For the week of 8/1 -8/7 I spent $102.97. I’m posting a day early as I know I won’t be shopping tomorrow. This was a big stock up shop as I was out of almost everything. My goal for August was to spend $20 less for groceries then I did in July. My July total was $198.21, so I have $75.24 left for the month of August. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but I think it's doable. I don’t anticipate needing anything at all next week. This is just for groceries, no pet supplies, cleaning supplies or personal care items. It also does not include any take-out food.

I usually shop at Aldi’s, but I wasn’t feeling well on grocery shopping day and when I drove to the Aldi the parking lot was packed and I just wasn’t up to a big crowd in the store. I drove back over to the grocery store right down the street from where I live and got everything there. They are a bit more expensive, but they usually have everything I need, and the store never seems too crowded and it’s very clean. So, my bill was probably a bit higher than if I had gone to Aldi.

Before I shopped, I carefully went through my pantry, fridge and freezer to see what I already had. Then I did some meal planning and made my list. I checked the store circulars for sales on things I needed. I was well prepared! I find that careful planning is really key for me to keep to my grocery budget.

I did get another good deal on eggs at .99 a dozen. I was surprised that almost everything I bought was at the same price as the last time I shopped, so I didn’t notice much, if any, of a price increase on my usual staples.

Breakfasts for me are usually an egg or two, a piece of toast with butter, and coffee with cream. I might make French toast occasionally or have oatmeal and fruit. Lunch is mostly either chicken salad or tuna salad. Sometimes I’ll have some soup or a grilled cheese. Dinners are usually a protein and veggies. I eat a lot of simple stir fry’s. I might have pasta with meat sauce once in a while. For snacks I keep apples, other fruits, nuts, and air popped popcorn. I don’t buy other types of chips or crackers because I have no will power if I have them in the house!

I will post the week two grocery challenge thread on 8/14. Please join in and post your grocery totals and goals if you want!