SPEND $100 A WEEK ON GROCERIES

Where did my paycheck go? That was what I was feeling and asking myself. A big chunk was going towards groceries. The prices on food is outrageous and only getting worse. How could I come up with a way to spend a set amount on groceries? How could I spend $100 a week on groceries?

What led me to this crazy goal?

As a dental hygienist, my paychecks were steady and generous. But I was stuck. My bank account just would not grow. So I took a look at my budget and realized I didn’t really have one. In order to get ahead, I had to figure out what was putting me behind. After paying off my credit card and getting rid of it, and paying the last of my medical bills from my pregnancy, I felt much needed relief. But to not land in this situation again, I needed to come up with a plan and ask myself again, “where did my paycheck go?”

The plan to help with my budget is to spend $100 a week on groceries. How could I do that? The answer wasn’t what I was spending or buying but HOW I was spending. I came up with simple ways to spend under $100 a week.

MEAL PLAN

This was the most logical part I need to tackle first. If I had a list and stuck to it without adding things, I can stick to my budget. A quote from my favorite movie, Warrior, “Set a budget, you don’t budge.”

LEARN THE BASICS

Convenience comes at a high price. What we can do ourselves, we pay someone else to do it simply because it is easier. But easy isn’t always the best. And in this case, expensive.

Make a big salad and take from it throughout the week as lunches.

Prep your own fruits and vegetables. Diced onions, cut up fruit are double or even triple the price of the actual item.

Make mashed potatoes. Cook your own rice. Add an easy side you can make to complete a meal.

BUY A WHOLE CHICKEN.

I’ll be honest. This requires you to get your hands dirty. But it is well worth it!

Buying tenderloins, thighs, and drumsticks separately is a lot of extra money.

I go over this in detail in my free KITCHEN EBOOK

GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN

Start growing what you and your family eat. In the summer, when produce is at its peak freshness, take advantage of it! Enjoy the harvest, and what you don’t eat, freeze or can!

Peas, green beans, and corn for the winter.

Fruit trees, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. The possibilities are endless!

STICK TO THE LIST

Don’t buy what isn’t on your list. It’s amazing what we buy simply because it is at eye level. Also, impulse buying is an easy way to blow a grocery budget.

MAKE HOMEMADE

This is an area I need to work on in my own kitchen. My goals are to have premade waffle mix and pancake mix in my pantry.

A big one is bread. I recently started my own sourdough starter. Thank you Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone for making it so easy. Check out her starter guide HERE. I made sourdough sandwich bread and it was so good!

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With these tips, I hope they inspire you to back on groceries. This is a work in progress. One part of this list may be super easy, while another is hard. And that is okay. The best things in life take time and work. But this is an opportunity to truly bless yourself, your family, and your home!

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Thomas Edison