One of my favorite things to do while in the grocery store is to look in other people’s carts. It’s fascinating to see what people purchase – sometimes I can make a good guess as to what they are making for supper based on the contents of their cart. It’s also fascinating to me how much people spend on their groceries! I’ve honestly never spent more than $100 on any one grocery shopping trip, yet many people spend at least that much or more each week (I’ve also never shopped for a household larger than three adults).
Sometimes when Paul shops with me, we like to play a guessing game in the checkout line. We watch the person in front of us as their groceries are rung up and try to guess their total. He always wins! Last week we played the game with OUR groceries as well – our cashier even joined the fun. I won that one – I was only off by $1! Our cashier’s guess was 40% above our total, and he would have been correct had I not purchased everything on sale. 🙂
Even when I’m too tired to mess with coupons, I stick to our grocery budget by only buying things that are on sale! I stock pile the things we use on a regular basis and always have what I need to make my weekly menu. Here’s what I picked up this week, and what we’re eating for all three meals.
On The Menu
Breakfast:
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Golden Grahams & Peaches – my favorite summer breakfast!
- Eggs & Bacon
Lunch:
- Leftovers
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad (Me)
- Hot Dogs (Paul)
Supper:
- Chicken Alfredo/Pasta/Salad
- Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches/Potato Salad/Tossed Salad
- Stovetop Grilled Chicken/Loaded Baked Potatoes/Sauteed Yellow Squash & Zucchini
- Turkey Sausage/Fruit
- Tomato Pie/Salad
- Leftovers
- Date Night
I love watching your videos/hauls. I always learn something or at least come away feeling inspired to stick to my budget!
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I’m so glad! Thanks for watching!
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Since I have gotten married, I have tried to stay on a grocery budget. As I tried different diets, including once all organic, my budget changed. Now I have been cooking French style and we love it. This way of eating seems the most balanced. We love eating the four courses, all French portion sizes of course. So just a few months ago before we started eating french, my grocery budget was $300 a month for two people. This month I spent $620 (yikes!). I think its all the fresh herbs and all the little things that go into my menu plan that add up. We also indulged in expensive coffees, teas, fruits, etc(though on sale, still expensive). We can afford it, but I didn’t plan on being so indulgent. If not bought on sale, we probably would have spent $800 or more. I do want to lower it a bit because even though we enjoy it, I am not sure I want food to be that high on my priority list.
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That is a large grocery budget! I guess you just have to do what works for you. 🙂
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Chauncey and I do that as well! I usually win. . .which makes me say I am my mother’s daughter after all.haha
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Ha! It happens to the best of us. 🙂
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We play that same game at Costco! My husband has a theory that on average every item becomes about $10 a piece if you want to guess your total (unless you’re buying only produce/dairy). But I can’t help but look at other people’s carts too 🙂 Too much fun!
Katie @ Cup of Tea
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He is right on target for Costco!! It’s amazing how quickly things add up when you’re shopping in bulk!
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I love looking at other peoples’ carts too. I’m totally nosey.
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Glad I’m not the only one! 🙂
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SO interesting! I never pay attention to what other people are buying. I feel like I am missing out on this fun grocery store game. I do take a look at the people in line ahead of me to see if we bought any similar items. Excited to watch your video. Your lemon blueberry bread sounds tasty!
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The blueberry bread was a massive failure…I took a few bites and couldn’t swallow the last one. The whole loaf went in the trash! Sadness.
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LOL. I like seeing what the person ahead of me is buying too and hearing their total. Thought I was the only one! Shopping the sales makes a big difference. I used to spend close to $100 a week when it was just 2 of us, but now I usually stay far below that for 3 of us.
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The one that makes me cringe is Costco. I always stay around $50 there, and most people spend several hundreds of dollars. I just hate to think of how much of their purchase goes to waste!
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Hi Whitney. Could you share your pork BBQ recipe please. My family loves it, but I’ve not found a good recipe for preparing it at home. Thanks. I also like to look in other people’s grocery carts too – always looking for yummy inspiration 😉 Have a blessed week!
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Hey Jenny – I just throw a pork roast in the crock pot, cover it with apple juice and garlic powder, and let it cook until it’s done. Then I take it out, shred it, put it back in the crock pot and cover it with BBQ sauce to heat through. That’s it! 🙂
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