How I (Finally!) Succeeded At A Grocery Budget

Isn’t it so hard to grocery shop effectively and stay on a budget? I mean, whyyyy?! Is it because the grocery stores are so beautiful and full of abundance? Is it those big roomy carts that make it so easy to fill them up? Probably. Is it because eating is a basic need, so the lines between actual necessity and perceived necessity becomes blurred? Also yes. It’s a lot to keep track of- the lists, your family’s requests, the cost. Add in those wriggling kids or the ticking clock to get back to them, and it all can have you feeling like you’re pretty much doomed seconds before you finish, if not before you even begin.

It’s hard to shop on a budget, for all of these reasons, as well as your own personal ones. But I guess what? It’s not impossible!! I, a long hold out, am finally doing it, and I’m going to tell you exactly how.

But first, you should know what this is not. This is NOT a super type-A plan with spreadsheets, lists, coupon hacks and detailed strategies. I’m not that girl. (I’m amazed at those who are, though, truly.)

This is more of the type B, casual girl’s guide to grocery shopping on a budget. The real life, busy momma, keep it simple, uncomplicated, somewhat streamlined guide to nailing your grocery budget- without overwhelming yourself with details. You’ll hear a few probably new and pretty easy tricks as well as the important mental shifts that will help you to do the same. This is the less rigid way of getting it done, the less pressure, more practical way, because that’s just who I am.

You should know something else about me. I’m actually a very good shopper. (Aren’t so many of us, though 😉😂 !) I’ve also probably made more grocery store trips than your average bear, thanks to my job as a nanny. I’m both fast and efficient and that’s great if you’re on the clock.

However, speed and volume do not translate to efficiency and saving money. 🤣🤣 While they are fantastic for time management and productivity, it’s not so great when I’m on my own time and trying to be on a grocery budget. I found that I had a lot of work to do to dial in that total at the end of our receipt.

Maybe it’s a hazard of the job. Or maybe I was just wired that way. Maybe it was that dang television show. Say what? Can you take a little trip down memory lane with me for a minute? (Anyone born in the previous millennium will probably appreciate this.)

There was a show from the early 90’s that I love called Supermarket Sweep. Anyone remember it? The host was Mark somebody or other and I think it was maybe on Lifetime, or some random lifetime-ish channel. Contestants would have lists and tasks and perform a variety of shopping excursions while a clock kept time. There was running, there as buying, there was efficiency. I loved it! I knew even at a ripe young age that I could rock it. Turns out, I could. I would find this out later as an adult, where grocery shopping actually was a part of my actual job.

However, maybe that’s the problem. I have tackled many shopping trip with the enthusiasm of the last challenge- get as much as you can as quickly as you can. I have sometimes laughed outloud over the years aloud, seeing myself from a birdseye view, and realizing that I am in fact a fantastic contestant for Supermarket Sweep. I am a grocery shopper extraordinaire.

So, I had to learn some better tricks and tactics to help keep my family on a budget, and I’m going to share them with you.

1. Start at beginning, with the first step.

You must decided that you can and you will.

Though it is not complicated, and it might sound funny, it is so necessary.

It’s actually a choice, a mindset. Stick with me for a minute if that made you roll your eyes a little.

I was actually choosing to see myself as incapable, as the challenge too tough, and the obstacles insurmountable.

I mean, tell me I’m not alone. Every week I would overshoot the budget, like a terrible archer trying to hit a bullseye but barely making it on the board, and I would feel like it was actually impossible for me to shop within our budget. I mean, it’s food and necessities, and even when I’d try to cut things out, I would still miss the target.

After too long on this merry-go-round, I literally had a moment of hearing myself whine, as usual “It’s so haaaaard!” I was sick of hearing myself whine, and finally, something in me switched.

I literally, in that moment, realized the truth. It’s hard but I was not incapable. Of course I could do it. I mean, grocery budgeting is a thing. People do it. I can do it, too, darn it.

Just like anything in life, if you want to make something happen, you find a way.

I can choose to keep failing and saying why it won’t work. Or I can start taking better charge, taking ownership, and making life better.

So it became my new challenge. Literally my goal. Before that it was merely something I failed at. Because, honestly, I wasn’t really trying. I was thinking about it.

As with most things, I can reach a goal when I really want to.

It was no longer “I should”. It became I could.

So can you. 😉

Now that we’ve got that under our belts, let’s talk logistics, along with few silly simple tricks that I use.

2. Start with the basics.

Like literally, put the basics on the conveyor belt first. The absolute basics and the non negotiable. For me it’s the milk, the bread, the cheeses, fruits, vegetables, meats, yogurt, cereal.

I put the those on the conveyor belt first and I watch the total. I’ve gotten better at “feeling” how much it will cost as we go, but this step is super helpful, especially if you want to take the slacker approach like me. Once my budget is reached, whatever few items remain towards the end, literally don’t make the cut. I politely ask the cashier to hold those items, and they are “reshopped.” Seriously. Simple and easy. The more you do it, the more you will understand what items and what volume gets you to your desired budget.

3. Cut out the fancy.

Eliminate the more expensive and “extra” items, for a while at least, until you have a better handle on what your total is and how you can optimize reaching it.

I mean, I need to feed my family, but do we NEED the $4 yogurt or will the $1 suffice? Do we need the sharp aged cheddar with a hint of nuttiness every week at $7 a pop or can the classic cheddar suffice for regular snacking at half the cost? (I won’t judge. I love cheese too.)

But the point is, if or when you really want to be in control of how much you spend, you’re going to have to make those hard calls. You decide your priorities and pick what’s most important to you. But inherently, something else will have to be less important. And you get to decide. If you don’t decide, though, you’ll be back to square one. Over budget. So decide. Be selective. Take charge of the total instead of the items taking charge of you.

I will sometimes pick up the fancy cheese, and hold it until the end. Then I see if I have enough wiggle room left to purchase it, without feeling guilt or blowing the budget. Which also brings me to my next point.

4. Separate transactions for extra items.

This my sound crazy, but I like to check out separately for extra items. I like to see what I’m spending on groceries, not groceries plus the birthday present or the candle or my lipstick. My grocery store is pretty fantastic, and you can find everything from a special candle, or earrings (yes, I’m actually wearing a pair right now that I got from aisle 4) to fancy cheeses or 40 dollar dry aged steaks. Any of those things can be fantastic. Annnnd destroy a budget in a blink.

Sometimes, though, I will get that fancy cheese, but not as a part of my grocery bill. I use this little trick. I will actually have those extra things be a separate transaction so I can get a clear picture of items that I’m buying for gifts or special occasions and what I’m actually spending on groceries.

Even though the money comes from the same pot, they aren’t really from the same category. One is groceries, one is not. One is my extra spending money, or a gift. So I realized was that if I get something extra, that’s isn’t really my grocery budget. It’s part of another category, and I like to ring it up separately. This enables me to understand and see where our money is going, so a separate transaction is hugely helpful. This small trick has enabled me to see better where the money goes and has allowed me to be more in charge, and feel like less of a failure. It’s tiny magic wins. My lipstick or a treat won’t blow the budget. Which makes sense, because, they aren’t even groceries.

5. Shopping once a week.

As much as I have resisted structure, have preferred hard work and going with the flow, it wasn’t helping the money flow, if you get my drift. The rolling shopping days made it harder to see what we actually needed and what we were actually spending.

Going once a week has forced me to notice what we have, to be more purposeful to use it, and to eliminate excess. This has also reduced the amount of food we wastes. And guess what- reducing waste also translates to saving money.

With my new weekly rhythm, I understand that we eat the avocados most on the weekends, so I buy the more ripe ones on Friday when I go, and they get eaten right when they’re still in their prime. I don’t throw out a bunch of avocados that missed their day in the spotlight, and we have tasty avocado toast and guacamole. Win win win (and margarita cheers!) I wouldn’t have figured that out so clearly if I continued bopping around the days that I grocery shopped.

So those are my main tips. It started with knowing I could. Then I started with the basics, and I let extras stay as extras. These few simple shifts have been life saving and budget crushing for me.

Let me know if you these are already in your tool belt, if they’ll be helpful to add, or if you have any more to add!

Grocery store shopping is challenging, but if I’ve managed to stay in a budget, I’m pretty sure that you can too!

Xoxo, Coco