We’re not usually that family that keeps every single receipt in that one kitchen drawers, I swear. We only have 6 months worth of grocery receipts because I told my dad to keep certain receipts since we run an Airbnb. But as usual, my Chinese language-ing abilities and his hearing abilities are both abysmal so he heard to keep all the receipts. This is amazing because now I can examine our family’s grocery habits with a magnifying glass!
I found in some ways, the classic advice on how to save money on groceries as very practical…and then some advice I tried myself that I didn’t find very practical at all. So I devised my own plans, here are some unique ways to save money on groceries in detail.
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Table of Contents
6 Months of Food Expenses:
This is what we spent on groceries and eating out every month for the last 6 months:
- Sep Budget – $350
- Aug Budget – $355
- July Budget – $459
- June Budget – $406
- May Budget – $439
- April Budget – $398
As you can see, we keep it around $400 as a family of 3 consisting of myself, my husband and our elderly father that lives with us.
We still eat very healthily: none of us have weight or health problems what so ever, not even my dad who is 70 years old 🙂
Keeping Under $2.50 for a Wholesome Meal
We are a family of 3. We eat at home often except weekends which is usually dining out (not included in our grocery expense.)
Between the 3 of us, we consume a cumulative average of 164 meals at home per month.
With a running average of upwards to $400 divided by the total meals at 164 means, we’re eating about $2.43 per meal in Seattle, Washington.
Seattle is currently the #6 most expensive city to live in within the United States, so I think we’re doing great. For another reference, Seattle is 24% more expensive than the typical U.S. city so someone earning $50,000 a year would need to earn $62,000 a year to maintain the same standard of living as they did at $50,000.
It wasn’t always frugal like this…
Before dad moved in, I had trouble controlling my grocery budget. The worst thing was that I couldn’t pinpoint what I was doing wrong. It felt like money just fell out during every grocery check out. I even went out of my way to shop at discount grocers! I always thought I was doing so well and getting these awesome deals but when my husband and I tallied it up at the end of the month, I was always $100 over budget!
It was frustrating.
I did the shopping and cooking, my husband did the excel sheet bookkeeping. I would look at the numbers he put in and go:
“That HAS to be incorrect. I shopped at Grocery Outlet and Dollar General this month to cut costs. What am I doing wrong?”
It was embarrassing. Our current grocery consumption is $100 lower than what it was before including an extra person! Now that my father has moved in with us and taken over the groceries, for the most part, our entire food budget including eating out has not even come close to the $500 mark we use to spend on just the two of us. Not even close!
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What are the grocery hack secrets I’m missing?
I always wondered how my family survived on minimum wage living in San Francisco, California – playground of the rich, without going bankrupt.
Background on My Dad
I don’t know his childhood in detail but from what my mom told me my dad was one of about 8 children in rural China. They were very poor (8 kids will do that to you). They ate a bowl of rice every morning with a single olive because that’s all they could afford.
“One single olive would need to last him through breakfast with his rice and if there was food waste, they were beaten.” – Mom
There’s no bacon or eggs here folks. Juuuuuuust misery. Rice was cheap and the olive was only used to make the rice more flavorful to swallow. Once when I was younger, I threw out food because I didn’t like it. My Dad almost popped the blood vessel in his forehead from anger.
After going through 63 receipts in the past 6 months of all our food and grocery related purchases, I think I’ve got enough proof.
This time last year, our groceries averaged over $500 a month for just 2 people. That’s a pretty big difference now that we are feeding 3 people for less than $400! If you asked me what I was doing wrong that 2 people for a month of only eating-in would rack up $500…I honestly could not tell you until I saw what dad was doing. This all seems natural to him since he has done it his entire life. I pieced it together comparing my old 2016 grocery transactions with our current stack of receipts.
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Advice You’ve Heard That “Sort of” Work
I’ve read groceries hack guides before (a lot of them) and they’re all great general advice but the instant I hit the grocer, my mind goes blank. (Not to mention, I usually shop on a hungry tummy.) Not all grocery hacks are applicable or as straightforward as it may seem. Buy seasonal, find sales, stockpile, shop at cheaper grocers etc = generally good advice but if I may play the devil’s advocate here:
1. Seasonal
It’s hard to remember which items are seasonal for those just starting out. Once you get into it, it’s useful. But my brain, like a non-boring person’s brain, is focused on other issues besides the seasonality of tomatoes.
2. Sales
Finding sales is probably the first thing someone looking to trim their grocery budget will do, so that isn’t a tip, that’s just logic.
3. Stockpiles
Stockpiling depends on the frequency of which you will use those items.
4. Discount Grocers
The biggest lie is that discount grocers are automatically, magically less expensive. Discount grocers are not always cheaper. Some things at my Grocery Outlet were more expensive compare to my Asian supermarket and my wholesale club. In addition to that, they’re discounted for a reason. The fruits and produce I purchased at Grocery Outlet expired at twice the rate of fruits and produce elsewhere. I was so angry! The worst thing was I only shaved off 9 cents a pound!
How We Keep Our Food Costs Low
1. REPETITION
Looking through these receipts the first thing I noticed was the lack of variety. Well, I mean I knew that. I’ve mentioned before he just cooks a few dishes over and over. The receipts show that so I was able to tally these up fairly easy.
Most repeated items purchased in the last 6 months (in order of most common first):
- Baby Bok Choy
- Tofu
- Pork
- Napa Cabbage
- Eggs
- Zucchini
- Chicken
- Green Onion
- Broccoli
- Yellow Onion
*Garlic & ginger didn’t make the list because they’re staples and last a long time so he buys a big pack in bulk. *Rice is a staple and purchased in bulk online Sad to say, that small list accounts for 65% of his grocery variety. I wasn’t joking when I said he has the tendency to make the same dishes over and over.
Try these cheap and easy meal prep recipes that come down under $2 per meal.
*Don’t ‘Dora the Explorer’ Things.
I’m one of those people who love food shopping. It’s just regular shopping but you can eat it. That was a problem of mine before which was why our grocery bill was much higher for just 2 people. I wanted variety and try all the new products like mango salsa and macaron ice cream. Nothing that was going to fill up a tummy but…macaron + ice cream.
*Limit Food Variety
Every culture of cuisine has a staple. Jasmine rice is ours and it’s very inexpensive. Stick with what is familiar.
Limiting food variety is a double edge sword. I love food in all forms: braised, baked, fried. But you save a lot of money if you only use the staples of a particular cuisine. There were nights before when it was just me and Hubby in the house. We had leftover Singaporean food with classic Southern American comfort food from the day of; my husband found my diversity amusing. Clean up was horrible and so was the grocery bill. No more of that and then the costs suddenly started going down.
My parents only cook Chinese food. They believe it is superior to everything else (except Korean food, they’re OK with that.) My dad stocks up and buys 3 to 4 tofu packs at a time depending on the sale and we have to eat tofu before they expire.
Normally, a pack of tofu has a shelf life of 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
If it was me I would do a week of Mexican food, a week of Indian food and a week of Chinese food which means I’m probably not going to be in a hurry to empty that stockpile of tofu. So no money saved and more food wasted.
Repetition is boring but it makes things easier so that’s the trade-off choice you have to make.
2. COST PER POUND
Our family doesn’t buy organic/non-GMO items. My dad doesn’t even know what any of that mean or care and he’s too old school to change. Focusing on quantity does not mean they’re not as good or nutritious. Quantity first. Use less popular cuts of meat and cheaper vegetables (cabbage, potato, onions). According to our sales receipt, a bag of baby bok choy around 2 lbs is about $1.88. Chicken drumsticks (the only kind of chicken my dad buys) are 89 cents a lb. Pork cost $1.88 to $2.50 per pound depending on the cut and sales. Zucchinis are 89 cents a pound. Yellow onions are 39 cents a pound. Napa cabbage is 69 cents a pound. A dozen eggs are about $1 to $1.19 when they go on sale. Green onions are the only thing that is expensive (for a garnish) at 99 cents for 2 to 3 bundles.
*Wholesale Club
My wholesale club put the price per ounce on display so it’s easier to shop by weight. My personal rule at the wholesale club is to only buy items that are on sale unless the price per ounce is very reasonable. I go once a week by myself to buy items like hamburger patties, red meat and cheesecake to break the repetitiveness of home-cooking without breaking the bank.
*Sacrifices
If it’s not on sale, 8 out of 10 times I just won’t get it. I’m stubborn like that. For example, last Thursday, guacamole was not on sale so I just went without for our DIY taco night.
*Wild Card Discounts
Most grocers have a “last call if anyone wants it” corner where you can peak in to see the selection for the sake of embarrassing your spouse with your cheapness and the adorable look the cashier gives you when she sees all the 40% off orange tags she has to manually ring up. Just make sure nothing looks *TOO* old of course. Lots of foods can be eaten a little past their “Best By” date. Plus stores often put things in the discount bin just because it’s a little dented or “ugly.”
No, buying a discount on ribeye beef isn’t glamorous…but my retirement accounts will be.
On several of my dad’s receipts, there is usually an item called “open” item. That could vary from anything at any weight at the grocery store. “Open” items are generally 99 cents and up. They could be mangoes near their best by expiration. Papaya that has been dented. Bags of ramen that has been stepped on.
If there is decent open produce available, my dad will pick it up (and honestly so would I.)
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3. RECONSIDER WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED BEFORE
*Stockpile With Intent
Stockpiling is tricky. That was one of the things I was doing wrong. ONLY stockpile if you know you will need and use them soon because of the aforementioned: eating a narrower scope of cuisine makes things cost-effective overall. I bought coconut milk by the 10 pack thinking I would use them in Thai & Indian curry but I never got around to making any curry. There are still 7 cans sitting in the pantry after 11 months and mainland Chinese people don’t mess with coconut milk.
*Limit Number of Stores
Some grocery guides tell you to shop around and, that to me is bad advice.
First of all, you’re wasting time, energy and gas.
Second of all, you cannot be the master of that many grocery stores and all their baselines on price.
I know when our grocery store puts up the first clearance. I also know which days of the week my wholesale club generally changes up the items on sale. If you learn the ins-and-outs of one price arena, it will keep your cost low because now you have a baseline for it. Springing all over the place constantly doesn’t do anything but waste time and energy.
I went out of my way to grocery outlet to look for certain items at a discount when I should have been finding substitutes for a less expensive item at my closest grocery store!
*Don’t Always Plan Meals
Yup, you heard right. Don’t plan it out. We don’t! Maybe max 1 week or a day in advance but that’s it.
There are grocery guides that swear by meal planning. That works for some people but that doesn’t work for our family so it’s not necessary to keep food costs down.
How many meals do you get to have before you croak? You want it all the same? NO true blue foodie would ever say that!
We’re a spur of the moment – “let’s see what’s on sale” kind of family. I have a rule that if it’s not discounted, then I don’t buy it. If you plan out your meals, you don’t always get that option of hunting for an extra reduced sale AKA wild card discounts (from the aforementioned cheap corner of shame.)
You know those groceries that they set out way cheaper than even the stuff on sale? I love those.
We buy based on our experience in that arena and figure out how to put it together in the kitchen when we get home. That’s something you practice and it’s even more reason to limit just 1 or 2 stores.
If tomatoes look fresh and they’re on sale, then we’re having tomato fried eggs for dinner because eggs are always cheap. If I was craving mackerel fish but they’re not on sale, I’ll find alternatives or give up altogether and make something else. If you apply this with 1) repetition and 2) familiarity, it’s pretty easy to forgo a plan and go on a spur of the moment “what should I make for dinner.”
Which leads me to…
4. LEARN TO COOK
I don’t know why this isn’t on most grocery hacks, learning to cook will cut down on grocery costs. That’s pretty proven guys. Pre-made anything tends to be more expensive.
An argument with my best friend Soap:
Hey look Soapy! – *Skirt steak $3.99/lb* Soapy – “Oh but I don’t know how to cook that. I’ll get the rib-eye at $10/lb.” Me – “Noooooo!!! Omg, why are you against learning?! If you learn, you get to use that knowledge again. It’s not shaving $5.99 a pound once but many times! A good chef uses all the raw material and wastes nothing! Check out AllRecipes, Tasty, CHEF FREAKIN’ JOHN @ Food Wishes on YouTube!!!”
Readers, there’s certainly more to the grocery game but which piece of this grocery guide was your favorite? What does your family do to reduce food costs?
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Great tips. I definitely jump on the “wild card discounts” all the time at my local Walmart. I often find $2 bags with over $10 or produce. I agree with no planning to far ahead on meals. I also try to plan my meals a couple days in advance based on what is on sale/what we have lots of. We use to meal plan a lot and some weeks you end up spending $7-8 on a meal without realizing that every ingredient in that recipe was out of season and full price.
Oh no RJ, your comments were stuck in the spam box for days!!! I’m sorry!!!!
Oh wow. You really know how to keep your grocery bill low. I think we spend double that.
I liked your tip about not meal planning and only buying what’s on sale. We do follow that rule but only with meat and poultry. About time we started doing it throughout.
Thanks missy 🙂
Great post Lily!! Omg those macaron ice creams or icecream macarons (?) look delicious!!! Yeah we started to buy what’s seasonal now or on sale too. I found some pork loin at the local grocer and it said “limit 1 per family’. I don’t know the price per pound but when it says that you know it got to be good! Then I googled “easy pork loin recipe” haha and made BBQ pork! Man, Jared gets lunch and dinner at work that’s so great!! What a great job!
I spent almost 1.5 hour re-editing this post. I’m not sure how drunk I was when I wrote it but I left out some important things @_@
Those ice cream macarons look delightful!
I’m terrible with food spending. Even with no alcohol, zero food waste, and cooking everything I eat at home from scratch, I can easily spend just for me what you do for 3 grown adults. So I can certainly tell people what *not* to do! Also the Asian supermarket out here is consistently more expensive than Whole Foods, even sometimes for Asian food staples, which gets me all up in a huff.
Oh yeah I’ve been to those! That’s what happens when there is no competition and they can name their price 🙁
LOL at that Judge Judy GIF, made my day haha
Sounds like you’ve got a good system down. We’ve been on a ‘diet'(ish?) since February or so; it started as a preparation for the wedding and for us to lose a little weight for that, but we’ve continued even after our wedding. We meal prep all of our lunches and they are, for the most part, very similar from day to day and week to week. It’s fine – we get a bit more creative with dinners and on the weekends.
I think finding stuff that’s lower cost per pound (chicken thighs or drumsticks vs chicken breast…the difference is unreal) is a great call-out, and learning to cook is a real big thing too like you pointed out.
I’m contemplating saving all of my receipts for six months now, too, and doing a similar post 🙂 Haha. For two people we normally keep our spending between 30 and 75 a week, depending on if we need to stock up on anything or decide to splurge a bit 🙂
That’s crazy! $30 a week for 2 people?! Where y’all from?
I feel like this is how grocery shopping would happen if my mom lived with us. Instead I’ve got a foodie for a husband who hates leftovers! So jealous of these grocery bills, although I do like a little more variety. What does the food total end up being with restaurants, fast food, etc.?
Including restaurant and everything it’s $400 which is what I used. Otherwise probably like $300-$350 just for homemade food.
I love how different your advice is! We do have luck with cooking seasonally. I figure out what’s in season because … it’s usually on sale, hahaha. I get the grocery store’s weekly e-newsletter of sales, which I use to put together our meals for next week. I think focusing heavily on produce over meat is a great way to save. Meat on the side is a frugal alternative to meat-meat-meat.
Lol yes the seasonality is just what’s cheap for us too. Our main grocer doesn’t have flyers..I forgot to mention that >_< And veggies are much cheaper - less than half the price. If I didn't love meat so much...:D
Thanks for the shout-out, dear! It’s amazing how you could keep your grocery costs so low. I can see some similarities between what your made makes and what my MIL (she’s Chinese) makes such as the tofu, baby bok choy, enoki mushrooms, and all the stir-fried dishes! Looks like we eat almost the same food hehe.
When it was just Mr. FAF and me, we spent quite a bit of money eating out. Now that my MIL and strongly discourages us from eating out, we eat at home more often. But somehow our grocery bills still hovered around $1,000 in Aug and Sep. Need to take your advice and do some major restructuring to our food budget @_@
That’s what I thought too! Besides our bowls it looks like the same food lol!
Prop to your dad! What a great job with grocery.
I think diversity is probably what increase our grocery bill too. You need many different ingredients for different cuisines. I usually cook Thai and Chinese food. Mrs. RB40 cooks Mexican, Italian, American, Uzbek, and all kind of different dishes.
We plan ahead a bit, but we look for sales too. Unfortunately, not good cheap Asian grocery stores here. It’s easiest for us to go to WinCo regularly and visit the Asian grocery once in a while. Great job.
Ohhh I’ve always wanted to make Uzbek cuisine! They’re so hard to find in the US. I love WinCo haha – they’re so cheap and big! ?
I remember stories of Mom growing up out in the country where they could only afford one bag of rice a month, and as the eldest, she was responsible for making it stretch to feed two adults and 8 children. There was definitely only rice and maybe fish sauce to eat and she often went without. Those stories clung to me and to this day, when I see people scrape their plates into the trash, my stomach turns. And at daycare, kids are allowed to just dump their food when they’re “done” – I could just about cry at all that food waste.
Your dad’s awesome at this! I make it a point to go out of my way to our local produce shop because I can get our entire week of fruits and vegetables for under $30, but I don’t cook all the awesome Asian meals that I’m sure you’re getting with the shopping your dad does. I need to learn those, I miss the old school foods we used to eat growing up. Repetition is definitely our go to strategy, though, too.
I menu plan while shopping exactly for the same reason your dad does – I’m getting what’s cheap and fresh if I can think of a way to use it while at the store. Or I ask Twitter for ideas 😀 We DO pay for some more high quality foods though, it’s a choice we’re making for our health.
I share recipes on Fridays when I’m feeling inspired and energetic, so you should totally share some of your dad’s recipes!
Wonderful story Revanche! Your mom’s family was large too huh? I read without rice, the concept of big families wouldn’t have even existed. But rice was cheap so you could technically afford huge families in China.
Ok settled, I’ll throw in recipes muahaha.
Great post Lily, we also try to keep our grocery bill low but never got it as low as you did! Good job!
Thanks Mrs XYZ 🙂
We use daily to drop serious cash every month at the grocery store for our family of two. Now we are spending $225/month which is fairly similar to you! (Plus we have a garden.)
I wholeheartedly second the buy cheaper veggies and cook the same things. Though I moreso do a month of one type of food then a month of another. I’ve made three crockpots of chili this fall already!
To deal with the monotony I buy one “splurge” item with each grocery trip. Last week it was $3 of chocolate covered coffee beans. They were on great sale and will last a long time. It’s funny how a $3 item can feel like a splurge, but it’s all about mindset.
I do the exact same thing! Mine is a $5 pie, or $10 ice cream tub. Hahaha we’re like children 🙂
I’ve been a pretty good saver, but have never tracked my grocery bill. I am curious how much we spend since my husband and I live with his parents, and they shop in Chinatown. You make a great point about sticking to a handful of stores to understand when things go on sale, where clearance is located, etc. i think my biggest thing to save money on groceries is to actually eat up all the stuff that is bought/made.
Just discovered your and FAF this past weekend. Totally loving your stuff!
Haha me and FAF were gushing over you on our Twitter messenger :p
Lily,
Oh my God. Unbelievable how your food expenses are so low. Parents, especially Asian parents, can be so influential. Hope you guys have enough variety in your meals to keep things interesting. I LOVE FOOD and enjoy eating out or cooking great meals at home. I tried to cut back in this area but realized that it was only causing me misery. Kudos to you on saving in this area.
Thanks Darren! You and I have so much food behaviors in common lol!
Chinese dried olives: 80% pit and look like goat poop. I know this sounds strange, but after I read that description, I wanted to dive into some Chinese dried olives. Thanks for the tips, Lily. I love the idea of focusing on a few things and eating them over and over again. For some reason, I’m a foodie who doesn’t need variety at home. I’m happy with the same stuff day over and over again. I like to have my variety on special occasions (i.e., the holidays, vacations, birthdays, and getting together with family and friends). Our monthly food spending is $400 too. But I think we have it easier than you. A dozen eggs here in Charlotte, for instance, cost around $0.69. Anyway, awesome post as always. Hope all is well with you and Jared. Cheers.
Mr. Groovy, you just gave me another reason to move to Charlotte! Eggs for $.69!! Wow, I miss living in the South! 🙂
Do you guys have a PO box?! I can mail you some if you are curious!
69 for eggs :O AA eggs?
You are so funny. How in the world could cutting costs Chinaman style be taken the wrong way 😉
That is pretty impressive to spend so little in Seattle. We spent a week in Boston at an Air BNB and spent almost double on groceries when we first landed.
We dropped our grocery bill almost 30% by simply switching to Aldi. Not sure if you have those in your area but they are crazy cheap around here. Our biggest issue is we still get some individually packaged things to bring to work. Yogurt, fruit cups, and protein bars. Our goal is under $400 for two people and a toddler.
And yes post some recipes that include meat.
I’m so jealous of your Aldi!!! We don’t have that here in the Pacific NW!!! $400 is definitely good, I say you’re eating like us pretty much.
Hahahaha that include meat, for sure. Murder is delicious.
Lily,
This is such a great article! I’m notoriously bad at spending at the grocery store and I always try the same tired suggestions. But yours are great–yes, I have definitely found that repetition is key for spending less. Otherwise, we always have more food waste. And the same thing with planning our meals. It’s been a much better strategy to take a look at what’s about to go bad in the fridge and use that. How awesome that your dad goes grocery shopping for you! If my dad did our shopping and cooking, our bill would probably be like $2000 a month! 🙂 But wow, I guess growing up the way he did in China teaches you some important lessons. I don’t know if we’ll ever see a grocery bill of $400 for our family of four (but two of us are small and don’t eat that much). But I’m going to remember these lessons and see if we can shave off $100/month too!
Haha that is a full size family, you guys probably need at least $600 to feed all the boys!
We are big fans of repetition too! keeping the same general meals in play makes it easy to stock up and have a pantry full of easy, familiar means 🙂
Thanks Mrs AR
Our Costco and eating out runs usually end up in a different bucket but our grocery bucket is $300 so we are probably running in the same territory for monthly expenses.
We have to plan out what we are having for the week otherwise we will buy more than we need and end up going out to eat more.
And yes I want your recipes! I am sharing mine!
Are you OK with spicy and weird? I don’t mean me ;p hahahahahahaha
Cracking myself up.
I live for spicy and weird…just not tofu or seafood that’s just gross
We can’t be friends anymore.
I am so envious, still trying to get our grocery bill down:(. Lots of complaints at my house when I keep cooking the same food! so spending a little more on diversification. I do tend to plan my meals ahead of time just to make it easier during the week. By the time I get home from work, I like to know I have everything I need to make diner. Without planning, it would be a little chaotic.
I think you’re doing great Caroline! I loved your grocery guide!
Thanks Lily, still a lot of work to do:)
I love the way you synthesized these lessons. I feel like I’ve had to learn many of these too, especially the ones about how expensive it can be to meal plan and cook different cuisines. I used to meal plan a week with a different cuisine every night (because I liked cooking and variety is so great, right?) and then I couldn’t figure out why I was busting my food budget, why I was getting burnt out with food prep, and my why husband was complaining about the clean up. Needless to say, that had to change. Contentment with simplicity is a key to frugality 😉
Great tips. We’re a family of five and food is a huge expense for us. We
re always looking for ways to trim our grocery budget so we can put money towards other goals.
Big family there!
Your dad sounds so much like my dad! He also cooks a lot of simple meals that are repeated frequently, and he’ll use up whatever is left in the fridge before going to the grocery store. So practical of our Asian parents!
Here, here!
lol probably the best line on this post: “Day old beef isn’t glamorous but my retirement accounts will be.”
I’ve tried meal planning only AFTER I buy the ingredients at the grocery store. I kind of just wander and see what’s cheap.
I’m with you with doing the variety. I do tend to go in phases where I’m obsessed with one type of cuisine then move onto another. Even thought I have a few too many spices in my pantry, it has surprisingly saved me money. I will also use the spices eventually 🙂
Lol well it’s true hahaha.
I think Asians go by the fly more because food is a huge part of our culture growing up so we know what to do and recognize ^^
(I have 2 spice racks for some reason and then more spices in the cupboards hahhaha)
Dave Ramsey (if anyone out there considers him a financial expert) says when you do your food budget, you have to include EVERYTHING you buy at a grocery store. Examples:. Tampons, salt for the water softener, school/office supplies, shampoo and conditioner, hand soap refills, toothpaste and floss, etc. I could go on and on. This adds up rather quickly. I’m a single person that eats super healthy (organic and Paleo) and find it impossible to keep my grocery budget (including non grocery items) under $450. I guess I save in other ways. I rarely buy clothes. I never go to the spa or do anything to spoil myself. I’ve NEVER paid over $580 for my rent.
I didn’t know DR said that! One of my pals has a huge budget for food which I thought was crazy but she is a follower of DR so I wonder if she’s including things like shampoo, floss etc. in there too. I totally forgot to ask her!
$450 for organic and paleo is impressive! I think organic lamb at our store was $16 to $22 dollar per lb and never discounted. Great job going frugal on your rent Angie!! i use to pay $800 in SF for a small bedroom but for SF, that’s cheap enough for a single girl with no fire arm! Lol!
This article was spot on and brought grocery shopping down to a human level with things that we can put into practice. I find the idea of familiarity and repetition one that I follow without even realizing it. Grocery shopping trips become money black holes sometimes until you do what you did and look at old receipts.
Thank you so much for this information.
Glad to be of some service good sir! *Tips hat*
Love these tips! I find that repeating meals, cooking bulk, eating vegetarian (meat is expensiveeeee) and buying seasonal helps to keep my shopping costs low 🙂