Walmart
I tried something different this week and shopped at Walmart online. I found some things cheaper than Aldi and others slightly more expensive. I used a $10 off coupon that I had making it a great deal. The prices below are listed after the $10 off.
1 Great Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips – $2.14
1 Sara Lee Loaf Bread – $1.44
1 pkg Chicken Breasts – $6
1 bag Apples – $4.51
5 Roma Tomatoes – $2.04
1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $1.83
2 Cucumbers – $0.90 each
2 Red Grapefruit – $1.09 each
1 bag Red Grapes – $4.05
1 Pineapple – $1.83
2 Sweet Potatoes – $0.20 each
1 Green Pepper – $0.75
2 Avocados – $0.78 each
3 Zucchini – $2.92
1 Half & Half – $4.88
1 lb Butter – $3.68
1 bag Baby Carrots – $0.90
1 bag Frozen Green Beans – $0.77
2 bags Broccoli – $0.90 each
1 bag Tortillas – $1.83
1 pkg Danimals Yogurt – $4.97
1 Cottage Cheese – $1.83
1 Pasta Sauce – $1.32
1 Applesauce Cups – $1.83
1 (15 count) Sunbelt Granola Bars – $3.53
1 Rice Crispers Cereal – $1.70
2 (18 count) Eggs – $2.93 each
1 gallon Milk – $2.83
Total: $64.83
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Eggs, Bacon, Yogurt, Pumpkin Muffins, Fruit Smoothies
Lunches
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches/Carrots/Grapes x 2, Mac & Cheese/Apples/Cucumbers x 2, Chicken Nuggets/Peppers/Cucumbers/Carrots, Crackers/Cheese/Apples/Peanut Butter, Leftovers, Out to eat (for my son’s birthday!)
Dinners
Tossed Salad Bar with Chicken, Pumpkin Muffins
Bean Burritos, Chips & Guacamole
Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Homemade Rolls
Barbecue Meatballs, French Bread (from freezer), Sauteed Zucchini
Lasagna, Biscuits, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit Smoothie
Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Steamed Broccoli
What percentage or how much more do you think you pay for items compare to the last year or so?
It’s really hard to say. A lot of items have gone up at least $1-$2 in price (milk, eggs, half & half, meat) but then some items haven’t (produce, bread). I haven’t really sat down to think about percentages. I’m mostly just trying to adjust and get creative where I can. I hope that helps! – Gretchen, MSM Team
I thought I was doing well so far on grocery savings, thanks to your blog. After stocking the pantry a bit, I managed to get it down to $250 this month for 2 people. To test prices here, I tried to match your grocery list at my local stores, but the lowest I could get is $91, and I tried 3 different places and mixed and matched depending on what was lower in price. I tried online at the nearest Walmart, an hour away, and yes, I managed to hit $76. So with a $10 coupon, I could get the same/similar items for almost the same price. So prices are 20% higher here. I guess that’s the cost of the gas to bring them over haha. I was just curious, and your lists really do help us gauge how we’re doing. Thank you.
But if you’re feeding 6 at this cost, then god help me. and we only eat 1 meal a day! Rarely any snacks, no junk food, mainly meats and produce. I even bake my own bread. Maybe my pantry isn’t as stocked up as I thought it was? I do wish I had a larger freezer. There are some weekly grocery deals that are too good to miss but without freezer storage space, I end up missing out. Or maybe our meals are a little more elaborate. I do a lot of one-pot rice/meat/veg dinners with a side salad, but I also love your freezer meals so I always have at least one of those prepared for the days I’m too tired to cook. I cook just enough that we rarely have leftovers and when we do, we definitely have leftover night to finish them off.
I guess I’ll just keep trying to do my best.
You are doing a GREAT job! $250 a month for 2 people is amazing! Good job! This week was a lot less expensive than last week since I purchased a lot of meat and necessities last week. Most weeks, I spend around $115 for the week. Keep up your hard work! – Gretchen, MSM Team
$250/month is nothing to be upset about! Don’t forget that there is definitely something to the phrase “cheaper by the dozen”. We average a little over $100/week for a family of six. BUT you can’t just say take $450 and divide it by six to get $150/mo for two people. My kids have hearty appetites, but they aren’t adult eaters. Buying in bulk works great for me but the food might spoil before you use it. I have a huge deep freezer. I was at my mom’s and her grocery store had a sale: 40lbs of chicken breasts for $40 (I had to divide it up and freeze it myself). There’s no way you could do that.
We do eat simply (no steak, produce in season, etc.) But the freezer makes a big difference because I can stock up on meat when it’s on sale. If you have room for a small extra freezer maybe you can find one on sale or second hand. Do you have a place you could grow salad greens? Those can be expensive and fairly easy to grow at least during part of the year.
Definitely don’t look at a family of six and try to divide from there. After the first two or three people it gets “cheaper” to add the next person because of how you have to buy. Or so I’m telling myself, haha. My boys aren’t teens yet ;).
Thank you so much! It feels good to know I did well this month. I hope I can maintain it, now that my pantry is doing quite ok. I manage some non-meat meals, with canned tuna occasionally which is good. Trying to satisfy my carnivore husband haha. A small deep freezer would be very useful, but we are currently at a short term rental until we move again, so maybe 6 months. And the kitchen is super duper tiny – Just enough standing room to swivel and access everything including the fridge which is luckily full sized! Growing salad greens is also a no go at the moment.
You definitely have me thinking! Maybe an under-counter mini freezer. I will start the hunt…