We went to ALDI and Kroger on Sunday night and got some great deals.
Note: If you missed my post on Why I’m Back to Grocery Shopping, Menu-Planning, and Freezer Cooking, be sure to read it here.
Our Grocery Budget
We currently budget $125 per week for groceries for our family of 5. This does not include eating out once a week (we budget separately for that).
We also get some of our expensive groceries and personal products (such as makeup) via Amazon using credit earned from Swagbucks + we get the majority of our household products (cleaners, toothpaste, detergent, etc.) via credit earned from Grove.
I only spent $100, which leaves me wiggle room to buy more markdowns at Kroger if I have time to swing by there later this week to see if they have some great markdowns. If I don’t have time or they don’t have good markdowns, I’ll roll over the extra $$ to next week.
Here’s what we bought:
ALDI Shopping Trip
- Kidney beans — $0.59
- Diced tomatoes — $0.59
- Frozen corn — $0.95
- Baby carrots — $0.99
- 1 bag chicken breasts — $5.49
- 2 loaves of wheat bread — $0.99 each
- 4 yogurts — $0.29 each
- Arizona Green tea — $0.74
- Cashew halves — $2.99
- Diced tomatoes with green chili — $0.59
- Mini cucumbers — $0.99
- Baby lettuce — $1.99
- Feta crumbles — $1.79
- Dried cranberries — $1.29
- Canned Broth — $0.49
- Maple syrup — $6.49
- 5 Nectarines — $0.35 each
- Tortilla chips — $1.19
- Blueberries — $1.49
- Peanut butter — $1.49
- 1 bag of oranges — $1.69
- Chocolate chips — $1.79
- 3 packages of corn on the cob — $0.99 each
- Bananas — $2.52
- Pears — $2.49
- Romaine hearts — $1.99 (got $0.25 back Checkout 51)
- Greek yogurt — $0.75
- Whole milk — $2.39
- Honey — $4.99
- Honey Nut Oats — $1.19
- Strawberry preserves — $1.49
- String cheese — $1.99
- Cheddar cheese — $1.69
- Tomatoes — $1.49
- Half & Half — $1.89
- 2 pair of girl’s shorts for $0.99 each — I was SO excited about this deal!
- Total with tax — $74.26 (Plus, I uploaded my receipt to Yaarlo & earned a little cashback for doing so. If you haven’t signed up with Yaarlo, use my coupon code MONEYSAVINGMOM when you sign up to earn more.)
Kroger Shopping Trip
- 2 packages of bacon — $2.50 each
- 2 packages Applegate Peach Sausage — $3.79 each
- 2 packages ground pork — $3.49 each
- Eggs — reduced to $1.79
- Sub sandwich buns — marked down to $0.99
Total with tax: $24.03 (Plus, I uploaded my receipt to Yaarlo & earned a little cashback for doing so. If you haven’t signed up with Yaarlo, use my coupon code CRYSTALP861 when you sign up to earn more.)
This Week’s Menu Plan
Interested in what we’re eating this week? You can see our menu plan for this week here. I plan our menu based upon what we already have on hand, so I didn’t have to buy every single item needed to make everything on our menu.
Struggling with menu planning? Check out this post on How to Be a Meal Planning Mama.
How much did you spend on groceries this week? Tell us in the comments!
Jennifer says
Just wondering if you would share what your budget would be for grocery/household weekly if you did not have all the credits to use?
Julie says
Yes, would love to know how much in credits you “spend” weekly.
Spent $120 this week at Aldi for our family of 9. Still need to pick up some good coffee; this is the one item I cannot buy at Aldi (too acidic!)
Crystal Paine says
I don’t think it would be much more than this. I only use the credit because I have it — we use it for fun extras and things I probably would not buy if it were not for the credit. Otherwise, I’d find creative ways to get those items for free (by playing the drugstore game, etc.) or to cut back in other areas on our grocery budget to allow room for these items.
Aimee says
Love saving at Aldi!! I spent $75 there today. I had to purchase a few additional items at another store but was pleased I found 90% of our groceries at Aldi
Meg says
WooHoo! Congrats on your savings! 🙂 -Meg, MSM Team
Mary says
Crystal, would you mind sharing how much you spend with Swaybacks per month? I am feeding a family of four a whole foods, mostly grain free diet with lots of protein and produce. We spent $600 per month. I tend to do several large trips because I buy in bulk as this saves me time and trips to the store. Plus I have three kids four and under and going grocery shopping with all of them is exhausting!
Crystal Paine says
I think it probably averages out to be around $25 per week? Most of it is stuff that is just extras — fun snacks, etc. — and I’d find a way to do without it if we didn’t have the credit.
B. says
Me too!