Comments on: Everything We Buy To Keep Our Monthly Grocery Budget Under $300

By: Danalyn Broder

Danalyn Broder — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 07:59:08 +0000

I love your transparency about how your lifestyle and budget around food may not work for everyone.

My partner and I are both cooking fanatics and we have almost zero care or concern over our grocery budget because of this.

Reading your tips and tricks for saving at the grocery store reminded me of some of your simple yet effective hacks that can benefit even the boujiee shoppers/chefs!

Things like:
- monthly stocking of staples like rice(!!!), spices and seasonings at Costco
-buying produce weekly for quality control and limiting waste

Thanks for being so relatable!!!!

By: Alyssa Fischer

Alyssa Fischer — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 16:05:29 +0000

In reply to Jennifer.

Totally agree! I am the same.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 23:23:21 +0000

Great ideas! I got out of the habit of shopping at Superstore, but was reminded by your article how reasonably priced they are. We spend way to much on groceries for a family of 2 ($700/month). I tell/told myself that any money left over at the end of the month is for bulk items at warehouse sized stores (toilet paper, etc)...you know who I mean :-). After doing some self-examination, I realized that my biggest mistake is that I no longer do one or two shopping trips a month. It's become much easier for me to go to the store whenever I feel like it, because I have the time on my hands. And we all know what that means! Go to the store for a carton of milk and come out with a few bags of groceries. Before, when I did one major shop a month, I would sometimes go to the local convenience store for a carton of milk. It sounds counterintuitive, because the prices are higher. But it also meant I wasn't tempted to buy other things, so I would walk out with only the milk. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do this all the time, but certainly when I was tired or hungry and knowing that I would spend a lot more in a regular store.

By: Claudia

Claudia — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 04:06:04 +0000

I spend roughly $ 300 - 350/mth for myself eating organic and some meat but about 60% plant-based and cook from scratch wven my condiments.
This incl cleaning supplies, the occasional bottle of wine etc.
I get free grocery delivery - that bances out the higher product price for me as my time is money as well for me.
I cook all meals at home and take lunch to work. I have not eaten out all of 2020 and have not ordered out either.
I meal plan and then meal prep on Sun for the week spending about 60 - 90mins and not really any work tod o during the week for dinners and eating in like 10mins.
I teach cooking classes how to get dinner on the table from raw to ready in 20mins or less.

I had to live on lower budget and know I can do it but I like variety and I am a bit a Foodie. I choose to cut expense elsewhere - personal choice.

By: Yusef

Yusef — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 09:35:39 +0000

We definitely have some pruning to do (currently spending ~ $1400/month for family of three)! We have two meat eaters and one vegan. While I doubt we could get the budget as low as yours, you have motivated us to cut it in half (as 1400 is way over the average). Thanks for the tips (and inspiration to do it).

By: Alyssa Fischer

Alyssa Fischer — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 15:12:39 +0000

In reply to Joshua.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 22:53:53 +0000

Hey we are a family of 4 in Edmonton with 2 adults and 2 elementary age kids, we typically spend 400 per month on food if we stick to our budget, we also eat meat and garden as much as possible in the summer. One tip if anyone does eat meat is to buy large bone in items on sale if possible and portion and freeze them, or to cook them right away into a meal like a lasagna and freeze for a quick dinner. Also not having meat every meal and choosing more sustaining foods like nuts or higher fat cheeses as snacks that will give you more bang for your buck. I prefer cooking traditional money saving meals using bone in meats. One example is to roast a chicken with veg with costs on average about 15-20 dollars for the initial meal. Chicken potatato carrots onions roasted and a mixed green salad or coleslaw. Will serve 6 easily, then any leftovers for lunch. Then using the bones make a very thrifty soup using anything in the fridge for veg that's close to it's life expectancy and some cheap staples like brown rice or quinoa, beans whatever to make a nice soup for dinner or lunch the next day or can be frozen for a few weeks and portioned if you like for a quick lunch option. We also like to buy wholesale staple items and maybe spend 250 at one time in one store then pick up things like milk or greens as needed and find that that initial haul of staple items lasts longer than 1 month. Hope this helps!

By: Alyssa Fischer

Alyssa Fischer — Mon, 06 May 2019 16:08:17 +0000

In reply to kat.

The convenience fee is actually for pick-up. They shop and pack, and then come deliver the groceries to our vehicle. Super nice for days when it's really cold and you don't want to get out to go in and pack up! Health issues totally change your relationship with groceries. I've been there when I was struggling with allergies. However, I think you'll be able to find some "classic" meals that are always easy/fun and that work with your lifestyle! I hope, anyways!

By: kat

kat — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:04:19 +0000

Is the convenience fee there because you get your groceries delivered? This post is really inspiring – we used to spend $1200/m on groceries for 2 SMH. It’s a bit tough as I have severe health issues that impact what I can eat and need to take supplements (which I include in my grocery budget). I’ve managed to whittle it down to about $600/m over the last year and a bit, but you’ve inspired me to take it down even more. Also, your "boring" meals look delicious 😉

By: Alyssa Fischer

Alyssa Fischer — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:53:36 +0000

In reply to Amy.

PS: our baby is nearly 9 months and I’m now finding feeding her to be an added expense! Try to do more frozen produce if you can. I find it saves us a lot of money.