I think the biggest mistake people make when going grocery shopping is going to the store unprepared. Going to the store, at least for me, is the highlight of my week. Mind you I am a food geek. It's easy to get excited by all the new products and ingredients and before you know it you've blown your budget. So not only do I come to the store with a strict list, but I also spend at least an hour per week planning my menu. Some weeks it takes less time than others but this is a fool-proof way of maintaining my weekly budget. I go shopping only once a week and I always make a menu for a seven-day rotating schedule. Our groceries feed 3 adults (we live with my dad) and 1 child (the baby is just now starting to eat solids) so we don't really factor her into the food equation. 90% of the food we buy is fresh and organic. Breakfast and lunch are also factored into our budget due to the fact that...well I'm at home with the girls and have to eat during the day. Our 7 day weekly food budget is between $110 - $130. I never spend over $140. EVER!! Now mind you I said food budget of course paper products, toiletries, home necessities, etc. will cause us to spend more.
I'll take the highest amount we spend just to prove my spending point. So lets assume I spend $140 for 7 days worth of food. And remember for all of you that think $140 is pricey; this amount is for organic, fresh food. Ok, so I'll attribute $2.00 per day for breakfast and $3.00 per day for lunch. $5.00 per day X 7 days is $30.00. $140.00 - $30.00 = $110.00/ 7 = $15.71. $15.71 is the average cost for dinner to feed 3 adults and 1 child. Which means the cost per person ($15.71/ 4) is $3.92. Even for those skeptical few who say well your two year old probably doesn't eat very much (which she does) but just for conversation purposes we'll take her out of the equation and do $15.71/ 3 is $5.23. Can you buy a meal from any fast food chain or restaurant for $5.23? And for those of you who say you can, will that said meal be fresh, healthy and organic? In the next few blogs I will highlight my suggestions for healthy eating on a budget. Additionally I will include recipes, ingredient substitutions and answer any questions pertaining to diet restrictions.
Great idea for your blog, Claire! One timesaver for me when my sons were younger was for me to prepare a large portion of a main item and set the extras aside. For example, when making a traditional meatloaf dinner, I prepared an double recipe of the meatloaf mixture then set half of it aside. While the regular meatloaf baked, I would add some italian spices, parsley and garlic, form a lot of meatballs then place them on a cookie sheet on the lower rack of the oven tp bake them while the meatloaf was cooking. The meatballs cool off while dinner is being eaten then frozen in small portions to be used another night! Easy to microwave w/pasta sauce for subs one night!
ReplyDeleteHope you get lots of hits!!
Looking forward to getting some tips and tricks! Even with a list, I tend to go overboard, so I'm impressed you can stick with a budget AND eat healthy!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the blog!! xo -Libs