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.

Onespirit62

I have learned that it is cheap to be fat......being healthy is quite costly. In fact most countries you tell who is poor because the are skin and bones. Our country is probably the only one where you have to pay to be skinny. You have afford surgery to be skinny! Health food is 3x's the cost of junk food. I constantly see news stating the obesity problem in country yet if our government was really concerned about health and obesity they would turn the tables. Make all healthy foods affordable and jack up the prices on junk and fast food. Healthy should be affordable for everyone, everywhere! Ok that was my first little rant.....hehehehhe Have a fantastic day everyone!!!!

81Katz

I too sometimes find that the crap food is sometimes cheaper. Sometimes the good stuff, is cheaper, it depends.

I rarely see fruit sales, like 3 for $5 bag of apples, but I constantly see chip or cookie sales (3 for $5 for example)

I see frozen fruit or frozen vegetable sales, so that is good. Sometimes fresh can be cheaper, again it depends.

Plus I spend a fair amount of time trying to find good coupons and I hate that so many coupons are for products I no longer buy. Juice (not counting OJ) pop, cookies, candy/candy bars, sugary cereal, etc. EVERY so often I come across a coupon that is for something I use and I am like "score!" :laugh:

Basically I shop around all the time. It's not uncommon that I will go to 2-3 grocery stores in 1 day (I tend to shop weekly, since I buy fresh so much) to find the best deals. One store might have cheaper vegetables, the other cheaper fruit, the other store the meat is on sale, etc. It saves money in the end.

maryjay51

you need to write a list of things you need for the month , buy bulk and figure out what fresh things you need weekly like fresh vegetables and fruit

i hope you are looking in to changing your diet some. i read your diary and it doesnt appear to be very healthy looking for what you are spending money on you should have way more on there than you have. coffee and cream for breakfast is not every healthy .. try to break up the amount of calories per meal. eating over 1000 calories at one sitting doesnt fair well with healthier lifestyle changes.

and remember just because something is organic doesnt mean its necessarily better. you can purchase some things for way less and they have just as good a health benefit as organice. i never buy something because it says organic and im healthy as a horse and ive lost 80lbs through the course of two years

good thing is that you are asking questions..i learn something new every day about being healthier and buying food in a more economic way.

Lauren8239

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.

So true. I'm in Ontario, and a cheap bag of apples alone is 4.99. Food is expensive here, even just the staples. I shop at Costco for bulk. I don't know how people with lots of kids afford to feed them here. It's outrageous how much food costs.

sweetnlow30

I hear you on that' It is expensive in Canada. I have managed to cut our grocery bill quite a bit through couponing and price matching at walmart. We still spend about $400-$600 for a family of four since there are not a lot of coupons available for healthy foods. I also have a food saver vacuum sealer so I can buy discount meats and freeze them. They last much longer in the freezer if they have been vacuum sealed.

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.

cramernh

Sadly it does cost more to eat well.

See, I think its a 'wash' on some things. Other things that are affected by regional weather changes is when things might get more pricey.

I live in New Hampshire so from late spring to late fall - fresh produce is extremely CHEAP! I just spent $1.49/lb for sweet red bell peppers that come in a 3/lb bag. And we use all of it well within its freshness too! But, this can only be done by being very attentive to the circulars that come around.

We have four major grocery chains plus two warehouse-member-only facilities, a huge long line of ethnic markets as well, in addition to my garden that is growing right now. If one place has that one item I need, I guarantee that Ill get the lowest price no matter what in two of those places.

For a former household of three, I purchased my meats every three to four months (chest freezer) the sales were rediculously low!!!! Boneless chicken breasts were only $1.62/lb when I purchased a 40+lb box. 80% Ground beef averaged $1.99/lb if I purchased a minimum 10lbs. So on and so forth...

Fresh produce for a former household of three - I didnt spend more than $75.00 each week. That was hitting all of the sales and in some cases a store would price-match!!! Even better!

Winter time though, thats where I have to get really creative. Thankfully it didnt get too bad - we only had two snow storms so that meant vendors could make their deliveries easier, faster and quicker thanks to clean road conditions... so prices actually remained the same give or take.

Once my garden is ready for picking, Ill save about $50.00 per week. Today though, eight months of an empty nest, I dont spend as much but I do buy more vegetables - Im a fan of the rabbit foods for sure!

quie618

I like to buy fresh stuff but frozen vegetables are great. My supermarket had a sale 12 for $12 on the steamer veggies and we stocked up. It's great to have in a pinch too.

My local supermarket usually has a weekly store coupon like save $10 off of $75 or $5 off of $50 which is great. They also double $1 coupons. I always clip coupons but haven't been using them much since I've been buying more fresh foods. We're also in the middle of what we call "Project Pantry" where we have challenged ourselves to actually use our stock of pantry items. You'd be surpised what you can make with the things you already have.

neverstray

For me it was a slow process. I can easily spend $600 - 800 a week on groceries. But, that includes my wine and non-food items, like razors, shampoo, cleaning products, all that other stuff that really adds up quickly. Once I thought about that, I realized my food budget wasn't as high as I thought. I still don't know what it really is because I don't take the time to track it. But, it did get cheaper.

Here are some easy things I did:
I buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts and fish at Target. The bags are about $6. With both bags, I can eat for almost two weeks.

I buy a lb hamburger and make meatloaf. The meatloaf will last me all week.

Then, I buy veggies fresh, I stop by the store on my way home from work and decide what to accompany my protein with.

I always have either brown rice or potatoes on hand.

I buy tuna fish, bread, peanut butter. And things to make salad, but very basic, just lettuce, some cherry tomoatoes and dressing.

For breakfast, eggs, oatmeal, and I like to buy some small corn tortillas.

With all this, I can pretty much eat well for about 2 weeks or so, and it shouldn't cost $600/week. Maybe closer to $40 or so. I should add that I eat out almost every day for lunch, so this is just breakfast and dinner. I think making my lunch daily was costing me more than buying it.

Once you stock up, you won't need everything every week, so it keeps the weekly grocery bill down. Like, I don't eat oatmeal every morning, so I only buy it once a month or so.

Good luck.

Another thing, while its great to be healthy and eat only certain types of meats and all that, if you're budget is constrained, it's ok to eat whatever is cheap. Right now, I don't have the luxury of eating more costly alternatives. I just eat what is cheap. The other thing I do is I have noticed that at my grocery store, they always have sales on meat on Sunday. So, I'll go in there and I can get chicken for .99/ lb, or a whole chicken for $3. I only buy meat on sale anymore. Even if I don't plan on buying meat during that visit, if I say a great desk, like last week they had a two for one sale, I totally snagged it and had an awesome BBQ. :-)

PeachyPlum

You all are awesome for responding!
Yes, I did just start trying to eat clean so part of the expenditure has been that “startup” cost, like the no additive peanut butter as one poster mentioned. I’m also trying to eat more organic foods. Some people may say that organic isn’t any better than regular (and until recently I believed that as well), but particularly for meat, eggs, and dairy I’m concerned about the use of hormones and antibiotics in my food supply. I’m also in North Carolina, where food (especially is much more expensive than it was when I lived in Upstate NY. I don’t throw any produce away – I’m pretty good about making sure it gets used. I do have a massive container garden on my back porch. It’s not producing anything yet, but my plants are getting big so I should have lots of organically grown veggies in the next month or two!

I’m looking back through my diary (please excuse the trip to Dame’s Chicken & Waffles yesterday for lunch – it was a dear friend’s request for her going away party before she moves and it was the best meal I have ever eaten in my life, I’m pretty sure). Here’s some of the expensive stuff that sticks out to me:

Blueberries – 3.99 a pint for the non-organic (organic was 6.99 a pint)
Morningstar Farms Veggie Burgers – About $1.50 apiece bought in bulk at BJ’s. I won’t be buying these again once they are gone, I’ll start making my own from chickpeas or spinach.
Feta Cheese - $4 for a 6oz container
Organic Cheese - $3-4 for an 8oz block
Eggs - $3.99 for a dozen organic
Fresh Spinach - $4 a bag, and I could eat a bag a day no problem.
Greek Yogurt - $5 for a 32oz container, $7 for organic – and that’s just a tub of the plain, unflavored stuff

I went to Whole Foods last weekend to buy some No Hormone/No Antibiotics beef and chicken. The cheapest beef I could find was $14 a pound, and the chicken was $8 a pound. Obviously, I walked out without any meat.

Although I didn't ask for a critique of my calorie intakes, the reason my breakfast is minimal is because I'm doing an Intermittent Fasting protocol. I know some people think that's unhealthy, but I don't. :-)

csheltra26

Thank you for posting this as I have been having the same issue. I can easily spend $150 a week for my husband and myself. There is some good information here so thank you all for responding. I also have a gluten intolerance so I can't get regular oatmeal, bread, etc and gluten free food is nearly twice as expensive as "regular" food. If anyone has suggestions on eating gluten free on a budget I could use some help!