29
I finally got my grocery bill under $75 a week after a weird moment at the farmer's market
So I was at the Saturday market in Portland (the one by the river, you know the one) and this older lady saw me picking up a single $8 bunch of asparagus. She just shook her head and said, 'Honey, that's next month's food. The stuff that's cheap right now is over there,' and pointed to a whole table of zucchini and greens. I felt kind of silly, but it clicked. I started only buying what was actually in season and on sale, and planning my meals around that flyer they hand out at the entrance. I even got a little notebook to track prices. My bill went from like $110 a week to a steady $72-$74. It sounds small, but that's almost $150 extra in my pocket every month. Has anyone else had a market moment that changed how they shop for food?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
tarab543mo ago
My moment was at the Safeway meat counter. I always grabbed the pre-packaged chicken breasts until a butcher pointed out the whole chickens were half the price per pound. I started buying one, roasting it for dinner, then using the leftover meat for sandwiches and the carcass for soup. That one change probably saves me twenty bucks a week without even trying.
5
elliotc101mo ago
Saved twenty bucks a week without even trying" - that's legit, honestly. My buddy Mike used to buy those pre-cut veggie trays from the grocery store until his roommate showed him how to chop his own carrots and celery. He swore it was too much hassle, then he timed himself one day and it took like 7 minutes. Now he saves like $15 a week easy. And @the_anna, I get where you're coming from on the time thing, but sometimes it's just a few extra minutes for a solid chunk of savings. Mike even started buying bulk onions and freezing them in bags, and he laughs about how he used to pay $4 for a tiny tray.
6