Weeks 2 and 3 were a bit off for me as far as grocery shopping and meals went. Our vacation was in the middle of both weeks, so my shopping and eating will look a little different than normal for each week. I also didn’t have to cook a lot which made it different too.
What we ate
Dinners
Friday: cheese (sharp cheddar and gouda), sausage and crusty bread plate (at home date night)
Saturday: greek lemon chicken and bean rice bowls
Sunday: burgers at the in-laws
Monday: BBQ chicken, bratwurst (extra from Friday), veggie salad left over from Saturdays chicken dinner, bbq’d broccoli, rice (also leftover), fresh fruit and unpictured (leftover) crusty bread {if I could eat this dinner every day I would!)
Tuesday: beef, cheddar and avocado burgers, salad with caesar dressing and freshly picked strawberries
Wednesday: spaghetti with beef sauce, asparagus and salad (vacation meal I didn’t cook)
Thursday: Hawaiian chicken thighs, cabbage coleslaw, grilled cauliflower and rice (vacation meal I was in charge of for 12 adults and 4 toddlers)
Breakfasts were the same mix as before: banana custard oats with peanut butter, scrambled eggs + toast, blueberry yogurt pancakes and french toast with applesauce. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Lunches: tuna sandwiches, leftover rice bowls, deli sandwiches provided by my parents on vacation, lots of fruit always
Grocery haul breakdown
Again, lots of little extra trips… let’s see how I did.
In addition to the visual of what I purchased, I’ve included a picture of the receipt to show prices. There is also an explanation of what I picked up on sale and used a coupon with and any other notes.
Natural Grocers
Organic whole milk
3 dozen cage free eggs
Bratwurst (on sale)
Extra sharp cheddar
Gouda
Feta
Sunflower seed butter
Raisins
Natural cane sugar
Major savings from a living social I bought. I spent $7.50 and got $25 to spend. But, I didn’t need the sunflower seed butter. That was a total extra.
Natural Grocer’s total: $18.55
Chuck’s Produce
Bananas
Ripe banana (discounted)
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Orange bell pepper
Onion (on sale)
Cucumber
Grape tomatoes (on sale)
Apricots
Chuck’s total: $11.92
Target
Disposable diapers for Hunter + Zoe for travels (coupons used)
Disposable wipes (coupons used)
Toilet paper
Coffee (clearance + coupon)
Foaming hand soap
Contact solution (coupon used)
Bag of avocados (coupon used)
Strawberries (coupon used)
Mint Oreos (I was promptly ignored when I told Jacob “it’s not in the budget”…)
Target’s total: 38.84
Philbrook Farms U-pick strawberries $1.45/lb
U-pick total: $11
Fred Meyer
Sharp cheddar cheese
Natural cane sugar (picked up for jam making)
Fred meyer’s total: $5.25
Oroweat outlet
2 loaves of white bread for Jacob
1 loaf of whole grain bread for Hunter/I
Whole wheat hamburger buns
Oroweat’s total: $4.40
Unpictured travel snacks the hubs picked up: water and chips
Total: $7
Unpictured trip to a market on vacation: brown and white rice, a lemon and half n half (organic)
Total: $10
Grand total for 8 places: 106.96
This is how my spending is when I don’t pay attention and plan well along the way. Had I not gone strawberry picking and we hadn’t done extra vacation food spending, I would have been on target. I really wanted to make jam though. The disposable diapers were an extra expense I don’t normally have.
I plan to balance this extra spending with staying under my budget the next couple of weeks of being back home and in a normal routine.
Still, I feel like there was savings, and here’s how I made that happen.
The living social deal I picked up saved me nearly 75%. Natural Grocers is a bit more spendy, but I actually ended up saving money by using the living social. I still have two more to use too!
Not cooking – I know this isn’t always an option for everyone (or myself), but with the vacation meals split and a get together I ended up not having to cook which meant less food to purchase.
I also brought organic chicken that I had purchased at home for a great deal, pulled from the freezer. Feeding 12 adults can be spendy, but I was able to keep the meal affordable by using up the last or my freezer chicken, using inexpensive veggies and bulking it up with rice. The teriyaki sauce I used was gifted from our neighbors, so I already had that on hand too.
I used lots of coupons at target saving me over $16. Read how I coupon HERE.
My freezer supply of meat is dwindling, but as you’ll see over the next couple weeks, I’m already working on getting a small amount back in there. And in a way that doens’t blow my entire food budget.
What’s one item you happily splurge on? Nut butters are always a favorite of mine. We like good beer too.
Heather