My game plan for last week was to only buy milk if I absolutely needed it {and I did, for my tea}.
Basically I was hoping to avoid any unnecessary spending because I’d like to finish this month under budget if possible.
In fact, if I can get away with not spending any more money this month on groceries, then I’ll be back on track spending wise for the year at $386.11, which averages to $96.53 a month for groceries.
Berry season is coming up, and if I want to stock up fruit from the local stands, then I’m going to need to spend as little as possible over the next few months to compensate for all the fruit I’ll want to buy.
Fruit I know I’ll want to stock up on:
- Local strawberries
- Wild Maine Blueberries
- Sweet {and tart} cherries
- Peaches {Surprisingly, peaches grow well here in Maine}
- Pears
- Rhode Island Greening Apples {for pie filling}
Luckily, I scored some pretty good deals at Shaw’s the last few weeks so we had plenty of fruits and veggies to choose from. Bananas. I could eat one everyday. Couldn’t you?
Avocado and bacon sandwiches. Perfection.
Roasted potatoes, weenies, avocado and salsa. Delicious!
Beans and weenies. Beans are always my meal of choice when I don’t want to go to the grocery store. Not only do I love them, but they are filling and I still have like 10 million pounds of them.
Roasted carrots and beets.
Late last fall we harvested oodles of beets from the garden and as a time saver, I roasted a bunch of them with some carrots in olive oil and then tossed them into zip baggies before packing them away in the freezer.
I’ve still got a few quart size bags left to go through, but I’ll definitely be doing it again this fall.
My big purchase of the week: 1 gallon of milk for $4.69.
And last but not least… Probably the most exciting thing we ate last week {other than a slice of cake pulled from the freezer} was at Red’s Eats on a lunch date.
The HH had the lobster roll and I had the zucchini fries. He likes to go at least once a year {and usually before summer and the long lines} and get his fix.
I’ve had enough seafood to last a lifetime so no lobster for me. Fried zucchini though… Now that’s something!
How about YOU? Did you find any deals this week or eat anything exciting? How are you doing on spending for the year?
I told the HH that grocery prices are so insane these days, that we should probably just invest in a greenhouse and start growing as much of our own food as possible {and cut waaaaaay back on meat}.
Because seriously, the fruits and vegetables you buy at the stores these days… are not only outrageously expensive, but a lot of them don’t even taste good anymore.
What’s that all about anyway?
Seriously, it’s madness.
~ Mavis
*****
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $4.69
- 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 $386.11
Melissa says
How do you reheat the beets and carrots you pull from the freezer? Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I put them on a baking sheet and pop them in the roasting oven {425 degrees} for about 5-7 minutes to re-heat.
Stacie says
Do you thaw them first or is is 5-7 minutes from frozen?
Mavis Butterfield says
From frozen.
tc says
I scored a whole box of bell peppers that the local co op was going to throw out because they were not perfect, I didn’t see anything wrong with them. I kept two for myself and gave the rest to a local charity for their Sunday meal in the park for the seniors and homeless. I also saved 10lb of potatoes from being thrown away and approximately 6lbs of onions, broccoli and carrots, again I couldn’t see anything wrong with them. Made french fries tonight to go with the hamburgers, we were given today from our local Ambulance service who had a bar b que, the rest will go in dishes I cook for them and the homeless though I will save about four of them for baked potato’s for the hubby. I haven’t paid a dime for groceries for two months because i rescued most of the food we ate. I will have to by some half and half tomorrow for the HH’s daily mocha and my twice weekly coffee with steamed half and half. I am determined to save as much food as possible from being wasted and share with local charities who feed those in need. We are way to conditioned to look for and buy absolutely perfect looking food which is so wastefull. I have teamed up with three other women who are of like mind and together we feed our families and hundreds of others. The stores are happy we help to save food they can’t sell.
Laura says
That’s great, TC! Way to go!
Diana near Atlanta says
Instead of cutting back on meat, you should consider getting chickens again. And when you do, grow a few meat chickens along with your laying hens and learn to process them (or find someone in your area who does). Also, look into finding family farms in your area that sell their meat from the farm instead of buying it at the store (there are 2 or 3 near me and their meat is far superior). And gosh, with all of those turkeys going through your yard, I would think you could find a way to catch one or two a year, lol.
I totally agree with the veg from the store being flavorless. I haven’t bought any fruit or veg from a grocery store, other than bananas, in years. I actually bought a head of lettuce a few months ago because I had a hankering for one and it was rotten underneath the first few leaves. Heck, the last time I bought tomatoes from a fruit stand they were flavorless. I just grow my own, now and eat in season.
Brianna says
Grocery prices are insane and so are household staples like bleach and aluminum foil. My $150/wk (average budget for years) is not creeping upwards of $275/wk and I buy almost the exact same stuff every time. The $1 box of mac&cheese is now $1.75, cereal was $1.99 and is now over $5, oatmeal canister was $2 and now $5+, etc. I have switched to generics if they are cheaper and have cut back on meats (buy reduced price cuts and lower red meat/processed consumption), stick to my usual list, but I feel the grocery store is just a loosing game no matter what. I hate it. I refuse to buy many things because they are just too high for me.
Kiln Guy says
2 – 3 times a month local stores have chickens on sale for .99 lb. I usually buy a few. Break them down and freeze the pieces. I put the wings in a separate bag
until I have enough to have a wing night. Breaking chickens down is really not two difficult and there are many good videos on Utube. (Kiln Guy)
Mavis Butterfield says
Your fried chicken is the best!
Mavis Butterfield says
The whole chicken is the way to go! Also, your fried chicken is the BEST!
Rosemary says
I love bananas and I do eat one every day with my morning coffee. Last week I had a craving for my Crabmeat Cheese Fondue so I picked up a pack of imitation crab (2.99 at Publix) and a loaf of French bread. We had the fondue for dinner (quite filling) and had half a loaf of French bread left over. So, the next night I made French Bread Pizza – I already had spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni on hand. I consider the French Bread Pizza a “freebie” since it was left over.
I have been picking a lot of red leaf lettuce from my garden (the “topless” greenhouse) and this week I am planning on picking some romaine and some spinach. Some of the plants have flowers so I am hopeful that veggies will be appearing soon. The rest of the garden is coming along except for the beets – not sure what happened there. Fresh veggies always taste better than store bought, and I can’t wait until we are able to start eating from our garden – we have tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, eggplant, romaine lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, red leaf lettuce, green beans and radishes. I also have sunflowers and corn, but I will give those to the chickens (they love treats!) Gotta keep those chickens happy!
randini says
oh imitation crab meat. I used to work on a boat in Alaska that, as a by product of the fish we processed we made something called Surimi. It was the rejected fish fillets and sorbital mixed together. This paste was then sold to manufactures who make imitation crab meat. Now that I know what is in that product, even tho it is a decent source of protien, I just can’t consume it.
Rosemary says
What is really funny is that I don’t care for actual crab meat . . . I am not much of a fish eater, but I can eat that . . . go figure . . .
I also eat hotdogs and only God knows what is in those . . . ha ha ha
randini says
True about hot dogs. I like mine charred on the grill. 🙂
Tanya says
Randini,
EXACT reason why I don’t eat the imitation crab meat (Surimi) either. American Seafoods was the last company I worked for 😉
Betty says
Marvis I find your $ 100 challenge fascinating !! Especially with the crazy prices now. You really keep me motivated. Thanks and hope you make it this year!
Kim says
Bacon avocado sandwiches are my favorite!!! Now, I’m hungry and it’s your fault, Mavis.
🙂
Terry McA. says
This week, I spent $6 on two heads of rock-hard lettuce, $3 on some pumpernickel rye bread, and another $10 on tea, $8 on honey, and $8 for Robitussin with Honey (my brother has gotten himself a case of pneumonia with those 88 degree days, then snow 2 days later). Nothing on sale of any note, the prices are just so overwhelmingly high these days.
In my freezer…. mwahahahaha! I have pulled out a container of beef vegetable soup for my brother. Dinners this week will be maple-bourbon pork chops, bbq pulled pork, roasted chicken, and a couple beef burgundy steaks (with leftovers in between). Lunches will be salads (mainly). Breakfasts are usually a bagel skinny with liverwurst or cream cheese and strawberries (I still have 2 gallon ziplocks in my freezer).
Emily says
I fully support your grow all the food and eat less meat goals. I’ve been fully vegetarian for years and it has saved us a ton of money. Looking forward to seeing all you grow and if you end up extending the season with a greenhouse. You are an inspiration.
Melissa says
Me too!!!! We’ve always gardened but I take it way more seriously now. Cutting way back on meat also.
Lana says
We have to work hard to stay on budget now. We stocked the freezer with Bubba Burgers on sale for $4.99 a box. The limit of four should keep us in burgers for the grill for a good while for the two of us. Ground round was 2.99 # so five pounds were made into meatloaves for the freezer. About the best deal we can buy now on chicken is the Sam’s Club rotisserie ones for 4.98. We picked one up on Friday and it was over five pounds! It fed us for supper Friday plus big sandwiches Sat and Sun and a chicken casserole which is four meals, two went in the freezer. And there was still 2 cups of chicken breast that I made into chicken salad. What a deal!
Stacie says
The produce is not only expensive it’s not as fresh. The produce I buy at the store lately spoils much more quickly than it did several years ago. I think people are cutting back and things are not turning over as quickly in the produce department. We’re growing more of our vegetables this year too.
Kara says
Do you tally what you spend on eating out? I’m trying to figure out how I separate out my budget.
Susie says
Kara, Mavis has mentioned that she doesn’t count eating out toward her grocery budget. It falls into the “entertainment” category, I think. 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Our grocery budget is for groceries only. We have an “entertainment” budget and eating out comes out of that.
For the first 25 years of our marriage, we hardly ever ate out {maybe 3-4 times a year, if that} as all our extra money went into savings or stuff for the kids or the house.
These days though my husband and I typically eat out about twice a month, sometimes a little more {mainly in the summer months as everything around us is open} and sometimes less.
“Eating out” could be something as small as grabbing a pastry while we’re out and about or it could be something more of a destination, like a diner or a new place we want to check out.
Kara says
Thank you! That is helpful!
Linda Sand says
I observed an oriental family eat at Panda Express one day. They did not buy any of the “meals”. They bought a large container of rice, a medium container of vegetables, and a tiny container of meat. I bet you could eat like that.
Ashley Bananas says
We’re trying to eat at home as much as we can this week and last week as we had some unexpected expenses recently. This week I spent $15 at Aldi and bought a bag of shredded cheese, 50% off chicken breast, chicken fingers, and a four pack of hamburgers. I used two ham burgers to make spaghetti sauce. I will use the other two burgers for nachos. I made the chicken ahead and pre-portioned it for my lunches this week. I also redeemed Fetch points for a $25 restaurant gift card we can use when we want to go out for dinner for a night. In other money saving or earning ventures, I am getting a biometric screening and will get a $50 gift card to Amazon for doing so. I’m excited to use that for something like pet food. Prices are getting higher, but I’ll continue to try and be creative to keep costs down.
Mavis Butterfield says
Well done Ashley! I miss Aldi, I wish one was closer.
Sue says
I really like the beets and carrots idea.
That’s a keeper and I’m doing that this summer.
Still eating from the freezer, sauces, veggies, soups and have jars of jelly’s, salsa and bruschella.
Cooking for one now, just need to learn how to bake bread.
Mavis Butterfield says
Try the dutch oven bread. It’s super easy! Once it’s cool, slice it and freeze half of the slices and just pull them out as you want to use them. https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/no-knead-dutch-oven-crusty-bread-3/
Sandie says
Yes, I wondered about the restaurant eating costs too. Are these expenses included as a part of your grocery budget mavis? All restaurant meals come out of my grocery budget and, given the state of inflation, I haven’t eaten in a restaurant in quite some time. My lifestyle certainly has changed over the past 3 years :/
Susie says
Sandie, I just answered Kara’s similar question. Mavis has said before that she doesn’t count eating out toward her grocery budget. 🙂
Judy says
Mavis….Have you ever looked to see if there is a gleaning program in your area?
In my city there is a very good program.
Homeowners who are not able to pick their fruit or produce or have too much for their own use contact the program. They send put a volunteer team to pick. The picked harvest is then split between the homeowner, the volunteers and food charity.
The gleaning program prevents food from being wasted, helps the homeowner, and benefits the volunteers and the charities.
Might be something to look at with your love of fruit and veggies.
Sandie says
That sounds like a great idea to prevent food waste!