When J and I decided to buckle down and get our finances together, the first thing we did was track where all our money was going... and it just so happened we were eating through it. For real, the largest purchases we were making were in the "restaurants" or "grocery" category.
Through the whole process, the one overarching theme we've learned is to be intentional. This includes being intentional in our grocery budget.
Here are five ways we shop intentionally:
1. Use Cash!
Since it's just the two of us, our budgeted grocery amount is $150 a month. We have found that using cash for these purchases forces us to stay within that $150 limit. On months that we use our debit cards, it's easy for us to swipe without realizing the price and go on our way. Using cash keeps us within budget.
2. Shop Less
We make one big haul at the beginning of the month for everything and then go two weeks later for perishable items like milk, creamer, fruits and veggies. By making fewer trips to the store, we are less likely to purchase things we don't need... like the box of brownies that somehow always ends up in our cart. ;)
3. Look at What You've Got
Take an inventory of what you've got! When meat is on sale for a really good price I tend to stock up. If there are things we didn't end up using the last month, then I'll use them for the next month. This helps me keep costs down because when I don't have to buy something, especially meat, that's extra money left in my pocket, or grocery envelope.
4. Meal Plan
This is probably the one thing that saves us the most amount of money each month. Say it with me: meal plan! I'm a total list maker so this was just a natural thing for us to do, but I didn't realize not every one does this. If meal planning is a completely foreign concept, no worries. I'll try explaining it in layman terms.
Basically, each week I write down what we're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I look in the pantry and freezer, check what I already have, then write down what's needed to make each meal. I'll use the "needed" column to make my grocery list.
I don't shop around to see what store has the best price for what mainly because I don't have a whole day to spend going to several stores to grocery shop. We shop at Aldi for 80% of our groceries, Fresh Thyme for our meat**, and Walmart for any of the things we couldn't find at either of the other stores. Aldi and Fresh Thyme keep the prices of their foods pretty regular and we love the quality and healthy options we can get from there.
For our family, we don't eat a real breakfast throughout the week, we drink coffee and grab a piece of fruit. I make four servings for every dinner and both of us eat leftovers for lunch the next day. Our meal plan looks a little plain compared to other families, but this is what works for us.
I've included a PDF download if you would like to print this off to make your weekly meal plan! I recommend doing this one month at a time, so just print off four and hop to it.
Downloadable Meal Planner
5. Meatless Meal Options
Lastly, we try to keep our bodies, environment, and our budget healthy by having at least one meatless meal option a week. I call it Meatless Monday, but y'all can choose a different day.
Aldi has a Tikki Masala simmer sauce that we love. Instead of chicken, we use chickpeas or garbanzo beans and add lots of thinly sliced green peppers. I serve this over rice, it's super good, super easy, and keeps us full during our evening job, too.
Black beans have become one of the staples in our kitchen. A bag of dry black beans is like $2 and lasts for several meals. Just take them out the night before and let them soak then they're ready to cook the next day. We do black bean burgers or burrito bowls with fresh toppings!
J grew up in Texas where there's a ton of latino influences. He'll throw refried beans in a tortilla and call it dinner a few times a month and I'm not mad about it. They're super easy to make, and one dish to clean up.
BONUS:
J and I love eating ethnic food! That's where the majority of our restaurant budget was going to! Instead of going out to eat when we wanted pho or bulgogi, we found recipes and made them together at home like a date night. This became super fun for us, but also helped save us money. The picture of pho above is a bowl we made together!
This is what works for us, but may not work for everyone else! Since we've become more intentional about our budgeted grocery amount, there's money left over at the end of the month which can go to debt or into our savings account.
**UPDATE: J and I have a Costco membership that we spilt the total cost with another family. I typically don't shop at Costco because it's not as convenient, but we buy dog food there once every three months. This past trip I went passed the meat department and found that a lot of the meats were .50 to $1 less a pound. It takes up more space in the freezer, but I was able to weigh, separate and freeze the meat, saving around $25. If you have the opportunity to use a Costco membership and the space to put the bulk food, you can find really good deals.