Grocery Haul

Billions of people in the world. Billions of families. Billions of different ways to shop for food for your family. I always have found it fascinating to see how different families (big or small) tackle different tasks. Like grocery shopping! When I watch how other people shop, prep food and think through their meals I know I can always learn.

So I’m excited to share with you how we grocery shop. But let me first tell you, as with anything, it’s important to know that we will all do things differently. And that’s OK. In fact it’s better than ok. No one way is more valued than another. Some buy organic, some don’t. Some love fancy brands, others don’t care. Some meal prep and plan every ingredient, and some grab an extra box of donuts on the way to the checkout (I can relate). However you shop and prep is for you to decide what’s best for your family. But again, I’m always looking for ways to improve my shopping game, save a little money here and there and also feed my family well…no small task with 5 (soon to be 6) hungry little boys! 

So here’s some fun facts and the lowdown on how we do things:

Our family does a big grocery shopping trip every 2 weeks. We fill two very full carts and it’s about the amount of food you see here in the picture. We usually walk away spending about $500-$550 every two weeks. On the in-between weeks, Tim usually runs to the store to grab more milk and fresh fruit to get us through to the next shopping trip. This usually costs about $35-50. 

The bulk of our shopping is done at Winco. For this, I am thankful. It’s comparable to many who shop at Aldi (in other parts of the country). Prices are cheaper and you can buy many things in bulk. We don’t have a Costco nearby so this is a lifesaver. 

There are a few things I buy brand name but many things I don’t. I always scan prices to compare and if I can, I will try to save a little here and there on certain items.

My route around the store is always fresh produce first, bulk second (rice/pastas/spices, etc.), breads third, meat fourth, dairy fifth. If needed, I go to the middle aisles to restock on any pantry/canned goods or items like cereal. But I do this last so I don’t overbuy on these items. I’d rather fill my cart with fresh stuff first if possible. 

For our beef- I don’t buy this at the store. We buy directly through a rancher and get a 20lb. box of various beef cuts/ground beef shipped to our door every month. We can pause these shipments as needed. But this costs us $200/month. It is spendier, but we love getting the more quality beef and knowing it’s always available. 

Lastly, every 3-4 months I usually do an online Costco order for bigger items. Toilet paper, Paper towels, diapers/wipes and some bulk snacks. This tallies about $300-$400 every 3-4 months. 

So what’s our monthly budget for our family of 7? It ranges from about $1375-$1700. This includes groceries and household items. But does not include eating out. If I include eating out, it would probably bump it to $1550-$1700. I’m sure many can do it cheaper and some may spend more. Both OK!

I love buying healthy items, but I’m indifferent on buying organic. Just our choice! Whatever you choose is great. I love buying fresh items but you’ll also find me with a box of donuts here and there. It’s a happy balance for us.

I don’t meal plan but I do have a great sense of the meals we love so I always tend to have those items on hand so I can make those meals anytime. 

And most of all? We LOVE shopping as a family. I just have always brought my boys because I had no other help when I needed to shop. And now it has become tradition. They learn a ton, they help a ton and in turn, they get more excited about the food we eat because they are apart of the process. All wins in my book.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse at our grocery haul and how we shop. I’d love to hear what you do that helps your family. Let me know in the comments!!

xo, Sarah

TIP – If you want to earn a little cash back on your grocery trips, try Fetch Rewards. All you do is scan any receipt, anytime, from any purchase. It builds slowly but surely and you can turn your points into gift cards (I always choose Amazon)! You can also link online shopping accounts like Amazon and earn from your purchases there too. If you click my affiliate link to sign up, you will also get 2,000 bonus points when you scan your first receipt, which equals a $2 Amazon gift card! Here’s the code to input if the link doesn’t work: 3RX6Q