So, how much do I spend on groceries? Well, first let me explain my wake up call. We are a family of 5 and were spending nearly $800 a month on groceries. When I say groceries I include everything...food for our two dogs and two turtles, laundry soap, toothpaste, hair products, etc. That was crazy. I think most of the overspending was impulse buying at Costco but either way it was too much. I started couponing but slowly realized most coupons are for processed unhealthy foods. I want to save money but I also want to eat healthy...most of the time.
Our monthly spending now on groceries is around $400. Which is not bad considering my husband and fourteen year old son are meat eaters. My six year old is vegetarian (90% of the time) and our eleven month old baby is vegetarian. To accommodate everyone I make vegan meals and then cook some type of meat for my husband and fourteen year old.
There is some effort involved in saving money on groceries and still eating healthy. I work full-time and have an hour commute each day to work and back so I don't have a whole lot of time to spend making everything from scratch or running around to five different stores. I do pay attention to sales ads though and shop according to what is on sale. One favorite store of mine is Grocery Outlet. They have great prices on vegan chorizo, spreads, side dishes and tempeh. I also buy items like vital wheat gluten and polenta from the bulk bins at places like Fred Meyer. I also like to bake and make homemade cookies, muffins, rolls, etc. on the weekend.
Since this is October 1st and my first post for the Vegan Mo Fo III, all month I will continue to share what works for me. Hopefully someone out there finds it useful :)
1 comments:
I am definitely interested in hearing your tips. I was spending $400 a month for two of us but I was having a great time cooking from cookbooks and feeling like a chef. Now I'm traveling and unemployed, help me save moneys.
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