Another year has come and gone and another experiment is in the books. I’ve decided to post my 2015 Grocery budget recap a few days early this year because I know without a doubt I will not be purchasing anymore food this year.
At the beginning of 2015 I started a One Year, One Store Costco Challenge when I decided to shop solely at Costco for an entire year to see if it would save my family money. The results were a little of what I expected: we spent more. But I thought the benefits would outweigh the cost increase. I figured I’d be saving so much time shopping at one store and it would allow me to simplify. Those things are priceless sometimes.
What I learned was it wasn’t realistic for my family. Yes, it was nice to not have to store hop to find the best deals, but buying everything in bulk when our family numbers were dwindling stopped making sense and started costing us more than it was worth. So I cut the experiment short. Because the whole point of the experiment was to see if it would help. I didn’t need a full year to see it hadn’t, so I called it at 28 weeks. It was blowing my budget {and my sanity}. It was the best decision I could have made. Not only did I start seeing our weekly grocery spending decrease, but I was able to more easily plan meals that did not involve bulk buying. That in itself made it worth it!
So while it was actually a fun little challenge, it was pretty refreshing to stop it as well. All in all, I had a fairly decent year keeping the overall budget low. I was extremely busy this year, so while planning was key, there were weeks I overspent because life was simply too crazy to care. And that’s okay, too. We do the best we can, and if our budget goes out the window one week, we simply try again next week. Well, that’s my motto anyway.
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.
While my savings last year might not rival what they were during my over-processed junkity junk shopping days during the extreme couponing craze of 2011/2012, I’m still saving so much more than I was in 2008, when I never really budgeted or planned. I think that deserves a pat on the back!
In 2016, I have a few new budgeting tips and tricks I’m going to try, and not a single one involves Costco. Ha! Of course, I’ll share every step of that money saving journey with all of you. Here’s to a new year filled with new ways to save. Hope you’ll stick around to see what I have up my sleeve.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $0
Weeks 1-28 Shopping Exclusively at Costco $1,229.25
Weeks 29-52 Shopping wherever the heck I want $568.82
Total Spent Year to Date $1798.07
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Nicky Roo says
Do you think you would have hit $100 a month if you hadn’t done thw Costco experiment? Or is the second half of the year low because you’re still using up your bulk buys? I really enjoyed the blog this year x
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. Without a doubt I think I could have been around $100 a month if I had not shopped exclusively at Costco for the first 28 weeks.
Jeannine says
I know that frequently you use your Zycon credits for free meat. Do you think someone who does not have those free credits and does not garden be able to feed a family of 2 for $100/month? I’m wondering besides those 2 strategies, what other strategies do you think is really helpful for keeping your monthly food bill down?
Marcia says
I think that this will depend drastically on where you live and what you eat. Some areas of the country are cheaper than others, some cities have more shopping options (farmer’s markets, farm stands, ethnic markets, scratch -n- dent stores, Walmart).
If you eat paleo vs. vegetarian, it makes a difference too. How many fruits and veggies do you eat, etc. etc. I know there are people who feed their family of 2 on $100 a month.
In addition to something like Zaycon credits, you could be a family that hunts or fishes or forages. Or many people have luck with stuff like Swagbucks, that they exchange for Amazon gift cards. Sometimes people barter for food.
There’s also gleaning, or getting free food that would otherwise be discarded. (I’m reading “American Wasteland” right now, interesting book). For example, for awhile Mavis here had a “produce guy” at a grocery store that would give her his “culls” (rejects) from the produce section “for the chickens”. (At one point she discovered that the store also started donating the culls to the food bank or other charities, so she stopped taking the food and told him to give it all to them.)
Jeannine says
Thanks Marcia. Great ideas.
martha says
I do not see meat in your grocery purchases. Is the cost of meat included in the weekly total?
Chrystie says
Both pics above have meat… The first has bacon and the second has “chicken skewers”…..
martha says
I was wondering about the large amounts of chicken processed for freezer meals, etc.
Marcia says
Yay!
I was looking forward to seeing this summary. It’s amazing that shopping wherever you want allowed you to spend HALF (less than that, actually). It’s pretty amazing.
I’m not done for the year (but probably?) Right now we are somewhere between $5800 – $6000. Compared to last year, which was $10,261. I have a family of four in California.
I think a major difference was shopping around. Last year (2014) my major focus was losing baby weight (had a baby at 42, that stuff don’t come off easily!) and so I was focused on buying certain things and eating certain things and NOT on cost.
This year I hit a one year plateau on the weight – but I also discovered a new store (99 cents only) and started buying about 1/3 of our produce there (whatever happens to look good on the particular day).
Anyway, thanks for the summary. I also enjoyed your “30 day food supply” series, because I still have 2 buckets of emergency food in my closet from 2009. They are good until 2029, but I think it’s probably time to start using them and make room for maybe a newer batch.
Marcia says
Oh, one other comment. I see the “Earthbound farms organic spring mix” in your top pic.
Just pointing out how “shopping around” helps – the 99 cent store produce is hit or miss, never know what you are going to get – but they had that exact box for 99 cents (organic even) this weekend at the store.
(I didn’t buy it, because I often have issues with prepared lettuce mixes, for some reason. )
dropofrain says
Marcia, I too discovered that our 99 cents store has a variety of fresh fruit/veggies and sometimes at a better quality than I can find at Smith’s or super Target. Who knew? I am definitely saving lots of money there, however, I am not that organized to keep track of my expenses for a whole year (maybe lazy? lol).
Jenn in Indiana says
So does this mean that you won’t be shopping at Costco at all in 2016? Our family of 4 is thinking of getting a membership to Costco, but honestly I’m not sure it is worth it. I went in there and browsed the prices and saw some great deals. However, I saw a lot of stuff that is probably not that good for us that we would end up buying that we don’t even need. Plus all the non-food items that would be tempting, especially when I have my children (or hubby) with me. Also, it is a 30 minute drive so going there on a regular basis wouldn’t really be an option. I also hate their hours, don’t like the fact that they want me to pay to use their store and really just wonder if it is just all a lot of hype. I love that you posted this, as I also am going to try and reduce my $120.00 weekly budget in 2016.
Butterflyweed says
I’ve found that even though we are empty nesters now, we spend about the same for groceries because I am buying higher quality food. No point laying out big bucks on organic and grass-fed when you can come home anytime to the entire soccer team mowing through your kitchen like locusts. If only Zacon would start selling organic and grass fed, I would be a happy camper and use them like crazy.
Julie H says
what all is apart of what you consider your groceries? Is it strictly food items? Not paper products, other household essentials?
Mavis Butterfield says
Groceries = Food. Since I don’t eat paper products I don’t count them as a food expense.
D'Anna says
I’ve been following this process for a few years now. I am one of the people that actually misses your old mega coupon hauls but the landscape of couponing has changed, food prices are stupid and so we adapt and evolve to what works now. The spouse had a heart attack almost 2 years ago and we gave up all things processed, sugary, fatty and/or salty. We buy whole grains in the bulk section at Winco, produce from Fred G Meyer and lean proteins from wherever it’s cheapest. The last few Summer’s we’ve had a lot of fun container gardening and I feel like I can always learn something here, even if you aren’t scoring 80 majillion razors and doing 10 transactions w/ doublers at Albertson’s 😉
Bronwyn says
This is a really interesting experiment, and I applaud you on your ability to take risks, think outside the box, and stay loyal throughout the entire year. Congrats!
I hope anyone inspired by your story will note the importance of purchasing from local farmers, vendors, and small business though. Costco has a great business model, and from the sounds of it they treat their employees well – my vice is that they take away business from local shop owners, it is a vote against local food and local farmers, and because the products come from so many diverse geographical locations a consumers ecological footprint is inherently larger. At the same time, I highly recommend lowering your food budget by planting a small veg and herb garden along with a few fruit tree’s. You`ll eat relatively free all summer, and if your plan follows accordingly, you`ll have plenty to can and preserve, which will provide during the colder months. Best of luck to you!
Ingrid says
Mavis, I’m interested in how your grocery costs were so high in 2008 etc? I’m so impressed with your budgeting skills in the more recent years, and I see that you said you didn’t budget or track in the earlier years…..is there anything else you would attribute those much higher costs to? Thank you!!
Karen says
When you have friends or family over for dinner does that come out of your $100 a month or an entertainment budget?