How I Changed my Budget after Quitting my 9-5: The Grocery Edition

Living in New York City means grocery shopping is a task where you don’t have the luxury of a car and prices are higher than most other US cities or towns. I always make a list or else I’m set up for a budget failure and food waste. Trader Joe’s is a subway ride away, but I commit to going every 2 weeks because of the savings and fun items! Plus, I allow myself one splurge per visit - like Chili & Garlic Cashews, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups or Mini Almond Biscotti. Then, I shop the circular at my local grocery store and stock up on items that are on sale since I truly hate buying a Chobani yogurt for more than $1.

Let me dive into the details below:

How do I keep my grocery budget to $150 per month?

Let’s remember a few details on why I can make this work:

• I’m a single person living alone who has a well-stocked pantry. I cannot remember the last time I had to buy olive oil or seasonings.

• I rarely cook meat at home

• I will repeat meals multiple times in a row if it means decreasing food waste & saving money

• I supplement my grocery budget with a large restaurant budget, $499 per month, so I don’t feel deprived. I could probably increase my grocery cost and decrease my restaurant spend if I wanted to!

• I occasionally mystery shop at restaurants where you write honest reviews of a restaurant experience in exchange for a free meal

How does that $150 actually breakdown?

• 2 trips to Trader Joe’s ~$110 per month

  • I try to make two intentional trips to Trader Joe’s and spend between $40-$70 per trip. I can only carry two bags at a time so that helps me keep my spending down.

• 2-3 trips to neighborhood grocery stores ~$40 per month

  • It takes me 90 minutes (including transport) to get to Trader Joe’s and complete the shopping experience. It’s not realistic to go there every week so I supplement my shopping trips with neighborhood stores. This is usually for a few items at a time, especially for a refresh of fruits and vegetables.

• I’m on the lookout for money-saving food apps like FlashFood & Too Good to Go

What recipes am I cooking?

Breakfast

• Eggs with cheese grits

• Eggs with veggie breakfast sausage & shredded hashbrowns

• Hardboiled eggs with Everything Bagel Seasoning

• Cheesy eggs on toast

• Chocolate chip waffles

• Bagels with capers & lox

• Fruit smoothies

  • Ingredients consist of the following: frozen mixed berries, frozen mango, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries, almond or oat milk, plain greek yogurt, almond/peanut butter

Lunch & Snacks

• Mediterranean salad bowl

  • Ingredients consist of the following: dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), feta, cucumber, red pepper, tomatoes, pine nuts, pearl couscous, hummus, chickpeas, olive oil, vinegar

• Portobello mushrooms & garlic goat cheese mashed potatoes from Pinch of Yum

• Vegan Creamy Mushroom Ramen from Budget Bytes

• Just mango dried mangos (Trader Joe’s)

• Apple & Peanut Butter

Dinner & Sides

• Vegetable Fried Rice & Shrimp Gyoza (Trader Joe’s frozen section)

• Mashed potatoes

• Sauteed zucchini/summer squash with parmesan cheese

• Roasted sweet potato

• Romaine, carrot & cucumber salad with Italian dressing

• Best Anytime Baked Chicken Meatballs from Pinch of Yum

• Easy Tofu Pad Thai from Minimalist Baker

Staples to have

• Almond or oat milk

• Vegan butter (Earth Balance or alternative)

• Olive oil

• Bread crumbs

• Vegetable oil

• Almond or peanut butter

• Rice Vinegar, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce (for pad thai)

• Hot sauce (I love Taco Bell hot sauce)

• Cashews & peanuts

• Good Seasons - Italian dressing packets

Can you tell I love long lists? This is what I’ve been making recently and I hope it gets you thinking about how to make grocery spending more interesting.

Also, I would love to hear how you manage your grocery spending. Send me a direct message or a comment @pointsforchange on Instagram.

P.S. This is not sponsored by any brands mentioned above and all opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. My suggestions are simply suggestions and not financial advice. You should always consider your personal financial situation and what works best for you prior to making financial decisions because personal finance is… well… personal.
Affiliate links: On this page you may see referral links where Points for Change LLC is compensated in referral bonuses, free months to subscription services or other compensation for sharing links to products we love. All reviews are the opinion of the writer and not influenced by the companies mentioned.

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