The hardest part about living in D.C. and being on a budget is the meals factor. Metro? If you’re like me & take the bus, you can stretch your dollar. Going out? With all the happy hour deals in this city, it’s pretty easy to be social without killing your wallet. Clothes? If even I, a self-confessed clothes horse, can withstand the temptation so can you. However, one aspect of D.C. life that can cause anxiety on a budget is grocery shopping. It’s one of the few times that I really wish I had a car or even a Zipcar account. Trust me, it’s no fun lugging home 2 tote bags worth of groceries.
I absolutely hate throwing food away because I might as well just turn my wallet upside down over the garbage can. I developed a plan of attack for grocery shopping to eliminate wasteful spending and while I might sound OCD, it really works for me & has helped me save money!
I have an Excel spreadsheet on my desktop called “Weekly Meals” in which I list the days of the week & have columns for “Breakfast,” “Lunch,” and “Dinner.” Before I start updating the meal plans for the week, I take a quick inventory of my cabinet & refrigerator shelf. Do I still have 2 bell peppers I need to use? I make a note of what I have that I need to use in a recipe.
Then, I break down what I need into groups: protein, carbs, fruits/veggies. I try to purchase as many basic items as possible, i.e. chicken breast, pasta, vegetables, brown rice that I can use in a variety of ways so they stretch my money. As a general rule of thumb, I try not to spend more than $100-$120/week on groceries. Stocking up on the basics is a great way to save money because the chicken I cook could be used in a veggie quesadilla or could also be added to angel hair with pesto. Remember those veggies from the quesadilla? I can saute whatever leftover cut up veggies I had and put them into my angel hair recipe. Plus, the basic items allow you to get creative in the kitchen and now that I have only one class, I’m able to enjoy using my kitchen now!
I do keep my schedule loose because on weekends, I’m more likely to eat out with friends.
What’re your strategies to save money when grocery shopping? Do you have any go-to items you toss in your cart week after week?
Seriously love this post! As you know, I am CLUELESS when I go grocery shopping. I actually am embarrassed to say that I never even have a list, I kind of just walk in and pick up whatever is appealing. I think I buy a lot of stuff but I’m usually back at the grocery store 2 or 3 days later!
It does help that you sound like you are a lot better cook than I am! I am clueless in the kitchen. My mom tries to teach me, but I just can’t seem to enjoy cooking. I do like making a stir fry type meal where I sautee chicken and veggies with a teriyaki sauce– that’s my specialty haha!
Great post!
That’s the beauty of Trader Joe’s though: they have an awesome selection of microwave meals, too!I do love to cook but I’ll admit there are days when I come home from work & am just too tired to even think about cooking so I will have microwave meals then. I also try to make a bunch of meals on Sunday when I’m free and put the meals in Tupperware so I don’t have to worry about cooking during the week when I’m running around like a madwoman 🙂