I’ll be honest – I may not be a big spender but I’m also not the queen of budgets, especially when it comes to buying food. I tend to “pop in” to the grocery store on my way home from wherever I am a liiiiittle too often. Usually I’m out of something I actually need, like toilet paper, or almond milk, etc. However, once I get in there, it’s like all hell breaks lose and suddenly I’m buying way more than I intended.
Not only did I get into a little bit of a spending frenzy this past month, but I’ve got a few trips coming up in the spring/summer that I need to be saving up for. Because of this, I’m trying to be a lot more serious about my budget and one of the biggest places I know I can cut back is groceries.
So, for today’s WIAW, I’m sharing tips with you on how I planned my meals to eat this week on a budget.
If you’re new to What I Ate Wednesday, head on over to Peas and Crayons to see what it’s all about and to see the other participating bloggers.
1. Meal Plan/Prep.
As a single person living alone, I’m not really big on meal planning. It’s just me, so I don’t really like spending time cooking some nice meal and then eating the leftovers for the rest of the week. I like to wing it. However, I’ve found that planning a few things out (with some wiggle room) is much more budget friendly.
I try to pick one big meal, usually a crock pot meal, that I can make for the week and either eat at dinner or take with me for lunch. Then, I also plan out my breakfasts, which right now is going to be overnight oats since I’ve started taking breakfast to work.
Beyond those two meal options, I also like to have a few classic items on hand to make meals when I’m at home, such as frozen veggies, eggs, sweet potatoes and already grilled or baked chicken.
2. Use What You Have.
I’m really awful about letting food go bad or throwing things out. On that note, I decided to buy as little as possible this week and use what I already have. It’s pretty amazing what you can come up with when you start digging through your cupboard.
For this week I found some uncooked beans, chicken stock and a can of diced tomatoes. What’s a girl to make? SOUP! I put them all in the crockpot, along with some chopped up carrots (purchased) and boom: 4-5 meals (well, part of a meal, I’d probably add some crackers or half a sweet potato with the soup).
3. Buy in Bulk.
Now I know Whole Foods is a pretty expensive store, however, their bulk section is full of deals. The beans from my soup above? Whole Foods bulk section. You can buy grains, nuts and beans for way less than you would if you purchased them pre-packaged. Just be sure that you think about how much the item is going to weigh and the price per lb. Also, if you’re buying nuts, buy them in “pieces” rather than “whole” because they sell for a lot less per pound.
4. Make Your Own.
It’s no secret that I love Quest Bars, however, we all know those cost $$, along with most packaged bars and snacks. The past few weeks I’ve been making my own protein muffins to bring as a snack to work, which I’ve really enjoyed.
They taste good, fill me up and I make them almost entirely with what I already have in my kitchen. The only thing I buy is the banana or canned pumpkin. There are so many great recipes online to make your own granola bars, breads or muffins. Just be weary of ones with lots of add-ins (such as dried fruit, nuts, coconut etc) because those purchases tend to add up if you don’t already have them in your pantry.
What’s the hardest thing for you to budget?
How do you save money on groceries?
What’s your favorite store to grocery shop in?
My favorite store is definitely Wegmans! No Whole Foods around here although I love going to them when I visit my boyfriend in Philly. Like you, I love Quest Bars. I try to stock up when they have discounts, but I’ve definitely got to take my hand at making my own Quest bars/ Lara bars. I’ve got to work on my grocery budget too because I also tend to run into the grocery store several times throughout the week even though I do all my shopping for the week on Sunday.
I’ve never been to Wegmans, I think it’s only on the east coast?
We use “The Envelope System”. It works really well, because we pay for groceries in cash. If we’re out of cash, then we don’t get anymore groceries until the next pay day! (Well, we put it on the debit card if it’s a necessity, but it really makes us think twice about what made us go over budget.)
I wrote a two-part mini-series on how we budget on my blog. Here’s a little more info on our envelope system, if you’re interested 🙂 http://wp.me/p2ud5e-1cO
Oh I’ve heard of that system, but it doesn’t work very well for me since I don’t carry a purse in the winter. Just keep my cards in my giant coat’s pocket. Something to think about though!
Meal planning definitely helps us to save money at the grocery! Like you, I also don’t like throwing food out so I try and create meals from what we still have left in the fridge and pantry. We actually shop at either Whole Foods, Earth Fare or Trader Joe’s for meat and dairy, and then typically at Kroger for our regular goods and produce.
I wish I could go to a bunch of stores every week, that’s one annoying thing about not having a car – I can only buy what I can carry home!
I LOVE whole foods bulk bins! A friend showed them to me years ago and I was blown away by how cheap some these were (especially compared to the rest of whole foods). Didn’t know the trick about the nuts- I’ll have to try that next time!
Yes – I figured it out accidentally when the nuts I bought one week were way more than the last and was so excited!
Food is the hardest for me. Can’t stay away from whole foods! I do shop their bulk bins though and they have pretty great coupons. And if any veggie/fruit is on sale, I buy it.
Yes, I try to buy their on-sale produce, such good deals!
I’ve become a major meal planner. Stopping those mid-week grocery trips has saved a lot of time and money. I also plan a weekly leftover night to clean out the fridge 😛
leftover night sounds like a great idea!
After I move, the supermarket is going to be a bit further away, so I’m planning to get better at, um, planning. I live alone too, so I quite often freeze leftovers, so that I’m not eating the same meal for days at a time. It makes it easier when I’m busier than usual too, because I just have to grab something and let it defrost (I use Ziplocks to save space, so I can’t defrost in the microwave)>
I try to freeze too, although I always end up throwing that away months later! Haha I need to improve on this.
I try to not shop for all my groceries exclusively at Whole Foods, so that definitely helps to save $$. When I was single and living with roommates, I always bought my own food and never stuck to a budget. I tended to always spend the same every week so I never had to worry. But once I moved in with my boyfriend and was cooking real meals for two, I started to meal plan and set budgets to help keep the cost in check. Groceries can be a huge budget buster if you’re not careful!
Haha I WISH I could shop only at Whole Foods! And I’m sure meal planning is even more important when you’re cooking for two!
I need to get better with grocery budgeting! I was so good at at last year – I would shop sales, hit up different grocery stores for different items, plan meals with leftovers in mind…but the last couple of months I’ve gotten lately. I think I ended up about $100 over my grocery budget in February? Oops…too many impulse buys. I’m definitely planning to work on that in March though, so thanks for the tips!
Haha I feel ya – impulse buys get me too!
These are awesome tips! I’ve been doing that with soup too–just grabbing stuff and dumping it in and soup it is! So tasty.
And this week I am GOING to make protein balls! I just need to freaking do it. haha
let me know how those turn out, I’ve been wanting to make the little snack balls but I’m not sure what recipe to use
Ahh, I love this post!! Very much resonated with me because A) I “pop into” the grocery store on my way back from just about anywhere and B) grocery shopping is the #1 place I need to cut back on right now. Plus, I am a certified Whole Foods addict so I really do need to watch myself. And YUM on those protein bars!
Xo,
Jordan
I’ve pretty much stopped going to Whole Foods – it’s just too dangerous for me!
I don’t budget for household items like TP and toothpaste, so those turn into expensive target trips.
Lol well those are necessities, the problem with me and target is that I buy a lot of non-necessities!
I wish I could be as organized as you! That first picture is like my ultimate meal prep fantasy haha 🙂 Hardest thing for me to budget is greek yogurt. Even after buying on sale and in bulk, it’s still so expensive… but I can’t live without it! 😉 Happy WIAW!
Ah it is so expensive, but if you eat it a lot for meals, then it takes the place of other things!
I found SUPER-FAGEs at Costco today!!! 48 ounce containers I never knew existed. March yogurt costs are covered 😉
I’m much the same—it’s so hard for me to just get one thing at the store. I’ve started allowing myself one impulse buy since it helps me say, “I can always get xyz next time” and I don’t walk away with $40 in wtf. I also make a vague plan for the week to avoid buying too much. Shopping and cooking for one is hard!
I agree – shopping and cooking for one is hard! it’s hard not to buy too much and let things go to waste!
I need to get better at tracking my grocery spending. It’s gotten out of control & the holidays made it worse. I shop mostly at Sprouts Farmers Market & once a month do a Walmart or Target stock-up. I occasionally get to Whole Foods. I love that place, but it’s a 25 minute drive from my house. That’s probably a good thing!
mint.com is a great way to keep track of spending!
We def budget around here! I love Kroger and Costco for the budget!! Buying in bulk really helps cut down on costs… as long as you eat it all! 🙂
Ah I wish I could go to Costco! No membership and no car! I used to go with my cousin when she lived here, but she moved about a year ago 🙁
the “use what I have” tip has resulted in some of the most amazing and disgusting meals my family has ever experienced. 😉
Haha I’m lucky that I’m the only one that has to suffer when I follow that rule!
USE WHAT YOU HAVE!! Yes! This is the easiest tip ever!! People don’t realize they have so much in their home already, except they still wind up going to the store because they have “nothing to eat” – Well, they really need to get creative and go through their pantries! My bro went out to sushi with his gf last night, and then they went to the store to get XYZ. And I was like, UHHHHHHH don’t you still have the asparagus that you had three weeks ago when I came out to dinner?! AND THEY DO! It’s nuts!
lol I wouldn’t even try to get my brother to follow that rule, sometimes you just have to let people do their own thing even if it drives you crazy!
I really need to buy more in bulk. It seems like I’m running out of food too quickly these days. I had no idea Whole Foods had ANYTHING at a good deal…I’ll have to check it out! I also want to get better at making my own snacks and meal prepping each week!
oh yes, their bulk bins are amazing!
Thanks for the tips! Meal prepping is so essential…I plan my dinners for the week but don’t prep the food yet. I didn’t know Whole Foods had anything that was cheap…I really do need to buy in bulk, so I’ll have to check it out! Love your recipe too!
Definitely check out the WF bulk bins!
Awesome post – I’m like you, I love using things up in the fridge. I hate seeing food go to waste. My favorite place to shop is Whole Foods whooo!
LOVE whole foods!