Starting over in a new city with new stores is not easy.
There’s lots of testing, lots of research and a good chance of going over budget.
But if there’s anything I’ve learned from living on a food budget, it’s that you can count on tried and true methods of saving money and eventually you’ll come out ahead.
We’re living on a food budget because I’ve seen first hand how much money you can save when you have one. These monthly budgeting sessions are just as much an accountability session for me as they are designed to encourage you to keep up the hard work.
If you’re new to grocery budgeting, I encourage you to first create a grocery budget and start keeping your receipts. Along with not wasting food, these few steps will help you make great progress towards living on a food budget!
Living on a Food Budget: June 2016
ALDI – $28.59
blueberries x2, 1.29
grapes, 1.29
dozen eggs x2, .79
green bell peppers x3, .99
celery, 1.19
strawberries x2, 1.29
fresh mozzarella, 2.69
pepperoni, 2.19
Parmesan, 3.79
bananas, .88
lemons, 2.79
apples, 3.79
We postponed our monthly shopping trip for both April and May, but we didn’t think we’d made it a full 11 days without shopping so we went out the first weekend.
I didn’t have my big grocery list like I normally do at the start of the month, so I kept my list to just the items that were on sale AND that I knew we’d want anyway, and what we needed to make pizza that Friday.
That meant lots of fresh fruit for snacking and smoothies, a two dozen eggs and Parmesan for our monthly meals (since I know it’s cheaper at ALDI than Costco). Pepperoni and fresh mozzarella for pizza.
Costco – $72.79
pretzels rods, 5.29
peanut butter, 9.99
sharp cheddar 2lbs, 4.99
butter 4lbs, 9.49
fresh mozzarella 4lbs, 7.49
colby jack 2lbs, 4.39
crushed tomatoes #10 can, 3.19
romaine, 3.99
onions 10lbs, 6.99
large baking potatoes 20lbs, 7.99
This was our monthly stock-up trip to Costco. Ever since I price compared Costco to ALDI a couple of months ago, I’ve made it a point to shop at Costco at the start of every month. This alone has saved us tons each month!
The pretzel rods are for snacking, but we also make homemade granola bars with them and the peanut butter. Mr. Crumbs takes two bars each morning for breakfast, so I make a batch of them each week.
The rest of these items are staples for us – things we buy every month. Cheese for grilled cheese, which we often serve with tomato soup. This month Mr. Crumbs requested that I make my famous hearty spaghetti sauce, so that’s what the crushed tomatoes were for.
Romaine for salads, onions and potatoes for various meals.
ALDI – $50.32
macaroni pasta 2lbs, 1.45
portabella mushrooms, 1.49
multi-colored bell peppers, 2.29
canned diced tomatoes x3, .55
spaghetti pasta 2lbs, 1.45
pepperoni x3, 2.19
roma tomatoes 1lb, .99
canned pink salmon x2, 2.19
cottage cheese, 1.99
seedless cucumber, 1.29
sweet potatoes, 1.99
Greek yogurt, 3.49
avocados x2, .79
zucchini, 1.49
salt, .39
mild Italian sausage, 2.89
ground beef, 6.97
bacon x2, 2.99
In my monthly shopping routine, ALDI is my second stop. Pasta, diced tomatoes, pepperoni and sweet potatoes are pantry staples. The ground beef, sausage and bell peppers are for my hearty spaghetti sauce. We used up the remaining bell pepper for chicken cheesesteak sandwiches.
I make salmon salad for lunch twice a week, and use the cottage cheese and yogurt in my daily smoothies. I’ve also been experimenting with cucumber in my smoothies, but we also made a tzatziki dressing with some of the cucumber. Avocado for breakfast, zucchini for grilled vegetable wraps and bacon as a treat for Mr. Crumbs.
Walmart – $20.63
cilantro, .78
salsa verde, 2.48
black peppercorns, 4.98
yeast, 4.58
garbanzo beans, 1.44
black beans, 1.37
ciabatta roll 6ct, 1.62
If I can’t find something at ALDI or Costco, I do a “catch-all” trip to Walmart and this is it.
Cilantro and salsa verde for taco night, black peppercorns to fill my pepper mill and yeast for baking. This is NOT the best deal on yeast, but my local Costco didn’t have it! Does anyone have any suggestions for great deals on yeast online?
I picked up the two types of beans we eat most for black bean brownies, tortilla soup and chocolate hummus. The ciabatta rolls were marked down to clearance and a special treat for Mr. Crumbs. I normally make all of our bread at home, but he LOVES ciabatta rolls and I haven’t found a homemade recipe that doesn’t take 2 days to make. I’m open for suggestions here too!
ALDI – $24.92
whole chicken x3, 8.13
ALDI didn’t have the antibiotic free chicken when I shopped earlier, so this was a very quick stop to pick up 3 whole chickens for the month.
ALDI – $19.95
sour cream, .99
green onions, .79
eggs, .69
grapes, 1.78
blueberries, 1.19
bananas, 1.17
sweet corn x2, 1.99
strawberries, 1.29
chicken leg quarters x2, 3.81
Mr. Crumbs requested that I make spinach & chicken enchiladas, and I had everything but the sour cream at the time. Green onions for garnish and salads, eggs because I was testing homemade vanilla bean ice cream (YAY!) and lots of fresh produce for snacking, smoothies and meals.
ALDI – $15.63
organic yogurt, 2.99
flour tortillas x2, 1.19
bananas, .67
raspberries, 1.49
blackberries x2, .99
strawberries x2, 1.49
mangoes x2, .59
grapes, 1.58
More yogurt for smoothies, fruit for snacking and flour tortillas because I just didn’t have the time to make them from scratch. My homemade tortillas are THE BOMB, but sometimes you just do what you gotta do.
Local Eggs – $10
I took the advice of a few readers and contacted my local 4H club through the county to find someone who was raising backyard chickens, so that I could buy their eggs. Lo and behold, it worked! I’ve found a wonderful woman who has a beautiful flock of birds who lay delicious eggs. She charges $4/dozen, but offered me 3 dozen for $10.
Farmers Market – $5
peaches, 8lbs
The kids and I detoured one morning to see if our local market had any fruit. There was only one vendor who did, and she actually told us she was out of peaches. I saw a box of peaches on the ground as I walked past, so I circled around and asked if she had seconds. Turns out, she did! She told me to fill up the bag as much as could for $5. I weighed the peaches when I got home and there were over 8lbs! I processed them that day since most of them had a small bruise, but we now have a gallon of quartered peaches in the freezer that I can use for smoothies, jam or pie!
ALDI – $25.15
romaine, 1.99
bananas, 1.45
strawberries x2, 1.49
whole milk, 2.09
blackberries x2, .99
lemons, 2.99
grapes, 1.58
roma tomatoes 1lb, .99
spinach, 1.79
apples, 3.79
More lettuce for salads (we’ve been eating a lot of them lately), fruit for smoothies and milk for coffee and cooking. I’ve been using lemons in homemade mayo and homemade caesar dressings too.
ALDI – $19.59
spaghetti pasta 2lbs, 1.45
canned crushed tomatoes x3, .95
pineapple x3, 1.29
romaine, 1.99
Greek yogurt, 3.49
sugar cones x2, .99
cake cones, .99
baking powder, .99
avocados, .49
mangoes x2, .49
This trip was made mostly in preparation for company coming in town, with a few staples thrown in there too. We made a meal plan (as is best practice with company) and took advantage of the weekly sales. And then Mr. Crumbs changed his mind.
ALDI – $48.82
sweet corn x8, 2.32
cottage cheese, 1.99
green bell peppers, 1.69
asparagus, 2.19
lettuce, 1.99
ciabatta rolls, 2.49
baby back ribs x2, 14.84
cheddar, 1.69
Parmesan, 3.79
This was the trip for the “new” meal plan with company. Mr. Crumbs rejected the idea of a simple spaghetti night (since I had sauce in the freezer), and suggested ribs instead. Honestly, my husband supports my frugality and tolerates my odd meals 360 days of the years. It’s not often that he makes requests like this, so ribs it was. Besides, our visitors were his parents!
Ribs, corn and asparagus were for dinner one night, along with baked potatoes. Parmesan and lettuce for more Caesar salads and cottage cheese for a macaroni and cheese recipe I’m working on.
Mr. Crumbs really liked the chicken cheesesteaks we had earlier in the month, so he picked up more rolls and I stuck them in the freezer. Having them on hand, along with shredded chicken in the freezer, makes it really easy to whip up a delicious weeknight meal!
ALDI – $4.49
sugar 4lbs x2, 1.69
parsley flakes, .99
Sugar is for homemade ice cream and for kombucha, which I’m now brewing about 2 gallons a week.
Living on a Food Budget, Total for June 2016: $340.88
Although I’m over by $10, I’m still very happy about this month! The meal planning and shopping routine is working, and somehow we’ve even managed to add another whole chicken AND backyard eggs to the month without the bottom line changing much!
Lessons Learned for Living on a Food Budget for June
#1. I should start making homemade yogurt again.
I stopped making homemade yogurt because we weren’t eating it as often. Now that I’m using it my smoothies and for homemade Caesar dressing – and that I bought almost $10 worth this month alone for just 3 quarts – means I should probably start making it again. I won’t save a ton, but the savings will add up!
#2. I need to plan ahead to put up fresh produce for the winter.
Produce is CHEAP right now, and I need to take advantage since it won’t be so cheap or plentiful come fall and winter. I know that when corn is 25¢ or less per ear, it’s cheaper than canned and frozen. I also know that $5 for 8lbs of marked down fruit at the farmers market is a great deal, so I should use these ideas for saving at the farmers market more often.
I’m thinking that $10 per week is more than sufficient to put up for the winter, as long as I concentrate on what’s on sale and still have freezer room left!
#3. I’m ready to start looking at more grocery stores.
I avoid Publix like the plague because it’s just too expensive, but there’s a Kroger around the corner that has good deals now and then. With a good routine under my belt, I’m ready to start looking at the Kroger weekly circular and possibly include a weekly trip there, instead of always going to ALDI.
I love ALDI – don’t get me wrong – but I could be missing out on opportunities by ignoring other stores. I’m not sure how often I’ll actually shop at Kroger, but right now I’m okay with at least considering it!
Do you have a recipe for salmon salad? I’ve been doing salmon patties: a can of salmon mixed with an egg and 1/4 cup almond flour. I cook 3-4 burgers at once and heat as needed.
I miss these monthly updates!
Hi Oceanskater! For salmon salad I add mayo, mustard, dill pickles, diced celery, diced carrots, salt & pepper, all to taste. For 1/2 can salmon, I do it’s usually 2-3 Tbsp of celery & carrots, 1 Tbsp of mayo & pickles, 1 tsp mustard (spicy preferred). I miss writing them for you! 🙂
I just found your blog and I have been glued to it for hours! I know this is an old post but I’d love to share what I do to stay within budget. I go to a local salvage store. They have the freshest produce, cheese, dairy and it is super cheap. I can always stay well within my budget by shopping there instead of the Aldi, Walmart, etc. Our store always has organic fruits and dairy too. We may have a better one than other areas, I don’t know. I was anxious going to one, thinking I was going to be looking at moldy, out of date food. My shopping trips are not at all like that! I encourage you to check out any in your area.
Where/how do I find a store like this near me? I’ve never heard of such a thing.
I would first suggest go to google and type something like grocery salvage near me or grocery outlet near me. Also, there is a website of state wide ones http://www.extremebargains.net/discount-grocery-store-directory/ but it is out of date. Here is a good article of grocery salvage too. https://www.thebalance.com/salvage-grocery-stores-1388627