Warning: this is long.
…Ok, you’ve been warned.
Now that we are home and settling in, we are fully immersed in our new monthly budget. Dare I say I’m loving it? I’m going old school with my notebook and pen and enjoying using it as a giant checkbook, scrolling down and subtracting each purchase we make.
A budget is different to each person, so this post is just sharing ours and is in no way intended to tell others what they should or shouldn’t spend. We took a closer look at our budget and decided we spent too much money on eating out. I had gotten into a bad habit of cooking all week, then we’d spend the weekend eating out for almost every meal. After all, we were out of food at home by then!
So after a family budget meeting (gosh, we are such happy nerds!), we decided to attempt to eat more meals at home, and make our budget for groceries $560 for the month. Though this is a substantial increase in our budget, the money we will theoretically save from eating at home will greatly outweigh the increase.
I know to some this may seem extravagant and others are wondering how we do it on only that much, but this number felt like the right place to start for me. It expanded our grocery budget, but now we’ll need to get 2 more days of meals out of it. Also, I want to keep the quality of our meals high. Food is something I feel is important to our family’s health and therefore a priority in the budget.
Ok, so what does that look like for 1 full week’s worth of food?
As usual, I started with planning the meals-
Chicken Burrito Bowls
Greek Shrimp, Tomato and Feta Skewers, Grilled Corn and Salad
Quinoa Pasta with Summer Vegetables and Goat Cheese
Grilled Steak, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus and Squash
Homemade Veggie Pizza
Gyro Burgers on Pitas and Salad
I also wrote out lunch (quinoa/salad bowls) and breakfast (eggs, fruit, oatmeal) options, as well as snacks needed for David’s snack basket.
I did things a bit backwards this time and actually hit up the farmers market before writing my list. Since I wasn’t sure what I needed, I just grabbed some basics that I know I will always use.
Farmers Market Total- $15.45
Luckily we weren’t charged for Hailey’s thievery.
Gotta watch her like a hawk around tomatoes. I can’t say I blame her though.
Then, it was on to Whole Foods!
We made the trek down to Charlotte because a friend had generously gift me a gift card and I was aching to use it! (Thank you Jordan!!!)
Though I had wandering eyes, I was determined to stick to the list. When the butcher said they were out of ground lamb, my list-holding, type-A self must have looked like someone kicked my dog. Craig (the butcher) asked me what I needed it for and when I told him about my gyro burgers, he suggested ground bison. I loved the idea, but explained to him it cost twice as much and I was on a budget. He graciously offered to let me try it at the lamb price! I was incredibly impressed with their customer service.
When I was trying to choose a steak, I started chatting with a vendor. Steve, from Brasstown Beef, was letting people sample his ground beef. It was delicious and we struck up a conversation about how his farm was only minutes away from where David and I got married. Then we started talking about his high-quality, antibiotic-free and hormone-free beef. I was so impressed with his dedication to quality (read more about it here) that I picked up a rib-eye and left with a new friend.
A full cart and several kids snacks later, we were headed home!
Whole Foods total- $124.62
Though my heart started racing as the total inched over $100, I reminded myself that I went in planning to buy more than usual.
Tzatziki $3.69, Stonyfield Yogurt $3.39, Feta $2.79, Sour Cream $1.59, Goat Cheese $2.99, Fresh Mozzarella $4.49
1 lb Wild Caught Shrimp $10.07, 1 lb ground bison $$7.91, Natural Chicken $6.71, Brasstown Beef Rib-Eye $16.71
Organic Romaine $1.99, White Corn $1.20, Organic Broccoli $4.43, Organic Red Leaf Lettuce $1.99, Meyer Lemon $0.70, White Mushrooms $2.49, 3 Organic Green Peppers $4.03, 2 Zucchini $1.41, Cucumber $1.24, Red Onion $0.79, Garlic $0.44
Yellow Peached $3.49, Organic Cherry Tomatoes $3.11 $2.75 $2.91
Clif Crunch Bars $2.50 each, Stacy’s Pita Chips $2.50, Bulk Almonds $6.69, Organic Green Olives $3.29, Organic Vegetable Broth $1.99, Quinoa Pasta $3.39, Wheat Pita Bread $2.29, Hummus $1.50, yeast $2.19
The week’s grocery total ended up at $140.07. I am pleased with where the total ended up, but am curious to see if it will indeed last us a week. We have some fancy things (fancy steak) on the menu this week, so I know I can bring the total cost down next week with some less expensive meals.
Last night I made Mexican layer bowls/burrito bowls using this cilantro lime quinoa as a base.
Budget month started off on quite a tasty foot!
What is your favorite food budgeting tip?
Erin @ Sugar Magnolia says
Girl is going to town on that tomato!! Love all your pictures!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I usually spend anywhere from $300-$350 every month on groceries for us. That is minus the snacks John buys on his own for his lunches. I told him a while ago I was not spending our budget buying things like Dorito’s and Rice Crispy Treats so if he wanted those things he had to go buy them himself with spending money. I may be mean, but that kind of stuff can eat up a budget! 😉
Brittany Dixon says
Hold up, I’m confused! If John buys them, doesn’t that still add to the food cost? Do you budget just for you?
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I should have specified that we both have allotted “spending money” every week put into our budget. His junk food comes out of that, just like my lunches out/Starbucks trips come out of my spending money.
Brittany Dixon says
Ohhh I gotcha! I love hearing how people budget. I’m always looking for new tips. PS- I can’t believe you are at 32 weeks. Popping over to hear the latest on the girls now… 🙂
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
Two quick things:
1) I highly recommend checking out Joel Salatin’s “Folks This Ain’t Normal”. Your run-in with the natural beef guy made me think of it. I’m getting kind of crazy expanding my garden research into bigger problems with our methods of agriculture. That book is awesome for touching on that, plus many bigger issues (family, ethics, child raising) that is completely ass backwards from how all previous generations before our parents did things (better).
2) Budgeting. Have you checked out Mint.com yet? I was pretty skittish linking most of my financial stuff on the web. But it’s just a fetch so you can see your accounts and make budgets in real time. There’s no possible way for them (or a hacker) to break in and get access to your real accounts to steal money or identity. Maybe check it out.
Brittany Dixon says
1) Sounds like a book I’d get sucked into, thus resulting in several passionate blog posts 😉
2) Yes! I’ve used Mint in the past and it worked great for a month or two, then (clearly I don’t remember all the details) it got screwy and wasn’t keeping track of things correctly, so now I’m trying good old paper and pencil until I get back in the habit!
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
Since you’re on a budget, I’m sure they have it at the library. 🙂
Christina says
One suggestion – have you looked at Target (or a similar place) for the quinoa pasta, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Stoneyfields Farm Yogurt, etc? I have found that Whole Foods charges a lot more for items like that. And I also LOVE Whole Food’s 365 brand – such a great value!
Brittany Dixon says
YES! Definitely. I usually shop at the local farmers market and grocery store or Target. I made a special trip down to Whole Foods this time to use the gift card, but look forward to a lower bill when I hit up Target next week 😉 Thanks!
Beth says
You are so diligent about this! I find myself heading to the store so much more often and racking up our grocery bill as a result. And I work outside of the home, so I eat lunch out if I’m not in the mood for what I brought!
One question, do you budget dog food/treats and diapers/wipes into this? We have two big dogs and a toddler, just wondering because that eats up at least $30/week! Thanks Brittany – love all of these tips!
Brittany Dixon says
Right now, they are in separate categories (Koda and Hailey respectively :)). Koda’s food runs about $40 for the large bag and we need a bag about every 1.5 months. We don’t buy treats (she loves sticks and we use peanut butter if she needs a treat), but we do buy flea/tick meds every 3 months.
We buy Hailey’s diapers and wipes in bulk through diapers.com. Honestly, I need to look closer look at how much it is, but I’m guessing about $75 every 1.5 months?
Maybe I’ll look closer at the categories and expand on them! Thanks 🙂
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
Check out Amazon. With my free Amazon Mom account (yep, my friends are impressed), their prices blew away everywhere we looked, including diapers.com. We use Seventh Generation and Amazon has Size 4 right now for $0.27 each, with free two-day delivery if you’re a Prime member.
Diapers.com has the same at $0.39 per.
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
We use Amazon Subscribe and Save and our diapers are cheap and awesome! I agree with Mike 🙂
nicole @ making good choices says
yes was going to say the same thing! amazon is way cheaper than diapers.com!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
That’s a lot of tomatoes! Must be for your tomato loving girl! I try so hard to budget and fail every month. I end up going to too many grocery stores, farmers markets and Costco almost weekly picking up little things here and there. Not good!
Emily says
Did you already have some staples on hand? I don’t see milk, eggs, oatmeal, etc. Our monthly budget is a bit higher and I still seem to go over 🙁 I recently started meal planning to avoid buying more than I need but I have a tough time deciding between organic and not, and when I go all organic my total is through the roof! I am hoping with more planning ahead I can keep our budget on track. We actually took the Dave Ramsey class a few years ago and budget everything – I love it! We use the envelope system and pay with cash 99% of the time. It is such a nice feeling have every dollar assigned to something at the start of the month! But back to my questions: Do you factor in the staples? and how do you decide what to by local v. organic v. natural? I have read a few articles about how all natural doesn’t really mean healthy. http://organoblondes.blogspot.com/2013/06/all-natural-what-does-that-even-mean.html
Thanks!!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, I definitely already had staples on hand. I keep a big glass jar of oats that I buy in bulk, we don’t usually buy milk and we had leftover eggs from the week before. I’m honestly a bit inconsistent with what I buy organic. I try to buy the most organic I can, but sometimes local wins out over organic. Or I’ll talk to a farmer and feel comfortable with his methods of growing a crop even if it isn’t 100% organic. I usually buy high quality meats and organic produce from the dirty dozen.
I’m a big Dave Ramsey fan myself and think he has great ideas for living within your means!
Kristen says
Does Hailey not drink milk anymore? Did you switch to alternative milk?
Brittany Dixon says
She doesn’t! A month or so ago she wouldn’t drink it. Just decided she didn’t like it, I guess. She never drank a ton of it and I feel comfortable with her food intake so I decided to not worry about it. I offer it to her every now and again and she’ll have some sips, but for the most part, she drinks only water.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Hailey sure looks like she enjoys going grocery shopping! It is nice that you get to share that little fun experience with one another :).
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
560 bucks/month is pretty good for all of the organic produce and all natural meat you buy! We probably spend around 300 bucks per month on food, but it depends. Someday when we have more money, I’d love to be able to buy organic EVERYTHING. Now I have to pick and choose because we can’t afford to buy everything organic. We also buy a lot in bulk at Costco and stock up on canned/frozen foods when it’s on sale!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I use Mint.com and am REALLY trying to stick to a budget (not just for groceries but for everything!) and it’s really helpful since I have the app on my phone, and checking it at the store helps me stick to my list!
Also, that was so nice he let you try the bison at the lamb price!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
I think spending that much at whole foods is actually a success! That place cost an entire paycheck! Also, my inner nerd loved reading this post. I love budgeting and organizing 😉
char eats greens says
I really need to see posts like this because Tyler and I are horrible budgeters and I kind of want to throw up in my mouth a little. We spend WAY more than that on groceries a month…like, I can’t even tell you because it’s SO ridiculous. PLUS, we’re not even buying meat, so what the hell are we spending so much on?!
I think part of it has to do with being in Canada (I really do love my country, they just suck at saving us money on food haha), because I could never get 3 organic bell peppers for $4; I think we got one the other day at it, alone was $4 (BARF!). We just started using a budget program, but I honestly think this month is already a write-off for sticking to it.
Everything is a habit, so hopefully by next month we can get into a routine. We really need to reduce our spending on groceries and I think we’ll be fine. It’s the only area we splurge in, but because it’s reoccurring, it’s basically the main source of why we have no money left at the end of the month! GAH. We need our life in order (sorry for the vent/rant session in your comments haha – you can block me if you need to 😉 haha)
nicole @ making good choices says
char, we spend way more than that too. i buy 90% organic, but from trader joe’s which IS cheaper, but I still usually spend $200 a week! especially with olivia eating more. I feel the same as you as that’s the only area we splurge on.
i love this post brittney. makes me look more at my spending!
Parita says
I agree with one of the commenters above – Target seems to have lots of great deals on certain brands/foods. I don’t make my way there every week but when I do, I try to stock up. Also, I think meal planning is the best budget trick there is. That way, like you said, you can balance cheaper meals with more expensive ones without breaking the bank. And if you have a list, you’re more likely to stick with what’s on it.
Jillian @ Baby Doodah! says
I absolutely love this post!! Though, I am constantly amazed at how you are able to keep your grocery bill so low each week. I also shop for a family of 3 (my son is just over a year) and shop at Wegmans and spend anywhere from $180 to $200 each week. I buy mostly whole foods and we create a meal plan and specific shopping list each week. I also try to stick exactly to the list without going outside it, except for a small treat or two.
I don’t know if I’m missing something or if Wegmans is pricier than Whole Foods (doubt this), but I just can’t get my list that low. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Brittany Dixon says
Haha, I doubt Wegmans is more expensive too! Where do you live? I know food prices can differ pretty greatly state by state.
Also, David doesn’t really eat lunch, just the snack basket, so we don’t spend much on lunch foods since I repeat lunches or eat leftovers. I’m sure that makes an impact.
I’m going to share some of my favorite budget tips tomorrow 🙂
Jillian @ Baby Doodah! says
I live in Buffalo, NY.
I look forward to your tips tomorrow!
Chantal says
We budget $100 a week for groceries. I shop on Thursdays typically, so depending on the month I get $400 or $500 for groceries. I’ve got it down that I typically spend less than $100! Enough food for two adults and a toddler, half organic stuff, mostly veggies and fruit and meat.
Brittany Dixon says
Impressive! Any tips? I’m sharing some of my favorite tips tomorrow!
Halsy says
I didnt read all the comments so maybe you already addressed this question but does your budget include toiletries, household cleaners/toilet paper etc., and items like the food pouches you show Hailey eating for snacks from time to time? Our budget is $300 per month for toiletries, household items and food. We are family of three with 15 month old. She eats everything organic except for bananas and cheerios. I would say the hubby and I eat 50% organic. We buy meat in bulk from a local farm…grass fed beef averaged $3.47 for all cuts! We also try to shop farmers market for produce and honey. We eat all meals at home except 4-6 times per month. I try to meal plan but I think I save the most money buy shopping the sales ad and planning meals around that. Also I have memorized prices at 2 stores for best sale price and normal price for all our most bought items. I use coupons and match with sales for items like yogurt,
Cheerios etc. I also shop CVS for household goods/toiletries. I do pretty good at sticking to $275-$325. Diapers and wipes are in a separate budget
Item-$50-60. I would say a lot of our meals are not as extravagant as your delicious sounding meal plans and we eat seafood a lot less because it’s the most expensive usually.
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so impressed by the price you get that quality beef at- awesome!
We have a separate budget for household items, so the food budget not include that stuff.
I love your tip for shopping sale ads. I’ve never gotten into that, but it sounds like a useful tactic for saving some dough! You sound like a rock star saver!
Danica @ It's Progression says
If you’re nerdy then I’m nerdy too because I seriously loved every bit of this post! Meal planning, list making, and grocery shopping are all fun for me…I think I mentioned it before but my husband and I are trying to stick to a stricter budget as well – eating out less and eating in more/most of the time. We’re trying to see if the 2 of us can get by on $400 a month for groceries in August. Since we’re new to budgeting this is a ballpark that I’ll do my best to stay under, but if I go a little over it’s not that big of a deal either.
Can’t wait to hear more about how this week/month goes!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says
I loved reading this! I’m working on sticking to a food budget for the boyfriend and I – and it only kind of works. Right now I’m anywhere from $80-$120 per week for groceries (Canadian) and I’m trying to max keep it to $80. Eating out definitely adds up, so I try to plan for six dinners at home (and breakfasts and lunches) while giving us one dinner out a week for date night.
Brittany Dixon says
I like the idea of 1 dinner out a week. That way it feels like a treat while being reasonable on a budget! Great tip 🙂
Ashlee@HisnHers says
We spend about $100 per week on food and thats just for 2 people, so I think you’re doing good! It definitely helps cut cost that we only have 1 meat eater in the house I guess!
Dominique @ That's What Domi Said says
Even though I don’t have a husband and munchkin to grocery shop for, I am such a nerd that I love this! Especially the pen-and-paper part…there’s just something so satisfying about checking things off and writing out the numbers in ink.
Heather @ Fit Mama Real Food says
You did such a great job! I am a total pen and paper person too. There’s something almost meditative to writing it out… kind of like writing to-do lists :). My one tip that’s helped a lot is to only pick up what’s on my list, and also have my hubby look at and ‘approve’ it first too… he’ll ask me if we really need a certain item and sometimes we don’t, it’s just something that I want. Then I have to do the tough thing and take it off.
Brittany Dixon says
Why are husbands so good at establishing the want vs need? Party poopers! 😉
Ellen says
I don’t have any amazing suggestions that others haven’t already given, but I will say that you can buy 2lbs of Red Star yeast on Amazon for $9.50.
I used to buy the packets ALL THE TIME because I bake often. I found that buying a huge bag was far more economical. It can keep in the fridge for 1-2 years, or so I hear.
Brittany Dixon says
I totally agree. I hate buying packets, but the yeast they had at whole foods seemed $$$ so I decided to just buy what I needed for the week and stock up elsewhere. Thank you so much for suggesting Amazon! I’ll definitely be checking it out!
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
I do about $120 a week for just me, but I don’t eat out that much. I get sucked into the foodie items!
Melissa says
Where do you find all your tasty looking recipes??
Brittany Dixon says
I like Real Simple for a lot of them. Otherwise, it’s stuff that I make up that are more meal collaborations rather than recipes 🙂
Tarayn says
Love love this post!!! I’m inspired to get my family on a budget!! We’ve recently sold our home and are in the process of downsizing and hopefully becoming mortgage free if all goes according to plan. Whippppeeee!!!! In the mean time My husband and I have decided it will work best for our family if I stay at home with our one year old daughter. I feel a little guilt considering I made a great payday but with him out of town for work so often and my business requiring me to work some nights and weekends it’s not working out very well. Therefore, I need lots of budgeting help!! 🙂 anxious to see how this week/month works out and if you share anything else.
Caitlin says
We set our budget this past weekend and ours is $400/month for the two of us. We eat out on Saturday for lunch and dinner, but otherwise all meals are made at or from home. Not eating meat and very limited dairy (for the husband) saves a good amount of money and shopping at Trader Joe’s saves a lot! Organic is much cheaper there than any other store I visit. I also cook meals for 4 and we eat the same thing two days in a row for supper to save money and time/labor in the kitchen (I LOVE left over night where the only thing I need to wash are the plates we ate off of and some tupperware). We also buy certain things in bulk from Amazon that we either have a hard time finding or are much cheaper there.
Caitlin says
One more thing: I try really hard when planning meals and making the list for the week to look at what we have in the kitchen and making meals based on what we already have to help save on buying more ingredients. A good example is veg broth, I feel like I always have an open container in the fridge going bad that I need to use up.
Emily S says
The best way for me to save money is to look at the Harris Teeter circular to see what’s on special, then to try stack coupons on top of that, then plan my meals based on that. I refer to my pinterest board for new meals to incorporate.
I have never been a crazy couponer, but I find that when I do a TINY bit of matching up (i.e. just using 4-5 coupons in a trip), I tend to save 30% on the dot.
Also I am going to try ALDI here soon-great post here on what to buy: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/aldi-101-what-to-buy-at-aldi/
Casey @ Salted Plates says
I love that you aren’t getting ride of fun meals just to make your budget. PB & J can only get you so far. I have started budgeting for August but have yet to do a post on it mostly because I don’t trust myself to keep up. I know we need to save money though and it seems like budgeting food will be the easiest way. I already have a fully stocked pantry and lots of pickles and jams so it shouldn’t be too hard. I will be interested in following your budget journey. As a vegetarian who lives with her boyfriend ours is a lot lower since we don’t purchase much meat and don’t have kids. I have been really into meal planning for over a year now but I think I need to work on meal planning for what we have not what I want to eat all the time.
Elle @ The Clean Project says
We use cash envelopes for our food budget. We used to just have all the cash for the pay period at once, but we would spend a bunch in the first week and then be strapped the second week. Now we divide it up by week so that that doesn’t happen. I HAVE to make lists before I go to the grocery store so that I can stay on budget.
alex says
I know it is a bit personal so I understand not wanting to do this but you should totally post a budget or your budget groups. It is nice to see what everyone’s is. It really helps me determine if I should split mine up
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve debated it, but since money is so personal and can be a touchy subject, I’ve opted to just share the grocery portion. I would be open to posting the categories though because I do think that is neat to see! Thanks 🙂
Molly @ Duchess of Fork says
I have got to get our grocery budget under control! I end up spending about $180 a week but that includes household items like paper towels, zip locks, etc. DO you budget those separately? I’m enjoying these posts!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes! Household items (paper towels, dish detergent, etc) are in their own ‘household items’ category. The food category cover food (duh), alcohol, tea/coffee and basics, like butter, and oil.
dr. arvind prasad says
Hi,
I want the list of grocerries for vegetarian family to prepare monthly budget can you provide?
Marie says
I love your blog. I just found it on google because me and my husband are getting into meal prepping. Your smile and happiness definitely has me excited for this new chapter! Thank you so much for your great tips 🙂