When I first started buying groceries for a family of 5 I was dropping $500 in the first-week grocery shopping. Not a good idea when you’re a stay at home mom and your husband only gets paid once a month. No sir, no it’s not. Looking back I can tell a few major things that got in my way:
Now it’s crazy to me after getting my shopping addiction under control and living on a budget how we are spending only $100 on groceries for a family of 5. I swear it’s possible to not only feed everyone, but eat healthy too! Here’s how we made it happen.
*This post contains affiliate links through which I may make a commission. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My absolute best tip for sticking to a grocery budget, especially if you are feeding a large family is to plan a budget and stick to it! A lot of times people will create super tight budgets that they really want to live up to. However, these super strict budgets often leave you failing month after month. How to Set up a Spending Plan That Sticks
Before you even get to the grocery store, take a look at the food that you already have in your cupboards and refrigerator! This is the best way to prevent over-shopping and over-spending.
Shopping your pantry will give you an idea of what meals you could make for the week and helps reduce the number of items you add to your grocery list. Another great option, if you are not great at planning meals, is to look into $5 Meal Plans. These are meal plans created by a busy, mother of 4, designed to help you stay healthy and stick to a budget. You get meal plans as well as a complete grocery list and you can get customized ones depending on your dietary restrictions! Check out the $5 Meal Plan
It is crazy how much I let my obsession with strawberries held me back for so long. I know I can’t be the only one!
Whether strawberries were $2 or $6, I would buy them! I would buy a lot of them!
Not only is shopping in season a big money saver but it also means there is less handling and traveling for your produce! That means there is less likelihood of contamination and lowers the chances of far travel for your food.
Why would travel time matter?
If you consider that your food has been picked and then takes even longer to get to you, there is a better chance it is going to spoil sooner (and cost you more)!
Now I find myself branching out in the grocery stores.
Instead of always going for the berries, our family eats things like pears and pomegranates in the winter.
When I first heard about the concept of grocery shopping for what was in season, I was totally overwhelmed.
How in the world was I supposed to know what was in season and what wasn’t?
I tried to study charts and remember when I got to the store but it all became too much. Well, I’m about to drop a truth bomb for ya’ll.
BASIC IN-SEASON RULE: If it’s cheaper…it’s in season. Boom! Easy as that!
Oh, and avocados and apples are a free for all. They are good all year round.
Like I said, one of my biggest mistakes when starting to eat a healthier diet was that I thought it all had to be organic. So much so that I bought whatever was organic without even looking at the ingredients!
Just because it’s organic, doesn’t mean it’s something you should be consuming on a daily basis. A lot of organic foods are still heavily processed which isn’t a good idea if you are trying to get healthy groceries for a family of 5! You can get customized meal plans based on your needs at the $5 Meal Plan.
Beyond avoiding processed foods, there are a few swaps you can make from organic to non-organic if you are trying to shop on a budget. Here are a few of the little swaps we have done.
In the stores, non-organic eggs are generally 1/4 the cost of organic eggs. You can also save a ton by shopping in bulk at Costco. The price of 2 dozen eggs is similar to the cost of 1 dozen at most other grocery stores.
There are veggies known as “the dirty dozen” that are the most filled with pesticides when they aren’t organic.
Reading about these was similar to in-season produce for me; it was too hard to remember all the details.
Then I realized how easy it was. Basically, if your produce is “protected” like pineapple, mangos, bananas
There is a good chance you aren’t saving yourself much “health” by buying an organic pizza for $8 versus a non-organic one for $2. A basic rule for our family of 5 is, if we’re eating junky, we’re not going to waste too much money on it!
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People are consuming far more protein than necessary these days, especially when it comes to animal proteins.
Things like meat and cheese are things our family has majorly cut back on in order to get right with our health and our budget. I know not everyone consumes animal proteins, but this could easily go for vegan cheeses, beans, lentils
5 Frugal Meals to Make with One Turkey
A lot of people tend to head to the store looking for sales or discount items, my biggest recommendation is to shop with intention. When you get to understand your own habits (and how stores are marketing to you), it gets easier and easier to avoid the temptation of sales tactics and discounts (including coupons!) Check out The Shopaholic Solution to learn more.
Here are some guidelines to help you shop a little smarter and save more:
After you’ve gone through all of these steps, you can get all of your groceries and rebates organized. This will ensure that you can stick to your budget and take advantage of all of your savings. There are great printouts in the Fun Sized Budget Bundle designed to help you keep all of this organized.
Bulk shopping can be people’s mortal enemy simply because they get carried away and buy everything.
Instead, if you have a bulk buy membership like Costco or Sam’s Club, get a strategy down for buying bulk items that you use a lot of. And remember, you can save yourself the temptation by getting an Instacart membership. This can help you stay on budget and get avoid spending an hour or more navigating Costco!
Great things to buy in bulk:
Buyings things in bulk (especially items that won’t go bad quickly) is a great way to keep your food supply up and save yourself a ton of money!
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Emily | 28th Dec 17
Great information and inspiration here! I completely agree with you about seasonal produce and spread my money out even more by utilizing the farmers market all spring, summer and fall!! I love the idea of a more plant/based menu and look forward to incorporating that on hot date dinner in the New Year!!?
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
YES! We love the Farmer’s Market! I can’t believe I didn’t mention that.
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome | 28th Dec 17
These are such great tips. I’m embarrassed to admit that I spend about that much on a family of two! It’s one of my goals to budget more wisely with food this year, and your prep-ahead suggestions are so important. Do you have any favorite/ go-to quick-and-easy weeknight meals?
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
Don’t be embarrassed! We used to spend $300 a week on a family of three, then $500 on a family of 5! Talk about embarrassing. As far as quick and easy meals I often turn to whatever few leftovers we might have. I also like to have a jar of spaghetti sauce on hand to whip up spaghetti. I’ve also let go of the idea of needing to have beautiful meals all the time. Sometimes dinner is rice cakes with peanut butter, an apple, a full carrot and an egg. Haha. Whatever random things I can pull together!
candy | 28th Dec 17
I go to the grocery store once every three months. We grow, hunt or raise almost all of our food. We eat many different bean meals.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
That is so great! I have attempted a garden 3 times and failed miserably each time. I’m so jealous of those who have that green thumb!
Angie | 28th Dec 17
Girl, you nailed it all. This is the route I had to go as well.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
Thanks! It’s kind tough to really break down what steps we took but I’m sure glad we took em!
Anissa | 28th Dec 17
This was a very useful and informative post. I pinned it so I can refer back to it. I’m trying to cut back on my grocery bill as well and I’m considering cutting back on meat. I agree on not always focusing on organic food as it seems to be overpriced. Thank you for sharing.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
So glad you enjoyed it Anissa! I hope you can enter this new year with some serious awesomeness!
Stephanie Eiler | 28th Dec 17
Okay I feel like “shopping in season” is such a no-brainer for saving money yet still I don’t do it!! I have my staples of produce that I NEED to buy no matter the price each time I go to the store, and it’s just so silly!! I love this tip and will definitely be keeping this in mind!! Thank you!
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
It’s definitely tough when you know what you like!
Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups | 28th Dec 17
Great tips! Shopping in season is such a good tip, it’s cheaper and I think fruit and veggies tend to taste better when they are in season.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
Yes! They definitely do!
Denise | 28th Dec 17
grocery is the biggest part of our spending I even stopped tracking because it was depressing lol, I have put it on my new resolution to start tracking again and see where to trim a little, these are all great idea, especially ibotta one I got to give it a try and see.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
Ibotta is my latest obsession! Definitely recommend giving it a try. Every little bit helps!
Sarah | 28th Dec 17
This is very helpful! I always buy grapes, and I recently had an incident whee I bought like 2lbs of grapes and it cost me almost 10$. I was devastated. Now I buy in season too. These are eeally great tips to help with helath and $$ for the new year.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
Yup…have no shame in returning those grapes! Haha.
Natasha | 28th Dec 17
Thank you for this post! I carry some guilt with me all of the time about not feeding my family organic food 100% of the time. Staying away from the dirty dozen is a good way to cut the expense of organic food! Also, I LOVE IBOTTA too! It’s such a great app.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
I have definitely been there. I had to let go of a little bit. So glad you’re using Ibotta! I try not to be pushy with but it’s just unbelievable how great it is!
Karrie Frost | 28th Dec 17
Great tips! I have recently started meal planning and can tell you that shopping in season and planning ahead makes a world of difference. It’s inspiring to know you can feed a family of 5 for $100. I’m not quite there yet, but certainly working on it.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 28th Dec 17
It really does! Thanks Karrie!
Jenna | 29th Dec 17
Thanks so much for these tips. Our grocery bill is out of hand lately and we talk about eating healthier all the time. I’m going to keeps your tips in mind like shopping in season when picking our food next time and see how much of a change it makes. I can’t wait to spend less. Thanks so much!
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 29th Dec 17
Good luck Jenna! Hope you can find little ways to cut back!
Angela Maria | 29th Dec 17
Love this! People forgot how easy it is to eat well and it really doesn’t have to be expensive. I love a good lentil stew over some brown rice. I have at least 3 vegan meals a week and it really is a money saver. Thanks for the great post!
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 29th Dec 17
I was just dreaming about that exact meal today! How funny!
anne-onedeterminedlife | 29th Dec 17
These are all great tips. I am trying to use more beans in our diet, but seem to be having a hard time actually doing it.
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 29th Dec 17
It is tricky to make the switch but they are so beneficial in so many ways!
Elle | 31st Dec 17
Wow! I am impressed! We are looking st cutting back on our grocery bill as well. These are excellent tips. Thanks!
heartsoulwhole@gmail.com | 31st Dec 17
Thanks Elle! Hope you took some new ideas out of it!