Day 15: Your Budget and Clean Eating

Eating clean is extremely expensive. Or is it? The first time I went to the grocery store to purchase food for our new lifestyle, I was impressed that I got out only spending $140 for two weeks worth of food! Imagine my disappointment when I got home and started reviewing our menu for the week only to realize that the food I bought was only going to last one week. We typically only spend about $125 for two weeks worth of groceries so I kind of freaked out a bit realizing that I was really going to have to raise our grocery budget if we were going to be able to continue on.

 

I think getting started is definitely the hardest part. I am still trying to figure out how to balance everything so that I have a better handle of exactly how much I will be spending each week, but I've come across a few techniques that will definitely help me to organize my grocery budget.

 

Here are a few helpful hints for trying to stretch your money:

 

·         We wanted to check out the local health food stores to see what kind of products they have in stock and ended up spending about $40 on just a few items. While I fully support locally owned businesses and enjoy going to the health food stores, I later found many of the items we needed at Kroger and HEB for a lot cheaper. Both grocery stores have a great selection of many of the ingredients you will need for cooking and a good selection of organic produce. I would save the health food stores for those hard to find items while you are trying to get started.

 

·         I made a spreadsheet of the staple ingredients I know that I will need often (see example of a portion of the spreadsheet below). In order to stay better organized in the store I sectioned my spreadsheet in to categories based on similar items/items that will be located close together (i.e. Dairy, Fresh Fruit/Veggies, Meat, etc). Below each category I leave space to write in extra items if needed. Before each visit to the store I print the list, and take it to the kitchen. If I already have something on the list, or we aren't running low, I place a checkmark under the "Have" column. Then when I go to the store and put something in my cart, I put a checkmark in the "Have" column beside that item. I found that it was easier to scan the page if I am looking for blank spaces that were missing a checkmark. The list also helps me to stay focused on exactly what I need so that I'm not tempted to buy things that I don't need. Finally, in the last column titled "Cost" I write the cost of the items I am buying that day. This leads me to my last point.

 

	Have	Cost
Dairy:
Egg whites
Low Fat Plain Greek yogurt
Low fat string cheese
Cottage cheese
Unsweetened almond milk
Fresh Veggies/Fruit:
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomatoes
Carrots
Broccoli
Lots of bananas
Asparagus
Sweet potatoes
Romaine lettuce
Apples
Meat:
Chicken
Pork Chops
Turkey

·         It is important to be aware of the cost of the items you buy most often. If you know what to expect price wise then you will be able to easily spot when items are on sale. Also if you do decide to shop at another grocery store you will be able to easily compare prices. Maybe you can get some items cheaper at one store while another store has some things for less. You can also take your receipt home and fill in the costs later.

 

(Includes food for Aria, a few household items and muffins for my brother and his wife)

 

Even though it may seem that you are spending more money, I hope you can feel encouraged knowing that by eating clean you've probably already cut your spending in other areas such as eating out, your daily Starbucks run, or those random desserts you impulsively pick up at the store just because they look good. In a few weeks I think I will have a much better idea of how much I need to budget for my trips to the store.