The year I switched from weekly grocery trips to biweekly planning saved us $200 a month

I used to run to the store every Saturday morning with just a mental list of what we needed for the week. My husband and I were spending around $600 a month on food for our family of four in Phoenix, and I figured that was just normal for a city. Then last January, I started tracking every receipt for three months and realized we were throwing away about $50 worth of spoiled produce and leftovers each week because I was overbuying on impulse. Now I sit down every other Sunday with a spreadsheet I made, plan out 14 days of meals based on what's on sale at Fry's, and shop for exactly that list. I also prep some veggies and cook a batch of rice or beans on that Sunday so we're not tempted to order takeout midweek. The change was immediate: our monthly food bill dropped to around $400 and we waste almost nothing now. Has anyone else tried cutting trips and seen a big difference in their grocery budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_barnes29d ago

Dude yes, cutting down my trips was a game changer for me too. I started doing the same thing with Costco runs and it cut like $100 off our monthly bill because I wasn't grabbing random stuff every time I walked in.

nathan_webb29d ago

My buddy tried this and his wife got so mad she started doing the shopping herself.