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!
Shelley Jones
I am from California too living in Atlanta. Don’t give up on Publix. There BOGO combined with coupons are great. Yes it takes time but I save 60% this way. I love ALDI and Sams club. Love your blog!
Tiffany
Thanks for the encouragement and savings tip Shelley!!
Jazmin
We buy the large package of yeast at Smart and Final. We have compared their price, per ounce, with other stores and S & F has been the lowest. I keep a small amount in a jar in the pantry and the rest in a large jar in the freezer. When the small jar starts getting empty I simply refill it; the yeast should be at room temperature when you use it.
becca
I always wonder how people can buy produce at Aldi and make it work. Does yours refrigerate their produce? Ours does not and the produce always seems like it’s about to rot. The times I have bought produce there, it has gone bad before we could use it up. I’d love to be able to get it there because of the prices, but am forced to pay more for produce at other stores where it is actually fresh and will last. We have 4 growing boys and the cost of produce is our biggest grocery expense, and very frustrating! I also wish we had a Costco! 🙁
Kathrine Wyatt
I live outside of Atlanta also. Food Depot is a store I am exploring more. The produce pricing is not better than Aldi, but they have good prices on fresh meat. They butcher in house, but it is not organic or hormone free. I check other sources first and know that I can find meat there with nothing added at an affordable price.
Sher
As for the expensive grocery stores, I do go but only buy on sale. I really go for the clearance bin: often quality olive oil and vinegars at 50 to 75% off as well as international foods and after holiday items like parchment paper.
International food markets are also a great place to shop as fresh exotic fruits and vegetables are bigger than domestic and cheaper. Bulk rice, mango puree, etc is also so much cheaper.
Tiffany
I totally agree with the international markets! They’re not as common in my new area, but I’m not giving up yet!
Sara
Hi Tiffany-did you do a post about making Kombucha that you mentioned above? Thank you!
Tiffany
Hi Sara! Not yet. I plan on getting back to regular posting – and a kombucha tutorial – as soon as school starts!
Alyssa
I didn’t see it mentioned so I thought I’d throw it out there. Do you have a local health food or bulk food store?
One of our semi-local stores carries SAF 1 lb yeast for $5 or you can buy a different brand by the lb for $4 lb.
I buy it in bulk and keep it in the refrigerator for months at a time.
Tiffany
Ooh, good idea Alyssa! I know of one health food store here, and we’re getting a Whole Foods next year. I’ll check out the one store I know of, and look up some others!
Linda
Tiffany, are you aware that Whole Foods is partnered with Monsanto and they are against the truth in labeling laws that some states have and Congress has been working on? That is to say, they don’t want you to know that you’re buying GMO foods, what else may be in your food, or where it comes from. A lot of their food is no longer all natural or organic. Plus they’re grossly overpriced. Check them out carefully for yourself before you do any shopping there. I used to love Whole Foods until they got in bed with Monsanto. Now, for all I care, they can board up their stores. Here is a link to a whole list of article about Whole Foods and Monsanto to get you started: http://www.naturalnews.com/SearchResults.asp?query=Whole+Foods+and+Monsanto&pr=NN
Tiffany
Thanks Linda! I haven’t shopped at Whole Foods in forever, mostly because it wasn’t convenient or affordable when compared to other stores (although their bulk section was sometimes worth the trip). I appreciate you sharing this article with me!
Kim
Don’t forget free Friday download at Kroger. Good to try some unusual items free. No Aldi here do those prices seem ridiculous! I do Bountiful Baskets for produce most of the time. Great prices! Can find online in many places.
Marjorie
Is that really 4 lbs of *fresh* mozzarella for $7.49 from Costco? If it is… dang!
Do you cook from the meal plan? I can’t see myself coming up with meals to feed my family based on what you buy.
I, too, think you’re doing great. I’m stuck at $600/mo for a family of 3 adults and a 5 yo, and I haven’t made meat purchases in awhile. I find that grocery shopping with my husband blows my budget, because he wants to by all this food that looks great. Then stuff goes bad, because either we eat what I’d planned and his extra goes bad, or we eat what he threw in the cart and what I’d planned goes bad.
We don’t have Kroger, but we have a Fry’s which is in the Kroger family. I don’t shop there anymore because it’s consistently more expensive for meat and produce than my other stores, even sale items. I watch the flyers every week, though, because a few times a year they have a 10/$10 sale on canned soups like Progresso. We stock up then for ‘don’t have enough leftovers to send to work for Dad’s lunch’ days. It’s a lot cheaper than going to the cafeteria. Also, it’s an easy meal for our college student when she’s in the dorms.
Jenn
We have a Kroger affiliate store Frys in AZ and it’s my favorite! I have the VIP card where I can load digital coupons on top of the normal weekly sales. They also send out great coupons! This month we have 4 $5 off coupons! Plus I use the fuel points to save extra money on gas! Summer time they have double fuel points on the weekends. It’s definitely worth checking into 🙂 we don’t have an Aldi so I go between Frys and Costco for all of our groceries.
Cindy Weinstein
I was just wondering how you account for bulk items that last more than a month? For example I buy K-Cups in a 100 pack, and that lasts me a long time since I am the only one drinking coffee. Also, a gallon jug of light olive oil for cooking and mayo. That lasts a long time too. Do you count the whole cost for that month, and maybe go over, or do you divide it out?
Tiffany
I account for the whole cost at the time I buy it Cindy. It’s tricky sometimes, because you’ll have a month of stocking up and then a month of lean, but you can either adjust your budget to account for it, or not buy some ‘wants’ that month instead.
Ricki
Thanks! I’ve always wondered how you did that too. ☺ very appreciated. I love you accountability posts. I always feel more normal after reading them. I love Aldi, Sam’s and Kroger for free coupons & gas savings; plus mine has 1lb of organic spinich for $4.99 we go through 1/WK foir smoothies.
Sara
I loved Kroger when I lived in VA! I frequently got coupons from them (by mail or digitally loaded to Kroger card) for free items! Fuel rewards were great too.
Tiffany
Thanks Sara!
Crystal
Thank you so much for sharing! $10 over budget is pretty good! Aldi’s recently came to Southern California where I live, and I went for the first time this last weekend! I was so thrilled seeing all the low prices! I noticed that you bought 20 lbs of potatoes at Costco. Do your potatoes last all month? I have not had luck keeping potatoes that long. Do you have a trick for storing them? Or maybe it is the quality of potatoes I am buying? Also, are all the vegetables you buy organic? Or are they organic only if you specify that they are organic? I only ask because I noticed you specified that the yogurt was organic. Thanks again!
Crystal
I just noticed that something I wrote may have been confusing. To be more clear: I have not been able to keep potatoes for a month. Mine usually last up to 2 weeks.
Tiffany
Hi Crystal! My potatoes do last a whole month, sometimes longer. I keep them in the coolest spot I can find, which lately has been in the pantry. In California, it was the garage.
Some produce is organic, some is not. After doing some research last year, I’m not convinced that organic produce is the way to go. Instead, I’d much rather subscribe to a local CSA and I plan to do that next year. If you see “organic” next to the item, then it’s organic!
Marcia
This was a great post. I think you are doing fantastic. Living in So Cal, we don’t have Aldi (or Walmart, or Target for that matter). I recently visited family in the northeast (NY and PA). We tend to shop at Walmart there because they have the most turnover in produce.
However the Walmart in my home town in PA is “new” (it’s not new, but it wasn’t there when I moved away…28 years ago). The Aldi is even newer. So I’ve never actually shopped at Aldi. My sister and my brother and my aunts tell me that they have the *best* produce (aside from the farm stands and your own garden, which weren’t really open yet). So next time maybe I’ll shop at Aldi.
I find it’s always a balance between effort and price. I slashed our grocery budget in half last year (before you become impressed, from $10,500 to $5300). In part I did it by discovering the 99 cent only store for produce. You have to be choosy there – so I go there first. (Bonus, even some local produce from Santa Maria).
But I find this year that it’s an extra stop that I don’t always want to make with a full time job and 2 kids. We have a CSA/ produce box delivery (not cheap – it’s our largest budget item). Then we get staples at Costco and Trader Joe’s. I don’t seem to have the energy for the 99 cent store.
Rebecca
Is it possible for you to post your chicken cheesesteak recipe? Would love to try that out as we eat a lot of chicken in our house! My food budget for the month of June came in way under I spent a whole whopping $13.71 for the entire month. We spent the month eating out of our freezers and pantry. This month I know I will be over but that’s ok. My one big expense this month I have 100lbs of peaches arriving from GA this coming Friday and we are all looking forward to them! Our high school band sells them as a fund raiser. I plan to make jam/jelly with some this time. Last year we didn’t get but on 30lb box and we ate it in 3 days! So this year we planned ahead and budgeted the cost in!
Looks like you are finding a new “normal” in your new home! Thanks for always being so open and sharing with us. It helps us to feel like we aren’t the only one that struggles to make it work!
Tiffany
100 lbs of peaches?! Let me know if you need help making jam! 😉 Finding our new “normal” is a good way to describe it, and I’m so happy it helps that I share!!
For chicken cheesesteaks for 4-6 servings, you need: 2 chicken breasts cooked and sliced thin, hearty rolls (I like ciabatta), 1-2 onions + 1 bell pepper sliced thin and caramelized, 4 oz shredded cheese (your preference really)
Assemble on a cookie sheet: bottoms of the roll, veggies, sliced chicken, cheese. Place under a broiler for 3-5 min until the cheese melts. Put roll tops on and serve with ketchup. YUM!
Rebecca
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I am on the hunt for a good jelly recipe now! If you happen to have one you could share. I’m putting the sandwich on the menu for August can’t wait to try it!
Tiffany
You’re welcome! It’s one of my hubby’s favorite sandwiches. It’s great for steak too, if the budget allows!
As for jam, I’d try this recipe: http://www.texanerin.com/honey-sweetened-spiced-peach-jam/ with this canning method: http://foodinjars.com/2013/09/honey-sweetened-peach-vanilla-jam/. Let us know how it turns out!!
Blythe
Definitely check out Kroger! Get the store rewards club card to load digital coupons and also load coupons from their Facebook page every Tuesday and Wednesday. Every week they have a $5/$15 purchase, rotating on produce, fresh meat, and fresh/frozen seafood. It totally helps me save. They also have a great store brand of natural and organic items. Whole chickens, antibiotic-free were on sale for $.99/lb last week! I was able to use a digital coupon on it and got a whole chicken for $2.50 (5lb bird). I really love Kroger !
Rosa
I get yeast strips at Aldi for .69 for a 3 pack and it comes out cheaper than I can buy the big jars at Walmart. I did the math once and basically anything less than $1 a strip saves me money to buy the strips, unless I have a coupon or catch the jars on sale.
JoAnn C.
Tiffany, make sure you get a Kroger card. Many of their sales are for card holders only. While they do sometimes have good deals, the card holders are those who reap the benefits. Plus, here in Michigan, you can add up points for $$$ off gasoline at the Kroger gas station.
Great score on the peaches! The farmer’s market here is just starting to have fruit and veggies after nearly six weeks of plants, eggs, honey and baked goods.
Linda
Kingarthurflour.com has 16 oz pkgs of SAF Red yeast for $5.95 and SAF Gold yeast for $6.95. I splurged on the yeast set for $19.95 which includes a 16 oz pkg of the Red yeast, an air-tight canister and a yeast measuring spoon (one spoonful equals one foil pkg of yeast.). I store the yeast in the refrigerator. It keeps for a long time like that. I also use King Arthur Unbleached All-purpose Flour. It doesn’t contain the additives like aluminum and bromate that a lot of other “grocery store” flours contain. It costs a little more but it’s worth it to keep some harmful chemicals and metals out of our diet.
Our food budget runs about $200 a month. My son and I have found that buying as much locally produced products as we can reduces our costs plus we’re getting products where we know who produced it, how, when and where it was produced. Milk and meats are our two biggest purchases. We also look for unusual places like our favorite mom-and-pop hardware store that sells local raw honey, jams and jellies. They’re superior to and cheaper than buying similar products at Wal-Mart that comes from who knows where and contains who knows what!
We grow most of our herbs but our garden hasn’t been doing very well lately. We only got about 10 pounds of green peas this year. Right after the garden went in, when all threat of frost should have passed, we had a heavy frost. Some plants were stunted, some died, even fewer produced. Oh, well, hopefully next year’s will be better.
Jen@F
I’ve made homemade yogurt in the slow cooker before many times, but I could never get my kids to eat it. They like their s a little thicker, and it seems no matter how long I let it “yog” it would still be watery. Does your homemade yogurt get thick?
Tiffany
Hi Jen – I prefer thick yogurt too, so I tend to strain it when I make it homemade. Here’s a tutorial on how to do that: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2013/10/transforming-ordinary-yogurt-into-homemade-greek-yogurt-and-whey/
mrs.p
For me I kind of forgot the yogurt in the crockpot it was over 12 hrs and it was thick.