Some would say that I’m too picky about what foods and supplements that I buy. I would say that I want our family to be as healthy as possible, and to do that, it costs a bit more (of course, we don’t buy a bunch of processed foods that add up quickly, and we rarely eat out to do this!). Robert and I have spent a lot of time discussing the fact that we both would spend a little more for higher quality… including our food, backpacking gear, camping gear, clothes/shoes, etc. But, we will also spend time searching to find the best price, even if it takes us a while.

You see, I can either spend more now on food or spend more later on medical bills (and this is truth… I’ve seen it time and time again). I can either spend a little more now on shoes and keep that pair for a long time, or I can spend more over time because I have to keep buying shoes. I can either buy good hiking boots that would last years (and be better for my feet), or I could buy cheap hiking boots, possibly hurt myself while backpacking, and still have to buy another pair pretty quickly.

I could keep going, but you get the picture.

My grocery budget has increased over the years, but not because we are buying more… but because I’ve finally made the budget meet reality. I have struggled regularly because I felt like a complete failure every month because we would go over the budget that I had set for myself. I tried $400 a month and failed miserably. I tried $500 a month and struggled with that as well.

Our current grocery budget is $600 a month (or $300 every paycheck), and this is very realistic and consistent for our family of five (this includes everything including food, supplements, and household products… and if we eat out, that comes out of this budget). Now, summers will be a bit more difficult (since I won’t be getting a paycheck), but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. My hope is to be able to stock up on some foods like coconut oil, raw honey, bulk/dry foods, cod liver oil, vitamins, etc so that we can make it through the summer without making those purchases. We have a little while until we have to worry about it . I’ll begin planning for that in a few months.

I have spent some time today making a new grocery buying checklist to help me simplify, including the amount that I will have budgeted for each place that I buy from. I have searched and searched to find the cheapest and best sources for real, quality food. This does mean that I will be buying from more than one place… and I’m finally okay with that. I have created a printable grocery budget breakdown that I will be using for my grocery shopping planning.

Here is the breakdown:

Weekly Purchases, $50 per week
(buy things as needed)

Sprouts

• Produce, in season, on sale
• Uncured salami, turkey, and or ham
• Uncured sausage (if on sale)
• Uncured bacon (if on sale)
• Almond milk (for Karis)
• Canned coconut milk
• Frozen fruit
• Arrowroot powder (for homemade deodorant)
• Bulk foods, as needed
• Parchment paper (I like the Natural Value brand)
• Anything needed for a recipe

Wal-mart

• Items needed for homemade cleaners, detergents, and products: vinegar, baking/washing soda, etc.
• Toilet paper
• Ziploc bags
• Greek gods Greek yogurt (this is the cheapest place to buy it… and Robert loves it with homemade granola)

Every Other Week Purchases
$280 per month

Real Foods Co-op ($90 each time, $180 monthly)

• 8, half gallons of organic, grass-fed, raw milk
• 1/2 share organic, in-season produce (sometimes)
• 2 whole cage free, organic chickens
• 2lbs organic grass-fed ground beef (sometimes)
• 3 dozen organic cage-free eggs (we also get eggs from our backyard chickens)
• Essentials oils, as needed (I will begin buying these through one of the ladies that runs the co-op)

Costco ($100 per month, total… buy what is needed only)

• 54 oz organic, unrefined coconut oil (it’s $34.99 on their website, and I pay only $15.99 at Costco!)
• 2.5lbs of raw, local honey
• 1 1/2lbs grassfed butter (Kerrygold)
• 4lbs organic quinoa
• 4lbs (I think) of brown rice
• Veggie chips and pumpkin seed chips
• Hummus
• Local coffee
• Canned wild-caught salmon
• Pure maple syrup
• Fruit strips
• Dark chocolate chips
• Sliced almonds
• Frozen fruits
• Frozen veggies
• Organic herbs and spices

Whole Foods

• Sucanat (it is so much cheaper here than anywhere else… I just pick it up when we’re in the area!)

Every Other Month ($120 total)

Amazon (subscribe and save, odd numbered months)

• Garden of Life Vitamin Code Women’s Raw Vitamins
• Garden of Life Vitamin Code Kids Raw Vitamins
• Earthpaste toothpaste
• Spirulina powder

Green Pasture (also odd numbered months)

• Fermented cod liver oil (whichever one is on sale!)

Fermented cod liver oil is pretty expensive, but I feel that it is worth it. I’ll explain more in another post!  (Until then, check out Why Fermented Cod Liver Oil? over at Cheeseslave)

Azure Standard

• Organic hard white wheat berries, 50lbs
• Raw cheddar, 5lbs
• Organic, raw apple cider vinegar, 1 gallon
• Organic rolled oats
• Organic beans (pinto and black)
• Organic grits
• Active yeast
• Organic nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc)
• Castile soap
• Shampoo bar
• Other items as needed (or as on sale)

For the most part, my meals are all made from these foods (which I try to always have on hand). I plan the actual meals around what produce I receive through the co-op, and what produce is on sale at Sprouts.