One year ago, I decided to start cooking every night since we were spending so much money on takeout. Not only is it a lot less expensive, but it’s also so much healthier! After a year of consistently cooking week night meals (and my lunches), I’ve come up with a lot of ways to save money at the grocery store and only shop once a week. For our family of 3, I only spend about $100 a week on groceries. That includes Sunday-Thursday dinners, Monday-Friday lunches, and all of Jett’s food! In today’s post, I’m giving you some tips to save money on groceries and sharing my Trader Joe’s grocery list tips and tricks!
I typically do my Trader Joe’s run on a Sunday morning or afternoon. I like to go in the morning if I can because it’s less busy and they aren’t sold out of things yet. This Sunday I went in the afternoon and they didn’t have pickles- what a bummer! I have 2 insulated bags that I bought from Trader Joe’s that I take with me so I don’t have to pay for bags. They’re $0.10 here which isn’t crazy, but it’s easy to just bring my own and better for the environment.
With my commute to work and having Jett by myself a lot, a detailed list is essential. I don’t have time to go to the store more than once! Growing up, my mom would go to the store almost every day and never made lists. We lived down the street from the store, but it always drove me crazy that we had to go to the store with her like 75 times a week- LOL! It also saves so much money when you only buy the things that you need. Nothing goes to waste (unless Jett decides to be picky- ha!) and that makes me feel so great.
HOW I CREATE MY GROCERY LIST:
Before going to the store, I sit down and create a menu for the week in the notes app on my iPhone. I usually ask Skyler what meals he would like (and what nights he will be home) and go from there. If he is out of town for work, I typically just make easy meals for myself that don’t require too much cleanup. This week he will be in town and even offered to cook dinner on Wednesday night- whoohoo! That never happens so I’m pretty excited to get a night off!
After I make a menu, in the same note on my phone, I make a checklist of items that I need for each night. I start with Sunday night, add all of those ingredients, and then move onto the next night. At the end, I add all of the things I need to get Jett so I don’t forget anything. I try to do this while I’m at home so that I can check the fridge and pantry for things first so I don’t end up buying things we already have. That has saved me a lot of money recently!
MY PLAN OF ATTACK AT THE GROCERY STORE:
After I get to Trader Joe’s, I always put my reusable bags on the bottom of the cart so I can have more room in the basket to organize everything. I use my grocery list note and check everything off as I go, but I also organize the meals in the cart so I can double check that I got everything. There’s nothing worse than planning a taco night and then forgetting the cheese- ya know?! Ever since I started doing this, it’s made shopping so much quicker and I rarely forget anything! I basically make little piles of ingredients for each night I’m cooking. I put everything for Jett where he would normally sit since I’ve been shopping during his nap time or Skyler just watches him while I run to the store.
To save money on Jett’s food, I only get him one new thing to try every week. He has his staple items he can’t live without, like yogurt pouches, and I’ll buy a new fruit for him to try or something fun like animal crackers. I used to buy too many new foods for him to try and I was wasting so much food- and money!
I hope you enjoyed this #traderjoestuesday post! Make sure you check back next week, I’ll be sharing an easy dinner idea!
Xo,
Haley
One of my favorite things to do for Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day weekend is to make a yummy cheese board. It’s easy to add a patriotic color scheme with fruit and it’s great for kids and adults! In today’s post I’m sharing all of the supplies you need to make a board just like this plus a Trader Joe’s shopping list.