Budgetess.com

Is this broccoli a good deal? Could I get the chicken breast cheaper somewhere else? Should I skip the pot roast?

When you’re shopping on a budget, these are the questions that haunt you. The big, colorful sale signs work hard to convince you it’s a good deal and, unfortunately often, they work. You’ll cave — especially if it’s something enticing — because you save a measly buck.

This is the reason I have a mental “will buy if” price list. This list contains common, everyday foods such as meats, produce and dairy. It also encompasses the lowest market price of foods that are never or rarely on sale.

Our grocery list is elastic. We’re open to a wide variety of foods, so if one “staple” isn’t cheap enough on a certain week, I just skip it. Broccoli was expensive — $1.79 per pound — during my last shopping trip. We aren’t eating broccoli this week.

The benefit (and drawback) of a will buy if list is it forces you to examine common conceptions about you and your family’s diet. My husband never believed we could live without bread, but I haven’t purchased a loaf in over 4 weeks. If we need it, I bake it. Otherwise, we eat something else.

There’s always something cheap enough to fit into your budget. A narrow shopping list isn’t necessarily repetitive since you can prepare the same food in hundreds of different ways. The Way of Frugality demands you hone your culinary skills and keep your spice cabinet well stocked.

My family runs on a Friday to Thursday budget. Every Friday my husband dutifully hands over my spending money for the week and, sooner rather than later, the money is gone. Here’s my shopping list from yesterday.

Grocer

• 2 x coconut milk – $2.58
• 5 lbs red potatoes – $0.99
• 1lb mushrooms – $1.99
• 1lb strawberries – $2.99
• 1 bunch dill – $0.99
• 1 cucumber – $0.50
• 2.45 lbs apples – $1.20
• 1 bag spinach – $1.79
• .77 lbs baby bok choy – $0.92
• 8 kiwi – $0.99
• 1lb baby carrots – $1.49
• 1 bag romaine heart – $1.99
• 3.48lbs asparagus – $6.93
• 2.86lbs pears – $1.97
• .52lbs green peppers – $0.67
• 3.16lbs bananas – $1.86
• 1 bunch green onions – $0.43
• .59lbs red peppers – $0.82
• .16lbs fresh garlic – $0.27
• 1 package blackberries – $2.99
• 1 cantaloupe – $1.99
• Half-gallon Oberweiss whole milk – $3.59
• Bottle deposit – $1.50

Total with Tax : $43.18

If you’re wondering where all the meat is, it’s in our freezer. Last week, we picked up our quarter cow (about 180 pounds of beef) and a few months ago we purchased a case of chicken breast at Sam’s Club (about 50 pounds). Within the next few weeks, we’ll be getting half a pig.

These kinds of bulk purchases cost a lot up-front, but they cut down on weekly grocery bills. The case of chicken, for example, cost about $65. If I cut $25 out of my grocery bill for three weeks, I’ve saved enough to cover the bulk purchase (and then some).

The Reese’s Croutons listed on the receipt are part of someone else’s errand.

I also purchased 2 cans of formula at a little under $13.00 a pop for baby this week. Grand total comes in just under $70.