After moving to a suburban area where we needed a car to shop, I felt like I was constantly going to the store.
In June 2015, I decided to count how many times I went shopping for groceries that month. I went 11 times to the stores! Although it was a birthday month for our youngest, totaling the days spent shopping confirmed how I felt. I shop too much! Then, I totaled all the receipts for groceries for the months of May, June, and July, to see how much I actually spent. Here are the numbers for a family of 6 in 2015:
May 2015 - $991.55
June 2015 - $937.23
July 2015 - $884.89
That was a montly average of $937.89.
Where did the money go...
I then totaled the receipts based on traditional grocery store categories like bread, dairy, etc. So, the challenge of finding ways to save began as I started adding up how much and how often we ate certain foods. As with the most mornings, it began with bread and a cup of tea:
The Bread Challenge
Our family loves bread. In 2015, I would buy, on average, 16 loaves of bread a month for a family of 6. Most days we would have toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. The loaves went quickly and the money spent on bread ballooned. Before the challenge, I spent approximately $40.00 or more a month on bread at various stores. I wasn't freezing extra loaves of bread. So if I ran out of the bread from Costco, I would pick up loaves at the store I was shopping at that week. I reduced the number of loaves to 12 a month, saving approximately $12.00/a month.
Bread Challenge 2015
| Store | Brand | Number of Loaves | Cost | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costco | Schmidt Old Thyme | 2 | $4.19 | $8.38 |
| Costco | MultiGrain | 1 | $4.49 | $4.49 |
| Trader Joe's | White Whole Wheat | 3 | $2.49 | $7.47 |
| Whole Foods Market | 365 | 1 | $3.49 | $3.49 |
| Shoprite | Nature's Own | 1 | $2.49* | $2.49 |
| Target | Nature's Own | 1 | $2.49** | $2.49 |
| Totals | 12 | $28.81 |
RETHINK. RECALCULATE. 2017
I reduced the number of loaves I buy a month at Costco to 10. Now, I buy 4 Schmidt Old Tyme Bread at Costco for $3.99 (2 loaves) and 1 Arnold Omega 3 at $5.99. That totals $21.95 a month.
Bread Challenge 2.0
| YEAR | Number of Loaves | Monthly Cost | Yearly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16 | $40.00 | $480.00 |
| 2016 | 12 | $32.00 | $384.00 |
| 2017 | 10 | $21.95 | $263.40 |
By reducing the amount of bread we eat daily and buying them at Costco, we've saved almost $216.60 in 2017 compared to 2015!
NEXT UP:
Tea Challenge
I am a tea drinker and love a great black tea. My favorite tea is Tazo Awake Tea but that comes with a high price tag, especially when it's not on sale. The best price, in my area was at Target for $2.99 each when on sale. I would stock up on tea when shopping there but run through the boxes quickly. I drink an average of 3 cups a day. That's $.1495 a cup totaling $13.64 a month spent on Tazo Awake Tea. I started looking for cheaper alternatives as a way to reduce our monthly grocery shopping budget. Below is a price list for the tea I buy and how a simple change can lead to big savings: