Working on trimming the grocery bill

(you thought it was going to be another 6 month hiatus from me, didn't you?...  For a little bit, I thought it was too, but then came tonight in its glorious 'I've got enough time to sit down for a minute and blog' type of feeling and maybe a little bit of angels singing melodious tunes in the background... and here I am. Much less than a 6 months wait. Thank you very much.)

I'm going to address something that in a round about way is weight loss related, but also finance related, and mom/wife related as well.

The finance area that I think (at least for me) is most neglected and disorganized is my grocery bill. I've made attempts over the last few years to meal plan, research budget friendly meals, go shopping weekly etc etc. I like having fresh food in the house. I'm not snobby because I do eat unhealthy things like everyone else... but when I cook for my kids I try to be really healthy. We don't eat a lot of pasta in this house. We don't eat a lot of processed food. I try to keep the ingredients list at a bare minimum and I shop (selectively) the outer areas of the grocery store.... I'm not trying to toot my own horn here for being a "good" eater. I still buy goldfish and doritos... I'm just making a point that eating healthy can get expensive! and it adds up quick!

When I go shopping once a week after making a weekly meal plan... our grocery bill is usually about $125-$150 a week (or $500-$600/month) Its not outrageous... But its still a big chuck of money. ($6,000-$7,200/year) And it doesn't include the nights where nothing sounds good and I end up calling the chinese delivery guy to bring me enough wonton soup for the masses. a funny story for another day, my friends.

So a few weeks ago I ran across another blog (which I have since lost :( sorry!) that mentioned the idea of doing monthly grocery shopping and how it ultimately saved so much money in the long run. This goes with monthly meal planning instead of weekly and one great big long haul to the grocery store and trying to not go again for 4 weeks. After I read it, I was hooked and decided to give it a go.

These were the first questions I had on my notes when I was beginning my adventure. I think its a good starting point for sharing...

MONTHLY MEAL PLANS?? Are you kidding me?

The truth is, its actually really easy if you are already used to weekly meal planning. I picked some recipes that I know we can split into 2 meals (casseroles, soups) and planned to freeze the leftovers to have later in the month instead of later in the week because.... I HATE leftovers. And trying to eat them sometimes 3-4x in a week so you don't waste food is yucky to me. But after a few weeks down the road, its not so bad.

To make things easier I also did more of a scheduled plan like every thursday we eat this recipe. Its easy and its healthy. I totally recommend it. And its easy to switch up the flavorings. I don't use the itallian seasoning packet she says to use. I use my own spices. But I have substituted broccoli and carrots instead of green beans. see? same kind of meal but not same boring flavors? Every friday night we're making homemade pizzas. The kids love it and I totally do too. Its a good way to get them involved in the kitchen. And there is a good chuck of your meals for the month already done!

I also scheduled out a few "eat out" nights. So I end up looking forward to them instead of using them as an excuse or fall back plan.

Another big thing was I actually went through our pantry and took inventory of what we already have that got pushed back or was something I bought extra when it was on sale and never used it. I worked those items into our meal plan as well.

How in the world do I organize a list that big?

There isn't an easy answer to this one. It took some think time to plan it all out. I probably spent close to 2.5 hours researching recipes and making my grocery list... but that was also with 2 little ones coming in every 3 minutes seconds to ask me what I was doing. Juice please? He isn't sharing! You get my point.

How do you get produce for a month and it not go bad?

I'm about 2 weeks into this month and actually we're still ok. I didn't buy an entire month of produce honestly. That'd be wasting money rather than saving it. I figured going back to the store for fresh fruits & veggies at the 2 week mark wasn't so bad. If I spend an extra $30 I'm still better off. 

I did do a lot of food prep when I got home from the grocery store. I made individual bags of chopped up mixed fruit with a little veggies thrown in (shh!) and put them in the freezer for quick smoothie breakfasts for the kids. They will last us a few weeks at least and won't go bad. I also chopped up green onions and put them in the freezer ready to add to cooking later in the month. Its been fine so far. I bought frozen veggies to add to meals later as well as frozen berries. So... not everything was FRESH when I bought it really but will still be useful on week 3+.

Is the savings really that significant? This seems like a lot of work...

I'm a total skeptic of those coupon ladies. I love a good deal as much as the next girl, but I don't have time to go to 3 grocery stores in one week or clip coupons for hours at a time. AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT! Its just not worth it to me, but I do like saving money.... And so far (I'm still only 2 weeks in, but I don't see why I can't keep going) Our grocery bill was completely cut in half. I was actually shocked. $305 at the register for a well planned entire months worth of food.

What if I run out of something or I forgot something?

THIS I am still working through..... Obviously, if something comes up that I need to prepare something special for a quick trip for THOSE ITEMS ONLY isn't going to break the bank. The biggest blow to your budget is all those impulse buys that weren't on your list to begin with. Or if you're like me... "ooh! I didn't know they had the maple cookies out already! *in cart*" do that times 3-4 times a month and it adds up.

Today I had to pop into the store because we ran out of dog food. Something I didn't foresee 2 weeks ago, but honestly, I still walked out for less than $25. (and maybe a box of maple cookies... I'm still human after all! FYI: Central Market HEB brand and they're shaped like maple leaves with vanilla icing. delicious!)

What if I don't feel like eating what I have menu planned?

I ran into this the other night. I had planned some chicken casserole something or other and I just wasn't feeling it. I looked at the menu and allowed myself to pick something else from the week to swap. It worked out well and I wasn't completely tied to my plan, but still didn't mess the whole thing up, ya know?

What happens when life happens?

You're running late, plans came up and there isn't enough time etc etc. Last Monday, I was all ready to go start cooking dinner and I realized all too late that I forgot to thaw out any meat. (did this more than once actually) It was a frustrating moment. I either had to call up my favorite chinese delivery guy.... or get creative and make something work. For the sake of my experiment, I decided to get creative and pick another meal from the following week that didn't require any meat. 

My system isn't fool-proof yet. But its working alright still :) Well enough that I wanted to share it and see if anyone else has tried this or has any other tips for saving money on the grocery bill. Any tips or advice?

I'll share the savings in a few weeks. I'm hoping to give this a really good shot and do this for a few months to see if its really worth it or not.