Grocery shopping every two weeks? Do you do this?
Well here we are week 29 of 52 and we haven’t been to the grocery store in over two weeks and we are still eating well. So far our current grocery store purchases for 2023 comes to $1094.97.
We haven’t bought any groceries since HH’s major stock up trip at Costco a little over two weeks ago and I’m tempted to see just how long we can go. If we want to stay on track with our $100 a month grocery budget for 2 this year, that means we only have $106.93 left to spend for the year {about $4.69 a week for the next 23 weeks}.
While I highly doubt we’ll make it to the end of the year with that amount {really, it’s the HH, not me} it is sort of fun to see how long you CAN go between shopping trips.
Milk is usually a big need for me, but since I’ve been drinking a lot less tea lately than I normally do, buying a gallon of milk and freezing half of it until I need it seems like a small, but easy way to save a few pennies.
Plus, the kitchen garden is starting to produce a little {rhubarb, peas, cabbage, onions} so that helps too. Now, if we could just get the big garden to kick into high gear we’d be set on vegetables for the rest of the year.
Who knows… We’ll see. Grocery shopping every two weeks, who knows, it could be our new thing.
Here’s most of the meals we ate last week:
Chicken and Brussel sprouts.
Lasagna.
Pickety bits..
Tuna salad with all the things.
Hash.
Grilled chicken, farro salad and naan bread at Kiln Guy and The Chef’s place. It was lovely. And we even went home with the recipe for the farro salad. Which I plan to make just as soon as we get some cherry tomatoes. 😉
So how did YOU do last week? Did you eat anything good? Have you been making anything new? Do tell.
~Mavis
*****
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $0
- Total Spent on Groceries for July $376.89
- Total Spent on Groceries in June $41.56
- Total Spent on Groceries in May $288.51
- Total Spent on Groceries in April $35.36
- Total Spent on Groceries in March $82.28
- Total Spent on Groceries in February $101.14
- Total Spent on Groceries in January $167.33 {this includes buying groceries on Fair Isle}
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2023 $1093.07 for my $100 a month grocery budget for 2
Mary says
Please share the faro salad recipe. Up to my eyeballs in cherry tomatoes!
jess says
… and I was just thinking about making a list to do ANOTHER grocery shop/order. (sigh) different stage of life over here.. 5 in the house.. 2 parents and 21/18/18 kidults… I was listening to a friend with similarly aged kids vent about how much hers spend on fast food and I laughed b/c mine know there is homecooked food at home and skip the drive through most of the time to come clear out my fridge. 90% of the time work lunches are packed from home also so the shelves do not stay full long.
I am grateful the food waste is very rarely an issue around here as I equal food waste to money waste. I am also very grateful that 2 work in a grocery store and all 3 drive.. I take full advantage of online ordering at multiple stores and have them help me often! lolol
Julie says
I’m still trying to eat up things from the freezer and cupboards. I did make spaghetti which I had not had in a very long time. I used low carb noodles made from palm shoots that were actually an acceptable substitute for me. I’m very excited to have veggies starting to be ready for harvest in my garden. It’s just been a weird gardening year… I had a family member pass on in April so was late planting… and now the weather has been different. Or maybe I should have fertilized more.. some of my plants are just so slow growing this year.
Hawaii Planner says
We eat a lot of berries in the summer, and keep a lot of bananas on hand for protein smoothies (we have two teen boys at home). Neither of those things keep well, although sometimes we do have bananas in the freezer, but prefer the berries fresh.
My husband also eats an enormous salad every evening with dinner. Some of the salad veggies last for more than a week, but cauliflower, in particular, is notorious for going bad quickly. Some folks would just skip for the week, but my husband wants all of the veggies..every week! Based on that, he’s the one willing to shop & stock up. I could go longer & just make things work with what’s on hand.
Brianna says
I do a big trip about every 10 days (~$250-$300 for 5) and between that I usually do 2 smaller trips (~$40-$60 each trip) for the basics we go through quickly…..fruit, milk, bread, or forgotten and must-need items. I hate it. Every time I go shopping the prices are slightly different, it gives me a lot of sticker shock and pausing to think of other options. We do have to do a low-fat diet for the hubby as he cannot digest fat, but other than that it is just normal food. My ‘meat’ budget is the biggest expense….bison sirloin or medallions, chicken breasts, venison, veal, white fishes like cod or halibut because the man wants meat, but cannot have pork, beef, lamb, dark chicken, processed meats, and fatty fish like salmon and he hates turkey and shrimp/shellfish. Did I mention the fat free or low fat versions of many common products always costs more?
Carrie says
Please share the farro salad recipe – it looks delicious and hopefully we will have cherry tomatoes in abundance soon too.
With three kids and no motivation to go grocery shopping we haven’t been in almost 4 weeks. I love having my dry pantry stocked with azure standard beans/rice/grains and tossing in whatever is fresh in the garden (lots of kale!) or tucked in the freezer. I also have no shame in taking home the leftover bits of fruit or half consumed loaf of bread from family gatherings that my MIL generously packs up for us!
Cindy Brick says
Hey Mavis — try buying whole milk, freezing 3/4 of that gallon…then thinning the quarter that’s left, up to a quarter of it water. You won’t notice much of a difference, and it will stretch it even further.
We have gone out to eat more than usual (kids and visiting relatives), but generally have brought home leftovers to make another meal. That helps. And this week, our church is having meetings every night through Friday. That’s okay — but what I REALLY like is that they’re providing supper each night! Whoo hoo — no cooking, and it’s hot here.
P.S. I gave up on my garden…the grasshoppers just eat everything that dares to pop up, as well as fiberglass screening, sheets, etc. Now they’re trying to get into the trailer, truck, etc….the end of the life cycle, I’d guess. Husband looked down at his chest yesterday, only to find a pair of beady eyes staring back at him. One of the largest hoppers was clinging to his shirt.
This too will pass. You’ll have an even better garden next year. Really.
Kathy says
I was blessed this past week and am very grateful for it. A nephew was getting rid of a freezer and he is downsizing. It was full of food. A friend had an electrical issue that fried her freezer. I was able to connect the two so she got a new to her freezer and he got downsized, lol. Problem was her freezer was full when it died and it was less than a day when she got news of the new freezer. So all the food was gifted to me. My nephew warned me that there was going to be alot to get rid of which was fine. My chickens and goats are benefitting from that. But honestly, there was so much that was just fine. Steaks, burger, salmon, Schwan’s food. It was crazy what he wanted to get rid of. So I probably won’t need to go to the store for anything but stuff for my hubby’s lunches and perishables for a good while. What a nice feeling.
Linda Sand says
When my husband was in the Army we did a major shop the first of every month and we only had the freezer within the fridge. Talk about challenging! We ate a lot of canned and dried food. Canned chicken with raisins and nuts in mayo is tasty, though.
tia in boise says
Mavis, If you only use milk for tea, how about using powdered milk–cheaper and will last a long time?
Anne Wiebe says
The last time I evaluated, I was shocked to find that powdered milk wasn’t actually cheaper than liquid milk. I haven’t looked at it in the last couple of years. Is it cheaper now?
Mavis Butterfield says
Not sure, but I doubt it. I’ll have to give it a check next time I’m in the store. 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
I have to splurge on the tea. Real milk only for me. 😉
HollyG says
We were so lucky this week with groceries. Hubby and I went to look for ‘dented and broken’ plants on Friday morning but instead found a ‘pile’ of pork tenderloins (24oz) marked down to $0.90 and $1.44. Our freezer is on the low side, so we bought 9 of them. Then we found bone-in chicken breasts marked down to less than $0.50/lb. We bought 15 packages of chicken (81 pounds).
We boned out the chicken breasts and added them, along with the tenderloins, to the freezer. We made 18 pints of stock from the bones and picked the meat from them to make 5 bags of dog food toppings. Hubby also fried the chicken skin for dog treats (which are also stored in the freezer). Last, we have a pint and a half of chicken fat to cook with. This, along with the vegetables coming in from the garden should keep us well stocked.
Now if I could just figure out what to do with all of these turnips…..
Mavis Butterfield says
Wow! Good prices. Sounds like you’ll be set for awhile.
Ashley Bananas says
Great haul!
Amanda says
Do you have a recipe for your hash? It looks so yummy and I’d love to try it!
Ashley Bananas says
I went to the grocery store and did bogo deals with some coupons and rebates. I spent $69, saved about the same, and will get back $14 in rebates. I did ok overall. I’ve been doing one shop this size about every two weeks. Then I go to Aldi and get some things for cheaper like milk and eggs to round things out.
My hollow legged teenager continues to eat me out of house and home. But, I will continue to feed him. He’s six feet tall now and still growing. He requires a lot of food.
As prices for everything continue to go up, I continue to try and find savings. Very thankful that I did learn how to extreme coupon years ago. The deals aren’t so extreme anymore, but the savings still make a difference.
Terry McA says
I am very lucky to have a Kwik Trip near me (gas station/convenience store). Their bacon is on sale 2 for $4, and hamburger patties (1 1/3 lb pkg) are only $3.99 this month. I have spent about $40 so far, stocking up the freezer with bacon and a few pkgs of burgers. Starting to eat a bit more than just eggs and toast, but still cooking for my brother and son. This week out of the freezer they have eaten Pizza pasta casserole, beef and sweet potato chili, homemade chicken tenders, salmon, and breakfast for dinner. I am also very fortunate to be close to members of my church, they have helped restock my freezer (and several other church members) with pork (they raise, butcher and smoke their own), beef, and bread.
Ashley Bananas says
Those are great prices on meats!
Cheapdiva says
Your husband and my other half could be brothers! My shopping is stringent, but when he’s alone (usually at Costco) he goes nuts. I’m still trying to clean out the freezers from last year’s garden goodies and a quarter of beef. He’s busy refilling it