My 'fancy' grocery store was killing my budget until I tried this one thing

Okay, so for months I was just grabbing my stuff at the nice market by my apartment because it's easy (you know, the one with the fancy olive bar and the $8 loaves of bread). My weekly bill for just me was hitting like $90, which is crazy. I felt stuck because the other store is a 15 minute drive and I'm lazy. Last week, I forced myself to go to the bigger, cheaper store across town, but I only went with a plan for three specific meals I could stretch. I bought a whole chicken ($7), a giant bag of rice ($3), and a bunch of frozen veggies ($5 for three bags). I roasted the chicken, used the meat for meals, and made broth from the bones. That one chicken gave me dinner for four nights! Has anyone else had a 'duh' moment like this, where just changing where you shop made the biggest difference?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_richard3mo ago

Calculate the gas cost, @mila_craig4, but saving forty bucks on food is still a huge win.

rileyjones1mo ago

Oh man, that's exactly what happened to me. I started buying a whole chicken every week and it's crazy how far it goes. I thought I was too good for the budget store but now I'm hooked.

mila_craig43mo ago

But what about the gas and time spent driving across town? Doesn't that eat up the savings?

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laurabennett1mo ago

You know, I used to be exactly like that... I'd drive right past the cheaper stores because I figured the gas alone would cancel everything out. But then I actually sat down and tracked it one month, and it shocked me. The extra drive cost me maybe $4 in gas each trip, but I was saving like $40 minimum on a full cart of groceries. I don't go every week either, I just go once or twice a month and stock up on the big stuff... the time thing works out because I combine it with errands I already run over there anyway. It really changed my mind once I saw the math, honestly.