Cut Your Grocery Bill Challenge
I'm a cheapskate when it comes to buying almost everything I buy, but when it comes to food, the temptations out there (garlic stuffed olives) can ruin even the best intentions and somehow always seem to work their way into my shopping basket.
I write about cutting back on the cost of food every week. I share tips on how to maximize our spending power by using coupons, checking sale circulars and taking time to do careful meal planning. However, when the menus get too boring around here, we slip up and start splurging.
For example, we order home delivery at least once a week and the bill is usually around $30. With the following challenge I'm beginning this week, $30 will be half of the budget so ordering out, is definitely going to be out.
Cut the Grocery Bill Challenge
For the next month I am going to have a $60 a week goal to feed myself and my husband all of our main meals and snacks. Can I really just spend $30 each and still serve nutritional meals that taste good? For the next four weeks we're going find out, but I'm definitely up for the challenge and actually...I think it's going to be fun.
Week One's Menu Is Now Posted
Why $60 a Week?
We based the weekly goal on $117 a week which is what a family of four receiving food stamps has to spend. We divided it into two and rounded it off to $60. For the two of us to eat all of our meals for an entire week for $30 a week should prove to be quite a challenge, maybe even impossible. Currently we spend about $100 a week, not counting coupons, so it will be a big adjustment for us to take such an extreme cut.
How the Test Will Work
- The test will be for the price of food only and will include any restaurant visits we happen to make (unlikely, but we're weak).
- It will not include cleaning products, pet food, or personal hygiene products - just the cost of food.
- It will not include any food we currently have on hand - even the condiments, such as salt and pepper will need to be replaced.
For the first two weeks of the test we want to shop like average shoppers rather than heavy coupon shoppers, so we will limit coupon redemption to five per week. We will only shop at national grocery stores. In our area, that would include Wal-Mart, Target, Albertsons and Winn Dixie. Dollar stores, dented can stores, farmer's markets, vegetable stands and other such stores are out.
Week Three and Four
All rules are off! We can shop anywhere and use as many coupons as we choose.
Let's Get Going
It is going to take some serious meal planning on my part to shop on such a limited budget especially for the first two weeks without my trusty coupon box filled with savings. I know the test will fail if I plan to serve pasta, oatmeal and powdered milk every day (after all, this is my idea - not my husband's) so I'm going to have to find recipes which we will actually enjoy.
I also will be pretending there are children in the house and come up with a few child-friendly dishes to serve. For the next few hours I'll be searching recipes to come up with my first grocery shopping list. Can I do this? Better yet, can my husband who enjoys three full meals a day do this? Well, we're about to find out.
Check back tomorrow to see how the meal planning and grocery list is coming along. Shopping day and the official beginning of the challenge will begin Thursday, after I check out the circulars of course!
Want to join in the Cut Your Grocery Bill test? Let us hear what your goals are, how you are doing at reaching your dollar goals and what you are doing to keep the lid on your budget. Already cutting back to the max on your grocery bill? Tell us how you do it. You can post your comments below.
Week One
It’s been a crazy week. It seems everyone I know didn’t have a ride to their doctor’s appointments and called me. But I did manage to put together a great list (I hope) of recipes and a shopping list which will get me close to my $60 a week goal /$240 monthly goal.
I am hoping I’ll find some of the meats and veggies close to expiration at a discounted price. I am also planning to buy the larger-sized packages and freeze portions for the rest of the month. No reason to throw away money on small packages and miss the bulk prices, so the meats may push me over the weekly goal, but hopefully not the monthly goal.
We’ll be eating oatmeal and muffins a lot in the mornings, salads (egg, tuna, chicken) for lunch along with dinner leftovers and a decent mixture of pasta, rice and meat dishes for our main dinner courses. I won’t bog down the blog with each recipe, but here is the basic menu:
Lunch
- Friday - Tomato stuffed with egg salad, toast with pimento and olive mix spread
- Saturday - Toasted tuna melts with a side dish of leftover Friday night pasta
- Sunday - Brunch - Egg Omelet, pimento toast, turkey bacon, grits & gravy
- Monday - Cold chicken salad burgers, fries, chocolate chip cookies
- Tuesday - Meatloaf sandwiches, sliced fresh veggie side dish
- Wednesday - Tuna stuffed Tomatoes, toast with pimento and olive mix spread
- Thursday - Veggie Burgers and fries
Dinner
- Friday - Veggie Pasta Primavera (squash, red & yellow pepper slices, broccoli), toasted garlic squares, ice cream
- Saturday - Grilled chicken breasts, pan-fried mustard French green beans, baked potato, ice cream
- Sunday - Caesars salad, jambalaya with chicken & turkey sausage, French bread, and brownies topped with ice cream
- Monday - Meatloaf, veggie mix (squash, peppers, green beans), mashed yams, toast, ice cream and cookies
- Tuesday - Caesars salad, toasted French bread and cheese w/ strawberry jelly topping, small turkey sausage medallions with honey mustard, chocolate pudding
- Wednesday- Mixed salad greens and fresh veggies, turkey sloppy joes and fries, chocolate pudding
- Thursday - Mixed salad greens, red beans and rice, toasted garlic squares, lemon cake
Thanks for all the great tips posted. Keep them coming!
First Week Update
My trip to the grocery store was semi-successful. I ended up spending $86, but I did buy items I'll be able to use throughout the month. This includes a large package of chicken breasts instead of the more expensive smaller packages. I was only able to redeem $1.50 (three) in coupons - margarine, the veggie burgers and canned sloppy Joes.So far, I'm sticking to the menu, but my husband devoured the ice cream by Sunday evening.
It will be back to menu planning over the next few days and this time I am going to try to make sure I utilize the minimum five coupons allowed. It felt very strange not having a handful of coupons to redeem last week!
Second Week Update - Gustav Came for Dinner
My grocery trip changed dramatically over the past week. Gustav ran right through our backyard and our electricity was off for six days. Luckily after experiencing Katrina we were better prepared with a generator to keep the refrigerator running and we have a gas stove, but the more you cook the hotter the house gets, so we ate peanut butter and jelly more than I'd like to admit.Most of my grocery budget was spent on stocking up on bottled water and pre-hurricane necessities (batteries, oil and gas for the generator, extension cords) and very little extra food. I managed to salvage most of what we had in the freezer, but because of the heat we really didn't have very big appetities. For the challenge I'll just ignore last week and start again this week - that is if Ike doesn't come for a visit.
Second Week
The second week of the challenge turned out okay. Leftovers from the first week made it easier to keep the bill down. However, I realized that my husband is much more focused on what he is eating when he thinks he is being deprived of choices. The next time I plan to cut my grocery spending, I think I'll just do it and not discuss it.The Menu
Lunch- Friday - English Muffins, Pimento and Olive Spread
- Saturday - Veggie Burgers and Potato Salad
- Sunday - Brunch - Scrambled Eggs and English Muffins and Turkey Bacon
- Monday - Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sweet Pickles
- Tuesday - Leftover Enchiladas
- Wednesday - Leftover Shepherd's Pie and Salad
- Thursday - Veggie Burgers and Fries
- Friday - Vegetarian Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Toast, Ice-Cream
- Saturday - Homemade Cheese Enchiladas, Beans and Yellow Rice, Ice-Cream
- Sunday - Crab Cakes, Corn, Baked Potato, Cornbread, Chocolate Pudding
- Monday - Shepherd's Pie and Salad, Lemon Squares
- Tuesday - Caesar Salad, Toasted French Bread and Cheese with Strawberry Jelly Topping, Chocolate Pudding
- Wednesday - Chicken Breasts, Rice, Green Beans, Lemon Squares
- Thursday - Mixed Salad Greens, Cajun White Beans, Garlic Toast, Ice-Cream
Where I Saved
- English Muffins, Lemon Squares - .50 Coupons
- Garlic Bread - 2.49 Plus a .35 Coupon
- Block Cheese 2 Pounds - 5.99
- Cornbread Mix - .25 Cents a Box
- Crab Cakes - $10 for 10
- Corn and Green Beans - .50 Cents Each
- Barilla Pasta - Two for $3.00
- Fries - $2.99
- Rice A Roni - .50 Cents a Box plus two .25 Cent Off Coupons
- Lean Ground Beef - 2.79 Lb (Two Pounds)
Total Bill - $72.00
Comments
I will be following your progress - good luck!
I’m motivated to see if I can spend $90/week for our family of 3 adults.
Some suggestions - meatless meals (pasta, salads) and meats that can be used for 2 meals (ex: beef roast, then use leftovers for beef vegetable soup).
Good Luck Donna! But keep in mind that two cannot eat as cheaply per serving as four. You can get around this by cooking for four (or more!) and placing half in the freezer for a future meal. I feed my family of 4 very good meals for about $400/month - see my system at www.thriftykitchen.com.
Thanks Terry! I’m excited about the challenge. The hard part will be not using the coupons the first two weeks. Good suggestions about the meatless pasta. I’ve also been digging around for ideas for tuna dishes. I think I could make a tuna casserole and stretch it to four to six servings. My husband has a huge appetite though, so we’ll see.
Good luck with your goal. Check in regularly and let me know how you are doing.
Lisa the dishes on your sample menu sound intriguing, especially the Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi.
I have a feeling I’m going to be up half the night pouring over recipes online.
Thanks
Donna
I’ve been stressing about my grocery bills. There are two of us. I’ve been trying to cut our grocery bill. I’m going to take the challenge! I know that as vegetarians, we already save a lot….but I love that ice cream and pizza and chips.
Good Luck! I am also trying to eat healthy and interesting meals for one within a budget of $150 a month. Your guidelines are the same as I have used. In the last 4 months it has been hard to stay within that amount and there is a lot less food than last year on $120 a month. I find that coupons unless specific to the food at the market don’t same as much as I would like. It just runs up the bill with stock ups. I may buy things that I can do without.This is like depression days when you get coupons for so much food and you better not buy luxuries or you don’t eat well. I am taking your challenge. There will be a lot of beans and rice this month! They are the best for me.
Sounds interesting–good luck!
Be sure to check out http://hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm The new owner does a pretty good job of keeping it up. The info is still there that the original Hillbilly Housewife put up. Miss Maggie has info on how to feed a family of 4 on a $45 emergency menu and a $70 low cost menu. All very well balanced. This was posted before all the recent price hikes though, to be fair.
Good Luck!
Stormy
I’m excited to follow your progess and see how things work out
I live in Florida and the major supermarket chain (Publix) does not accept coupons that are printed from online offers. These leaves the shopper at a huge disadvantage. Do you know any of the freebie or coupon sites that address this problem? I have gotten through many forms from major companies, such as Kraft, General Mills, Folgers, etc. only to stop short of pressing submit when I find that the coupons are only printable and can not be mailed to me.
Food stamps alone were never meant to feed a family!!!!!!
A couple of things:
I’m a single person who keeps my grocery bill to about $35-38/week and I include pet food, cleaning gear and other non-food items in that total. It’s not all that difficult BUT:
1. For the purposes of this challenge, why would you not shop at farmer’s markets during the height of a summer season? Produce from the local roadside stands cuts my produce bill in half, compared to a grocery store.
2. Also, why are you counting condiments already on hand as things you have to buy? If I happen to run out of, say, ketchup and relish the same week and can’t afford to replace both that week, I do without one (or both). But i’ve never had to replace ALL my condiments at the same time, which is what you’ll be doing (if I read your rules correctly)
3. Coupons don’t save me a lot of money. I buy many non-brand items–large bags of rice, for example, and rarely find coupons for those things. Places like BJ’s are where I do the bulk of my non-produce shopping.
4. Buying in some level of bulk is almost essential to keeping the food bill lower, but that’s not something you can fully implement in a few weeks. For instance, that 10lb bag of rice may take up a good hunk of this week’s food costs, but you won’t have to buy it again for weeks, if not a couple of months. So the next week, I might buy, say, a 10-lb bag of frozen fish. After 8-10 weeks of buying a large amount of one thing, your food bill for week 11 might drop to zero. That’s when those savings really start to show up!
I think you will surprise yourself at what you can accomplish with this challenge. I feed a family of 5 on $100 or less per week - good, healthy meals (3 per day) and snacks. Hint - ask your store if they will price-match. I check out the sale ads for all stores and then shop at one store who will price match.
Did you know that research has been done and people who use coupons have a tendency to spend 10% more at the grocery store than people who shop with out coupons
I am back with a comment. I see that two more people have found coupon shopping is not that helpful when one is trying to keep the food bill low. I think they help a large group of people eat better. For a one to two person household, then store brands, buy in bulk to moderation, and seasonal produce specials all help to keep variety and healthy eating. I like coupons when I find them in the market near something I am already interested in buying. I also like the day old bakery, Orowheat Outlet or a stand in the store 50% off. Good ideas! Keep it up!
It’s been a crazy week. It seems everyone I know didn’t have a ride to their doctor’s appointments and called me. But I did manage to put together a great list (I hope) of recipes and a shopping list which will get me close to my $60 a week goal. I posted my menu for the week in the blog. See what you think!
——-
Donna Montaldo
Guide to Coupons and Bargains at About.com
Keith, I’ve read about the research regarding couponers spending 10% more than those who do not shop with coupons, but the research also mentions the reason this may happen.
The study I read said, “According to the study, shoppers spent and extra $8 on impulse and luxury items for every $1 coupon they used.”
Couponers often stockpile coupons and when the time is right - an item is on sale, plus you save with the coupons - they’ll purchase as many of the item that they can and store it until they need it. This could distort the research depending on the time span they use when coming up with the numbers and percentages.
The trick of course, is to not buy more than you can use within a reasonable amount of time or before it goes bad. I have a friend that has more French dressing than I can imagine ever wanting to use, but she keeps coming up with ways to deplete her inventory. If you have the space, why not stockpile and save?
Store brands have definitely come a long way as far as taste and price. To pass on a store brand because there isn’t a coupon available is never the strategy I use. I go for the best price per unit, regardless.
Hi Carolyn,
1. For the purposes of this challenge, why would you not shop at farmer’s markets during the height of a summer season?
You are so right about Farmer’s Markets and they will be included in the last two weeks of the test.
My thoughts about the test include trying to show those who do not normally clip coupons or divert from their regular shopping habits, how much of a difference it can make on the cost of food and on the nutritional value of what we eat.
I thought by doing two weeks of “normal” shopping then two weeks using many of the frugal shopping strategies many of us know, it would be a good comparison for those who are looking to save, but maybe doubt their efforts can really pay off.
2. Also, why are you counting condiments already on hand as things you have to buy?
Honestly I was on the fence about this rule, but I did it because there are a lot of recipes out there that call for some pretty expensive spices. In hindsight, I guess I could have made the rule for any unusual condiments or spices, but what could be common to me may not be so common to someone else.
But I do understand your point and it was one I struggled with when coming up with the rules.
Donna Montaldo
Guide to Coupons and Bargains at About.com
Wow Rebbeca - I don’t know what impresses me more - your lack of proper punctuation, blatantly mispelled words or your bitternesss. I’m sorry that you feel this way about people. Everyone’s just trying to get by and it doesn’t matter if we have our cupboards stocked or if we’re relying on food stamps. I’ll have good thoughts for you.
I deleted her message, but I can put it back. Maybe a lot of people feel the way she does? But yes, I agree with duchessofmalta, we are all just here trying to save money and do the best we can.
Here is what Rebecca said:
“id like to know how you came up with talking about a 117$a week foodstamp figure…lady your way off..you people with money have no idea!try 80 bucks a month if your lucky..most only get around 20-50 a month.i once 10 years ago had my 4 kids and a grandbaby they offered me 17$ a month!and you can feed your fat arses with 50 week if you try.you spoiled fat women out there get a grip.your cuboards are stacked and you have everything and still complain!donate to chariety.theres real hungry people out there trying to just get by day to day.”
Yes, I could buy less (1) than you have to buy for two. Men eat more! I see you are going vegetarian one day (thursday). You are eating well. I hope it works out. I searched my local market ( Blue Ribbon Reopening) and bought more protein. The bill was $54, but they gave back a $10 gift card, when one bought at least $50. Then I won the drawing for the bag of groceries. That was a $25 value of many things I would not buy. Snack foods run up the bill and condiments. Stay on the outside aisles of the store. I discovered many things I buy had gone up in price for the new remodeled store. Shopping specials and store brands can reduce price and coupons on processed foods. My health advisors warn me to eat as little processed food as possible due to the salt content. Buying fresh and healthy can be more expensive since you can not stock up as much and there can be more waste if not eaten. These are just some thoughts on paying less for food.
Best of Luck Donna….we will be watching your progress. As a father of three boys I see firsthand how grocery bills can soar. As a result of that, and using my background in internet marketing, I have created http://www.FoodCouponsDirect.com in an effort to help others save money and equally as important is being environmentally friendly so that unused coupons dont just sirt in landfills wasting paper.
My ultimate goal is too be a specific coupon network so people don’t need to waste time flipping thru coupons they have no need for and in particular make it easier for those to find the coupons they truly need: like www.BabyCouponsDirect.com , etc.
Again best of luck in your challenge, I’m glad I found your guide and look forward to learning and sharing with you.
Andrew
Hey, girl - it can be done. I am a mother of 3, who has recently found myself in a bad position - living off welfare & foodstamps. Doesn’t leave any wiggle room for error when you go over the budget you get on foodstamps. We are on that budget you are on - except I have 3kids to feed, who seem to want to live on fudge bars. But, when there is no extra $$ to make up the difference, it works. You make it happen. We buy bulk meats, at the 1st of month, and then return later, when other “side” items will be on sale, to make a meal. We sometimes have $$ left over - but very little - and always plenty of fudge bars!
Always looking for ways to save, I have dicovered a little secret… when you enter a grocery store, hit the wine section first !! Wine distributors hang little coupons on their bottles to draw your attention to their product.. these usually offer anywhere from 1.00 to as much as 2.oo off things like fresh beef, seafood, bakery items, and even flowers !! best part is, in very small print, most read..”no wine purchase necessary” ! Sooo I go up and down the isle, plucking “money” off wine bottles.. then off I go to use them and really save. good luck ! smile
Thanks for the hint as to where to find the coupons in the store. Those are often the most useful to me. I do recall seeing the good ones in the liquor department long ago. I guess only people purchasing liquor go in there. I will look for the “no purchase necessary” Yes, I am trying to keep to the $30 a week or $120 a month. So far a lot of things are lasting more than a week. Buying in small quantities to restrict the spending for a week puts the person at a disadvantage in getting as much nutritious food as possible in the month ( or two months). Low income people are at that disadvantage. My mother used to say “people with money can save more” True as long as it is not wasted!
What’s happened since Week 2???
The second week has been updated.
Thanks!
Donna Montaldo
Guide to Coupons and Bargains
This is the most sensible menu I have ever seen at this price point. Most of the frugal recipes call for foods I wouldn’t eat and certainly wouldn’t feed to my children. The biggest surprise here was that you didn’t cling to the old meat and potatoes style of eating. There is a myth (put about by meat eaters?) that vegetarians eat for less…not if you are doing it properly you don’t!
I looked at a lot of sites in an attempt to reduce our food bill including the Hillybilly Housewife (at risk of raising tempers here…I did not find the Hillybilly Housewife’s menu appealing or nutrious). I believe we would become quite ill off those recipes. I do seem to remember though that it states these are emergency recipes and not to be lived on for any amount of time.
Before anyone shouts at me, Yes I do know what it’s like to live on very little, we are doing it now. The best any of us can do is to try to feed our families the most wholesome food we can on our limited resources.
As a whole America we need to reduce our snacking, reduce the fat and carbs and add more veg and fruits. Americans also tend to eat more that is really necessary (and Europe seems to be following suit now) Portion control is a thing of the past. Be honest, if a nutritionist came by and served out the correct portions (every meal) most of us would have grumbling tummies and moaning men to deal with! Key to reducing our food bills is getting our families to follow portion control…and if anyone knows how to do that please let me know because it kills my budget every week.
There is nothing worse than buying a weeks groceries (and some bulk items) only to find that someone has decided to eat all the tofu for the week in one sitting(ok, that never happens but you know what I mean). I stuggle with the “Mystery of the Disappearing Dessert” constantly and oddly enough no one knows whodunnit
I go about once a month to the local grocery store at about 5:00 a.m. The butcher is there marking down the ckicken, pork and pre-packaged stuff like the kabobs. I bought $375.00 worth of meat(including 7 briskets) for $164.00. Check with your grocer and see if they do the same thing. Good luck, Gj.
i have a very big family, 5 adults,and one 2 year old. i have my mom and her boyfrined living with me , and my brother and his daughter,me and my husband. we get about 400 dollars in food stamps a month. im trrying so hard to find a way to strech eating the whole month for all of us.
i neeed serious help? where can i find coupons!?? i live in orlando florida by the way.