A few days ago, I was laughing to Clay about how I used to wander around the grocery store when we first were married. After work on a random day of the week I would decide we needed groceries.
I would go in to the grocery without any plan at all and just get what I saw.
Walking through the aisles, I would just gather up what I thought might be good for the week. I would buy a little bit of chicken, a little bit of produce, a little bit of cheese.
I probably had a meal in mind in my head, but there were no recipes being used to make a grocery list. If I thought we would have homemade pizza that week, I would generally gather the ingredients to put one together.
I generally felt pretty good about myself because my total was always around the $60 mark.
This budgeting and low spending thing was something I had mastered, so I thought!!
Sometimes I would make it home with all of the ingredients needed to feed us for the week, but most of the times I wouldn’t. I would be missing the pizza sauce or the rice or some other random thing.
Needing just one item to finish making a meal would always lead to a really bad thing…
Running into the store to get just one item.
$20 or $30 later, I would be leaving the store with just one item, but also about 5 more things because I could only run in right after work. After work is also when I happened to be starving!
What do we do when we’re hungry in the grocery store?
Overspend!
Now I can see that I was making so many grocery budgeting mistakes!
- I was initially shopping without a plan.
- Running into the store to get just one or two items was a norm.
- Shopping while I was hungry was a consistent thing.
These three things alone will ruin a grocery budget!!
Now that I’m a mama, I don’t have time to make those mistakes!
Groceries and meals are something that have to get done every single day.
There isn’t any time to just wander around the store!
Having all of the ingredients on hand to make the meal that I am trying to make is essential because running back to the grocery isn’t an option.
By the time I strapped two babies in the car, carted them around the store and came home, I would have two VERY hungry and VERY grumpy kids on my hands!
By this point, you may be wondering what our grocery budget is.
Our family of 4 budget is $350 a month for groceries. I tend to stay closer to $300, but the $50 keeps things from being too tight and no fun!
I have 3 very simple rules I follow to keep us on budget every month.
- Meal planning
I never ever ever ever ever go into the store or order groceries without a meal plan and a grocery list made from that plan.
My meals are always planned out first with the food we have still remaining in our refrigerator or pantry. This eliminates food waste and saves tons of money.
After I have used the ingredients we already own, I begin filling in the remainder of the days with meals. My grocery list is made only from these plans.
There is no willy nilly buying, and I know I will have all of the ingredients necessary for each meal when it’s time to make it because it’s on my list!
I don’t just plan out dinners, breakfast, lunch and snacks are included in my plan as well.
I think through it all and then check what we may be running low on in terms of pantry items like flour or sugar.
Meal planning is crucial to grocery budgeting success.
Download my free meal planning printable here!
2. No shopping between trips
This rule is hard, and honestly sometimes we do break it (especially if I am pregnant!) But as a general rule, we do not go to the grocery between my large grocery shops.
I shop once every 10 days. So, usually the 1st, the 10th, and the 20th of each month. All of the meals are planned out for those 10ish days and I go and stock up.
10 days seems to be the sweet spot for our family because:
- Fresh produce and meat stays good in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
- 3 times a month keeps me from feeling like I’m constantly going to the store.
- It makes budgeting each trip simple! (3 trips at $100/trip=$300/month!)
We really work to not run out and buy things between these big grocery shops because that is where it’s so easy to spend an extra $30 here and $50 there.
Which blows our grocery budget to pieces.
3. Use grocery pickup or delivery
This one is a LIFE CHANGER if you haven’t already been doing it.
Pick up your groceries.
Especially if you have little kids, you will never go back to the old days of pushing a cart around a busy store for an hour.
I pull up, groceries are loaded in my car, and in 10 minutes, I’m headed back home.
No screaming children. No not being able to find powdered mustard for 15 minutes. Forget impulse buying 7 things that I don’t need.
It’s so convenient, but its also amazingly good for your budget.
You see the total before you check out. If you’re over budget (or under budget!) you are aware and can go and edit your meal plan accordingly.
There’s no stress trying to mentally add up your total while you’re shopping. There aren’t any worries when you get to the cashier and find you’re over budget.
Grocery pickup seriously makes life so much easier, and it’s free at most grocery stores now!
Budgeting your groceries doesn’t have to be stressful.
In fact, I think it’s really fun!!
Make things easier on yourself, by meal planning, only shopping on pre-planned days and using grocery pickup.
Trust me, your wallet will thank you!!