Groceries Are Killing Me

PeachyPlum

I spent $600 on groceries last month. For one person. Admittedly, it's not like I've eaten everything I bought - there's still some salmon in the freezer and pantry staples that will last me a few months. But holy hell. I probably ate $50 worth of Greek Yogurt alone this month.

Seriously, I can't afford to spend this much on food each month. There must be a less expensive way to eat clean and healthy.

Advice?

jmruef

Do you have an Aldis in your neighborhood? They're really reasonably priced and have MOST everything that other grocery stores do.

iWaffle

Buy in bulk as much as possible from some place like a Costco or Sams. You can get large amounts of rice/beans for a lower price. Also you'll find that some proteins are just too expensive to be used on a daily basis. I love salmon. It's my favorite fish but it's a treat for me due to the price so I normally buy tuna instead. Chicken is much cheaper than steak (and less fat too) and eggs are always a good source of protein.

Sadly it does cost more to eat well. Froot Loops cost much less than actual fruit.

LShandR

I agree that buying in bulk is the best way to go. I buy Fage greek yogurt (it's the only kind that I like lol), so I end up spending $2 per container, or I can get a package of 15 from BJ's for $10! EVERY penny counts. And recently I've made the switch to Yoplait because I've fallen in "like" with their 99% fat free strawberry and peach Those are pretty cheap too, especially in bulk.

The price of food has also gone up drastically so I'm sure that has something to do with it. Oh yeah and watch out for weekly deals at stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. When I actually use the deals/coupons I save a little and don't feel so bad.

spngebobmyhero

I looked back on the last week of your diary and I'm wondering what is costing so much. I feed two people (one really big eater!) for about $100 a week, including lots of grassfed meat.

Did you just start eating as cleanly as you are (btw, your diary looks awesome)? If so, its going to cost a lot to get those staples in, like the peanut butter, coconut oil, and other basics that are going to cost you a little extra every few weeks.

Try shopping around at the grocery stores in your area. You may find that one has overall less expensive groceries. I have a store near me that has organics for only about 10 and 20 cents more than the regular produce depending on the item (obviously some things are significantly more, so I just buy normal).

Another trick could be buying frozen veggies and fruits. You'll get some pretty good produce and you won't be throwing stuff out if it doesn't get eaten in time. I find that any money wasted in my kitchen comes from produce that gets tossed.

Are you buying the big containers of yogurt? I go with Stonyfield plain organic whole milk yogurt and it costs $3.19 for the big container. I think its 4 cups. I add frozen raspberries, honey and unsweetened coconut flakes to it.

Good luck

xlolitabandita

I have this problem as well. I work as a cook, and the boyfriend is currently out of work so money is tight. I always comparison shop and cross check sale adds. Frozen veggies are usually cheapest for us to buy, otherwise we buy produce that's on sale and freeze what we don't use for later. Veggies that are in season usually cost a lot less. Eggs are awesome. Very versatile and cheap. Look for meat on sale, as it does keep forever in the freezer. I got some lean ground beef buy one get free a while back. ;] Also, many super markets put out meat at a reduced price if it's about to hit the "sell by" date. There is nothing wrong with this meat, and as long as it gets frozen you can keep it as long as you want. Some times with the yogurt, you can try switching brands. A lot of times one brand will be on sale one week, and another brand a different week. Canned/pouch tuna is awesome, and makes a cheap lunch. Like I said, take some time to cross check your weekly sale adds. Many grocery stores will price match if you bring the add with you.

erikkasusann

Do you have the option of growing things yourself? My grocery bills have been going down the more I plant, & I've just got a container garden on a condo porch. No more buying herbs, peppers, strawberries, and I'm working on tomatoes

Also, meal mlanning is worth the hassle! If you plan your meals for the week, make a list & stick to it when you shop, & then stick to your plan, you will spend less in the first place, and waste less of what you buy. You can even spend a little more time & research what's on sale that week & plan your meals based on that.

Best of luck!

81Katz

I buy the Dannon (Oikos) plain Greek yogurt at Walmart for $1 a cup. That is cheaper than the other brands of greek yogurt.

I am not sure of your living situation or space you have available and you will probably say "ummm, I am trying to save money." but do you have a deep freeze or would buying one be an option? You could buy in bulk (when the savings are worth it) like no tomorrow. You can freeze so many things to keep them longer and fresh. Cereal, bread, cheese, wraps/tortillas (my brand of choice is Tumaro's, low carb.). You can pre-make healthy meals in healthy portions and freeze them.

I have a side by side fridge and for the longest time, buying many things in bulk was not an option, the freezer was stuffed practically beyond capacity. Now when I see meats on sale or vegetables I can buy buy buy when the price is right because of the deep freeze.

Also canned vegetables are another alternative, just watch the sodium. I buy canned diced tomatoes (Walmart) and it is the NO salt added kind, I also buy my blackbeans canned (Mrs. Grimes, from Walmart) NO salt added. I buy my kidney (Mrs. Grimes, from Walmart) and chili beans (Mrs. Grimes, from Walmart) in cans too, both are NO salt added.

I personally do not buy or quite care for canned fruit but you can buy that too, just watch the ingredients or if they add extra sugar or syrups, avoid those.

melsinct

Good gravy, what on earth are you spending that much money on??? I buy almost all of my food at Whole Foods, eat relatively clean, so I buy very few prepackaged things, and I can feed 2 people for a fraction of that.

Some ways I trim the grocery bill: I refuse to buy overpriced stuff like pre-cut fruit or vegetables. Also, don't buy single serve yogurt. To save money, buy the big tubs and portion out what you want into a reusable container so you can bring it to work or wherever. Lastly, I cook most things myself and don't rely on too many prepared foods.

erikkasusann

Look for meat on sale, as it does keep forever in the freezer. ... Also, many super markets put out meat at a reduced price if it's about to hit the "sell by" date. There is nothing wrong with this meat, and as long as it gets frozen you can keep it as long as you want.

This is good advice, but keep in mind that freezing = altering your food, which = change in taste & texture.
It's important to clearly label & date things in the freezer, and rotate what you have so nothing gets pushed to the back & forgotten.
First In, First Out is the rule in pro kitchens & it works well at home too!
Chicken is fine for about a year uncooked & whole, half that if it's in pieces, or already cooked.
Whole roasts & other cuts are good about six months, ground meat should really only be frozen three months tops.

mes1119

I honestly can't believe that. Eating healthier caused me to SAVE money on groceries. WHAT are you buying? are you making smart decisions? Usually fresh and natural foods are cheaper than the processed junk ones.

bcattoes

I spent $600 on groceries last month. For one person. Admittedly, it's not like I've eaten everything I bought - there's still some salmon in the freezer and pantry staples that will last me a few months. But holy hell. I probably ate $50 worth of Greek Yogurt alone this month.

Seriously, I can't afford to spend this much on food each month. There must be a less expensive way to eat clean and healthy.

Advice?

OMG!! That's about my food budget for my husband and me, if I include wine and beer (which we drink daily). What are you eating besides yogurt that costs so much?

Ralphrabbit

Use the internet to search for what is on offer & where. Make a list & only get what is on it. Don't go in a bad mood or hungry or order on line?? Grow your own is good exercise too. If you only have a little patch you can do tomatoes, peppers, leaves in pots on the balcony? Aldi good & also some local neighbours may grow some stuff & sell cheap surplus?

Sabresgal63

I was going to say the same thing.......aldi's or costco, sams, or bjs for bulk. Look in your area for a food Co-op, sometimes you can join fairly reasonable and I think you get stuff every couple of weeks.

bcattoes

Froot Loops cost much less than actual fruit.

Not where I live they don't. A box of Froot Loops is almost $4.00. For that I can buy a bag of apples or oranges, a container or two of whatever berries are on sale this week, a bunch of bananas, and/or several pieces of assorted fruit.

myfitnessnmhoy

I spent $600 on groceries last month. For one person.

Advice?

We are a family of three and eat relatively clean and healthy, and our food budget even including wine and beer isn't nearly that size!

We spent less than that on our farmshare, which will give us a whole summer of fresh vegetables.

For most of the remainder of our vegetables, we tend to buy frozen or things that freeze easily so we don't waste it. Staples like rice and beans we tend to buy either in large quantities, or from a local food store that sells in "bulk" (by the pound, no fancy packaging).

Most of our meat is either frozen skinless chicken breasts or 85 lean ground beef, with the occasional cut of steak (especially when we find one that is nearing its sell-by date and is marked down).

A lot of our "staple" foods are really cheap, though. My breakfast is a fried egg ($2/dozen) and a half cup of quick-cook oatmeal (we buy the stuff in large containers, I couldn't even estimate what a half cup costs - a quarter?).

Where do you live? I can't think of that many states where food should cost nearly that much (except maybe Alaska).

rouleaux

That's about my budget as well - but it does feed 2 people! But I'm in Canada (the middle of the prairies) and everything here is more expensive - sometimes when I'm in the States, I just pop into a grocery store to stare at all the cheaply priced dairy products - milk, yoghurt, cheese is at least double the price here. Even when I buy on sale produce at the Walmart Super Center and discounted meat (bulk chicken breast, ground lean hamburger, etc), I rarely walk out of there for less than $200/week.

Kelogik

Like previous posters, I would suggest buying in bulk. I know it can take up a lot of space (my townhouse doesn't even have a pantry) but it does save money. For my husband, our 3 year old, a cat, a dog, and myself we spend about $125 a week. Greek yogurt is expensive but buying bigger and stocking up when it is on sale has really helped us. We actually do most of our grocery shopping at Target and it seems to be a lot cheaper on most, but not all, than places like Giant and Safeway.

Good luck!

Belinda

EmilyOfTheSun

Sam's Club or Costco

callsitlikeiseeit

thats about my budget for a family of 4!!!! one of which is a teenager who eats constantly! LOL and hubby is a diabetic on a low fat diet!

without seeing you shop, its really hard (for me ) to give advice. Shop around sale items/ build a menu from that

buy generic whenever possible (its ok to have a few items that have to be a certain brand- for me its coffee LOL)

use coupons IF it is an item that you would buy regardless

walmart price matches, if you have the competitors ad with you and its the same exact item

prepackaged foods cost more (that said, we do buy more than we should probably, esp for the kids)

look for discounted meats

aldis produce is usually pretty good and very cheap - sometimes you have to root around for the freshest stuff, but its worth it (if theres one near you)

dmwells3

$600 a month????? That is my budget for a family of 3, and I live in ALASKA! For real. Make a list of what you have and plan meals around that. I keep a running inventory of what I have and do not have. I only buy what I need, not another of what I have. You need to rethink your eating stratagy.