April 9, 2013

Inside our grocery trip

Some of you may be asking yourself, what does a 2 week grocery shopping trip look like? Well, I am back to share with you a little bit more about where we shop, what we buy and what we spend.

We live in rural Indiana so the costs of things here are a bit different than they may be in your part of the country, or world but I want to share this so you can get an idea of how this works for a real, somewhat normal, family.Our budget for groceries for one month is $250. I don't usually limit myself to a 2 week budget. As long as the total for all the trips doesn't exceed our budgeted 250 dollars I am happy!

We do our large shop at Meijer in the early evening before the store gets too crowded or early on Saturday morning, depending on what fits with our schedule. We go together as a family so that we make sure we make the most of our time and money. It is helpful to have another list checker, cart-pusher, rule follower there to support you on this trip.

Our Meijer Trip:
Red Onion - 1.12
Sweet Onion (2) - 2.36
Organic Turnips (2) - 1.38
Organic Leek - 0.95
Green Beans (3/4lb.) - 1.24
Organic Swiss Chard - 1.99
Organic Carrots - 2.69
Lemons (3lbs) - 2.79
Broccoli Slaw - 2.00
Cantaloupe - 1.67
Grape Tomatoes - 1.00
Strawberries - 1.67
Parmesan Cheese  - 2.00
Smuckers Fruit Spread - 3.39
Yogurt (3) - 1.80
Coconut Milk - 4.58
Dill Relish - 0.88
Organic Black Beans - 1.29
Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce - 1.99
Chicken Broth (4cups) - 1.99
Celestial Seasons Tea (2) - 2.98 *I had a coupon for $1 off a purchase of two
Jif Natural Peanut Butter - 2.79
Fish Sauce - 2.99

Hand Soap - 4.29
Facial Tissue - 1.35
Facial Tissue - 3.34

TOTAL = $61.24
*Meijer was running a 5% off groceries sale this week, so the total reflects this discount

We usually make a filler trip/sales trip to Payless (Kroger) once during the two week period. 
Payless Trip. They have some great sales occasionally that I don't like to pass up and they are significantly closer to our house.

Our Payless Trip:
Tyson Chicken (6 breasts) - 10.87
Spinach Wraps - 3.69
Ketchup - 1.99 *bc it was on sale and we are out
Frozen Peas - 1.00
Bacon - 3.99
Organic Romaine Lettuce - 1.99
Organic Granny Smith Apple - 0.95
Kiwi(2) - 1.00
Avocado(2) - 2.00
Whole Milk (1/2 gallon) - 1.00
Almond Milk(2) - 5.00
Cream - 2.00
Half Gallon of Ice Cream - 3.99
Newmans Creamy Poppyseed Dressing - 2.50
Tortilla Chips - 2.00

TOTAL = $43.97

Below you will find my menu plan for the two weeks. I plan for 5 dinner meals a week and then we usually eat out once and have supper with friends or at church another night a week. We eat leftovers, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on homemade bread for lunch. I also stock up on Mrs. T's Perogis when they are on sale for quick meals!

Monday - BBQ Chicken, Green Beans and Roasted Potatoes
Tuesday - Bacon Macaroni and Cheese (with Ziti already in the pantry)
Wednesday - Out
Thursday - Egg Salad on Spinach Wraps with Fruit Salad
Friday - Swiss Chard and Bacon Pasta
Saturday - Almost Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans (peppers in freezer, rice from pantry)
Sunday - LIFE group
Monday - Beef Thai Cups (with ground beef from freezer)
Tuesday -  BBQ chicken pizzas with salad
Wednesday - OUT
Thursday - Pottage soup with sweet potato, carrots and Turnips
Friday - Roast with potatoes and veggies
Saturday - Mexican Sweet Potatoes
Sunday - LIFE group

As you can see my menu includes some things that I didn't buy this week. I stock up when there are sales. Take my Payless trip for example, I bought 6 chicken breasts because they were on sale but I am only using 3 of them. The other 3 were shredded in the crockpot and set aside for 3 meals later in the month and one was chopped into pieces and frozen for stir fry or chinese. This will save me from having to buy chicken until it is on sale again. I also have a Roast and ground beef in the freezer that I bought last month when they were on sale. The important part is to stock up on things you use frequently when they are on sale and buy in bulk things you use frequently, like rice, pasta, black beans, etc.

For these two weeks I spent $105 leaving me with $145 left to use on the next two weeks and some stock up items. I hope this helps give you an idea of a doable menu and shopping plan.


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