update on our food savings

I feel like I write this post about once a month. The original post is here and the most recent one is here. But our budget is constantly evolving, and we are always finding new/different ways to save money. So here's how we're currently saving on with our grocery bill:

1. Amazon Subscribe & Save - I've mentioned this before. We're officially hooked. We get at least 5 items every month, so we get the 15% discount instead of just 5%. I get as many of our food items this way as possible, since the discount enables us to get organic things we wouldn't otherwise be able to find or afford. I also get some cleaning supplies (I know, I should just make my own, and I do some of them; but with me working so much right now, it's just easier this way) and household items like toilet paper. We get as much as absolutely possible (some things you have to buy in such bulk that we can't afford to do it, and some things they don't have, etc.), even things that would be about the same price in the store, because it gets delivered to our door. On the 5th of the month. And I don't have to go get it or carry it in and out of the car. It makes my life easier.

2. No. Processed. Foods. I can't reiterate this enough. The healthiest and cheapest way to shop in the grocery store is around the perimeter. My grocery list now consists of: frozen chicken, frozen tilapia, frozen shrimp, milk, soy milk, eggs, cheese, Italian ice (we all have our vices), sandwich thins or flatbread, deli meat cut at the counter, spinach, berries, bananas, another fruit (whatever's in season), and fresh flowers. Every single one of those things (except the bread) is located on the perimeter of the store. We do buy frozen pizzas, enough for one pizza night per week, but really that's only because I work some nights and have from 2:30-4 pm at home those days. I actually feel fancier shopping this way. By avoiding processed foods, we have more money to spend on fresh fruit and other healthy options. We buy the frozen chicken because it's cheaper, and if I had any option other than Food Lion, I could probably find hormone-free frozen chicken, and we would get that. Of course there are times we buy different things, like the other night when we wanted to do s'mores. But our regular, typical grocery list is exactly what I listed above. (Baking supplies, etc. I've been getting from Amazon.)

3. Shop less often. If you've been reading my blog you'll remember that I grocery shop once a month. Shopped once a month. I now go every two weeks. The idea is still the same: the less you shop, the fewer temptations you encounter while shopping. Since I really work hard to only shop the perimeter of the store, however, I don't see as many of the temptations that are down the aisles. And the reason I go more frequently now is to get the fresh things. So my first shopping trip of the month, I'll get all the frozen foods and things that will last the whole month. Halfway through the month, I'll just restock the fresh things that go bad more quickly. Spinach and deli meat last two weeks. As far as fruit, we'll eat berries first, then bananas, then things we have to peel (this last time it was the kiwi, then a pear, then pineapple). So far I have not completely run out of fruit by the end of the two weeks.

I hope this helps you when meal planning and grocery shopping. This latest method has enabled us to stay under $200 for a month's worth of food and household items, even with Jake doing powerlifting and eating about as much as two average men. Oh, and it's way healthier, too. Happy shopping!