So I went grocery shopping yesterday.  My goal for the month is to spend $240 a month or less on basic food items for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.  That’s an average of $60 a week – I had previously been spending closer to $70 (or more).  I have allowed myself a small amount of money for dining out and for the occasional fast food intake but they, too, have been significantly shaved back. 

I made up a list of what I wanted to eat over the course of the month and checked my pantry thoroughly for what I already had.  I made sure to include a few extras of basic items so if I didn’t plan right I’d still have something (hopefully) to eat at the end of the month.  Looking at the size of my grocery list was a bit daunting as I usually only shop one week at a time – seeing the list with four weeks of food on it was a little overwhelming at first, as was my cart when I saw how much food was being tossed into it!

The worst part was standing in the meat department and having to throw item after item into my cart.  I usually can only afford one type of meat a week and I break it up into a couple of different meals.  Today, though, I had a big package of hamburger, some Italian sausage, a family sized package of chicken thighs, a small package of chicken breasts, half a turkey breast (because it was on sale for such a great price), some bacon and a couple containers of chicken livers (those are for the dogs - not me!)  Yes, seeing all that meat lying in the cart made me start to swoon.  I had to keep repeating to myself, “This is for the whole month.  This is for the whole month.  This is for the whole month…”

I don’t think I bought anything that wasn’t on my list (except for one item that I knew I needed but forgot to put on the list in the first place.)  Here’s what I did do differently this week:

I didn’t buy any snack foods – no chips, no dips, no sweets of any kind.  Instead, I bought some frozen berries and some canned fruit to use to make light desserts and snacks.  I figured if I had a craving for something I could go and buy a small amount of it at the time of the craving and that way I wouldn’t have a whole huge bag of Cheetos lying around the house for me to stare at until it was all gone. 

I also didn’t buy ANY diet coke (although that was because it wasn’t on sale.  I will probably break down and buy some somewhere else – just not as much as I would normally buy.) 

I also didn’t buy any “foo foo” items like ready-to-bake rolls, specialty cheeses, organic eggs, pre-packaged meals, etc.  I bought yeast and bread flour to make bread with and I already have Bisquick at home to use for biscuits. 

I bought all my canned goods with the store brand names instead of the national brands.  Whatever had the best price went in the cart. 

Shopping finally complete, I headed for the checkout lanes where I handed the cashier my five cloth bags and swiped my debit card while I fully prepared myself for the overwhelming news of how much all of this would cost. 

The total came to $103.97.  Taking out the total I spent on dog food my part of the groceries came to exactly $91.50. 

What?  WHAT?  Are you kidding me?  Did you count all the meat?  Did you get all those canned goods?  Are you sure you didn’t miss something? 

No…she hadn’t missed anything. 

Seems when you shop for only what you need, buy only store-brands, and don’t spend half your food allowance on pre-packaged crap, you spend a lot less money.  Who knew?   

I came home and put away the groceries.  I left the turkey breast out to cook for dinner that night – the rest of the food got split into normal-sized portions, wrapped in foil and stuck up in the freezer.  I have enough stuff to make chili, Cambridge Casserole, pulled chicken sandwiches, roast turkey, Chicken & Asparagus casserole, Chicken fingers, Pasta with Italian Sausage, pasta with artichokes and mushrooms, pizza and a few more meals I’m sure I am forgetting.  Unbelievable. 

I think I have about 3-4 weeks of meals in my fridge at this point.  I will obviously have to go back to get more dairy & fresh produce but I only plan to do that twice a month instead of once a week.  I can’t wait to see how much of my $240 I spend by the end of the month and what next month is like when I don’t have a lot of leftovers already IN my pantry. 

But, on the whole, I’m very pleased.  As long as I keep planning ahead and remember to defrost as I go, I should be golden.  I’m working on making up a master checklist of items that I use the most – canned goods, spices, frozen foods, etc. so I can easily check my pantry, load my list and head to the grocery store.  Once I get through this month and see how much I use I will better know how much to plan for next month. 

So yes, Gayla, the force WAS with me.  I did very well at the grocery store and can’t wait to see how it all works out.  I know the turkey breast I cooked last night was delicious!