I’m currently challenging myself to stick with a $70 grocery budget for our family of five. This includes almost all of our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners + most household products (toiletries, laundry soap, etc.).
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People ask me all the time if I think it’s possible to eat healthfully on a budget. And my answer is always, absolutely!
You might spend a little more if you decide to prioritize certain things, but you can find great deals on clean and healthy (and even organic!) foods.
We choose to have a pretty balanced diet around here. I buy some treats and junk food and then we also eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. That’s what works for our family.
But something else might work for your family — and you can still find plenty of creative ways to keep your grocery budget low. It’s all about deciding that you are going to do the best you can instead of throwing up your hands and convincing yourself that you can’t.
This morning, I ran into Kroger to get some of the deals that are part of their Buy 4, Get $5 Off sale. I ended up not even having any time to get those because I found so many markdowns and great deals.
Markdowns are one of my favorite ways to save money on healthful foods. And so many stores offer them (people keep telling me that Target has great markdowns on meat! Have you found that to be true? I need to go scout out Target soon!).
Thursday Kroger Shopping Trip
Here’s what I got:
- 2 packages of Chicken Leg Quarters — marked down to $2.76 and $2.82
- 1 tub of yogurt — marked down to $0.29
- 4 boxes of Simple Truth Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti — $1.29 per box, used $0.50/1 Kroger Digital coupon = $0.79 per box after the coupon
- 1 package of Round Steak — marked down to $3.75
- 1 big bag of apples — marked down to $0.99
- 1 huge tub of Organic Mixed Greens — marked down to $2.99
- 1 package of Hillshire Brats — marked down to $1.49
- 2 packages of Ground Beef — marked down to $3.79 per pound
- Total with tax: $27.44
More posts to check out:
I have the 99 cent store chain in my area (central California) and I find great deals every time I stop in. For example, I bought small containers of organic fresh berries (blueberries and blackberries) for 99 cents! They have a wide variety of produce for that price. They have a wonderful selection of breads for 99 cents as well. That is really inexpensive for California! I buy quite a few grocery items there, and often find organic name brand versions. Be creative and open-minded about where you shop; you can often find great bargains in unexpected locations. By the way, I also routinely buy marked down meat at my local Target.
I have heard so many great things about 99 cent stores — I so want to get to shop at one soon! I don’t believe we have any nearby us — or at least not that I can find.
Do you find that Kroger does markdowns on particular days? Our nearest Kroger is 40 min away. I’m tempted to go, but thinking of calling the store to ask if they tend to do more markdowns on a particular day, before I make the trip.
I have 3 stores nearby and they all do markdowns daily. Each department produce, meat, etc
I have taken the skills you have taught me like buying things on special or sale that week and building my menu on that, stocking up when I can, stacking coupons, etc. to other stores like Safeway which is in my area. I find amazing deals! You have helped me so much and it isn’t about a certain store it’s about budgeting and learning helpful skills!
Thanks so much!!! You are a blessing to our family.
This makes me SO happy! Way to go! And thank you for taking the time to share!
I appreciate you sharing your deals!! I think an important thing you said is that you have to figure out what is manageable for YOUR family. And yes it is subject to the cost of living in your area. We are a family of five also, but with corn and wheat allergies, plus our choice to eat tons of fresh produce, we do spend a lot more than your family. But to each their own right? For me, $600 per month is my budget. I shop mostly “regular stores” like Kroger and Giant Eagle but watch sales, I coupon, and stock up when appropriate. I spend more on groceries than some people, but I’m sure I spend less in other areas (eg we hardly ever eat out). An important thing is to figure out what your money priorities are and set manageable budgets for each category.
In my experience discussing budgeting with other moms, a huge factor in sticking to a grocery budget is actually tracking what you spend EVERY TIME you go to the store. You need to see those numbers and keep a running total so you know how close you’re getting to your max. I find many people don’t do that so it’s extremtly easy to go over. I just type the total in my phone on the “notes” app and add it after each trip to make sure I’m staying on track for the month. Then start the total over the next month. I need to see it so I don’t overspend!!
Thank you so much for sharing! There was so much wise advice in this comment!
We don’t have Kroger, Aldi or Wal-Mart in our area of California. I’m finding it more and more difficult to stick to a budget for groceries. I do shop at Safeway and Trader Joe’s and roadside stands for fruits and veggies but a bag of locally grown apples is $5.
What other stores do you have? Any discount grocery outlets? Have you searched for bloggers who are covering deals in your area?
Pamela, If it helps you out Kroger has many affiliates. Not sure about California but in the northwest and Alaska they are Fred Meyers. They have lots of names. Also some areas are just more expensive. I live in a very expensive area but we do what we can to save. Takes a little creativity sometimes.
Yes, cost of living varies widely by area….and you can still stretch your grocery dollars. We live in the Bay Area in California–probably the most expensive place to live in the state, if not the country.
We shop at Trader Joe’s and Grocery Outlet. Our small local grocery store often offers bags of ripe apples or bananas for $1.99. During this time of year we also get lots of zuchinni, tomatoes and lemons from our friends sharing their garden bounty. Since we are over 55, for $20 a year, we can sign up for a weekly bag of vegetables from our local organization of Grey Bears.
We also shop in bulk at Costco and share the items with our kids since the quantities are too large for us. I’m boiling down a meaty chicken carcass for soup tonite—that $5 chicken was used in salads and sandwiches all week.
I’m inspired by the grocery budget challenge and I’m inspired seeing the bargains Chrystal gets every week–its like a treasure hunt!
Love these posts… They inspire me to keep looking for the deals.
For those that do not have a store with phenomenal deals, try scouring the ad for those items you can make on a budget. Plan your meals for the week based on the ad. There is always a way to save a dime here or penny there. Involve your family; have them look at the good deals and see if they can come up with creative meal ideas. I am lucky to be afford the time to drive well out of the way to go to a Kroger to get the best prices, but to make the trips worth while I stretch it out as far as I can.
I don’t have a Kroger or an Aldi near me. However, these posts inspire me SO much because they cause me to look around at what I do have and see how I can find a deal. My local Winn Dixie marks items down regularly and this post reminded me that I need to take a few minutes to run in and scan for markdowns when I’m in the area. Thanks for sharing! I think I will stop in today while I’m running another errand. Fingers crossed for some deals!
YAY! This makes me so happy! Thank you for sharing!
Krogers digital coupons are great, although I do wish I could combine them with paper coupons, I think it was okay at one point, but not anymore…
Yes, I know! But at least there are still so many good deals with the digital coupons!
This is so great, I really loved seeing that I can eat healthy on a budget, thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome!
Yikes! I am sure you are used to it but I am sorry for all the rough comments this morning! I spend more than $70 a week for our family AND I still enjoy reading your posts even if my life isn’t the same as yours. Keep on sharing!
Aw, thank you so much!
Crystal, thank you so much for your inspiring posts! It can be really easy to compare, complain, and make excuses. I know I’m guilty of all of those. I love that you challenge us to think outside the box and get creative in all areas of our lives! I truly enjoy reading about all of the great deals you find (and all of your other “real life” posts)! Have a wonderful day!
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement, Ashley! I’m so grateful!
It’s way different when you don’t live near discount grocery stores. The nearest discount grocery store is 90 miles away. I think you are able to save more money because you don’t do your grocery shopping at normal grocery stores. I’d like to see you do a series on healthy eating on a budget at a normal grocery store!
Kroger is actually a normal grocery store — I just have learned really creative ways to shop there and I follow KrogerKrazy.com for deals. The only discount grocery store we have here is Aldi… I wish we had a true discount grocery store or outlet, but instead, I’ve learned to be creative with what we have!
Kroger, Meijer, Walmart & Aldi are the main grocery stores where I live. (I’m actually lucky enough to live less than 5 miles from all 4 )
While my budget is a smidge higher for our family of 7 ($100 a week)
I actually shop very similar to you Crystal…and I agree, creativity is key! I appreciate your blog & posts immensely! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Kroger (and affiliates) is a mainstream grocery store in many areas of the country
I love our Fred Meyer, the Kroger store in the Northwest. Not only is it a regular grocery store, they have an excellent gardening section, hardware, home decor, clothes and a great organic section. Another bonus, each location usually has a Starbucks!
It can appear expensive, but if you look, Fred Meyer is full of good deals.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Fred Meyer offers that service where you can order online and they will bring your groceries out to your car, for a fee. It is amazing!
Yeah, but I live in the land of no Kroger.
We also eat way more dairy, fruit and veggies than you buy every week. I actually spend in a week what you spend for the whole month for our family of 5!
Don’t compare your budget to our budget, okay? Figure out what works for you and do that! However, I can tell you that we lived in the land of no Kroger and I found other creative ways to save. I want to write a post on that soon!
We don’t have Kroger but we do have Aldi and it would be so easy shopping only at Aldi
Yes, my Target has great meat markdowns if you go when they first open. I’ve gotten four packs of sirloin steak for $4!!
Yes!! I love the Target meat markdowns!
My favorite score has been a beef roast …
It was amazing!