It’s been a couple of months since we’ve had a normal grocery shopping month. During November and December we didn’t do our normal monthly grocery shopping trips. It was good to get back to it!
We waited until nearly half way through the month to do our monthly grocery shopping, though I did make a quick trip to Grocery Outlet at the beginning of the month. I filmed both that haul and our monthly grocery haul, which you can watch below, or keep reading for the item-by-item price list.
I don’t do normal meal planning and shopping the way many people do. I shop to replenish our staples rather than just buy ingredients for specific meals on a menu. Some months I’ll buy lots of baking supplies and no meat, while other months I’ll stock up on meat but not buy any baking supplies. It just depends on what we already have in the fridge/freezer/pantry and what’s a great price.
One of the reasons I shop to replenish staples rather than strictly from a menu is because I like to have food storage. I love that I can go for a long time without needing to go grocery shopping. It’s nice to be able to go shopping for fresh produce and dairy, but comforting that we can survive just fine with out going to the store if we need to. I would get anxious if I only bought exactly what I needed for the meals that I had planned for the next week or two. I can’t imagine having a pantry not full of staples on and day of the month.
But that’s just me. Do what works best for your family!
Since my groceries don’t necessarily coordinate with the meals we’ll be eating, I always get asked what we eat with the groceries we buy. I took pictures and kept track of what a month-in-the-life looks like at our dinner table, so you can get an idea.
Winco- $150
- Bread $1.68 x 6 = $10.08
- BBQ sauce $1.18 x 2 = $2.36
- Baby carrots (2lb) $1.88 x 2 = $3.76
- Gummy citrus candy .89 lb x $.98/lb = $.87
- Graham crackers $1.67 x 4 = $6.68
- Raisins $2.60/lb x 1.41 lb = $3.67
- Peanut butter chips $3.57/lb x .76 lb = $2.71
- Mini chocolate chips $2.68/lb x 1.76 lb = $4.72
- Milk chocolate chips (12 oz) $1.68
- White Chocolate chips (12 oz) $1.68
- Sugar (10 lb) $5.42
- Candy canes $.25 x 3 = $.75
- Parmesan cheese $4.65/lb x .88 lb = $4.09
- Steel cut oats $.58/lb x 3.23 lb = $1.87
- Dried apricots $2.48/lb x .63 lb = $1.56
- Fresh peanut butter $1.98/lb x .95 lb = $1.88
- Fresh peanut butter (honey roasted) $2.62/lb x .9 lb = $2.36
- Diced green chilies $.58 x 4 = $2.32
- Spaghetti sauce $.96 x 3 = $2.88
- Mandarin oranges (canned) $.58 x 2 = $1.16
- Green beans $.50 x 8 = $4.00
- Corn $.50 x 4 = $2.00
- Frozen corn (32 oz) $1.98
- Frozen peas (32 oz) $2.18
- Frozen broccoli (32 oz) $1.98 x 2 = $3.96
- Frozen blueberries (32 oz) $3.78
- Carrots (10 lb) $3.98
- Kiwi (2 lb) $3.98
- Grapefruit $.88
- Granola (pumpkin/flax seed) $1.68/lb x 1.49 lb = $2.50
- Navel oranges $.78/lb x 11.7 lb = $9.13
- Pears $.98/lb x 6.65 lb = $6.52
- Roma tomatoes $.98/lb x 6.62 = $6.49
- Gala apples $.98/lb x 11.71 = $11.47
- Celery $.98 x 2 = $1.96
- English cucumber $.98 x 2 = $1.96
- Yogurt $.32
- Potatoes (10 lb) $2.98
- Bell peppers $.68 x 2 = $1.36
- Yellow onion $.38/lb x 5.07 lb = $1.93
- Green onion $.48
- Cilantro $.48
- Whipped topping $.88
- Soy sauce $1.25
- Mac-n-cheese $.52 x 12 = $6.24
- Pasta $.78 x 5 = $3.90
Sam’s Club $127
- Natural Peanut Butter (40 oz x2) $6.98 x 3 = $20.94
- Sour cream (5 lb) $6.98
- Cottage cheese (5 lb) $6.48
- Whole milk $2.75 x 2 = $5.50
- Ice cream (5 qt) $5.48
- Spinach (1 lb) $3.98
- Spring Mix (1 lb) $3.98
- Romaine (6 hearts) $2.54 x 2 = $5.08
- Mozzarella cheese (5 lb) $10.59
- Butter (4 lb) $10.89
- Goldfish crackers (66 oz) $7.32 x 2 = $16.64
- Minced garlic ( oz) $4.48
- Bananas $1.38 x 6 bunches = $8.28
- Powdered sugar (7 lb) $4.48 x 2 = $8.96
- Brown Sugar (7 lb) $4.48 x 2 = $8.96
Grocery Outlet $50
- Skim milk $2.49 x 2 = $4.98
- Mandarin oranges $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
- Tortillas (24 ct) $2.79 x 3 = $8.37
- Cereal $1.49 x 4 = $5.96
- Pudding 3/$1 x 6 = $2.00
- Stuffing $.50 x 4 = $2.00
- Granola/cereal bars $.99 x 8 = $7.92
- Pasta (16 oz) $.89 x 4 = $3.56
- ABC pasta (7 oz) $.50 x 4 = $2.00
- Spaghetti (7 oz) 3/$1 x 12= $4.00
- Christmas cookies $.50 x 2 = $1.00
- Advent calendars $.47 x 7 = $3.29
Other than maybe some milk, this should easily last us through January.
I’m kicking around the idea of doing a no-spend month in February. We might spend a wee bit on groceries (like $25/week or so).
Would you be up for joining us?
Great job!
Curious- why do you buy two different types of peanut butter?
Gah, your grocery budget blows my mind (like, in a good, I’m slightly jealous kind of way). If we spend less than $500 (for TWO people), it’s a miracle. I think a lot of this has to do with the cost of groceries here, especially fresh produce (which we eat a lot of, mostly because I am a vegetarian).
Thankfully, we do most of our shopping at a shop with an incredible loyalty program, so we take advantage of that whenever we can. But yeah, it’s definitely one of the more brutal lines in our budget!
Impressive that you can feed a family of 7 on $327! I’m in NYC and only have to worry about a family of 3, and we run close to $500 on groceries. We have discovered a green grocer with great prices on fruits and veggies, so I actually like shopping now and that makes me more mindful about what I buy. I also find that when I’m disciplined about cooking and baking, we make better shopping choices. Last-minute is always a budget killer!