Since I started this blog in 2009, how I save money at the grocery store has changed quite a bit.
It’s gone from crazy shopping trips filled with double coupons and rebates and catalinas for free products where I could bring home several hundred dollars worth of groceries for pennies, to changing my strategy to buying in bulk and shopping local farm stands and taking advantage of low cost leaders at the grocery store.
The past few years though, with the kids out of the house, I’ve also tossed in the towel a bit and have splurged on luxury items like fancy cheeses and artisan type foods just for fun.
Last week I shared how this year I’ve decided to go back to the beginning, and to the goal I had when I first started this blog, and that is to eat simple, buy local, plant a garden and can as much food as possible this summer.
And while we have drastically cut our food bill from where it was 14 years ago as you’ll see below, saving money and gardening are not rocket science. You just have to have discipline, be a little flexible and willing to roll up your sleeves a little bit.
- In 2008 I spent $9,768 on groceries. An average of $814 a month.
- In 2009 I spent $7,584 on groceries. An average of $632 a month.
- In 2010 I spent $5,004 on groceries. An average of $417 a month.
- In 2011 I spent $1,198.64 on groceries. An average of $100 a month.
- In 2012 I spent $1,195.67 on groceries. An average of $100 a month.
- In 2013 I spent $2192.32 on groceries. An average of $182.69 a month.
- In 2014 I spent $1907.34 on groceries. An average of $158.95 a month.
- In 2015 I spent $1798.07 on groceries. An average of $149.83 a month.
- In 2016 I spent $2059.07 on groceries. An average of $171.59 a month.
- in 2017 I spent $2275.76 on groceries. An average of 189.65 a month.
- In 2018 I spent $2909.98 on groceries. An average of $242.50 a month.
- In 2019 I spent $2994.71 on groceries. An average of $249.56 a month
- In 2020 I spent $4785.20 on groceries. An average of $396.76 a month.
- In 2021 I spent $5500.29 on groceries. An Average of $416.69 a month. {Although I didn’t shop in October, November, or December of 2021
Over the past 4 years we’ve lived in 4 different houses in 3 different states and while I’ve had a garden at each one of those houses and been able to grow a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables, building a well stocked pantry has been a little tough, because I was never sure if we’d be in the same spot for long.
But the good news is… we’re finally HOME.
We absolutely without a doubt LOVE where we are and have no plans of moving. Ever. And that feels good.
I no longer use coupons, or I should say I rarely use coupons these days as I choose not to spend my time online or on an app clipping and downloading coupons for things I’ll rarely use. Also, I have zero interest in clutter.
And by clutter I mean so called “savings club” emails, text notifications, extra apps on my phone {the only additional apps I have on my phone these days are Pinterest, Instagram, and Etsy} the few others that are on there came with my phone and those are at a minimum because I deleted every one that I possibly could.
Clutter. Noise. Distractions. What ever you want to call it. I don’t subscribe to it. And you know what? It has made all the difference.
{Part of a shopping trip from last August}
And while we did stock up quite a bit last year once we noticed food prices were going up, my goal for 2022 is to see if we can combine the food that we still have in our pantry with some home grown vegetables and a few basics and spend just $100 a month for groceries this year.
So far, so good. We are 10 days into the year and have spent $73.56 on groceries. So we’re right on track.
This week we’ll need to buy a half gallon of milk, and I saw that Hannaford has whole chickens on sale for $0.89 a pound so we’ll probably pick up two of those to stash away in the freezer. But other than that, we don’t need anything else.
We still have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge from our stock up trip on New Year’s day so we’re all set.
Not going to the grocery store all the time and just using what you have on hand… it takes a while to get used to, but it can also be a huge money saver in the long run. 🙂
Here are some of the meals we ate last week:
Big salad.
Stuffed peppers.
Garlic beans and buttered rice.
Soft tacos.
Roasted vegetables. So good… and so filling.
And last but not least… a few pickety bits.
It was a good week! Some heavy meals, some light meals and a few in between.
How about YOU? Did you make anything exciting this week? Are you trying to reduce your grocery budget this year too? Curious minds want to know.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $0
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $73.56
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2022 $73.56
Mrs. C. says
There’s a YouTube channel called Our Tribe of Many. They have 11 kids and live in Nebraska. Her monthly budget for food, toiletries, diapers, soap, etc., is $1,300 a month. So, $100/month, per person. They eat like kings.
Carolina Cooper says
I have just started to follow Our Tribe of Many and the Mom is amazing with food prep and getting the kids involved.
Linda says
I am normally a pretty motivated person but your posts help kick it up a notch, and at age 73, I appreciate the kick.
I’ve been gardening and food prepping since my first son was born, in other words, a long time. I still learn, become motivated and encouraged by your determination, focus and sticking with things for the long haul.
Looking forward to your daily posts.
Beth B says
Our goal this year is to reduce the amount of eating out we do in a month. My husband and I are both working from home now. I usually go into the office once a week, but with Covid surging, we were told to stay home all the time. I did a big shopping trip over a week ago, and I’m trying to limit the shopping trips to approximately once every two weeks. I might have to run out today just to pick up some milk…I didn’t buy enough as this is a new thing for me to try, so I’m learning how much we need. So far, we haven’t eaten out at all this year. I’ve home cooked all the meals. It’s been wonderful too. This weekend will be my next stock up trip, so I’ll have to start thinking about the meals we will want for the following two weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing the savings to our budget for this as well.
Jennifer says
I am doing a pantry challenge this month. So far I have spent only $60 on food and that has been produce, eggs, yogurt and milk. My boys went hog hunting in OK and came home with 3 hogs worth of meat. My dad also sent us a cooler of various wild game – antelope, elk, deer and bison (last one bought not hunted). So I have meat! Lots and lots of it. Other than chicken, I should not have to buy meat this year.
I’m not sure what my grocery expenses have been, but I know they have been too high and I want to get them lower. January is month 1 of doing that.
Sarah says
You have inspired me to use what I have on hand. I go to the grocery store every two weeks when we get paid. I have plenty in the freezer and pantry and only need to go and get milk, fruit and veggies. Thanks for helping us along
Jennifer G says
Husband & I really don’t spend a massive amount on groceries. Try to buy milk when we’re out of town, as this cost is $1+ less. We do splurge on a whole beef, typically in March/April and give 1/3 to each daughter. I also pick up items on loss-leader sales – as we’ve gotten older we don’t need to eat as much.
Linda says
My goal is more shopping the outside of the store (ALDI) where the fresh food is located. I have always cooked from scratch, but have gotten lazy about meal plans. We now have categories for each day. Monday-meats/veggie, Tues Mexican, Wed casseroles/slow cooker, and so on. The meals change, but it helps to have a starting point. Yesterday was beef and noodles, mashed potatoes and corn.. Last night I made homemade gnocchi for the first time with the left over potatoes. I browned them in herbed butter after the first cook in boiling water. They were a hit, and will be added to the “approved foods” list. Thanks for the inspiration.. I love your blog.
laura says
as i have just finished moving i allowed myself the saving grace of not shopping and cooking very much this last month. but now that all my stuff is in the same palce that i am that is going to change!! the kitchen is mostly set up and the pantry will be this week and then it will be cooking (and eating much better) at home!!
Elle says
In 2021 we spent $7943 on groceries, $662/monthly. This includes our CSA for 24 weeks (I just paid it $1017 for 2022 season) all of the costs of growing the garden (I buy organic tomato plant starts from local family businesses), organic chicken, organic ground beef, farm fresh eggs and fresh fished Alaska Sockeye Salmon from a local family that goes up for the season. In the off season I do buy as much organic veg as I can locate. Oh, and my organic dark chocolate with almonds is a my evening treat 🙂
Could I spend much less? Of course, but I choose organic products and aim for 80%.
We have a stuffed freezer and well-stocked pantry. My plan this year is to stock up on fresh veg/fruit enough to get through 3 weeks (it does look like we will be out in 20 days (my last shop was 12/24) and then eat from the freezer/pantry only for the remainder of the month.
Gardening 2022? I aim to grow as much as possible to refill the freezer and canning shelves. I make lots of ratatouille, all of our salsa, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, blackberry jam and then blanch/braise/grate everything else and vacuum seal for winter consumption. This year I want to try enchilada sauce as well.
So there’s my true confessions. We shall see what 2022 totals for us. Will eating out of pantry/freezer only actually lower our food bill?
Lana says
We actually increased our budget a small amount for this year so that we can keep the pantry well stocked because of shortages and price increases. We primarily shop the Aldi perimeter which makes shopping very easy and there is no need to clip coupons or any other hoops to jump through t save money.
Mel says
Our meal planning is a bit of a mess right now. I have severe food aversions to all vegetables (and occasionally other things) right now due to pregnancy, so figuring out what to do with our CSA each week has been challenging. I also fully stocked the freezer this fall with freezer meals, but many of those have veggies in them as well, and for a while there we thought I had food allergies (apparently not but still having allergic reactions to something), so that further limited options. The freezer meals at least won’t go bad, but I’m hoping I can eat normally soon since all our go-to meals are not really doable right now.
Jam says
Hang in there Mel. I am pregnant too, 18 weeks along and although I am still nauseous, I have gotten my appetite back finally. I had aversions to vegetables and proteins too for about 17 weeks. I think it’s because simple carbohydrates are just easier to digest. So a lot of Ritz crackers and grapefruit and simple Lipton noodle soup. I lost a lot of weight feeling sick all the time, but glad my appetite is back. So hang in there <3 you will eat all those freezer meals eventually.
Beth says
I can’t wait to see how this year goes for you! I didn’t garden at all last year-maybe I will this year. I am working to reduce our food costs and reducing food waste is part of that. We are Terrible about using everything up so I made it one of my goals this year. I’m also using an App I like called AnyList for grocery lists and meal planning. My husband isn’t a big fan of my meal planning the entire month of January but I plan to keep planning at least 2 weeks at a time.
We had 2 different homemade soups last week (broccoli cheese and split pea) and I decided going forward Monday will be soup and homemade bread night and we are having an appetizer (pickety bits) night each week and Friday is pizza night (that is written in stone in our family rules I think). That leaves 4 nights per week to do-one is a chicken dish night, one is a fish night, and the other 2 vary-I think we will rotate a salad for dinner, pasta night, breakfast for dinner, and maybe occasional sandwiches for dinner. I’m also trying to use less red meat though we will do eat beef every couple of weeks. I have been using Imperfect Foods and Misfit Markets a little bit-I think I like Misfit Markets a little better and when I didn’t order for 2 or 3 weeks they sent me a discount code to try them again which was awesome.
Ashley Bananas says
I got so out of sorts with a lack of meal planning and food preparation I really overspent in December and now feel like I’m balancing it out by starting off the month and year with lower costs. I also have considered $100 month food budget, and similarly $100 a month eating out budget. The first week of the year we spent about $27 eating out by using bogo coupons and buying items on sales days like Pizza on Wednesday. I dont feel I need to make every meal because we’re in a busy season of life and I work full time. But I would like to find more of a balance between what’s spent and what’s saved in the kitchen.
Robin in SoCal says
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/
Thought I’d share this site. Some really delicious meals if you feel like branching out of the routine dinner menu. I’m not affiliated in any way. Our dinner times are the gathering time in our house, my crew loves flavor profiles from all types of ethnic diverse foods.
Best of luck on your 2022 goals.
Linda says
Thanks for the link! That site looks amazing.
Dee Patterson says
I’m paying more for fresh food, like fruit and vegetables , the idea being that I’m supporting a organic farmer with higher land care values.
Denise T Brandon says
My goal is to eat out of the massive stockpile I anxiously collected during 2021 and spend only $25.00/week at the store on produce, eggs and bread mainly. I’m going to do this for as long as I can. So far, I’ve spent $12.29 in 2022. I will always keep somewhat of a stockpile because we live in the country, and it’s convenient to have things on hand, but we need to eat things that are going to go out of date this year. My husband and I are the only ones at home, and neither of us are big eaters, so what we have may last longer than I think!
Jeanie says
Since retirement and only cooking for two…we have fairly easy meals. I made chicken spaghetti (which hubs and I can eat for many meals), regular pasta with sauce, salmon and rice, stir fried veg and rice, our version of Pickety bits , shrimp and rice noodle salad bowls, taco salad with lots of beans and no meat, a Costco chicken made into three of these meals (chicken spaghetti, pickety bits and sandwiches on a Costco baguette.
Jeanie says
And to add…we spend half the year in KS and half in FL. We are currently in FL and groceries are double what they are in KS. Plus the fruit and veg we can get here is horrible!
Delores says
What about average per person per month?
Janice says
As we age and our life circumstances change we need to change with them. You’ve done that perfectly! I love the encouragement and shared stories here. I’m doing the pantry challenge and so far haven’t spent anything in 2022. I started with a good stock pile in the pantry, my husband hunts and fishes so the freezer is full, I garden and can/freeze any extras. It’s been cold here and I’m making lots of soups and stews.
Sheila says
It’s just the 2 of us now, I don’t like to cook & I get bored eating the same meal too often.
So a 2-week worth of menu planning wasn’t doing it for me so I developed a 12-week menu plan. There are only about 4-5 meals that repeat twice during that time – spaghetti (because hubby loves it), roast chicken & roast beef, but the left over meals I make from these are different each time. We love a variety of quesadillas & have those on Tuesdays, Thursdays are left-overs or clear the fridge, Fridays are a fish meal, Saturdays are pizza, etc. I garden & do quite a bit of canning, grew my own beans to dry, still have enough garden potatoes for several meals yet plus enough to use as seed potatoes, etc. I watch the grocery fliers & purchase the ingredients needed for my 12-week menu plan when on sale. I allow that I can change out any meal to try a new recipe, but I have so much variety with my menu plan, I rarely find a new recipe I want to try. I sure wish that I could make & follow goals like you do Mavis, but I know myself!!
J in OH-IO says
Sheila,
Would like for you to share a list of meal ideas for your twelve week rotation if you could. That is impressive! Thanks!
Sheila says
Hi J in OH-IO….I didn’t work Mondays so I often made a “comfort” meal which allowed modified left overs later in the week – such as: Roast chicken with potatoes & Brussel sprouts – hamburger-mushroom gravy over mashed potatoes with vegetable of choice – meatloaf, baked potatoes & green bean casserole – egg roll skillet & fruit smoothie – roast beef, potatoes & carrots & applesauce – beef vegetable soup, TX toast & fruit – easy chicken stir fry & fruit, etc.
Tuesdays are usually quesadillas with such ‘flavors’ as: fajita, pizza, BLT, cheeseburger, taco, spinach-artichoke, steak-mushroom; usually accompanied by a salad of choice such as a regular side salad, cucumber salad, Greek salad, cole slaw, taco side, etc. whichever flavor enhances the quesadilla. I always keep veggies prepped to make quick work of salads. Wednesdays are usually omelets: ham & cheese, cream cheese-avocado omelet, western omelet, etc. or a quick soup from the freezer.
Thursdays are modified left overs – roast beef for stew, BBQ shredded beef, beef & noodles, etc. Roast chicken for chicken stir fry, creamed chicken over biscuits, cornbread or mashed potatoes, chicken & noodles, & I do my take of the Bob Evans chicken wildfire salad, etc.
Friday is fish: baked Parmesan fish, tuna spaghetti, fish sandwich, salmon chowder, tuna melts, etc. Then of course there are soups, spaghetti, sandwich or burger nights & meal-type salads. Saturday is almost always pizza. Side dishes & salads are according to your family’s taste. This is long, but I hope a little helpful. Take care.
Margery says
I am trying really hard this year to stay on budget which is 440 a month, for 4 people who live here, a college kid who comes home to raid the pantry every so often. We also have 2 adult kids who come home one night a week for pizza night.
And if I can’t I am at least tracking the budget to see why we might be overspending and maybe we need to increase the budget.
I do laugh that this pretty much the same budget we have had for 20 years, at one time feeding 6 kids ( 4 of which are boys) and 2 parents.
Jenny says
The post and the responses so far have be inspiring and really interesting! Some of it is sort of shocking, even, in several ways. What I like is that I can learn from each and utilize what might help in my home and budget, and save the rest for later, maybe. Im reading a book called Tisha from 1976 where they live in the wilds of Alaska and seem to survive on moose, bear, salmon, and beans, and are glad to have it!
tia in boise says
I used to plan meals (from what we had in freezer and pantry) and what was on sale that week. (I’m a bit of a control freak and wanted to manage our money–DH hates to save a dollar, I swear!) It was a bit of work for me–especially once DH converted to “Keto”…the last 2 years we have settled into a routine where he makes dinner M-TH since I get home a bit late to start cooking anything; we get take out on Fridays, and I take care of dinner on weekends. This school year, I just said, forget it–I’m done micromanaging him–if he’s willing to cook for me, then he can just figure out what he’s making and shop for it, etc.–if it costs $5 more dollars per meal, oh well….
I knew the cost of groceries has been going up…but hadn’t really NOTICED—I did notice that meat wasn’t on sale as often or for as good a price, but what got me last week…I went to pick up a large jar of minced garlic. It has always been $5–in fact, always came with a giant sticker on it that said $5. It was $6.99! That’s a 60% markup!
Jesse Thompson says
I’ve always been curious, how do you keep track of your spending? Thanks!
Sue says
I should have looked before posting — I just used way more words to ask the same question. Great minds and all that!
Sher says
Zero spend month for us. We, like many over purchased in 2021. We are eating everything from the fridge, freezer or pantry. I’m excited for the challenge, the husband not so much. Lol
We are also doing zero food waste for the year too. I admire your green thumb.
Sue says
Mavis, I have a question and maybe the answer would make a good post if others are interested.
I wonder if you would describe your habits and procedures for how you track your grocery expenses so carefully? For example, do you sit down immediately after returning from each shopping trip and add up your grocery costs from the receipt? Or have a weekly routine? You must buy household items that aren’t groceries, and sometimes they are on the same receipts — is that a hassle, or do you buy your household stuff separately so it’s got its own receipt?
I too track my expenses (into a ledger) but whatever habit I try to create to keep current on it, I often fail to maintain, and end uo scrambling just before tax time with a year’s worth of receipts.
I thought maybe you have a better strategy or at least I would find it motivating to know how you tackle the bureaucratic documentation of this aspect of your tracking.
Thanks!
Sue
Mavis Butterfield says
My method is so easy it’s embarrassing. All I do is bring my receipt over to my desk and write down the amount I spent on groceries here on the blog. That’s it. That’s how I keep track. 🙂
We actually don’t by a lot of things at the grocery store that are not food items. Things like laundry detergent and dryer sheets or saran wrap are bought at Costco once or twice a year.
Kirsten says
Last year, I tracked grocery and household expenses in detail on a spreadsheet and added up what I spent every month. I found that I wasn’t always so timely with receipt entry, and ended up overspending.
This year, I re-did the spreadsheet so that when I enter my receipt amounts, it subtracts from my monthly budgeted total (my goal is $150 a month for my grocery purchases for the household; my husband has his own grocery allowance, but I still track what he spends), so I’ll always see how much I have left for the month. I am hoping this tracking method will reduce my impulse purchases.
I am also shopping only once a month for bread, fresh veggies and fruits after making a meal plan based on what’s in our pantry, and I plan on doing two major stock-up trips this year to resupply the pantry – once around Easter to stock up for spring and summer, and once in August/September, after the garden is done, to stock up for fall and winter.
Tina clark says
I love to garden and can. Not yet in a place where I can do that with out it being ran to ground by others. Getting out of a horrible 10 yr. narcissistic relationship. Once I’m finally away from this person completely I can go back to the simple things in life. Like growing and canning my own food. Saves $$$$$ so it can be utilized on other things in need.
Kania says
Maybe I’ve missed a post or have just forgotten but what is the best way to store fruits and vegetables in the fridge so that they last longer?
Danielle says
Meal planning has helped and saved me a lot of money. For example,
Sun-Mon is Soul food or a Hearty meal
Tues is a smaller meal like subs, soup or salad and baked potatoe.
Wed-Thurs is Pasta, Chicken, Fish, Beef w/sides
Fri-Sat is Tacos, pizza, leftovers
Tips.
If I cut up a whole chicken I’ll use the breast for quesadilla, tacos, soup, potpies, etc and the other pieces for one dinner.
Corned or Roast beef I use to make make to dinners like
Corned/Roast beef, potatoes, carrots with cornbread and the rest for Sandwiches with chips or fruit
Dana says
Hang in there Tina, still in therapy because of my last relationship which was very narcissistic.
The good news I don’t think about him every day and have moved onto other issues.
I love to can. Usually it’s what I like since my very grown Army Sgt., daughter has moved out on her own. And I can find on sale.
I’m moving onto some container gardening and hoping to keep some lettuce and veggies going well for salads.
I’m hoping to knock some of the pantry down and freezer and plan to do a February challenge.
I did recently get off all wheat due an allergy and find my back and arthritis pain nearly gone. Hate paying so much for non wheat bread.
Open to any true and tried homemade non wheat bread. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Dana