Last week, I embarked on an endeavor called Project: Food Budget with a goal of getting our food costs in line and spending $75 (or less) a week in groceries. I was slightly over last week (what’s $12 among friends?). I am still over this week, but did much better.
Here’s where we netted out:
Goal: $75
Actual: $76.51
Week in Progress Menu
- Monday: Veggie Lasagna (recipe still forthcoming, I promise)
- Tuesday: Doh! Test Kitchen Tuesday turned into cereal for dinner!
- Wednesday: Baked Ziti with Cashew Cheese – This. Was. Good. I’ll write about it next week.
- Thursday: Leftovers from Wednesday
- Friday: Veggie burgers
- Saturday: TBD
- Sunday: TBD
We have an unusual weekend coming up and will probably eat out both days.
Where it All Went
Trader Joes – $38.52
| Trader Joe’s | Qty. | Extended Price ($) |
| TJ’s Mini Shredded Frosted Wheats | 2 | $5.98 |
| Orange Juice, Half Gallon | 2 | $3.98 |
| Olive Oil | 1 | $3.49 |
| Yellow Mustard, Organic | 1 | $1.99 |
| White Whole Wheat Flour | 1 | $2.99 |
| Unbleached All Purpose Flour | 1 | $2.99 |
| Organic Fat Free Milk, Gallon | 1 | $5.69 |
| Organic Ketchup | 1 | $1.99 |
| 12 Grain Mini Crackers (2Chili’s Fave) | 1 | $1.99 |
| Bananas, 5 | 1 | $0.95 |
| Organic Red Bell Peppers | 2 | $2.99 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 | $3.49 |
| Total | $38.52 |
CSA Box Contents – $37.99
We had a standard delivery, which is $35, plus I added some potatoes to the order.
Observations/Notes for the week:
I have known this for some time, but Trader Joe’s is most cost effective for staples like milk, juice, and bananas (yes, bananas are staples for me). Amazon Fresh is super convenient and really competitive in price, but, on a budget I know I should get in my car and go to TJ’s to really save. Since this was a CSA week, I needed to stretch my budget and didn’t place an Amazon order.
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- Milk is $.50 less at TJ’s (we only buy organic milk)
- Bananas are currently $.19 each – can’t beat that anywhere
- Juice was almost $2 cheaper for a gallon than Amazon Fresh for TJ brand
- 2Chili prefers the Frosted Mini Wheats from Trader Joe’s, which is great, because they are about half as expensive as Kellogg’s and have no HFCS
I am getting closer to that magic $75 number! Whee!
Check out how these other bloggers are doing on their Project: Food Budget.
- The Reluctant Vegetarian
- Maria Marz
- Veggie Converter
- Low Budge Veg
- Dairy-Free C
ooking - Beauty, Fitness, and Health…Oh My!
- Motor City Girl In the Steel City
- Veggie Burgher
- Baked Beans and Broccoli…Vegetarian Budgeting
- Sweet Rehab
- The Happy Cactus
- The Vegetarian Salmon
- Test Kitchen Tuesday
- Newly Vegan
- Always Sick and Tired
View Comments (6)
congrats!! what a great week you’ve had. i’ve been over by close to $10 each week. :-/
We’ll see how it trends moving forward – those darn potatoes pushed me over, but, I deemed them necessary. ?
I’ve also started going to Trader Joe’s for staples for bananas and many fruits and veggies. I find lemons & limes cheaper there than anywhere else too. And their vegan chocolate chips are also the cheapest I’ve found.
Jennifer, you’re right TJ’s is just about the cheapest option for most items, I’ve found. Hadn’t tried the chocolate chips, though – good tip!
Good job!
And creminis. YUM! This is the second post I’ve read today with creminis. I think the universe is sending me a sign…
I think it must be! Had some of the creminis last night on a salad – yum, yum. ?