It’s been a wild ride with grocery prices lately. I’ve been wondering how realistic it is to keep to my $65- $100 a week budget.
I’ve had to let go of what is realistic and adjust my food budget accordingly.
If you are struggling with rising food prices, know that there are STILL deals to be had. We can’t go on shopping as we’ve always done and think we won’t notice the increase in prices.
After a few weeks of watching the sales, I can tell you that there are STILL deals out there.
For example, ground beef is still frequently on sale at our local grocery store tops for $2.99/lb. That’s a decent price. When I made a price comparison at Tops, Walmart, and Aldi ground beef was closer to the $5/lb mark!
It is so essential to buy items that are ON SALE only. Check out the FLIPP app if you hate looking through actual paper ads. It has every store’s sale flyer for you to look at and create shopping lists.
QUICK RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BEFORE YOU CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S HAUL
- I have a bunch of articles to help you with meal planning here.
- Also, if you want to start a budget and get into a habit of paying off debt- start with this post here. It also has free printables too.
- If you are new to cutting your grocery bill in half, here is a quick recap on how to do it.
- For the FULL article on how to cut your grocery bill in HALF, tap here.
- Meal Planning and Budgeting Printables in my Shop HERE
- For my Amazon Meal Planner Pad TAP HERE
I didn’t get a nice roundup picture of the items because I completely forgot about it. I switched our pantry to the clear containers, so I couldn’t round up the items.
Here is a quick Tiktok about the containers:
Here is everything I got:
If you want to learn how to extreme coupon, check out this helpful FREE Guide here.
1 Freschetta Pizza on sale $5.49- clipped at $1 off Tops Coupon
1 bag of 100 ct Cottonballs – $0.99
2 Jars of Pellicano’s Tomato Sauce $4
2 Boxes of Post Raisin Bran $4.98 ( part of the $5 instant savings)
Kelloggs Snax Jumbo $4.49- used a $2 back on Ibotta
Tops Chips On sale for $1.99 with Tops Coupon- Used a $0.10 off Ibotta offer
Butterfingers 10.2 oz bag $3.79 ( part of the $5 instant savings)
2 Keebler Club Crisps $7 ( part of the $5 instant savings) Used two $0.75/1 Ibotta offers
1 lb of Strawberries on sale for $2.88- used a $0.25 back on Ibotta offer
Kellogg’s Special K Cereal $3.50 used a $0.50/1 Ibotta offer
2 Townhouse Crackers $6- Used a $2/2 Ibotta offer
Cheez It Puffs $3.50 – Used a $1/1 printable coupon here ( remember you get 10 extra gas points for every manufacturer coupon you use)
2 Cases of 28 pk. Purelife Water $7.98- ( part of the $5 instant savings) Used a $1/2 Ibotta offer 0 paid $2.80 for bottle deposit
Keebler Fudge Strips Cookies $3- Used a $0.25/ Ibotta offer qualified for the $1 back bonus
2 Kellogg’s 13.8 oz is something that I can NOT seem to figure out what it is! Yeah, that tells you how my brain is functioning lately- So much going on this summer, but that’s another post, another day. ( good things) $5.98
Total before Savings: $92.40
Total Savings at Tops $39.03
Total After Ibotta, Gas, and all savings: $34.12
If you want to save on gas, I encourage you to use paper coupons at Tops to help you earn even more.
I got 40¢/gal of gas from this shopping trip.
If you haven’t signed up with Ibotta, now is the time to join. It’s one of the most accessible apps to start with to earn cashback on your groceries.
You can read this article to learn more about how the app works or sign up HERE.
Check out the Tiktok video I did explaining this trip a bit too!
Here is the meal menu for this week:
( For summer chores this year, each girl has to make dinner weekly! That’s two nights off a week, and I love it!)
Breakfast– cereal, eggs, or pancakes
Lunch– Girls get free lunch during the week from the school, egg salad, salads, tuna, and anything we have in the pantry or from the garden for lunch.
Dinner:
Sunday: Lasagna
Monday: Pizza and Smoothies
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Zucchini Parm Sticks ( I may even spiralize some noodles instead for us adults)
Wednesday: BBQ Chicken and Cucumber Salad
Thursday: Venison Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Friday: Homemade Pizza and salad from the garden
Snacks: I bought a bunch of snack-type items this week, but I also like to make snacks. Zucchini bread, raspberry muffins, bars etc. ( we have tons of raspberries coming in )
You can find 50 Frugal snack ideas to make here.
If you’re looking for ways to save money on groceries, hopefully, some of these tips and tricks will help. Meal planning is a great way to cut down on food waste and save money at the store. And remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Use this as a starting point and adapt it to fit your needs and preferences.
What are some of your favorite budget-friendly grocery shopping tips? Let us know in the comments below!