Call me crazy but I’m convinced the number one way to save money on groceries is to eat simply. The less ingredients, the less flair on your plate… the more money you’ll be left with at the end of to spend on something else.
The key though is variety. Something I haven’t quite mastered yet because I seem to be eating the same things over and over again. And it doesn’t bother me one single bit.
Food is fuel. You don’t need fireworks. But every once in a while it is fun to wave a sparkler or two around for some excitement.
Here’s a look at the meals we ate last week:
Copy cat Panera tomato soup. Shocking… right? 😉
8 can taco soup with Costco canned chicken.
Turkey curry. We had some leftover turkey in the freezer so I whipped up a batch. The original recipe calls for chicken instead of turkey though, and I think I like it better that way.
Beans and weenies.
Pot roast with green beans from last summer’s garden, mashed potatoes and homemade popovers. Mmm mmm good!
And the next night I made a leftover pot roast soup using some carrots I had canned over the summer and some of our garden potatoes I had dehydrated and had sitting in jars above the canning cupboard.
It was a stick to your ribs sort of dinner and just about the perfect meal for a snowy afternoon.
And my big grocery store purchase of the week:
Hannaford $8.20
1 gallon Oakhurst milk $5.09, English muffins $1.69 {outrageous!} and bananas $1.42.
Can someone please explain to me how the prices of everything else on the planet have doubled {if not more} but bananas are still $0.59 a pound? What is the deal with that? How are bananas the one thing that hasn’t increased in price? I don’t get it.
So how did you do last week? What did you spend YOUR grocery dollars on? And if you had a garden last year, is your freezer/canning cupboard still pretty full? Curious minds want to know.
~Mavis
Total Spent on Groceries in January $8.20
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2023 $8.20
Mel says
I think bananas stay cheap because the plants are productive perennials but the harvest isn’t labor intensive. Also, they can ship completely unripe, and fuel is probably subsidized somehow. That said, I think there is some issue with the primary commercial variety (the Cavendish, I think?), so maybe the price will jump if there’s eventually a crop failure until they change varieties.
Our CSA sends us Florida grown bananas that are red. I’m not sure the type, but they’re delicious. Baker Creek also sells banana plants and maybe even dwarf varieties. I wonder if they’d grow in a green house in Maine? 🙂
Our own meals are still sort of haphazard, but I did manage to make baby food last week to freeze since our baby is almost ready for solids. I thought a baby food maker was ridiculous, but holy cow it’s my favorite appliance. I barely have time to make toast these days, but I loaded up all our CSA produce in that puppy, steamed, pureed, and froze it in no time. It even self cleans! I don’t know how long we’ll need purees, but the steamer seems like it will be useful for some time.
Jamie says
I paid about $3.50 for a 6 pack of english muffins at Publix yesterday in middle Tennessee. I think I picked them up and put them back down about twice before I decided they were essential.
Mavis Butterfield says
That is a crazy price for store brand English muffins!
Lana says
The bakery ones are BOGO this week so two packs for like $2.29 and they are organic.
Kim says
I hope you haven’t just jinxed the price of bananas. If they go up next week………..
I’m working on a sort of pantry/freezer challenge this month.
The Duck Lady says
Are you doing the Three Rivers challenge?
Mrs. C. says
During the lockdowns, I could not find bananas for under 89 cents a pound for a while. Also, for those inclined to try, English muffins are incredibly easy to make at home!
Lana says
Please give us a good recipe. Ine are terrible and just taste like rolls.
Mrs. C. says
The best one I’ve found is Peter Reinhart’s in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, a phenomenal book that has won awards out the wazoo. I’ve baked almost everything in it, without a dud. Best focaccia and cinnamon rolls, too. Here is the recipe on someone’s blog: http://www.peterandrewryan.com/baking/2008/09/english-muffins/
Lana says
Thanks!
Liz Frederick says
Thank you I just checked out Mr. Reinhart’s book from our library.
Aja in Iowa says
King Arthur baking website has a good recipe too that I make all the time. I will put a plug in for Martin Philips’s (head bread baker at King Arthur) book as well. I have baked my way through that book and have found everything to be awesome.
Melonie K. says
I spent $25.03 on human groceries last week – two dozen eggs (over $8 a dozen, organic free range) and two bunches of bananas ($1.49 a pound, organic). I know I could have beaten that by shopping at the town Kroger affiliate, but when possible we shop at the local organic co-op. I know I’ll pay more but it’s worth it – well, for now, anyway. I have a feeling mid-2023 I’ll be reassessing that and making some harder decisions.
We moved summer 2022 and by the time we got settled, the fall garden was a tad late. We’re high desert so 3, not quite 4 season gardening; if I’d gotten the cruciferous plants in about two weeks earlier they might have grown more and produced something for holiday dinners. Instead they are dormant and waiting, so at least we’ll have broccoli and cauliflower in February-ish. (Yay?) On the upside, this weekend I was able to go through all of my seeds and chart starting dates – so now we just need to get beds ready by mid-February and *hopefully* we’ll be growing and putting by come March/April!
Melonie K. says
(“Human” groceries was specified because I also bought dog food – $86.84 – which I counted under groceries for our Low-Spend Month plan but doesn’t apply here. LOL)
Connie says
I was reading an article about the Blue Zones where so many live to be 100.
They mentioned that the people mostly ate the same 20 foods.
J in OH-IO says
Connie,
Where was this article and curious minds want to know the 20 foods! Thanks!
Angie says
We planted a garden last summer and harvested a good bit from it given we didn’t plant until the first week of June. I typically have my garden in by March so this cut my growing time in half, but since we moved in March there was no way I could get a garden planted in the same month. I canned/froze almost all that we grew and we are eating our way through it at a pretty good pace. Thankfully we had a huge harvest the summer before last and I still have some frozen/canned goods from that harvest like okra, corn, green peppers and jams. I notice that we do have quite a bit of jam on hand so I have been a bit more lenient in giving some away to neighbors/family/friends. We are currently eating down the freezer deliberately as I want to make sure we go through our stores so that nothing is wasted. Meal planning and batch cooking is my creative outlet these days and I am enjoying it immensely. That probably makes me a weirdo. Oh well.
Mary G. says
I’m shopping for pretty basic things these days. I bought 2 packages of organic quinoa (store brand) for $1.49 for 12 ounces, bananas (69 cents/LB), $2.49 for a big bunch of organic kale, and mandarin oranges (3 LB) for $3.99. Every time I’m at the store, the eggs are more expensive. They were $6.49 for a dozen of the cheap store brand last week. I won’t need eggs until next week and I’m afraid they’ll be even more.
Brianna says
Grocery prices are getting ridiculous throughout the entire store. I find myself looking at prices and studying in disbelief as I navigate through the store. For example, My mind know that a package of ramen should be $0.33 and I remember when it use to be $0.10-0.15 and I see the price at $0.89 and I am baffled at how it got there and how quickly. Why would I pay $0.89 for something that is not worth more than $0.50? Then I notice the packages appear smaller than I remember. I do this for a lot of foods and it drives me crazy. I end up not buying a lot of things because the price increase bothers me so much and the packages are smaller. Eggs are almost $7/18ct and just a store brand. It annoys me and I feel like I am getting robbed of our hard earned money. When I volunteer or need to bring a food item to something, I actually give it a budget and sometimes I cannot make or bring what I normally would have for the quantity needed and settle for something I normally would not take or sign up for.
Jennifer says
I’m doing the pantry challenge for the month of January in an effort to eat down my freezer and canned goods. We spent $65 this week and the vast majority was produce, yogurt, milk, lunch meat, and bread.
Wendy C says
I froze lots of black-eyed peas last summer. We have been eating them quite a bit. My husband likes to have them over rice, with salsa on top. Almost all of my canned salsa is gone. I will have to make even more next summer.
Lindsey says
We froze gallon after gallon of tomatoes from the garden so we are eating a lot of tomato based foods, like tomato soup, spaghetti, soups with bits of tomato in them…I made ketchup but the husband does not like it much so won’t do that again. Last summer I made 73 jars of smoking hot tomato jam that I love, love, love, so I am eating my way through that. (Husband does not like it.) I have made it before and given it away and this Christmas I had four people ask me for more of it this year, so I used some of the stockpile for Christmas gifts. Also a lot of potato foods, since I harvested a ton of those as well.
Mimi says
I agree – simple meals are the best way to save a lot of money.
I’ve been taking inventory of my pantry and freezer today and have decided to go back to buying only the most basic ingredients and avoid the trendy things. They rarely measure up to the hype and I can no longer justify the expense.
January is always a good time to use things up so it should be a pretty thrifty month. My winter garden has been a surprising success. I’m continuing to harvest lettuce, bok choy, carrots and beets – not a huge supply but enough to make me happy. 🙂
Bobbi says
I would kill for your English muffin prices. Even when they’re bogo, they’re still $4. Our bananas have gone from .31 to .69. I don’t buy milk.
Terry M. says
Last week, I spent $6.49 on 12 oranges and $1.58 on two loaves of white bread. I spent most of the week eating off the freezer (and one night I just had a sandwich), the oranges went with some cheese and salami for my morning snacks for the week, and most of the bread was for my brother’s sandwiches. I made a loaf of crusty bread in my dutch oven and I loved to toast that with strawberry preserves, but then my toaster died, so it took me a few days to replace it. Total spent – $8.07
I didn’t have time for a garden last summer (spent the summer taking big brother back and forth to chemo appts, (and meeting mom there because her appts were usually the same day), but I definitely hope to put one in this year!
Patti says
I ran out of tomatoes this week – can’t believe it as we literally had them coming out of our ears from summer until right before Christmas. I guess we didn’t put up enough of them and just gave them away. I do have some tomato skin powder which will work for some recipes and I may can add the salsa I canned to others. Otherwise, I will have to buy them. We are eating out of the refrigerator and freezer so my spending has been super low this week.
Diana says
I spent no money on groceries last week. I had a stock up at Costco two weeks ago. My freezers are full and my garden is still producing! Currently getting bananas, guava, avocados, a lot of citrus, lettuce, collards, berries, and herbs from the garden and eggs from our chickens. I also have a lot of squash, garlic, and w]sweet potatoes stored.
Kippy says
Our vegetable garden was not a success last summer due to birds and very warm weather. I did make a soup yesterday using the beets and some kale that I’d roasted and frozen late summer.
It used to be that you could get a good deal at Grocery Outlet. We went there last week and there were no real deals. I had to check expiration dates because many items had exp.date for later this month. Won’t be going there very often any more.
Victoria says
Hi Kippy! My husband runs the local food bank in our tiny rural community of Point Roberts, Washington (getting here requires a 30 to 45 minute drive through Canada from mainland Washington — with 2 international border crossings — to get to our tiny U.S. peninsula that hangs off of Canada).
According to the USDA, most packaged foods — canned and frozen — are good for at least 2 years beyond their shelf expiration/”best by” date: with no loss of flavor, quality, nutrition, appearance, or issues with spoilage. Boxed foods are generally good for several additional months, and packaged fresh items can easily be frozen.
As a non-profit food bank, we follow the USDA guidelines, and have never had a problem with any foods used within that period. We also offer fresh produce, dairy products, and eggs each week, and we purchase very affordable flash-frozen fish and poultry from Grocery Outlet on a regular basis. We find that Grocery Outlet also has a large selection of well-priced gluten-free, vegan, and ethnic foods that our clients truly enjoy, and that we also eat ourselves.
Some manufacturers take advantage of customer nervousness to encourage people to throw out perfectly good food and replace it with newer food, which obviously increases their sales and profits. Do your own research about Best By dates and take advantage of sale prices and discount outlets when you can.
Judy says
Hi Mavis, we picked up a new rescue dog yesterday. So in Kamloops B.C. which is our closest big town I popped into The Real Canadian Superstore. I almost never shop there but they have an item I wanted. Anyway, they had a bag of three regular sized chickens. The price for them was 58$. I almost fell over. So went to Save On and paid 10$ for one rotisserie chicken. I’m going to make that last for three meals, plus little treats for the new dog. Chicken always works to get a new dog settle in and eat.
California Girl says
There is a nationwide shortage of eggs and that is resulting in higher prices. “The first known cases of bird flu to hit the U.S. in five years emerged in January 2022 and have so far affected more than 57 million birds in 47 states, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That has led to an ongoing nationwide shortage of eggs, at times causing retailers to limit purchases or to leave shelves bare.”
Janice says
Glad to see you still updating us on your monthly grocery spend. I was a bit worried when I didn’t see it as an official goal for the year. I enjoy seeing your posts as well as seeing what everyone else is spending on various food items in different locations and what people are cooking/baking. I’m working my way through my canning and freezer and with the price of groceries continuing to climb I’m happy to have a well stocked pantry.
Diana says
Being single, everything I make lasts around 6-8 meals, so I freeze some of it. I eat a LOT of the same things over and over, lol.
Anywho, a couple of weeks ago, I went to make a pot of chicken soup and discovered I didn’t have any freeze dried celery (my favorite way to store food). Went to the store and they were $2.48 a package! Holy cow! I don’t buy produce much (grow my own), but the last time I remember looking at celery it was $.89 package! Geez!
I bought a package and promptly went home and started some celery seeds, lol.
Jerilea says
I think bananas have gone up, it’s hard to notice because they used to be ridiculously cheap. Bananas, at least in my area, used to be 29cents a pound. Right now, in my area, bananas are 59cents a pound, so yes they too have doubled. The price for 1% milk is outrageous….over $5? That is worth considering purchasing a dairy animal and having grassfed milk.
Rebecca Briscoe says
I thought the same thing about Bananas! With strawberries at $4.69 a quart, and a bag of apples $5.49, we will be eating a lot more bananas!
Ashley Bananas says
Bananas here are still under a dollar a lb, but I am in Florida where this grows without issue and a lot of people grow them in their back yard. Butter is up to 4-8 dollars a lb depending on store and brand. Bacon is between 4-9 dollars a lb. Eggs, the cheapest I have seen recently was 3.59, however they’re going up to 8-9 for fancier labels. Grocery shopping is kind of exhausting. I’m torn between buying more now, or just sitting back and consuming what I already have without replenishing for a while to give myself a break. It’s hard to know which is the best maneuver, or if there’s something in the middle to work toward.
Robin says
Here in the gulf islands of Canada prices of food have become outrageous. I’m a senior on a pension so I have to watch my spending carefully. Luckily I love to cook and grow veggies so it sure helps. I agree Mavis. Simple is better. When I was married with kids at home I was into complicated with ingredients from around the globe, but as I’ve gotten older I’m reverting to my roots- eating locally and uncomplicated but tasty nutritious meals. Soups, stews, beans and rice fill bellies and are delicious and less expensive. Salads are plentiful during the growing season and coleslaws are great for the cold months. I’m eating the way my grandparents did more and more. I think this may be the future for many of us and that’s not a bad thing. I love to preserve food and a full pantry is a blessing, just like it was for my grandparents’ generation.