Food Budget, Part II- Game Plan

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments on the Part I of my food budget posts. 

Food Budget, Part I- Confession <— If you missed the post, here it is.

How I Got Here

Before I highlight my plan of attack, let me share the reasons why I think my food spending has gotten so out of control:

I love going to grocery stores, checking out the different items, and trying new foods.   My idea of a perfect weekend includes a mini road trip to Trader Joe?s and a visit to my favorite froyo bar.  I don?t spend a lot of money on clothes, furniture, or beauty products.  Food is my main source of entertainment.  I read about it, shop for it, cook it, or bake it daily.

Driving by Earthfare?  Hey, I think I?ll stop by and get a kombucha and maybe a $2.50 Jokerz candy bar for dessert.  Eat a $1.25 Larabar as a daily pre-workout snack?  Sure, why not?

I buy pricy food items such as Greek yogurt, organic eggs, organic butter, organic tofu, and organic soymilk.  The nutritional quality of my food is important to me.  More importantly, I prefer the food I eat to be free of chemical additives and hormones.

So there?s the why behind my ridiculous food spending.  Now it?s time to examine the above list and decide how I will slash my food budget.   I plan on attacking my food hobby as well as my expensive snacking habit.  However, I?m going to try my best to continue eating wholesome, healthy, high-quality foods.  I imagine this will be a challenge, but I know I can do it!  Here?s how?

The Plan

1) Eat what I have.

Because I frequently grocery shop, I have A LOT of food stockpiled.  My pantry is brimming with grains, legumes, nuts, sugars, and flours galore.  I have several months worth of these items on hand.  Until I?ve eaten through my pantry, I will NOT allow myself to be tempted by the allure of some new food product I?ve yet to try!  Because I have a compilation of dry goods, I will focus my weekly shopping on perishable staples like fruits, veggies, Greek yogurt, tofu, etc.

2) Bring my lunch to work.

I typically bring my lunch to work.  But about once every other week, I fail to plan ahead.  On days where I haven?t prepared a meal in advance, I typically hit up Earth Fare because of the healthy lunch options.  The fresh items are high quality, but they?re expensive!  I?ve never spent less than $10.00 on an Earth Fare lunch.  A homemade PB&J would definitely be more wallet friendly.

3) Reduce Novelty Food Purchases.

As much as I LOVE kombucha, I really need to stop spending $3.69 a bottle on this stuff.  I?m officially on a kombucha hiatus starting?now.  Similarly, I have a tea buying obsession that needs to stop.  There?s enough tea in my cabinets to last me approximately 3 years!  Starbuck?s is another indulgence I probably need to give up. I just gifted Stephen a Breville/Keurig coffeemaker, and I always have delicious coffee at my fingertips so there really is no need to pay $4.00 for a coffee drink.

4) Cut Coupons.

I receive Red Plum fliers in my mailbox every week.  Typically, I throw them away.  I?ve recently realized how silly this is.  Why throw away free money?  This past week, I perused the ads and began cutting coupons.  I found a surprising amount of discounts on things I regularly buy.  Coupons for Almond Breeze, fish oil supplements, and Eggland?s Best organic eggs will definitely come in handy in the near future.

5) Make My Own Desserts.

Instead of buying expensive gourmet chocolate and going out for self-serve froyo, I can save a lot of money by baking my own treats.  I already have every baking ingredient known to man-kind sitting in my pantry! 

6) Eat Out Less.

Left to my own devices, I rarely eat out.  However, Stephen is a horrible influence on me.  We often disagree about what to cook for dinner.  Usually the resolution includes going out to eat.  Thankfully, Stephen has also recently put himself on a food budget.  I?m hoping we can work together to put the kabosh on eating meals outside the house.

7) Redirect My Food Hobby.

I want to channel the energy I once spent on being a free-spending foodie?shopping at Earth Fare, trying the latest food trends, and drinking kombucha?into becoming a frugal foodie.  I wish to redirect my hobby into meal planning, recipe searching, deal finding, and coupon cutting.  For all you fellow psychology nerds, let?s think of these as my replacement behaviors.

The Goal

Hopefully the steps I?ve listed above will help fix my outta control food spending.  My goal is to spend no more than $200 a month on food.  Therefore, I plan to spend around $50 weekly.  This includes dining out, coffee, dessert, tea, spices etc.  I will be posting frequent updates on Lily?s Health Pad about my progress!

Question: Any other ideas on how to save on groceries?