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How I Spent $425 on Groceries in March

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you sign-up for services or make a purchase after clicking on a link below, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Also, I am not a financial advisor. I'm a blogger who LOVES to share how I manage the finances for my household.

April 3, By Kristia 14 Comments

I have been diligently challenging myself to spend less at the grocery store this year. I’m trying to find that balance of staying within a set budget while still eating well. My husband and kids won’t tolerate a bare kitchen and bad, boring food–they would seriously revolt. But we have some serious financial goals to hit and the grocery budget is an easy target when it comes to cutting the budget.

How I Spent $425 on Groceries in March

I felt like March was somewhat of a success. Our grocery budget since January has been $450, which is down from an average of $600 last year, but I wanted to see if I could get it to $400 for March. I carefully planned our menu each week around the sales flyers and loss leaders. And while I didn’t hit my goal of $400, I did reduce our spending to $425 for my family of 4. And not one person complained about the dinners or their breakfasts and lunches. We were all well fed and quite happy.

I’ve included pictures below of most of my grocery shopping trips for the month.  They’ll give you an idea of how we spent the $425. There’s about $67 worth of groceries that I forgot to photograph.

A couple of notes to keep in mind:

  • I keep a moderately stocked freezer with marked down meat, loss leaders, batch pre-cooked meat, cooked beans, homemade baked goods and sauces.
  • I made a large batch of homemade sugar-free applesauce in March that I stored in the freezer. It is frequently a side dish at dinner.
  • We ate out about 3-4 times in the month of March. Dining out is a separate line item in our budget. Fortunately, we received some gift cards for Christmas. We also had meals at the homes of some friends and family a couple of times this month.
  • Soda or any form of drinks (outside of coffee and tea bags) are rarely on my grocery list. This month, I bought one package of juice boxes for the girls’ lunches and that was a treat for them and a thank-you from me for behaving so well in the grocery store. Why yes, I bribe my girls occasionally.
  • My budget includes any personal care items, such as soap, shampoo, etc and paper products, such as toilet paper.
  • I shop mainly at two stores: Giant of PA  and Weis Markets. I also go to Aldi to check out their produce. While I would like to just shop once a week, I like to stop by both stores for their loss leader sales.
  • And finally…Junk Food. I occasionally buy junk food. However, I try to avoid it as much as possible. I don’t want to blow our grocery money on food that has no nutritional value, but my family enjoys it too. Every week I buy at least one bag of pretzels and/or a bag of tortilla chips and you’ll see below in the pictures that I bought ice cream and Oreos and Cheeze-It’s–all on separate occasions. The Oreos and Cheez-Its were loss leaders, so I bought them as a treat. Honestly the Oreos are still in my freezer. I will probably save them for our summer vacation.

What We Ate in March:

Breakfasts Included:

  • green smoothies – My husband makes these for the two of us in the mornings several times a week. Blend bunch kale/spinach, 2 apples, 2 celery stalks, half a cucumber, half a lemon, small piece ginger. So refreshing.
  • hot oatmeal – I buy the 42 oz canister of old fashioned oats which is usually less than $3.
  • buttermilk waffles
  • eggs & toast, fruit
  • peanut butter & banana toast , fruit
  • avocados
  • cold cereal – I’ll buy cold cereal as a treat when it is a loss leader. It doesn’t last long, because every one in my house loves it.

Lunches Included:

  • leftovers
  • peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, fruit
  • egg salad sandwiches, fruit
  • ham/turkey & cheese sandwiches, fruit

Dinners Included:

I keep side dishes simple. I serve steamed broccoli at least twice a week, because it is the one green vegetable that my youngest won’t gag over. We also eat my homemade sugar-free applesauce, frozen peas, salads and I can get many side dishes out of a 5 lb bag of yukon gold potatoes: Hasselback Potatoes, baked fries, and mashed.

  • Ham & Bean Soup, Pepper Jack Corn Muffins
  • Roast Chicken, potatoes, steamed broccoli, homemade applesauce
  • Chicken & Waffles, fruit or homemade applesauce
  • Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, fruit or homemade applesauce
  • Homemade Stromboli, salad, fruit or home made applesauce
  • Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas – I make enchiladas 2-3 times a month
  • Pork Tenderloin, potatoes, steamed broccoli, homemade applesauce
  • tacos from leftover pork tenderloin – I make tacos quite a bit with leftover pork or chicken.
  • Tortellini & Spinach soup, Pepper Jack Corn Muffins
  • White Chicken Chili, homemade applesauce
  • Homemade Tomato Soup, grilled cheese sandwiches – the recipe is from Mom Advice and it makes a ton of soup–lots of leftovers. I even froze some.
  • Baked Ziti, salad
  • Spaghetti with Homemade Roasted Vegetable Sauce, salad, fruit
  • leftovers

Desserts & Snacks Included:

  • apples
  • Homemade Chocolate Pudding
  • ice cream
  • pretzels
  • tortilla chips & salsa
  • popcorn

I’ll continue challenging myself in April and we’ll see if I can hit my ultimate goal of $400.

Join the monthly Grocery Budget Challenge. The goal is to be creative with our meal planning and grocery shopping so that we do not over-spend. We don’t want to make our families miserable with bland meals, boring snacks, and not enough food in the house, but we must stay on budget. Lately when I see my bill at the check out, I’m shocked at how few groceries are actually going home with me. This will be a challenge where we’ll need discipline, support, and planning.

Photobucket

And if you’re interested–the pictures of most of my grocery purchases in March:

March groceries 1 March Groceries 2 March Groceries 3 March Groceries 4 March Groceries 5 March Groceries 6 March Groceries 7 March Groceries 8 March Groceries 9 March Groceries 10 March Groceries 11 March Groceries 12

 

Filed Under: Grocery Budget Challenge, Saving Money - Groceries

Comments

  1. Jon Maroni says

    April 4, at 1:26 pm

    I’d say that $425 a month for a family of four is impressive. My wife and I spend about $200 a month for just the two of us, and we know it would cost more with kiddos. This is one of the best places for families to save money, because it is a constant expense.
    Jon Maroni recently posted…GRAND-A Legacy of GenerosityMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      April 5, at 12:07 pm

      Thanks, Jon. It is definitely one of the best places to save money and I’ve worked hard to get my grocery spending down to $425 from a average of $600 last year. Now if I can just think of a way to reduce my electric/gas by that much….

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Reply
  2. Alison at NOVA Frugal Family says

    April 5, at 12:26 pm

    You got a ton of food and cutting back does take a lot of creative work in the kitchen. I feel like it is the time is money saying. I make all of our breads, rolls, and sweets in order to cut back on the amount of things that I buy at the store. If things start getting a little boring then I know it is time to bake up some coffee cake or cookies to cover breakfast or dessert. The thought is to go to the store and fill up the house again but I try hard to pull some stuff out of the cupboard or freezer and mix it up 🙂 You seem to be doing a great job!
    Alison at NOVA Frugal Family recently posted…March Reading ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      April 5, at 1:32 pm

      Thanks, Alison! I commend you for baking breads and rolls. That is something that I don’t do too much of, but I should probably start to save even more money.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Reply
  3. The Wallet Doctor says

    April 6, at 2:59 pm

    Way to go on reducing those cost! You’ve got a great strategy. Thanks for breaking it down so much for us!
    The Wallet Doctor recently posted…How to reduce your food costsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kristia says

      April 7, at 7:25 am

      Thanks, Wallet Doctor! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  4. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    July 12, at 2:21 am

    You are doing exceptionally well, especially considering that you are including your personal care items. I’m impressed. Looking forward to your future posts on this subject. Thanks!
    Heather @ My Overflowing Cup recently posted…I Am Not A GentileMy Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    April 11, at 9:30 am

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  2. Follow Our Thrift - Thrifty Ideas To Inspire {Week 15} - Surviving The Stores™ says:
    April 11, at 10:00 am

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  3. Grocery Budget Challenge | April Meeting says:
    April 30, at 2:47 pm

    […] Wins: By using the same strategies from March, I was able to stay within our grocery budget of $450. That number seems to be our sweet spot. […]

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    June 30, at 11:01 am

    […] How I Spent $425 on Groceries in March […]

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  6. The Final Grocery Budget Challenge Post says:
    November 30, at 3:09 pm

    […] Through out the year, my grocery spending ranged from $425 – 500 a month. I didn’t hit my goal of $450 every month, but there was a month or two where I was super diligent and spent even less, like in March, when I only spent $425. […]

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