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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:

 

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Christie scholl

Monday 6th of August 2018

I’m going to start this when school starts next week! My pantry is overflowing and I don’t even know what all is in there. I haven’t tried Walmart because I don’t want to learn a new system since I already know Clicklist, but I’m going to try it! I haven’t loved Walmart’s produce in the past and that’s mostly what I’ll need to complete recipes. Have you had any trouble with selection or freshness?

Janell

Tuesday 7th of August 2018

Lately their produce has been great! And you only need to spend $30 for the free pick up at Walmart so even if you had to co twice a week it still may help your budget and get your fresher produce as you need it.

Rachel

Friday 3rd of August 2018

Thanks for all the great tips, I definitely can use them.

Betty Curran

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

You are so right about staying out of the store. I'm the only one at home now and I still tend to buy like I'm feeding the whole family. I'm especially bad about buying fresh fruit and veggies and they go to waste before I use them all. What a waste of money!

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