another day, another fifty cents

Budgeting.  BOR-ING.  But I have a three-year-old who can eat a truckload of snacks in one sitting, so right now it’s a necessary evil in my world. 

When creating my weekly meal list I try to keep the meals within my predetermined grocery budget.  I spend roughly $100/week on groceries for my family of 4.  I realize this is probably a lot more money than some can spend on a week’s worth of food, but I imagine it’s less than others.  The reality is that no matter what your budget is, it’s REALLY easy to blow it unless you stick to a list and/or come up with some creative cost-cutting.  If your budget is tight (for a week or for always), there are still ways to make it work: you can cook from scratch as much as possible (which is always cost-effective), you can learn to cook meals that use less-expensive ingredients (like substituting beans for meat), you can watch portion sizes to stretch your food further, and you can learn to price-shop.

There are those crazy couponers out there, and I SO wish I was one of them.  I have a dear aunt whose coupon habits are legendary.  Rumor has it that a couple of years ago she spent just $7 on a Thanksgiving meal for her entire family!  She’s awesome!  But I haven’t really found that couponing works for me.  In my experience most coupons are geared towards processed and packaged foods: cookies, nuggets, etc.  I wish coupons were more readily available for the items I buy frequently.  When’s the last time you saw a coupon for $0.50 off a pound of apples or Buy A Steak, Get One Free?  THAT’S the kind of coupon I’m looking for!  I would use the heck out of those!

So I don’t coupon but I have started shopping at the bottom-of-the-food-chain Aldi grocery store.  I know, man.  I KNOW.  My mom and sister bugged me for the longest time to go there but I was totally skeptical.  So I went.  And I walked out of there just $75 lighter with loads of groceries feeling like I’d just won the dang lottery.  Yes, it is the first grocery store where I’ve seen a grown woman’s full bare breast, but I love that I can spend $1.69 on a bag of spinach instead of $3.99, or get THE best store-bought salsa I’ve ever had.  (Seriously I eat it like every day.  It’s that good.)  There are still things that I prefer to pick up at Schnucks or Whole Foods but for the most part I can find everything I need at Aldi, spend way less, and not sacrifice on quality.  I just make sure I don’t make eye contact with anyone or look at their chestal region.

Please note this is not a shameless plug for Aldi.  Rather, I am confessing to all of the world wide web a deep dark secret that I’m a girl who will do what it takes to feed four mouths good, healthy food, seven days a week.  But don’t get me wrong.  The minute I turn rich is the minute I walk out of Aldi and into Whole Foods forever.  Forever!!!

I’d love to hear your money-saving suggestions!