Reply to $250/month on groceries?

Forum Index » Money and Finances

Reply to "$250/month on groceries?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]It's just DH and me.  Paycheck to paycheck at the moment.  One of our biggest issues is food spending.  We very rarely eat out, and never get take-out, we pack our lunches, don't buy coffees, etc etc.
Our issue is not planning our grocery trips and not sticking to the list.  We pick up random items.  We do mini-trips to the store that adds up.  Sometimes I look back and we seem to have spent $400-500 on food for the month, and that's ridiculous for just two people.

Starting now, I am taking control of the grocery store trips (DH is on board).  I am going to go every two weeks and spend $125; so about $250/month.  Here is what I plan to buy---
Note:  All of these prices are pretty accurate.  I pay close attention on each trip to the store and have almost memorized the prices of certain things.

Four (1/2 gallon) almond milks- $12    [We both drink almond milk, but different flavors.  About 1/2 gallon per week each.  They last over 3 months.  They are 2/$6 usually]
Two breads- $5       [We usually do this as they are usually a two-for deal.  We stick one in freezer]
18-pack carton of eggs- $4    [We do eggs a lot]
Meat- $20      [We tend to buy "whatevers on sale."  With a $20 cap, I'll buy as much as I can of whatevers on sale- usually chicken and ground turkey, but keep it under $20]
Cereal- $12   [2 boxes per week, $3 each]
Paper products/cleaning/soaps- $20    [TP, paper towels, detergents]
1 lb. Deli meat- $7
Rice/beans- $10
Frozen veggies- $8
Coffee- $4
Snacks/Misc.- $20      [Granola bars, bananas, chips, pancake mix, etc]

I realize this is not the healthiest/organic diet, but as we're on a budget, we're focused on just getting good deals that will last (for now- we're generally good eaters but we have to put the better quality stuff on hold for now).
The reason I am writing this all out is to see what you guys think- do you think it's do-able?  Am I forgetting anything?
A few notes- We have a TON of pasta in the house, as we stocked up a while ago when it was on sale.  Same with soups, and some canned veggies.  We have a ton of "essentials"- flour, sugar, oils, dressings, spices, broths, etc etc.
I would say about once a month I do a CVS trip and buy shampoo/cond., toothpaste, face lotion, deodorant, etc- maybe $40 total and I bring coupons/buy on sale.

I am also thinking about just doing Peapod/online  grocery shopping- that way I WON'T be tempted with all the impulse buys- mostly snacks; AND I can see how much I'm spending as I go along.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics