So I haven't started to plan out my meal for the week to try and save us some money and the stress of what I am going to make each night. I have always done my grocery shopping at Safeway and Costco but since the pandemic started, I have started to look at other options. With 3 kids, its been hard to grocery shop. I haven't taken them out to the store so I have been doing a lot of grocery orders, pick ups and deliveries.
Since starting this, I have saved the stress and a ton of money! I now so most of my grocery pick ups from Walmart. Im pretty good with knowing good prices for groceries and I am amazed at the savings that I have found at Walmart. Plus, Im not walking around and browsing the store, putting items in the cart that we don't need.
I try to only grocery shop once a week, and when ever I went to Safeway my weekly total was at least $250! Thats a lot of money. Plus if we needed to make a Costco trip, that was even more. I swear you can't get out of there for less than $100. I knew that I needed to change our spending habits. I have been pretty good with our meal planning and prepping, so I wanted to share it with you!
First steps for me is to figure out what meals we want. I grab a cup of coffee and start planning! Since I'm on Keto and the rest of my family is not, I have to make sure they get carbs. Pasta and rice are an easy carb to add to any meal, so they have a lot of that.
This week we are having for dinner:
Monday: Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Pasta & Zucchini
Tuesday: Beef Enchilada Casserole with Mexican Rice & Corn
Wednesday: Beef Stew with French Bread
Thursday: Left Overs
Friday: Kids Pick
Saturday: Meatballs with Carrots and Rice
Sunday: Hamburgers with Fries and Corn on the Cob
After making my list, now it's time to see what I need at the store. Some things I stock up on, so I don't always need to buy everything we need. Keeping a good stock of non perishables is so important just incase something happens. I like to be prepared always!
Here is my grocery list:
I do a grocery pick up either Saturday or Sunday, whatever is available. The best part about this is that I don't have to get out of the car! I drive up and they bring it out to my car. They confirm with me and then open up the back of my suburban and load it all in there. That's it!
Once I get home, I just make sure I have everything. I think only once, I was missing something. On the Walmart app, I start a return and they refund me right away. Also, If you don't like the quality of the item, they refund you as well. And if they have to substitute an item, you get charged the amount of the item you pick, unless its cheaper. I do notice that normally if I get a substituted item, the item that they used a better item. That works for me.
Here is what I ordered this week.
Want to know how much I paid for all these groceries?!?
$131. 95!
That's it! I don't remember that last time I got this many groceries for that much! Now I some weeks, I grab a tri-tip from Costco or Safeway since my husband can be picky, but I stick to my list of what I need!
Ive been doing this for about 5 weeks, and if I'm saving between $100-$150, that's a ton of money saved! Plus all these meal are large so I have a lunch to take to work the next day. That is saving me money too. Plus being on Keto, my food choices at work are very limited so during the week, I'm not spending that much money. Woo hoo! I love saving money! Give me more for craft stuff! Haha...
To keep me on track, I made a cute printable that I can print up blank or type in. It's great to put on the fridge to remind me of what the dinner plans are.
Want a free copy to use on your own?!? Grab it here!