First, I want to start this post off by saying I am extremely privileged and lucky to be able to afford fresh & delicious groceries weekly and be healthy enough to go to the grocery store to shop on my own for them. This past month, every Tuesday I grocery shop for my family, Nana and then for Mark and I. I will be honest, I kinda love grocery shopping and doing it for others, totally thinking about signing up for instacart…I have always been a sale shopper, as my friends call me, a budget queen. When it comes to anything, I like to always make sure I am getting my moneys worth and yup, a coupon lady when I can be. My mom taught me to never buy grapes if they are over 99 cents a pound, always do the 2 for 1 sale (such as those raspberries up there, 2 for $6) and to just get what you really need + a few treats, of course.
Mark and I are saving for a wedding and a house, so we like to aim for $75-$100 a week grocery store trips, making the total, $400 a month (most of the time). *We also order out about two times a week for lunch or dinner. I feel like a do a great job of getting what we need, adding some fun new items in and using what we have to make yummy recipes. Here are some of the things I have got over the past month, broken up into categories. This month was a variety of Trader Joe’s, Shoprite, Fresh Market and Whole Foods trips. I hope this helps!
1. Frozen Food, First
This month, I felt it was important to stock up on lots of frozen foods, since they keep for long and we are lucky to have a decent sized freezer. I usually go to the freezer section first when I get to the store, because it seems to sell out quickly these days. Here is a list of what I got.
- Cauliflower & Broccoli Rice
- Spinach & Broccoli Florets
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Cauliflower Cheese Pizza
- Salmon & Chicken Gyoza
- Kale Gnocci (they were out of cauli)
- Pumpkin Waffles (love me pumpkin any day)
- Egg Frittatas
2. Stick to Staples
When it comes to staples, I like to stock up with a few things. These are things we use throughout the month. I like to have them to grab when I decide on a recipe. Here is what we have been having this month.
- Red Lentil Pasta
- Banza Pasta and Mac & Cheese ( DM me for a coupon for buy 1 get 1 free)
- Panko Seasoning
- Tomato Basil Marinara & Pizza Sauce
- Canned Beans
- Parm Cheese
- Taco Shells
- Chicken Broth & Stock
- Gluten-Free Brownie Mix
- Coffee Grounds for Cold Brew
3. Stock up on Meats
I like to grab my meat in the beginning of the month to keep in the freezer to grab and go and defrost when I know what recipe I will be making. I stick to the basics for meats and use different spices and veggies to make my meals different. Here are my go to meats that I like to get.
- Meatballs (party & regular sized)
- Ground Turkey
- Ground Chicken
- Ground Chuck
- Hot Italian Sausage Meat
- Chicken Breast Tenderloins
- Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
- Chicken Sausages
4. Produce & Misc
This last haul was filled with my fresh fruits and veggies, some snacks and baked goodies. Whole Foods was having a great produce sale (with prime) and this whole trip was exactly $75 for all this below. Since I already had the frozen meats and staples, this trip filled in the blanks with the fresh produce and goodies!
- Chips ( we cant stop eating these)
- Whole Wheat Bread (I freeze this)
- Raspberries & Blueberries
- Tangerines, Lemons & Bananas
- Avocados, Zucchini & Tomatoes
- Arugula & Fresh Basil
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Cake Mix (YUM)
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
- Red Curry Sauce
- Lemon Hummus
- Almond Milk (unsweetened vanilla)
- Starbucks Iced Coffee (craving it this week)
I hope you enjoyed my grocery hauls from the trips I took over this past month. Again, I am very lucky to afford these groceries and have the time and ability to shop for them. Now more than ever I am looking at ways to save and trying to stick within our budget and really get what we need and will use. It does also help that we do intermittent fasting, because we are eating two bigger meals a day with some snacks in between. Let me know which products you like the most and if this is helpful. Tag me on instagram with any items you get on this list, would love to see! Stay safe & healthy.
xo Jamie
Jamie Devergillo 