This month I decided to try a new way of grocery shopping. No more huge trips to the grocery store that fill up my cart and cost me a small fortune. Im not going to stockpile anymore and I am not going to buy things just because we may need it in a few days. This way of shopping has cost me more money than I have saved and I am sure I have thrown away hundreds of dollars away each month on food.
My new plan is to go to the store about 3 times per week to only pick up the items we need. I am tired of throwing away fruits, vegetables, and more foods that never get eaten. When I make a weekly meal plan, sometimes I never get through all the recipes and I end up throwing things away. Or I change my mind and use the meat I purchase for something else and never use all the ingredients I just bought.
Before I made this change I spent about $700 per month (or more on groceries). My pantry and freezer isn’t completely full, but it is full enough of products I need to use and not forget about. I also did a big grocery shopping trip around the first of the month and spend $210.
Week #1
- Kroger – $18
- Walmart $26
- Kroger $15
Total – $59
Week #2
- Kroger – $110 This was a lot of items to get my kids ready for Back to school. We bought chips, drinks, granola bars, etc to pack with them to go to school. Many of the items were on sale so I know they will last me until the end of the month.
- Walmart – $15 (misc stuff for my daughter’s birthday party)
Week 2 total – $135
So far in August I have spent $404 and the month is just about over. I am sure I will head to the store this week because we are almost out of all the chicken I bought from the last sale at my grocery store. This is one item I will always stockpile because it’s such a great deal. I live in an apartment and we have a small refrigerator but I was able to fit all 40 pounds of chicken on the bottom shelf of the freezer. It lasts me about 2 months. (The chicken is just $1.89 per pound and they also sell other meats that are high quality at a great price. If that’s too much for you, split it with a friend. )
So far I am still spending almost half of what I normally spend so I think this method is going to work for us. I think next month will be even better!
So what do you think? Do you think this method of shopping will work for you? I understand if you live very far from a store that this couldn’t work. My Kroger and Walmart are less than a mile away.
You can read my original post Why Grocery Shopping More Often Will Save Me Money to see if this method could help you!
If you like to make a meal plan make sure you check out my 40 Crock Pot Freezer Meals. I love to have these dinners in my freezer for our busy days. It’s also perfect for Back to School time! I even have a printable grocery list to make it easy!
Once we move and have a bigger freezer, I will have these meals in my freezer. Dinner is already put together so there isn’t any wasted food. This actually saves me money when I make the time and have the freezer space for these meals.