Starting My 2024 Grocery Challenge!

 

I am super excited to begin my 2024 grocery challenge.  My goal is to see if I can make it through the year with only a $50 per month ($1.64 a day on a leap year) grocery budget and a $50 budget for nonfood items for the entire year.  I am beginning the new year with a very well stocked pantry and deep freezer as well as my LTFS.  My plan is to feed myself healthy and nutritious meals every day without completely depleting my resources.

 

I do know I have some areas where I am overstocked a bit so I’d like to trim that down to a more manageable level.  I also have a small stock of home canned goods that are getting older so I want to use them up first before I dig into the newer items.  Minimizing any food waste is not only a huge goal of mine, but essential to the success of this challenge.

 

In order to get as much food as I can during this challenge I’ll be using a variety of different strategies to stretch my grocery dollars.  I am signed up with two grocery stores for their rewards program – Albertson’s and Fred Meyer.  They will often give me FREE products and offer a ton of digital coupons which allow me to get items at a substantial discount.  I will be on the lookout for markdown and clearance items too.  At this time I do not have any gift cards to any stores, however I do have a big bank of credit card rewards points that I could redeem to get some if I choose.

 

Winco is another store I would occasionally shop at (they are not located super close to my house) and they tend to offer low prices overall.  They also have a huge bulk section where I like to buy my dry herbs and spices as well as items where I only need a small amount of something.  They do not have sales or offer store rewards programs, coupons or anything like that.  They are pretty bare bones, in fact you have to bag your own groceries, which is totally fine with me.  Now that I have a job located near this store (I now pass by there every day) I’ll be taking advantage of that on my way home.

 

I'm actually rethinking the whole low carb bread thing
as the ingredient list isn't all that pretty

Dollar Tree is another good option for me.  I’ve often been able to get low carb bread from them, although it is hit and miss on that, but when I do find it I’ll grab a couple loaves and put it in the freezer.  They will frequently have items such as minced garlic, bricks of espresso grind coffee, quarts of shelf stable milk, canned deviled ham, etc. that I will pick up from time to time.

 

Right now I’m sitting pretty good as far as what I currently have on hand to use to prepare meals.  In all fairness to this challenge, I did not go out and stock up on a bunch of stuff at the end of December, but I do have some leftover fresh produce to use up as well as some frozen and canned fruits and vegetables on hand.  I also have some fresh dairy items.  Of course, I have lots of home canned goods as well as store bought plus baking supplies, pastas, rice, oatmeal, condiments, plenty of good options.  My pantry is stocked as usual and I have my LTFS too.

 

While I prefer to eat low carb most of the time, and I do intend to continue to do that, on occasion I will enjoy some pizza as well as a nice bowl of spaghetti or pasta alfredo.  There will be some carbs in my future, just not a ton of them.  The idea is to not have to change my current lifestyle in order to eat very well on a slim budget.

 

Anyway, that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!  As I make my way along I’ll let you know how it goes.  Feel free join me in your own grocery budget challenge.  The more, the merrier!