Our $70 Grocery Month Challenge

Yes, we're crazy! $70 a month on groceries for 2 adults AND eat healthy? We're going to try. The dates of this craziness? Nov 15 - Dec 14th. And the game is on....

There are rules and some prefaces:

1. We have beef in our freezer from Troy's family ranch in WY that needs to be eaten. I also have a bit of frozen veggies in the fridge I got FREE last week at Albies and a stock pile of tuna fish.
2. We will not eat crap (ok, I'm pregnant so SOME crap?)... no hamburger helper, as little processed food as possible, etc.
3. I use coupons when I shop, even for healthier stuff and I'll show you how.
4. If we get to the end of the month and there is nothing in the house to eat... we will break the budget but attempt to get to the end of the month with as little overage as possible.
5. Both Troy and I get a $20 a week allowance which we are allowed to spend on any splurge. These can be books, magazines, snacks, eating lunch out, etc. This money is NOT counted in the $70 challenge as it is considered allowance in our budget.
6. I am going to attempt to budget it out to around $17.50 a week for groceries.

The challenge started this past Saturday, Nov 15th. Our fridge was basically bare which is unusual for us. I made the usual Saturday morning trip to the market (Superstition Ranch Market in Mesa) for fresh fruits and veggies. Then to Fry's to take advantage of the Buy 10, Get $5 instantly off your bill sale. Sunday I hit Albies for a short trip.









At the Market, I purchased:
1 head cauliflower
2 bunches Kale
2 Yellow Bell peppers
1 head iceberg lettuce
1.3 lb red onion
3 Green Bell peppers
3.37 lb red yams
1.25 lbs Barlett pears
Total: $10.55

Then it was off to Fry's. Now, Fry's is accepting competitors coupons AND Quadrupling coupons up to a value of $1 (so .25 coupons become $1.00, .33 become $1.00, etc). I went armed with my stack of coupons and my Fresh & Easy $5 off $20 coupon as well.

1 Crisco Oil (for baking this holiday season)
2 tubs Cottage Cheese
3 Dial Liquid soap (FREE with coupon)
1.75 lb Granny Smith Apples
2 Boxes Swiss Miss cocoa (yeah, ok, craving.... and FREE with coupon)
1 lb Land O Lakes Stick butter (baking this holiday season)
3 tubes of Colgate toothpaste (FREE with coupon)
2 Dozen Eggs
6 Johnson & Johnson Buddy Bars soap for kids (FREE with coupon)

Total spent at Fry's: $4.86 ($1.07 of that was tax, argh!)

Sunday was a quick Albies run: I got 3 FREE Betty Crocker Frosting (again for baking) and 3 bags FREE bagged Spinach and 1 bag FREE bagged Salad. My receipt total was $0.00. I LOVE THOSE!!!!

And so the week begins. Total spent so far $15.41. Yes, we're going to miss those "favorites". For Troy, it will be Chicken sausage for his eggs, for me it will be Nut Thins for my cottage cheese snacks. We'll keep you posted :)

PS - Clean eating is great but you need to know what to do with you groceries once you have them.

Around the ATS household we use the Elimination Diet Cookbook quite regularly. Click on the link to see what it is all about Elimination Diet Cookbook

Shelle R Anderson
ATS CFO

Arizona Personal Trainer