Recently I read about this mom who is able to feed her family of seven (SEVEN) on a mere $300/month. Yes, you read that right – $300/month! What impressed me most was she does not utilize fruits and veggies from a garden, but rather buys fruit and vegetables that are most often the least expensive year-round (or at least season-round, since she mentions having meal plans based on seasons)
I have been working really hard to get our food budget down. I made homemade bread (at 50 cents a loaf) til Bird was born. I made crepes for the first time, since they are about 14 cents each. I had a complete spreadsheet of every food I bought with the cost breakdown per meal, per person, to try to keep my costs to $10/day for a family of 3. If she can do it for a family of 7, theoretically, I could do it for $5/day for a family of 3. But I’m not even trying that. I’m merely trying to match her $10/day budget.
With all that said – here is my first shopping trip. I do not include anything that is not just food. (Thus, the pack of diapers we got is not on here.)
| Amount | $/item | Total | |
| Bread, 1 loaf | 3 | $ 1.17 | $ 3.51 |
| Eggs, 30 ct | 1 | $ 4.49 | $ 4.49 |
| Cheese, cheddar, 1# | 1 | $ 4.49 | $ 4.49 |
| Broccoli, frozen | 1 | $ 1.29 | $ 1.29 |
| Beef patties, 4# | 1 | $ 7.99 | $ 7.99 |
| Pancake mix | 2 | $ 0.49 | $ 0.98 |
| Tomato sauce, 15 oz | 3 | $ 0.59 | $ 1.77 |
| Mustard, 14 oz | 1 | $ 0.69 | $ 0.69 |
| Tuna, 5 oz | 3 | $ 0.77 | $ 2.31 |
| Kidney beans, 15 oz | 1 | $ 0.79 | $ 0.79 |
| Spaghetti noodles, 1# | 2 | $ 0.89 | $ 1.78 |
| Muffin mix, blueberry | 1 | $ 0.99 | $ 0.99 |
| Muffin mix, strawberry | 1 | $ 0.99 | $ 0.99 |
| Muffin mix, cinnamon crumb | 1 | $ 1.99 | $ 1.99 |
| Egg noodles | 1 | $ 0.99 | $ 0.99 |
| Spaghetti sauce | 2 | $ 0.99 | $ 1.98 |
| Creamer, 16 oz | 1 | $ 1.99 | $ 1.99 |
| Juice, 64 oz | 1 | $ 1.99 | $ 1.99 |
| Chicken, whole | 1 | $ 8.63 | $ 8.63 |
| Peanuts, 3# | 1 | $ 5.79 | $ 5.79 |
| Bacon, 1# | 1 | $ 3.69 | $ 3.69 |
| Celery | 1 | $ 1.39 | $ 1.39 |
| Bananas, 1# | 2.42 | $ 0.59 | $ 1.43 |
| Carrots, 2# | 1 | $ 1.49 | $ 1.49 |
| Onions, 1# | 3.32 | $ 0.79 | $ 2.62 |
| Potatoes, russet, 10# | 1 | $ 2.79 | $ 2.79 |
| Apples, 8# | 1 | $ 4.49 | $ 4.49 |
| GRAND | $ 73.33 |
I was mostly out of everything except spices in my cabinet, so I was rather impressed with this result! That’s very nearly $10/day for food, with some extra items (like peanuts) that I was not planning on purchasing. But really, peanuts make a great, healthy snack.
Ant, Bird, and I will be heading to a friend’s house most days to get busy with our lives, rather than waiting around at home all day. I am fully healed from the C-section and am ready to get healthier. Thus, we did not purchase many processed foods at all. I realize there is pancake mix as well as muffin mix on the list, and I *could* make these on my own. But some days I just don’t have time. Give a little.
Our meal plan includes the following:
Breakfasts –
* Scrambled eggs, fruit, coffee/milk
*Oatmeal w/ raisins, coffee/milk
* Hard-boiled eggs, toast, coffee/milk
* Cinnamon toast, scrambled eggs, coffee/milk
* Hash browns w/ crumbled bacon, coffee/milk
* Pancakes, bacon, coffee/milk
Lunches –
Will be comprised of peanut butter sandwiches and/or leftovers from the dinner before
Snacks (2 max per day)
Choice of fruit, muffin, carrots, cheese, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs
Dinners –
* Roasted chicken w/carrots, potatoes, onions, celery (crock-pot meal)
* Chicken noodle soup (using left over roasted chicken)
* Pasta w/spaghetti sauce
* Stuffed potatoes (with beans, cheese, broccoli)
* Rice bake (rice, beef, tomato sauce)
* Breakfast (french toast or pancakes, eggs)
With these foods, and what I already had in the cupboards, I really hope to be able to feed us for a minimum of 7 days. Wish me luck!
What do you do to keep your grocery bills down?
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