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This Week’s $70 Grocery Budget + Menu Plan

Want to see what we bought for this week’s $70 grocery budget? I’m currently challenging myself to stick with a $70 budget for our family of five. This includes almost all of our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners + most household products (toiletries, laundry soap, etc.).

For live updates, be sure to follow my Instagram Stories. See all posts on my $70 Grocery Budget here.

Because of our traveling the last 4 weeks, I haven’t posted our grocery budget + menu plan posts. It feels good to be back to it now that school has started and we’re back into the swing of a more normal routine.

Speaking of school starting, here’s a real-life photo from the first day: Kathrynne headed out to a 4-day back to school camp (her school starts with an all-school 4-day camp!), Silas all ready for his first day in his uniform, and Kaitlynn sporting a thermometer because she had a low grade fever and had to stay home.

I couldn’t believe this HUGE cart full of egg noodles marked down to $0.69 each at Kroger this week!

But I didn’t buy them because Kroger has Private Selection on pasta for $0.50 when you buy 5 participating items.

Kroger Shopping Trip #1:

Kroger breakfast links — free with coupons from Kroger mailer
2 canisters of breadcrumbs — on closeout for $0.47 each
Kroger peanut butter — free with coupons from Kroger mailer
A&W Cream Soda — free with coupon mailed to me
Quest bar — free with Freebie Friday coupon
1 can Kroger green beans — marked down to $0.29
2 cans of hominy — marked down to $0.29 each
Turkey Hill Tea — marked down to $0.39
Kroger broth — marked down to $0.69
3 boxes of Kroger toaster pastries — marked down to $0.59 each
1 bag of peppers — marked down to $0.99
1 cantaloupe — marked down to $0.99
1 bag of onions/avocados — marked down to $0.99
1 can Simple Truth green beans — marked down to $0.49
1 package of egg roll wraps — marked down to $0.49
2 bags of Blue Corn chips — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items
1 package of Oscar Mayer hot dogs — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items
2 bags of Goldfish — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items
4 packages of Private Selection pasta — $0.50 each when you buy 5 participating items
1 box of oatmeal — used $0.40/1 Kroger digital coupon = $1.09 after coupon
Total with tax: $18.95

Kaitlynn and I flew to Portland, Maine for me to speak at the Food Allergy Blogger’s Conference. One of the best parts of speaking at food blogging conferences? The BEST gift sacks full of yummy food and snacks from sponsors!

Kroger Shopping Trip #2

Kroger whole wheat flour — marked down to $1.69
Brown rice — marked down to $1.19
3 packages of Eckrich sausage — $1.69 each when you buy 5 participating items
5 packages of cheese — $0.99 each with Friday-Saturday deal
2 boxes of Cheerios — $1.49 when you buy 5 participating items — used $1/2 Kroger digital coupon = $0.99 each
Bag of grapefruit/lime juice — $0.99
Tub of lettuce — marked down to $1.79
1 dozen cage-free eggs — $2.50
1 back to school brownie bites — marked down to $2.49
Total with tax: $25.09

Sprouts Shopping Trip

Bartlett Pears — $0.95
3 18-oz. cartons of blueberries — $1.98 each
Peaches — $1.09
Water — $1.98
Total with tax: $10.64

BigLots Shopping Trip

2 bags of chips — $0.25 each
2 double packs of English Muffins — $1.40 each
4 packages of Keebler cookies — $0.25 each
4 to-go cups — $0.25 each
4 bags of peanuts — $0.25 each
Total with tax: $7.26

$70 Grocery Budget + Menu Plan

I couldn’t believe the great deals we found at BigLots! It reminded me of the Christian County Discount Freight & Grocery last week!

What We Ate This Past Week

Note: When you see the meals below, please remember this: I buy ahead often. Which means that when I find a great deal on something I know we’ll use, I buy as much as I can afford in our budget to have on hand.

This means that you aren’t going to see all of the groceries my shopping trip that I used to make all of the meals we ate.

Please also remember that I’m putting this out there and it’s not a perfectly balanced menu. This is just really what we ate — and I hope that it encourages you to see the real-ness and lack of perfection here.

Breakfasts: