How I made my grocery bill less than $25
So as many of you know, I’ve hopped out of the semi for this winter to spend some time working on myself and the house (because we both need some work!). After a year of junk food, soft drinks, and no exercise, I was very ready for a change. When I say my energy levels were low, I mean they were excruciating low. Like, a simple 20 minute shower, shaving my legs, putting on light makeup, and styling my hair, had me dying to sit down. It was so embarrassing, and a slap of reality. I was so over junk food that I was actually craving broccoli, corn, and green beans. So when I came home, one of the first things I did was go grocery shopping. I bought around $100 worth of food, and I didn’t use any coupons (though I am starting to learn about those). Today I sat down and figured up how much food I had eaten, and was pretty shocked to see how little a week’s worth of healthy food had cost me. Only $24! I had accidentally made my grocery bill less than $25 somehow! According to Reference.com, the average American woman spends $62.92 on her groceries per week. So how did this happen?
What I ate
Sunday- 1 can of corn, 1/3 head of steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms and 1/2 a sautéed green bell pepper.
Monday- 1 can of green beans, 1/3 head of steamed broccoli, 1/2 can of chicken breast.
Tuesday- Biscuits and Gravy. Sautéed mushrooms and 1/2 red bell pepper.
Wednesday- 1 can of corn, 1/3 head of steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, and 1/2 of a green sautéed bell pepper.
Thursday- 1 can of corn, 1/3 head of steamed broccoli, 1/2 can of chicken breast.
Friday- 1 can of corn, 1 can of green beans, 1/3 head of steamed broccoli, 1/2 can of chicken breast, sautéed mushrooms, 1/2 orange bell pepper.
Saturday – biscuits and gravy. 1 can of green beans, sautéed mushrooms, 1/2 red bell pepper, and 1/2 orange bell pepper.
Friday I definitely ate more than the other days, but that was because I’ve been working out every day this week using Spartacus, and for some reason on Friday, that energy burned hit me like a ton and I was ready to eat. When I log my food throughout the day, it seems like I’m not eating that much, but I have yet to feel hungry after I eat.
Saving money was by Complete Accident
When I started this, I was not trying to save money; Eating food that wasn’t “junk” AND tasted good was my only motive going into this! I always thought that eating healthy had to be expensive or leave you feeling empty and hungry, but that wasn’t the case at all. And, I always thought that veggies were simply a “side dish” rather than the main course. Who made that rule anyways? If you don’t believe that vegetables can be filling all on their own, heat up an entire can’s worth of corn or green beans on the stovetop and try to eat it all in one sitting. It’s really shocking to me how much I completely disregarded the power of clean eating.
Cost Breakdown
So here’s the total cost breakdown, if you want to see which stores I bought the food from, just click the food you want, and it’ll take you to the grocery store website with that particular food. These foods are what accidentally made my grocery bill less than $25 without letting me feel like I had made any sacrafices!
30¢ can of corn
30¢ can of corn
30¢ can of green beans
30¢ can of green beans
30¢ can of green beans
$2 head of broccoli
$5 canned chicken breast (I only ate two cans, but I bought 4, so the total cost is actually $10)
$1.60 mushrooms
$1.60 mushrooms
89¢ milk $
And here are additional ingredients used cost estimates:
Let’s Talk!
– What’s your typical grocery bill for the week?
– Do you have any favorite fruits, veggies, or workouts?
– What do you think about weight loss and good finances? Do you think that the two naturally go hand in hand, or not?
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As always, thank you for stopping by!
The title of this post is gold! I love it! I have been trying to eat healthier for the longest times, but it’s difficult for me. Thank you for providing a list of what you ate. I will definitely have to try a little harder. Especially if it makes my grocery bill less.
Never a bad thing to save money! Our grocery bill is high but I do buy a lot unique foods. My daughter is a fruit and veggie freak too which is nice so we buy the same things each week 🙂
I’m sure I’ll have to diversify my vegetables soon, but for now I’m very happy with my familiar foods. Be glad your kiddo likes her fruits and veggies, it took me nearly 20 years to start liking mine. Thank you for stopping in!
Saving money and eating healthy … what’s not to like?
Since we’ve started shopping at Aldi we’ve saved a TON of money (not this much though!).