A Life In Review

Hey blog fam! It’s time to talk about a topic that brings a lot of us stress (us meaning me). I am the one who does the grocery shopping in our home and before I was a wife, I was a daughter who helped her mom do the shopping. I’ve been honing this technique for almost two decades now and I have some THOUGHTS.

With the rising cost of, well, everything the last few years, I have to really get creative with our list and how to make our money go farther. We have had seasons where we lived in abundance and seasons where we were living off of the few dollars left in our account. I’ve fed a family of 2 and a family of 8 (and everything in between). Below I will give you a breakdown of what I do and then share my favorite ways to save.

FIRST: you need to sit down and decide what your budget will be. When we first got married we aimed to only spend $300 a month on groceries. That was almost 7 years ago, so prices were a lot different then. The average family is currently spending $1,000 a month on groceries. If you are comfortable with that, perfect, but you still might need help. We are a one income household, so $1,000 doesn’t work for us. You have to decide what to do.

Family Size: 4 people
Monthly Grocery Budget: $600 (some months we do less, some we go over)

SECOND: I make an outline of categories that you typically shop in. I will share how I break down my list. This is an easy way to see where your money is going. This is what I made for our family to use and I made a blank one for you. Breaking it down also makes it easier for shopping in the store because typically departments are grouped like this.

THIRD: pick your stores carefully if you are budgeting. The same product can cost an entire $1+ more at different stores. Depending on where you live, you will have different stores at your disposal. Here is a list of my favorites, some that I’ve visited and have thoughts on, some that other people swear by, and some to avoid.

Walmart: my very favorite store for groceries only because it is the least expensive overall
Target: if you have a Target debit card you can take advantage of Target circle and get the most out of Target shopping.
Publix: I am so thankful that we have this store where we live because they have the best meat selection locally. It is typically more expensive, but I try to watch their deals and shop when things are on sale.
Stop & Shop: This is like the New England version of Publix, and I loved it my whole life. Their bakery is second to none! If they don’t have it out, you can ask them.
Kroger: I lived in Virginia for a few months and had the chance to shop at a Kroger, it is for sure overpriced, but there are some interesting items there that you can’t get at other grocery stores.
Sam’s Club: Hands down, my favorite bulk store. I don’t love that they changed their shipping policy, but it’s still worth it to get a membership. The only thing that they are lacking is a deli.
BJs: I grew up shopping here and it was really useful for shopping in bulk. They also have a top tier deli and a great selection of meats.
Costco: I have a lot of friends who swear that Costco is amazing, I’ve never been, but I assume it’s similar to BJ’s.
Aldi: if you have one of these, take advantage of it. You will save so much money on basic home goods.
Trader Joes: This was an interesting store, if you love flowers, you should go here. They also have some store brand items that are decent, but if you don’t live close, I don’t think it’s worth driving the hour and a half that we have to drive.
Whole Foods: Vastly overpriced and not worth the trip.

Here are some final thoughts:

• each family is going to spend more in different categories. Right now, we spend most of our budget on dairy products. I have tried to lower the cost of that category, but we just consume so much of it.
• order pick up is your friend. You will spend less on unnecessary things if you place an online order and don’t wander the stores.
• delivery is convenient and great for those families who need this as an accessibility aid, but you will not save money in the long run if that is your goal. You will pay a delivery fee and a tip (don’t skip that tip, they deserve it).
• Bulk is not always better. Use your calculator and break down the cost of a product (either per ounce, or unit etc.). This is time consuming at first, but once you know how much your most shopped items cost, you won’t have to do this breakdown again.
• Utilize rebate apps! I use a few of them and I get ACTUAL money back. I take mine in Amazon gift cards, but you get a choice. Here is my link to Ibotta and here is my link to Fetch. Both will get you rewards.

Finally, remember that you can’t control the prices of things. You can only do your best to take care of your family. ❤️