This Month's Grocery Spending 2023 - January

 

One of my goals this year is to spend as little as possible on groceries.  I have just completed a one month pantry and freezer challenge with the idea that I only purchase what I need while using up what I already have on hand.  It went very well, but I can see I've barely begun to scratch the surface so my pantry and freezer challenge will indeed continue into February.

 

I shopped my shelves and made some laundry detergent

After taking stock of all the food and non food items I had in my home I used supplies I already had to make a new batch of laundry detergent which I think will last me the year.  Other than that I didn't have any immediate needs for any other household supplies or toiletries so I did not purchase any nonfood items so my total spent was $0.

 

This is all of the fresh produce I had to start the year with -
7 pounds of potatoes, a pound of carrots, 2 onions and half a head of lettuce

My first grocery purchases of 2023

I carefully made out my first grocery list of 2023 to restock some dairy, cheese, cream and milk, as well as my spice cabinet.  I checked the store ads and mapped out my plan.  Albertsons had cheese on sale and a great loss leader price on avocados.  I knew Winco would have the best price on spices and many options in their bulk department so that is where I headed next.  Since Trader Joes is on the way I stopped in there for bananas (best price at 19¢ each) and wine (pocket money purchase $8).

 

Bananas and fresh garlic from Trader Joes

My small haul from Winco - flour, cabbage, celery, bulk spices, onions & a lemon

At Winco I picked up the spices I was low on and some produce items.  My final stop was at Fred Meyer on the way home for a half gallon of whole milk and a quart of heavy cream, mainly to use to make my coffee creamer.  Since I happened upon a closeout deal for organic whole milk with a long best buy date I ended up getting two of the half gallon cartons and using a $1 OFF coupon in the process.  I figured that would save me an extra trip to the store (saving fuel) and keep me well stocked until mid to late February.  That milk ended up being my most expensive item purchase this month.  It is crazy how expensive dairy and eggs have become lately.  Hopefully my hens will start laying again soon.

 

I used a gift card for cheese & avocados from Albertsons's

Best price on dairy that day was at Fred Meyer

An idea that popped into my head while I was shopping was "if I can make it myself I don't need to buy it".  What I mean is instead of purchasing readymade products like a loaf of bread or a bottle of salad dressing I should make it myself from scratch, which is something I used to do back in the days when money was really tight.  I want to try my hand at making my own tortillas next time I need some.  Making as much as I can from scratch will not only save me a lot of money, but I'll know exactly what is in my food.  Plus I'll get to learn a new skill from time to time.

 

The milk will last into February

I chopped up the onions and put them in the freezer so they will last longer

I put the green onion ends into water and they are growing very nicely
Who says you can't garden in January?

I was quite surprised and pleased that one $24 grocery shopping excursion was all I needed to get me through the month of January.  

I was super happy with this total!

Was it worth going to four stores and spending two hours of my time to meticulously and methodically shop for the items on my list?  Absolutely!  Even when I was still working I would feel this way because any money I can save myself from spending and keep in my pocket means less time I need to spend earning wages.  That's a win in my book!