In the early days of the pandemic, I set a lot of “goals”. I was going to read twenty books. I was going to workout every day. I was going to practice Spanish. I was going to take online courses and do as much “upskilling” as possible. While I chipped away at some of these goals (see: Quarantine Reading List), I fell off the wagon on most. It was hard to stay motivated and focused when the world seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Some days, it felt like an accomplishment just to get out and walk my dogs.
I also challenged myself to cook more often and experiment with new foods. I’ve made mad Pad Thai, learned how to cook beets (and beet greens), and fallen in love with fresh ginger. I enjoyed my time in the kitchen, so daily meals turned into another form of “entertainment”. However, I recently took a look at my skyrocketing grocery bills. Steak and shrimp and salmon filets were obvious price-jacking culprits. But there were other, more subtle rascals inflating my bills. There were new spices and sauces that I used for one recipe and then buried in the back of my spice cabinet. There were giant containers of grapes from Costco that we never finished before they turned into raisins. Fancy cheese, real maple syrup, top shelf alcohol, everything that made life feel a little bit more comfortable.
But in an effort to curb my consumerism (and boost my wallet), I am setting myself a new goal: Make three delicious meals a day for my husband and I… and spend only $50/week on groceries.
Now, my pantry is pretty well-stocked at the moment. We’ve got pasta and coffee and spices galore. We also have several frozen dinners from the early-pandemic panic. I’m burning through all the leftovers and milk right now, but I still have quite a few tomatoes, tortillas, eggs, and cheese in the fridge. It feels a bit like cheating, but I know it will get harder each week as I run out of these excess ingredients. Here’s my shopping plan for August 1:
| Breakfast Food | Cost |
| Sausage Links | $2.50 |
| Coffee Creamer | $1.79 |
| Bananas | $1.49 |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.29 |
| Lunch Food | Cost |
| Sandwich Bread (Whole Wheat) | $1.49 |
| Sandwich Meat (Ham) – 2 x 9oz packs | $7.00 |
| Lettuce (Romaine) | $1.69 |
| Dinner Food | Cost |
| Ground Beef (3 lb) | $11.97 |
| Chicken (3 lbs) | $9.42 |
| Bell Peppers (2) | $1.94 |
| Broccoli (1 lb) | $1.79 |
| Onions (3) | $2.91 |
| Weekly Total | $47.28 |
Meal Plan:
Breakfast – Eggs and Sausage, Breakfast burritos, Coffee
Lunch – Sandwiches, Salads
Snacks – Bananas, Protein Bars, Smoothies
Dinner – Quesadillas, Chicken Stir Fry, Lettuce-Wrapped Burgers, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tacos
WOW. That list feels so short. I am already embarrassed just thinking about the amount of food I typically buy on a normal Costco run. It’s also really evident that the bulk of the $50 will be going towards meat. Maybe an incentive to start adding more vegetarian meals to our diet?
I’ll be checking in every week to let you know how it’s going! I will also share any tips, tricks, and recipes I discover along the way.
Oh– and I’m going to try not to tell my husband what I’m doing. If he finds out, it’s fine. But I want to see if he notices the “limited” groceries every week. Social experiment: commence!
the buzzy place 