$450 a Month in Groceries for Family of 4

We have been making it going on 5 weeks now on $450 a month for groceries for 3 adults and a tween. We don't eat as much of a variety as we did back in April when we ate this amount but we are still able to eat enough and make it happen despite inflation! It does take work on the homemaker's part to do the brainstorming, planning, prep work and cooking.  We have cut out most processed foods like frozen burritos, chicken nuggets and other convenience items like cereal.

This is the first time in our lives when we are actually forced to do this. I've always chose in the past to do a frugal plan or keep our costs down but now, we are in a situation where we absolutely have to. This is not fun, let me just tell you that! When you are deprived against your will, after having not been deprived, it is very difficult to do. Nevertheless, my training in the past has deemed an excellent tool now when it came time to experience this hardship. I'm thankful and grateful that I know what to do. God truly can meet us halfway when we do our part!

Here are some pics of my weekly grocery trips:


We choose from any of the lists below at any meal, so breakfast doesn't have to just be at breakfast, etc. I also plan our dinner meals weekly. I make our own whole wheat tortillas, granola, energy bites and desserts and prep batch cook our beans and brown rice.

Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ fruit & nuts
Toast or homemade bagels with cream cheese and/or eggs
Egg and cheese sandwich

Lunch
Sandwich - PBJ, chicken, tuna or refried bean
Tuna, chicken or beans on tortilla or with rice
Salad, veggies and fruit
Ramen noodle soup
Bean tostadas or crispy corn tacos (chicken or bean)

Snacks
Popcorn & string cheese
Granola & yogurt
WASA crackers & cheese
Nuts & raisins
Fruit or veggies

Desserts
Berry or apple cobbler or crumble pie
Graham crackers
Fun size Snickers
Hot cocoa

Dinners (a few we have made recently)
One Pot Spaghetti
Beans & Rice
Tuna Casserole
Falafel burgers & veggies
Homemade Pizza
Chicken Taco Bowls
Turkey Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & green beans
Pasta Fagioli & homemade baguette bread
Hamburgers & veggies
Salmon Cakes & potatoes
Chickpea Coconut Curry & rice
Chicken & Rice with Peas and Carrots
Southwest Mac and Cheese
Puffed pancakes with sausage
Chili bean soup with herbed muffins
Chicken broccoli alfredo pasta
Potato pinto soup
Black bean spaghetti
Orange chicken & rice


Here are pics of some of our dinners:



Apple cobbler and Cherry Crumble Pie with natural vanilla bean ice cream:


I experimented with my whole wheat tortillas and found I like the old way I used to make them but changed it up a bit by using HALF whole wheat pastry flour and half whole wheat flour.  I use my Nutrimill to grind soft white and hard white wheat berries for these flours.


Here are pics of homemade bagels, energy bites and granola:


You could of course spend less a month than $450 and buy white bread and other less nutritious foods void of fiber but at what cost!?  I want to keep my size 4/6 figure and be healthy by eating a balanced, fiber-rich diet!  We eat mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, beans, dairy and some meats and very sparingly red meat.  I like to keep our diet at 80/20 - 80% healthy and 20% treats or not so healthy items (saltines, chocolate, dessert, etc.)  I also eat a high-carb, high-fiber diet because it has proven best for me to maintain my weight and fuel my active lifestyle.  I may do a post about how I dropped 8 sizes and kept it off for a year now.
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