August Grocery Budget Challenge

When was the last time you looked at how much you actually spend at the grocery store every month. I am always shocked because it’s a lot of money. With 3 growing kids, I need to find a way to get my grocery bill under control!

I have no excuse. I have a freezer stocked with meat since we bought 1/4 cow and I usually stock up on chicken when it’s on sale for $1.89 at the store. So the best way for me to lower my grocery bill each month is to make a meal plan and stay out of the grocery store.

I took an inventory of what I had in the house and made a meal plan based around it. I created my shopping list and decided that the best way to save money is to stay out of the store!

Walmart grocery pick up was the best solution. Not only did they have same day pick up, they always have free pickup and with your first order you will get $10 off $50. Use this link and you will save $10 off $50 and I will get the same coupon.  (Plus a cute welcome back with some freebies!) I also like that you only have to spend $30 for free pickup.

Overall, I spent $44 (I had to buy my kids AA batteries) and  that should be all I need for at least a week. I have plenty of milk and eggs – so if I need anything, I can can make if from scratch.

A few months ago I created a printable meal planner with space for your grocery list. I love it because I can ripoff the top and put it on my fridge so I know what we have in the house to eat! (This article also has some tips to save money at the grocery store.)

Here are some of the things we will eat this week:

Breakfast

• Cereal
• Oatmeal (I had to buy unsweet almond milk to make this.)
• Eggs with ham and cheese – I also have bacon in the freezer we can use
• Pancakes, waffles, or crepes – we only do this during summer break 🙂

Lunch

• Sandwiches: PB&J, tuna, egg salad, or turkey and cheese (I have cold cuts from a shopping trip the other day.)
• Leftovers
• Frozen pizza (already in my freezer)

Dinner

• Chicken and bowtie pasta with Fontina Cheese (I had to buy shallots, cheese, and pasta)
• Mexican Chicken Soup – had all the ingredients
• Potato and Chorizo soup – had to buy chorizo and potatoes but I can use the potatoes in another meal.
• Pizza Casserole – I only needed pepperonis for this. We have Italian sausage, cheese, sauce and the rest of the ingredients already in the house.
• Beef Tacos – I bought some pico de gallo but my kids mix that with an avocado and enjoy their guacamole with blue corn chips so we can also use it for the tacos. I also had to buy lettuce. What ever is leftover, my son will eat with our favorite oil and vinegar dressing (we have all these ingredients too!)
• I usually save 2 nights for kind of an “anything goes” night. Those are the days I forget to take meat out for dinner or when we have a late lunch so we aren’t hungry for a full dinner.

Snacks and side items:

I bought carrots and strawberries and they have chips and guacamole to snack on. We also have lots of random things that I have picked up when they were on sale so there was no need to buy more snack foods. We have some zucchini and a few other fruits and vegetables that we can have as side dishes.

I will post a few updates this month about our grocery spending. I would love to not spend more than $700 for a family of 5. It would be nice to use up everything in our house and only buy what we need – when we need it.

Would you like to save money on your groceries this month? Join me and lets stay accountable!

Here are some of our favorite recipes:

• Chicken Parmesan – Done In About An Hour
• 40 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals + Printables! 
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Pot Pie 
• Fried Chicken Tacos 
• Sugar Free Tomato Sauce
• One Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon & Parmesan Asparagus
• Crock Pot Delicious Pot Roast
• Air Fryer Steak Recipe
• The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
• Cinnamon Roll Recipe With Cream Cheese Icing
• Cheddar Bacon Scones
• Pancake Recipe (Reminds Me Of McDonalds)