most areas of the US), but that’s no excuse really for my over spending. Two things account for it I think: first, I’ll over spend when I’m not prepared (meal plan/grocery list), and second, I overspend when I get too far ahead of myself: stocking up too far in advance. I’m not talking about never taking advantage of a deal, but being excessive with the stockpile costs more money because I have to put the money out ahead of time. The $500 I spent at Costco may allow me to save over time, but I’ve also tied up that $500 in the form of an excessively over stocked pantry. I think there’s a balance between having some things on hand and having so much consistently that it becomes the norm and thus the high amount of spending. For my family, we’re able to stay within our budget ($600/month) if I’m only getting the things we really need to make it through the meal plan (with the odd good deal here and there).
Jo says
Such a good point about tying up money by overstocking! I am definately guilty of this and never thought of it that way. For instance I have 3 liters of hair conditioner sitting in my cabinet. Yes they were 25% off but tying up the money and having to deal with the cabinet “clutter” is too much. Plus they will probably spoil before I ever use them all.
Lesa says
My husband and I have gone from having 3 kids at home to just us now that the kids are adults and on their own. It’s been difficult training my mind to just buy enough food for two people now. Luckily we both like leftovers! Unfortunately, I’m very much like Mrs. HB as it’s not unusual for me to drop $300 a month at Costco (not all food, we buy bathroom, kitchen and pet supplies too.). I spend an average of around $150 a week at the grocery and we’ve been eating out too much (work lunches and dinner a couple times a week). We both work full time away from home and honestly, when I get home from work, I’m usually tired and don’t feel like cooking dinner. My husband and I decided this year to try and improve on how much money we’re spending on food. I’m looking forward to reading about your progress!
Amanda says
My SO can’t cook to save his life. Like you, the last thing I want to do is cook when I get home. What I have started to do, is make part of the food so it can be assembled later (Precook rice or par boil some veggies, also any casserole type things are easy make aheads). He would get home before me and mix things together so it is ready when I get home. We also like left overs, so cooking the extra saves on the lunch budget.
Emilie says
One thing I have started to recently do is to by certain staples through Amazon. Things like dog food, flour, sugar and peanut butter are just a few of the things I get through the subscribe and save option. They are usually the same or close to the same price as what I can get them for at the store. But I also factor in that I’m not running to the store spending gas, as well as buying other things I really don’t need. I have noticed an immediate savings from just that. Love reading your blog. Keep up the good work.
Mrs. C. says
This is an excellent point. This ties into what Sheila said about knowing the prices of things. I really despise shopping in person, but I will do it to compare prices. Then, I know whether Costco is really the best deal, or my local grocery store, or Amazon, or Vitacost. Like I said above, I live out in the middle of nowhere, so when there’s a good deal, I stock up, but it really pays to shop around and know your prices.
Barb Neubauer says
Mavis, you are impressive! You do what some of us only dream of doing. Maybe this will be my inspiration .
Cindi says
I loved, loved, loved this! Especially the part about the coffee!
Alison says
We are a family of 5, and budget $550 a month for food/toiletries. It used to include pet stuff too, but I took that out this year and have a separate line item (my boys are preteens and getting pretty expensive to feed). The $550 does NOT include alcohol or eating out, those are separate. We eat well.
I feel like I don’t have time for grocery shopping, so I go once every 2 weeks (we have 2 fridges and an upright freezer to make that manageable). I spend about $100+ at Aldi and $100+ at Costco every two weeks. Then I have to hit a “regular” store for this and that, but I procrastinate on that regularly. 🙂 I also use Amazon when their prices make it reasonable – nothing beats having it delivered to your door! The best trick is JUST STAY OUT OF THE STORE.
I also meal plan and stick to a shopping list. Those are required to go 2 weeks between shops. Have a list (mental or written) of some quick and easy items that everyone likes for those crazy days.
I noticed gluten free pasta – no way around it, special diets are expensive.
Marilyn says
This blog is one of my favorites. I look forward to this journey with your friend. You have a wonderful talent to being careful but enjoy the little things. I just turned fifty seven and am still learning new things.
Hawaii Planner says
We spend around $600/month for food (not including toiletries). We eat out as a family probably 1x/month. The $600 covers all breakfasts, lunches for kids (adults eat at work for free) & dinner for everyone. I bake, and make most things from scratch. The #1 category we spend on is fruit. I learned this from tracking our grocery spending for the entirety of 2016!
Fruit was 30% of our spending, meat was 20%, vegetables 17%, dairy 15%, pantry 11% (includes coffee!), etc. We don’t have much food waste, and since we’re spending almost 50% of our grocery spending on produce (fresh fruit & vegetables), I’m okay with it. If we were throwing things out, that would be different. I am, of course, still looking for ways to save on things like coffee, etc.
Em says
I enjoyed this post. Ms HB, congratulations on your journey!
janet in woodway says
Hi Mavis and Mrs HB,
My suggestion for a great place to start-clean out your refrigerator, freezer and pantry. Throw away old food, donate what you won’t eat and make your meal plan using the inventory in your larder. You probably have all kinds of food you forgot about.
Go girls, this will be fun to follow!
Jennifer says
I think the number one thing Mrs HB can do to save money. Would be find herself a great reusable coffee cup and a thermos. And if need a snazzy bag to put them into along with any tools she needs to make a lunch for work. Make it really fancy complete with a nice utensils and a cloth napkin.
Making her own coffee and lunch every day would go miles in saving money. I know being in the PNW coffee is everywhere. But I really think this would help in the money department. Even buying fancy coffee and the stuff to put into it would be cheaper than buying coffee out.
The other tool that would help is a instant pot. That way she can throw things in there for a quick meal after work.
She needs to set her kitchen up so things are easy. Taking 10 minutes to throw together a soup in the crock pot before work would be simple, save money and more importantly sanity.
Making it so that Mrs HB is not in the store every day saves time to do what is important.
suzanne says
Love my instant pot!
Michele says
Mavis- you are an amazing friend to Mrs HB! Helping her save $ is the gift that will keep on giving.
My advice for her is to track her spending. Whether on paper, spreadsheet, or software program. I use Microsoft Money and I love how it helps you see your actual vs. budget amounts as you go. Both spouses need to use it. It makes for a happy marriage – believe me!
Also, pick a day of the week where you take inventory of your fridge/pantry/freezer and do your meal planning for the week and grocery list. = one trip to the store per week! Stick to the list!
Lastly, always make double and triple portions and freeze the rest. So many dinner items freeze well. Or even when you brown hamburger or have shredded chicken from the crockpot…make triple portions and freeze those.
Danielle says
LOVE that you’re doing this with your friend! A real life case study! Please thank her for letting us all watch the process – good, bad, and ugly. Helps us to identify our own blind spots.
Marcia says
I’m going to say baby steps are where it’s at. It takes practice. Fix one or two things, get used to it, fix something else.
As an example, my grocery bill (annual):
2009: $3200 (family of 3) – hard core focus on budget.
2014: $10,500 (family of 4) – hard core focus on losing baby weight
2015: $5700 (family of 4) – hard core focus on budget (because the baby weight was gone)
2015: $6800 (family of 4) – loosened up on budget, plus kids getting older
First – the coffee. This is one of those things that will take practice. If you are the kind of person who has the urge to buy coffee when out, it’s going to take work to stop that. #1 get a thermos and take it with you. #2 if that doesn’t work, practice waiting until you get home.
Second – meal prep and planning. This will take a bit of work, because it depends on your lifestyle and how you eat. For example, I don’t garden, and I like a lot of produce. I used to have a CSA, but it closed down due to the drought. So I went with a CSA delivery service which costs more. Is it really worth the extra $$? Man I don’t care, it’s so nice to get that box every Saturday night. Anyway, the baby steps I’d take are:
1. Shop only once a week and “make do” in between.
2. Learn to “wing it” with what you have (see #1).
3. Meal prep and plan on the weekend.
4. Come up with “staple meals” from…staples. Bean and rice burrito bowls, stir fries, pasta dishes – whatever you like to eat, and buy those items in bulk.
5. Price compare/ make a price book/ learn where your regular items are cheapest.
6. Stop paying for convenience, and water. Don’t buy canned beans, cook your own. Don’t buy small yogurts, buy the big tubs. A corollary: don’t buy too many snacks. Popcorn instead of crackers (crackers are my downfall). Wash your own veggies instead of buying the pre-cut.
7. Eat what you buy. If you throw it out, you are flushing money down the toilet.
8. Make it instead of buying it. Make yogurt (yah, I don’t do this anymore). Make popcorn. Make granola, Make oatmeal instead of using the packets.
9. Calculate the cost per meal and increase the frequency of the cheaper meals. My kids have their favorites. But beans and rice are cheap, and I make a bit pot every couple of weeks. We eat salmon less frequently than chicken. If we buy a chicken from Costco, I often try to set aside some of the meat RIGHT AWAY because hubby and the kids love it, makes it hard to stretch. If you are still hungry, here’s a banana (19 cents) not a huge hunk of meat ($1).
10. Shop at multiple stores (this takes work, and I wouldn’t recommend starting with this if you have a tendency to buy impulse things).
11. Plan ahead for special kid events. Sports, etc. Eat before you go or pack a sandwich.
Jo says
You are a good friend and both of you are an inspiration.
Prepare to pick yourself off the floor again. I’m going to put this out there in the internet world in the hope that it will hold me to fixing it…in 2106 I spent an average of $1,453 a month on “food” for 1 person. This includes groceries, alcohol, meal plan kits, coffee shops, restaurants, fast food and probably some personal care and a little bit of pet food that I occasionally buy at the grocery store or Costco. There is also the $26,000 yearly spending on “shopping” and let’s not talk about the personal care and pet care categories.
I use Mint and love it. When I reviewed the 2016 categories over Christmas I wanted to hide from myself! It’s horrible. I had my spending under control and then got distracted by house and health problems last year and lost the plot. Needless to say my 2017 goal is to get all my spending under control and not spend 90% of what I make.
It’s a good thing I post under an alias.
Good luck and I will be following along. I wish I had a Mavis!
Joan says
Do you have a friend who would love to follow this blog and work with you towards the goal of doing what Mavis and Mrs. Hillbilly you’re doing? Sometimes it’s easier to fight a battle or learn new things with a friend. It sounds like you might be ok going it alone but having someone to do it with might make it funner.
Mrs. C. says
Someone mentioned a burrito bowl, and that gave me an idea to address Mrs. HB’s desire to make something that everyone liked – why not have a burrito bowl night, or a chili night, a curry night, or a nacho night? What makes it special is putting out all the toppings, and then folks can personalize their food!
Lea says
As someone who used to spend $1200 – $1500 per month to feed TWO people (I know, right?), and now spends $200/month for four including two athletic teens, I agree with the comments about starting with a clean out and inventory. Then I knew what I had and didn’t have.
The second step I took was to meal plan just the evening meal and we started with picking 5-7 meals we wanted to make and made sure we had those ingredients in the house. Each night we’d pick the one we felt like making and make that. We also kept the ingredients on hand for 3-5 “generic” meals we could have if we didn’t want what was on the menu. It was a nice way to get us started without being overwhelming.
Now we plan three meals and two snacks per day – busy evenings have crockpot meals or leftovers or something else that can be thrown together super quick. We rarely eat out (it hasn’t been in the budget for quite a while) but we do get to eat well without a lot of hassle. Oh – and our budget includes paper products (basically TP and Kleenex) and toiletries too.
Can’t wait to hear how Mrs. Hillbilly does!
Lea
Tracy says
For one whole year, I recorded every single penny I made spent. I’m single and live a,one, so this was easier than it sounds. I made a blank chart and just handwrote everything in, under one of about 20 columns every time I came inside. It was enlightening to learn exactly where my money was going. I decided to reduce my spending in several categories. Seeing the actual data really helped me “own” the goal — I was actually offended at how much I was spending in the grocery store!
Unlike several of the posters here, I buy nothing with cash. I. Go one better: I put 100% of everything I purchase on my credit card to accumulate points, which I cash in for free cash a few times a year. I made almost $1,000 last year in free cash. I always pay the monthly card bill before it’s due, and have not paid a finance charge since 1982. Not one penny.
One thing that used to drive me crazy is I ended up throwing out rotted produce several times a month. Aside from the wasted money, it just seemed frivolous and wrong. So…now, when I toss a head of lettuce that turned, I make a mental note of what that cost me, and record it. If I’ve allocated $150 a week for the grocery store (includes anything you can buy at a grocery store, not just food), I will ‘charge’ myself the amount of whatever I wasted and reduce my budget for that week by the same amount. Now I find myself scrutinizing my fridge carefully to see what I need to use up, not just what I feel like eating.
Good luck Mrs. HB!
Cheri says
There are so many good ideas here that I can’t add too many more without repeating any, but one thing I have done is to spend time researching the cheapest food. I live in an area with a number of grocery store options: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, King Soopers (a branch of Kroger’s), Natural Grocers, Sprouts (a cross between a Whole Foods and a typical store), SuperTarget, and Walmart. What I did is spend a couple of days comparison-shopping all of these stores using a list of sample foods that I typically buy. I compared them per unit, not package size. Then I identified which stores had the cheapest items per unit. For example, Sprouts is overall best for produce. Trader Joe’s is best for packaged goods, like bread and crackers (and many other things). And because I am big into high-quality food, I learned what I can afford at Whole Foods and buy as much as I can there.. I end up going to several stores, but I know where to get the cheapest stuff for what I want to buy. I also take a calculator and reduce our meat intake, and I do not coupon because I try to buy store-brand, odd brands, or bulk items as much as I can. I end up saving very little money but spending a lot of time when I try to coupon. I still spend more than I’d like to, but I think I do pretty well for a family of seven.
Dana says
OMG…I am Mrs. HB! I work full-time, have a family of my own, and take care of my aging parents. I try, try to save money but sometimes it is all I can do to make it through the day. And, I hate making multiple trips to the store…but it always happens! I am going to follow the details of this experiment closely in hopes I can take advantage of your wisdom, Mavis!
Texas Deborah says
There are three adults in our household. We mostly eat at home. None of us eat three meals a day. One eats only once a day, plus snacks. The other two eat two meals plus a snack. We spend around $450 or so a month. Including paper products and toiletries. And some prescription meds. Each of us are on multipule meds. Plus OTC meds. Vitamins, D3, melatonin, and iron. And we have ordered some Mass Muscle protein powder because one of us doesn’t eat well, and needs the protein and calories. (Shhh, she is 85 years young.)
mdoe37 says
As a busy family working mom, if I were Mrs. HB, I would have bought TWO of those chickens. They are a bit more than from scratch ones….but just think of the extra portions quick meals that would be sitting in the freeze.
****
I’ll bet I spent $600 a month routinely for two. The husband had health issues and this “diet”. He would go on a kick with a certain food….when it wasn’t on sale. And then I would stock up when it was on sale….and he’d be off on another kick and the food would go to waste. Often times, it was food that I did not eat…like processed lunchmeat. Because the bill would get too high, I would then skimp on things that were good for me….like salad that he did not like. Simply could not get a handle on the situation and wasted incredible amounts of food over the years. My pantry was also waaay overstocked because of sudden “diet needs”.
I have it solved….divorce is final tomorrow. lol (not kidding though)
My bad habits…..grabbing a soda when I’m in the store. $1.79 and its certainly no good for me. Winter is just setting in good here so I’ll start making double cups of tea in a thermal mug that I can take on the go. Yeh, and I have a water bottle….sigh.
Its funny how those habits add up. I was behind a lady in a gas station one day. She was dressed for work. She purchased four bottles of iced tea.$1.29 x 4 x 5 days a week x 50 working weeks a year ==== is nearly $1300. Tea is really, really cheap.
There once was a day that I was super careful like that……it starts tomorrow!
Jennifer says
Well I will admit to spending about $800 a month on groceries – food only. I have 4 teenagers (1 is a freshman in college, so not home a lot). I have a child with a severe dairy allergy, so I accommodate a lot. I estimate that I spend $30-40 a month on just items for that child. She needs a high protein diet as well as either Gatorade or Smart Water every day (recovering from a nasty concussion has left her head very sensitive and accommodating this adds another $20 or so a month to my budget)
I buy my meat locally, and it is sometimes more expensive, but we feel better about it. I stretch meat and will brown a pound of beef or sausage and use it in 2 meals frequently. We eat a TON of produce. They just opened a Costco near me and I have been shopping there weekly for produce and milk and figured up that I am spending bare minimum $40 a week just on those 2 things there.
Because of the dairy allergy, I do cook most things from scratch. We eat homemade muffins and/or oatmeal for breakfast each morning. I buy my eggs from a local farm at $4 a dozen. Somehow, the grocery bill adds up. It is painful for me, but no matter what I do I can’t seem to get it lower, although I am trying yet again this January.
Jenn says
So excited to see this post! This sounds just like meThies year started off with me writing down money spent everytime I go buy food, cleaning out and reorganizing my kitchen and prepping freezer meals and weeknight menus in advance. So far ( and granted we are barely in to January) but this has been the most relaxed and on budget I have been with food in a while! Stick with it Mrs. HB ( I am working again full time, after being stay at home momma,have three active kiddos from elementary to High School and would love to keep budget as low as possible!!!! After all three will be in college soon )
Jen J says
We spend around $600/month for a family of three (2 adults and a teen). This includes toiletries, pet food and paper products. I too work full time in a high pressure job and my husband is disabled, so much of the work in the house falls on me. I meal plan weekly, make my grocery list and then ORDER THROUGH CLICKLIST AND PICK UP MY GROCERIES AT KROGER! Yes, that really deserves all caps. This service has been such a time saver for me and it dropped our previous grocery budget down by about $200/month. I wasn’t in the store tempted by things I didn’t need and only got what was on my list. And I only spend 10 minutes in the store parking lot while they pack my car. I would strongly suggest Mrs HB check to see if it is available at any of the stores near her.
MArgery says
I second this I am a busy soccer mom who went back to work, I use a few things ,at Sam’s I click and pull they do the shopping I pick up at the front desk and I am done. At Wal-mart I shop on line at night and pick up the next day and never even go in the store. Our local store Hy Vee also has free pick up and if you spend 100 dollars free home delivery and they put it away for me :).
The only store I have to go in is Alidi’s and that one it’s easy to stay on list.
My problem is I moved from the middle of now where ie no take out, no delivery, to a city were it’s all there. Plus this state taxes all food so that raised the budget by 10 percent. So my budget used to be 400 a month but the goal this year is to try and stay on that budget, so far this month not going well, But I did use winter break to get some frezzer meals made.
Earlene says
I read every comment and had to laugh as I work at a grocery store . I probably spend too much money there, but there’s a catch, it’s the only grocery store within 30 miles. Sam’s club is 90 miles away, so that’s not a weekly options. Walmart is 35 miles away and so is Aldi’s. I tried the ibotta app, but most of the stuff I need is not in my local store. I tried meal planning, but I got lazy! I’m the only cook and I’m tired at the end of the day, but I have decided that this year 2017 is going to be different. I’m not necessarily going to follow a meal plan , but I am getting better at planning over the weekend some meals ahead for the week. I have 2 full freezers and have from time to time, we have eaten only from the freezers to get them down! We have new health issues, so things have changed around here. My husband just found out he’s diabetic, with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I’m having surgery next month. I do buy items from my grocery when they are on sale like half hams this week are a $1.00 a pound. Eggs were $.77, 2 weeks ago. So, I’m hoping to glean anything I can from this exercise with Mrs. HB
Karin says
Loved your post about Mrs HB. Can’t wait to see how she does.
I regularly spend $800 a month for a family of 4. That includes all food (restaurants and takeout too, which we rarely have). I consider myself very careful with money but I am somewhat picky about food quality, sometimes buying organic produce and opting for pastured, chemical free meat. What I have really noticed though is that my husband and son seem to eat double or triple what your boys eat, Mavis. My husband goes through huge quantities of meat and cheese. And if we get pizza, 6 pieces each is normal! No, they are not fat at all, just blessed with good metabolisms (good for them, unfortunate for my budget)
Jodie says
I hear you with the bottomless pit guys. I have a hubby, young adult and 2 more teen boys at home. We cook mostly from scratch and eat lots of fresh food. I buy what’s on sale and in season and have given up beating myself up about how much it costs. I focus on feeling so blessed that we can eat healthy and enjoy each other’s company over a good meal.
Amy says
Chuckling in understanding… none of my kids seem to have “bottoms” to their stomachs! My boys are always “hungry”, teen girls too… husband? Easily can put away an entire pizza by himself. And no, he’s not fat either – he’s almost always been thin!
We don’t buy ramen and other kinds of cheap junk food – it’s all REAL food with REAL ingredients. Prepackaged stuff in my house is mostly just pasta -I make the sauce myself and can it, but never did learn to make pasta – and the store bought stuff comes in fun different shapes and sizes so it’s not like we’re always getting the same. old. thing.
I’ve found that home-made bread is so much more filling than store bought – and super easy to make, too! That’s been a huge budget stretcher for me. Seeing the price of store bread (which admittedly I do buy from time to time) always throws me for a loop- its so expensive! I can make 4 or 5 loaves for the price of buying one at the store – and then it’s hot and fresh from the oven, too 😉
Healthy food is very important! Filling and healthy is even better when we have so many seemingly bottomless stomachs! 😉 Wish *I* had a metabolism like that, haha!
MArgery says
Totally understand the bottomless pits, I have two sons at college and they are home on break and we are using a gallon every 2 days of milk and when it is just me, hubby, 10 yo, 16 yo and 17 yo we go though 2 gallons of milk in two weeks.
And leftovers what are those haven’t seen them in the fridge in weeks 🙂 I used to feed 9 but with the kids growing and moving out I have finally gotten used to cooking less after a year of us making dinner on Monday and eating it all week 🙂
Linda says
I relate to Mrs HB. I go grocery shopping weekly but stop every couple of days for extras. There’s 3 adults in my house and we have spent $1200/month on groceries. I’m trying to whittle that down. I will be watching for your tips with interest. You’ll be helping more than Mrs HB.
Delores says
The free coffee… did you do any other business at the bank? I had to laugh at that because I think you just went for the coffee. 🙂 I could be wrong, of course.
For our family of 8 we spend about $875 per month. I shop at Costco once a month and get cheese, milk, meat, chips (1 large bag a week), rice, toilet paper and some fruits and veg. Then I do local the rest, about once a week, for fresh produce and other things we run out of. While I do well, what does us in is the last minute things — like having friends over for dinner or bringing snacks every week after church or bringing food to a ministry get together.
I am really going to enjoy you writing about this!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, I did other business at the bank. That would be a bit awkward to just show up for free coffee. 🙂
Joan says
I am also smiling about the free coffee thing. But because I have done it as well. I work with the disabled who live on severely limited incomes. When I went with a disabled person to their Bank to take care of a transaction we noticed they had free coffee. This Bank also happened to be my bank. She was out of money and food stamps and craving coffee so we both got a free cup. That also happened to be the month McDonald’s was having their free coffee offer. Needless to say we made a run through that drive-thru on another day. Poor peeps gotta do what poor peeps gotta do. ;-D
Gertrude Ezell says
I have about $600 (give or take – some months might be a bit more) to feed my Mom, my 3 sons (almost 16, 10,10) myself and lately I’ve been helping my brother, his girlfriend and their two cats along with mine (and whatever strays may come around) which includes pet food and toiletries. I homeschool my kids so I have a bit more time to coupon and search out the deals during the week, but I still only go to the grocery stores once a week, if that.
I always have some kind of list and tablet in my purse to follow from and I keep track of every penny. If I find a great deal, I stock up as much as I can. I keep track of everything I spend, every receipt and I keep a running check register. I plan out next month’s bills and use that to plan bigger purchases.
I use all of the rebates I can, Checkout 51, Ibotta, Savingstar and Mobisave and SavingsCatcher as soon as I get back and put everything away as soon as we get back. I also keep a large cooler and a mylar bag cooler in my vehicle at all times.
I shop at Sam’s Club and Costco and buy meats in bulk and repackage with my vacuum sealer. I also buy flour, sugar, rice, yeast, salt, spices, brown sugar, powdered sugar, pancake mix (Krusteaz), syrup, and laundry soap (we really like Ecos with built in softener – works great with my kids eczema) in bulk.
We do meal plan, taking a blank printed out calendar and write in meals for the month, making special requests for birthdays or holidays, but we don’t keep to this day is Tacos and this day is Lasagna – we keep most of the ingredients on hand for most meals and see how the day is going for what we make. I also make sure that my kids all take turns helping make dinner, so that can make meal times easier (sometimes). We use leftovers for lunches and if we have alot, we put half in the freezer for crockpot meals. We keep 2 chest freezers as stocked as possible and use as much of our garden produce as possible, including our homemade jelly.
I hope this helps!
Linda says
When we didn’t have a lot of money- i would plan my menus around what was on sale. Also ask each family member what 2 of their favorite meals are. I find we only eat 6-8 different things a month. keep that list, mix it up and a new menu item every wk or two.
Tracy says
Last year we created a workable budget but before we could create a budget I had to figure out where the money was going. My husband and I saved every receipt in an envelope for each week. Saturday morning we went through all the receipts. It was eye opening to see the actual cost of things. For example, if I bought a couple fresh bell peppers for 4.00 vs a bag a frozen sliced bell peppers for 1.50. It was really interesting to see where the cost was going. We also started to use a basic list of meals where we could recycle in ingredients into different meals, that way we really cut down on the waste. So if we had chicken parmesan on Monday, I could use the extra cheese and sauce for mini pizzas on Saturday. Also, I could watch for sales to stockpile. We also try to go to the store once week, if we don’t have something for a recipe we make something else and add it to next weeks list. It was eye opening how much food we had multiples of, we were throwing out due to it going bad, and by making simple swaps at the store it could save us a buck. It took about 6 months, of watching our receipts, tweaking our meal plans, and switching items till we had a system. It is not perfect, but our food bill was cut by a third and we hardly eat out now.
Robin says
Ahh! This would be so fun. I feel like I’m looking at people’s carts at the store and asking in my head “what do they think they are making for dinner?” I’ve been caught a few times and people make eye contact and I just say “Just trying to guess what you’re cooking”. People usually respond with “I have no idea.”
Susan says
Read The Tightwad Gazette! Her explanation of how to manage your pantry will change your life. Your local library may have a copy.
Darlene says
Sorry if someone already asked, but how does the Fred Meyer free item on Friday work? I’ve not seen it before. Thanks =)
Mavis Butterfield says
Simply load the fred meyer friday freebie ecoupon to you Fred Meyer card and claim your freebie each friday. Here is the link, and it is only active on fridays. http://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/freefri/ Typicall you have about 3 weeks to redeem your freebie.
Darlene says
Awesome! I can’t wait to try it this week Thanks!
Logica says
I use the website ‘Mint’ to keep track of my spending and how I am doing throughout the month based on a budget I set up in there. I’ve used it for many years and I helps a lot to easily see where the $ goes.
Monica says
**Hanging my head in shame** This felt like I was reading about myself. This is almost exactly how my grocery spending/shopping habits/planning are right now. And for the last few years, if I’m honest. I will be following this and doing my best to follow your sage-like wisdom 🙂
Joan says
Hey now! No shame here. 🙂 we all have things we’re good at and things we need to improve. When I’m working with people to help them learn to manage funds and stretch their food dollars I encourage them to print out a blank calendar page and then as they’re cooking, in each of those 30 days they will write down a meal that the family enjoyed. It’s a great starting point and an easy reference when you’re trying to figure out what to cook yet again. Then you can plan your menus around those liked meals, what you have on hand, and shopping the sales in creating your weekly meal plan.
Mel says
1. In addition to using Ibotta, download a free grocery list app, like Out of Milk. It’s harder to forget your list when it’s on your phone, and you can share the list with family members so they can add to it or see that you’ve already checked something off. It automatically sorts your items into categories, so you don’t have to double back in the store so much. You can also leave things on the list for next week so you won’t forget them. Over time, you kind of get used to how many items on the list = staying on budget. (For a similar app for Christmas gifts, I use Gift List. It tracks your Christmas shopping and budget in the cutest, most efficient way possible. And, you can look back to see what you got people the year before and add ideas throughout the year.)
2. Invest in a vacuum insulated thermos. Stays hot all day, or you can keep ice coffee or even smoothies cold all day in summer. No more stopping to buy drinks.
3. Grow whatever items are expensive in the store but effortless/long lasting in the yard. For us, that’s saffron, herbs, tomatoes, garlic, green onions, and kale.
Aunt G says
Our budget for food/toiletries/household stuff/eating out is $500/ month for a family of four with two teenaged boys.
We buy 1/4 beef per year and 2 boxes of Zaycon chicken other wise the meat has to be on sale.
Create a menu with calendar and grocer store flyer to reference, make a list, cook from scratch, take cash only leave your debit card in the car. Pack lunches.
For help with menus-budget targets and shopping list help go to emeals. Dave Ramsey’s Every Dollar ap is FREE and is awesome!!!
Tell Mrs HB we are proud of her. She can do this. It might take a few months but she’ll get it if she sticks to it.
tia in boise says
I only skimmed all the replies, so there may be some repetition.
We spend about $200/month on groceries (not toiletries) for myself, husband, and teenage son.
Ideas for Mrs. H-B (and anyone!):
1. Know your good/stock-up prices.
2. Know which store has the best regular-price deal on items. (It really helps me that I have Albs, FM, WalMart, Winco, and Wags all within 5 miles!) For example, I know that Wal-Mart always has our salsa for $1.68, so if I see it on sale somewhere for less–bingo! Or if I need some and see that it’s $2 at Albertsons, I make a trip to WM.
3. I have a magnetized notepad with 7 sections/days of week stuck to side of fridge. (i’ve gotten them at dollar store and Michaels.) I make note of special activities (baseball games, PTO meetings), so we know if we are going to eat somewhere other than home or late or have to eat fast. I plan out what we’ll have each night (I try to do a whole week at a time!). I look at the ads when they first come out (Tuesday night for Wednesday Albertsons; Sunday for Fred Meyer) to see what’s on sale. That’s what drives what we have to eat for the week. I check the pantry to see what we need and write it below that day. (Other day I made “Taco Bake” and had everything we needed but chips and sour cream–that went on the pad below so I remembered to pick it up.)
4. If somebody doesn’t like what’s being made–they can make a sandwich or have cereal.
5. Don’t eat out! (or eat take out) except for a random splurge day. (We have these maybe once a month.) It’s EXPENSIVE!
6. Husband LOVES it when I do this one (ha ha): I like to tally up the cost of a meal and announce it. Last night we had London Broil sandwiches, fruit, and nachos. London Broil was $5 but because it was day old, only $2.50. Rolls were $.99 day old. Used about $1 worth of cheese. Nachos were leftover from lunch (free–treated by parents). Apple and orange were about $1 each. $6.50 for dinner! Now compare that to the price of $30 bucks for sandwiches from Jersey Mikes—puts it all into perspective.
7. Shop from your pantry–what’s already in there? Use those ingredients to make a meal.
8. Shop the clearance/day old section of store.
9. Buy stuff that’s on sale that you don’t need now but WILL eventually. (I buy day-old french bread for french toast and throw it in the freezer until we’re ready for it.)
10. Make meals that you can use pieces of in future meals. When I make salsa chicken for tacos/burritos/quesadillas, there is always leftover chicken–I mix that up with mayonnaise and we have chicken salad sandwiches for the next day.
11. Get to know your meat/dairy, etc “guy” at the grocery store. I love the gal that marks down the lunchmeat and cheese–she’s helped me out numerous times!
12. Schedule desserts. I try to do one a week. If I don’t, I feel deprived and then splurge–more than once.
13. This is for people with teenage snackers. I hide the stuff I want to put in my kid’s lunch that I don’t want him to just graze on.
phew! that’s all i got for now.
Dara says
It’s taken me about 5 years to get to this point, but I shop once per month plus 1-2 gigantic stock up trips every fall. Some items I only buy once per year. I started out several years ago when we moved into our new house and I had a large pantry as well as a basement root cellar. The economy was in terrible shape and food costs were through the roof so I decided that I could get a better return on my money by buying food instead of investing in the stock market.
Monthly (or every two weeks, if there’s a rockstar sale), I buy the groceries for that month. Early in the month, we eat the things that expire quickly. Later in the month, we eat the canned fruit, frozen veggies, and good keepers (oranges, potatoes, cabbage, celery, apples, etc). We also have a big garden – around 14 raised beds, plus 60+ fruit trees and over 80 berry plants. We keep chickens and pigs and my husband hunts for deer and turkey.
Each fall, I make 1-2 shopping trips to buy a year’s supply of certain items. I usually do this in the fall since that’s the best sales on canned goods and baking supplies. I buy a year’s worth of laundry soap, toothpaste, TP, flour, spices, canned tomatoes, canned chili beans, pasta – anything that keeps. I started writing the date on toiletries the day I open them. Then when its empty I can see how long it took me to use the item.
In the last 6 months, I’ve been making more frequent trips to the store and it’s made my grocery bill go up significantly! I really want to get back to shopping once per month. It was a huge time and money saver for our family. If I shop once per month, I’d say I average spending $500 per month for a family of 5 (3 adults, 2 small children – includes diapers and farm/garden supplies). I would like to get that down even further to around $350-400/month. That may be possible after the 3 small pigs are grown and sold. They eat a lot…
Heather says
Meats, toiletries (2 teenage girls), cleaning supplies, household needs (like lightbulbs etc), school and printer supples, and a growing teenage boy who eats the leftovers faster than I can put them away, all sneak up on me and consistently break my grocery budget. (It’s all inclusive.) I’m very much going to be watching this series!
Helen in Meridian says
How great that Mrs. HB is hosting 4-H. Most skills learned at 4-H are making treats and baking. She can then have them make muffins or cup cakes and eat at the end of the meeting. I think they have a section on budgeting or shopping, since they learn great home making skills. Maybe you can helop teach some of those skills to her group, like cost per oz or lb and how to shop with so much money.
Amy A. says
Can’t wait to see your tips for Mrs. HB. My first thought is trying to organize the pantry and fridge. Just love that large pantry, but probably pretty easy to lose track of what’s in there.
Carmen says
Yep, we easily spend >$600/month. If you eat meat/fish and healthy produce bought from a store, it doesn’t go far.
Today I spent $100.
I bought a farm reared chicken, a cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, courgette, a carton of creme fresh and cheddar (to make cheese sauce – I don’t eat wheat flour) which we ate tonight. That came to $25.
I also bought 2x milk ($5), about $20 fruit, breakfast/lunch carbs, healthier organic granola bars for lunches (mega bucks!), iron tablets, 2 tubs of B&J ice cream (post running treat!), butter ($5), cheese for snacks/lunches, loads more veggies for my lunches, eggs, nuts to snack on (me.) Other stuff I can’t recall. I usually spend about $40/day, which will include toiletries, bleach, laundry powder etc, but even if it didn’t, I don’t think $10/person/day is an extortionate amount to cover all meals and snacks, which are typically really nutritious. We are a really active family; we eat all the time! I run every day and need about 2500 calories, we all eat about that amount.
Personally, I only eat protein and organic veggies for lunch & dinner which is considerably more expensive than say a basic pasta meal which I don’t eat for health reasons and the kids hate. A piece of fresh fish costs $5 – we’re a family of 4 – good food is expensive!
If you have any pearls of wisdom beyond growing my own, I’m all ears!
Cheri says
I agree, it’s so hard to pay for really high-quality food on a budget, especially grass-fed/wild/organic/humane meat and dairy. I am constantly trying to figure out how to do it. The only thing I know to do is put the meat and cheese in dishes like soups and casseroles, which extends smaller amounts. I can also buy grass-fed beef and “sustainable family farm” whole chickens at Trader Joe’s, which is usually cheaper than at places like Whole Foods that sell similar products. Even then, though, it’s hard to afford.
EJ says
Very excited about this series, Mavis! As a pair of young professional / graduate student trying to balance work, adulting, and a healthy work-life balance, our grocery spending was the last of our priorities. In hindsight, that was foolish because mint.com helped us later realize that we were spending over 2X our provincial (we’re in Canada) household food cost (yikes!). Even more scary was that there is only 2 of us, while the average household is probably two adults and one to two kids (double yikes!). However, we had grow up and change our habits once we got our first home mortgage.
So far there has been great tips in the comments. A few unorthodox tips I would add are:
-Watching shows about how people don’t realize the significant consequence of careless spending on little things like eating out, coffees etc. In Canada, Gail Vaz-Oxlade hosted shows like “money moron” and “til debt do us apart”, both of which can be found on YouTube. She really puts mindless spending into perspective.
-Go grocery shopping with someone who hates shopping. My husband hates all types of shopping and, to his dismay, dragging him with me to grocery trips means pressure for me to finish up as soon as possible. I don’t have the luxury of strolling through every aisle without a plan when he’s around.
Kudos to you and Mrs. HB for starting this!
AJ @ FurtherJourneys says
I used to spend $650-900 a month on food, for us it was eating out and wasting food that was hurting our budget. Also, beverages! Wine and beer, sure, but also juice, coffee, tea, etc. ended up being a huge chunk of what we spent. I’m doing an uber frugal challenge this month and it really helped to clean out the fridge ahead of time and shop from a list. My challenge is not getting sucked in by marked down fancy baked goods and bagels, I have plenty of those already in the freezer!
Mrs. Hillbilly says
Wow ,I am over run with emotion as I have read every word that ya’ll have written and it is ALL so supportive and informative and enlightening! I honestly will take all your suggestions to heart and will over time incorporate them into my plan…. Unfortunately its just the start of the week and already I have blown my budget! Not all on food stuffs but other life stuff. I locked my keys in the car,,80$, Blinds needed repair 53$ and during a Boy Scout outing , which we had planned on cooking out, weather got bad and the troop ended up eating out another 53$ ( I paid for my sons friend who didn’t bring any extra money). This is hard but ,my stars ,I am so touched by all the positive feedback. Quite honestly I expected a lot of negativity , beating myself up that I had let it go this far, too lazy and not disciplined ,ect. Just goes to show what wonderful readers Mavis has! It will be an interesting and self reflective journey but I am committed ! Oh did I forget to mention that for 20 years my wonderful husband has been asking me to make a budget for his Christmas or Birthday present? Yes he has and I hate to confess that it took me this long. But better late than never and with Mavis’ help I finally have given him this gift. This is not only for my sanity but for him and a little less anxiety in his life.
Jennifer says
<3<3<3<3<3<3
AJ @ FurtherJourneys says
It’s so easy to beat ourselves up for our “shortcomings.” Give yourself the grace and understanding you would to one of your loved ones if they were trying to make a big change. You wouldn’t expect them to get everything perfect the first time they tried to do something, right? Besides, perfection is an illusion anyways and if we hold ourselves up to that standard we will never make much progress because it will seem too overwhelming! Even little steps can make a huge impact. I think you are very brave to reach out to Mavis and try to make a change, I’m doing a little mini cheer for you right now!
Tammy says
This is total awesome! I love it! I have a lot of respect for working moms. I have the privilege/position of being a stay-at-home mom and honestly I just don’t know how working moms can do it!
When I run errands, and it is cold outside, my first inclination is to buy coffee. So I started curbing that by making coffee (or tea) and putting it in my thermos. Then I have something warm to drink in between stops, and I’m not tempted to go through the drive-through and shell out $5 for a fancy drink.
I love the suggestion of others to go through your fridge and pantry and get meal inspiration there. In the past, I’ve seen bloggers who don’t buy groceries for one whole month but clean out their pantry/freezer. That would be a big challenge (and I’m not suggesting it), but I bet there are lots of staples you already have that you could pull meals together from – and maybe only have to buy one or two ingredients to round the meals out.
In the last few months, I’ve tried to have some ingredients on hand that would make a quick dinner, for those nights where for whatever reason, cooking isn’t happening. They are made with convenience items which store well, and can be made and on the table in minutes. Not “standard fare” but definitely healthier and cheaper than going out.
Making meals ahead is awesome! That quinoa salad looks amazing. I want to try it soon.
Good luck to both of you!
Amber says
We are a family of 6 and i have found the thing that works best for me is to know what is a good price, watch the ads, and then price match at walmart. Add coupons and Ibotta/easysaver to that, and it works well. I shop only once a week, and hit Costco for the coupon items I need once a month. I have been doing ibotta for about 2 years and just cashed out for the first time…$175! Our budget for all food and toiletries is between $400-$600 a month.
Jules says
After I had our 5th child I knew I needed to get more serious about budgeting better. So, I made a list of the meals we eat most frequently (they are probably the ones most everyone in the family likes). I took some time to also look through cookbooks for some I thought we would also eat. With that list in hand I filled in blank monthly calendar with meals for each day. I started with just two weeks at a time. I noted which days we had games/meets/etc so I would know which days I wanted to use the slow cooker. Just having a plan like that has helped me know what to buy, when to buy it, and (with the help of a grocery list on the side of the refrigerator) whether I have the ingredients at home already or not.
Also another idea for quick meals – besides a slow cooker – invest in a pressure cooker. You can cook meat in there super quick.
Jules says
Oh and I also got rid of out Costco membership. I know some will balk at that but I spent way too much in there, blowing our budget all the time. WinCo in our area is much better for me, along with Cash and Carry and Fred Meyer
Lisa says
My best way to keep my budget low is learning to be flexible with recipes. I’m lucky to have a SO who is an amazing cook and over the years I’ve learned to also be pretty good about cooking without a “recipe” myself. Knowing the basic techniques of cooking and then applying them to whats already on hand saves me from running out for the “just one thing” that turns into a $25 expense. Cooking at home instead of eating out is always friendlier for a budget but if i find a recipe i want to try and I don’t have ingredients on hand and have to run to the store or have to buy something I won’t use for something else I either try to figure out how to tweak the recipe with what’s in the house or consider it a splurge and a recipe I would use only for a special occasion dinner. We eat a ton of soups and stews in our house because 1. It’s easy! Throw it together and put it on the stove after work. Plus, one pot dinner makes cleanup easy. 2. It’s a great way to use up odds and ends of things in the fridge or transform leftovers and waste less. And 3. Leftovers are often even better than the first go round and freeze well for those crazy days you cant even bear to chop an onion. If you can make a basic soup you will always have an inexpensive, nutritious and easy meal out of what’s already on hand. Also a pressure cooker is the best investment we ever made! I like it even better than a crockpot!
AlysonRR says
I have three teenage boys (14, 17, 18). I have difficulty keeping track of spending. I have $1000/mo and I spend it all, sometimes plus another hundred or two.
The problem is my $1000/mo covers food (groc and eating out, which is perhaps once every other week), toiletries, medical co-pays (we have around 10 Rx/month), gas, school fees (band, winterguard, etc.) and school lunches (one kid gets $20/mo because he wants to eat at school a few days per month), and whatever else comes up, including putting away some money for birthday and holiday gifts.
I’ve know I’ve been doing better at both planning and using things up before they die – cooking from scratch and planning more meals has helped a lot! But I still have no idea what my real grocery spending is…
Jam says
I can already tell I’m going to love this series. I have a lot to learn in this realm and like how I can follow along and do the same things Mrs HB does and learn along the way!
Sarina says
Yikes! Mrs. HB sounds like me. I used to faithfully coupon and religiously stick to a $100 budget a week for everything, but I am now out of control. I need HELP!!!! Spending at least $300 a week now on food and paper and soaps and stuff. I know I can do better. I am just stuck in the a very undisciplined funk. I buy whatever everyone wants as we walk through the store. TERRIBLE! I have never meal planned. I have tried, but I just can’t seem to get into it. I usually just throw whatever together and figure it out when it’s time to make supper. So thankful for this article on helping Mrs. HB reel in her spending. I think I’ll follow each step you do with her for the next 90 days.
Claudette says
Thank goodness for this series. I have already heard a lot of great ideas in the comments. I look forward to hearing more!!
Paige says
I am so right there with Mrs. HB. I’m just out of control with my spending period! Can’t wait to learn along with her.
Mrs Hillbilly says
Well I cant believe that I have survived this week but honestly it has been a very liberating week. Tomorrow starts my second week and as of this Thursday evening I have $460 in reserve! You cant even imagine my real face emoji that I am feeling right now. And I know exactly what the biggest reason why is….. Cash only! I have been so scared and apprehensive about this you cant even imagine . Because I am no longer carrying my debit or credit cards with me, I keep thinking what if I NEED money ? At the grocery, whatever. But the strange thing is… I have all but stopped spending on just stuff. Example: Driving home from work meeting the other night, traffic was HORRIBLE! I knew my in-laws had the kids and my husband was taking Little HB to baseball, so really no real need to get home. Dinner was in frig, if they so chose to eat it. Normally I would stop for a “pee break” and to let traffic die down a at local TJ mAXX or Marshalls, just to vege . I swear it IS retail therapy but in the moment I would spend $100, $200 on stuff I didn’t need. I really enjoyed this time of uforia but then would come the anxiety of the impending bill! I don’t need this anxiety in my life and I passed the opportunity up. Mainly at this point because I know Mavis is looking over my shoulder! I also passed up a $3.50 ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s! Wait for it …….. IN MY DREAM! I am starting to dream about saving ! Totally bazar! Anyway this week has left me feeling more empowered and light, emotionally, physically and spiritually! What a gift Mavis my friend has giving me!!!! Thank you Mavis!
Em says
Mrs HB I am so proud of you!
I’m trying to spend less money, too. I bought some boots in December and am going to return them (unworn) to get my money back.
Tracie H says
Congratulations Mrs. Hillbilly!! That feeling only gets better!
Sandra says
I’m very much looking forward to this series. The most important thing to me is the friendship and encouragement that Mrs. HB and Mavis share — and sharing that with us readers is awesome!
I read each and every comment. I have a condition that forces me to purchase foods that are chemical free, dye free, and organic. (severe chemical allergies) This means organic, no spray, and hormone free foods. As you can imagine, this gets very expensive. I purchase for myself only. This last year I tracked every receipt from grocery shopping, no matter what I bought at the grocery store. This can include supplements and vitamins (but not all…most bought on Amazon) toiletries (not all) and the occasional bottle of wine/prosecco. I drink very little but will get a bottle for social occasions.
My highest grocery month last year was November: $546.73. I contributed to a friend’s Thanksgiving and brought 2 bottles of wine which is probably $60 of that bill. My lowest month was February: $312.47.
I cook virtually all of my meals on Sundays and portion them out. Especially lunches for the week. I will make a big pot of soup, or spaghetti, or a roast beef, port, or chicken and then put it in five separate containers. This contributes to very little waste. Dinners are usually a lot of fresh salads tossed together with homemade dressing.
My biggest cost? Eggs and meat. I eat organic, pasture raised eggs and you had best brace yourself: depending on the time of year they can cost between $5 and $8 a dozen. During the months the farmers market are open I can get them between $3 and $5. Once you have eaten a real farm raised egg you can’t go back to the “normal” ones in the grocery store that cost a few cents a dozen. Organic/hormone free/local meat is very expensive as well, so I eat as little of it as possible, make it stretch, and don’t waste it! I try to buy direct from the farmer at the farmer’s markets so at least I feel like my hard earned money is being handed directly to the person that is working. I also like knowing the people who raise the meat that I eat. I ask questions about their farms and most of them will encourage you to visit to see the farms, the animals, and the working conditions. They are proud of their work and support their families by working hard.
I am really looking forward to gleaning any tips I can to lower my bill. I shop at several grocery stores and pick up what I can on subscribe and save on Amazon.
I am also following Mrs. Frugalwoods Uber Savings Challenge this month. Even if you don’t want to go that hardcore she has some great tips that she sends once a day to help you along with savings/no spending.
Thanks again Mavis and Mrs. HB. Hoping to learn a lot this series.
Valri says
For me, the best way to save $$ at the store is to make a list and stick to it. And the best way to know what should be on the list is meal planning. I also have a white board stuck to the fridge where we write things down as we use them up. Staples and such.
When I was first married, I was constantly scrambling in the morning for something to thaw and then figuring out when I got home what to do with it. I also didn’t really want to sit down every single week to plan meals. Just too busy to do that at the time. My solution was to ask my husband and our daughters for their top 10 favorite meals. They could list more then 10 but I needed their own fave 10. There was some overlap but surprisingly, not much and once I added my 10 faves we had over 35 meals. I put them on a calendar program that allowed for a simple list that repeated itself every 35 days. I listed them in a way that gave us variety of meat each day, variety of complicated vs simple etc. Then all I had to do each MONTH was print the calendar and each day there was a meal plan. Dang! That was smart. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to just look at each day and know what to thaw and what I was cooking. Better yet, I could switch out days when I needed to or skip a day if we had dinner out. AND if I was later coming home, hubby or the girls could start dinner because they knew what we were having. Really works for 25 years. I don’t overcomplicate it.
Mrs Hillbilly says
Love it! the more simple the better ! Thanks for the idea!
KAYTHEGARDENER says
Look at the menus put out by your local senior center with food service there for menu ideas (some are on the computer). They are quite filling since many seniors have only a sandwich, soup or salad as a lighter meal in the evenings…