Appreciation post: I finally got my grocery bill under $80 a week by planning around sales, not a list.

3 comments

3 Comments

Nice! I did the same thing last month and it was a game changer. I used to just buy whatever was on my list, but now I check the flyer first. I built a whole week of meals because chicken was on sale and broccoli was cheap. My fridge is full and my wallet isn't empty.

anna_coleman4d ago

30 dollars on a single meal kit box last week taught me I was wasting money, @emeryw16. Honestly, I think writing the list first is setting yourself up to overspend. You go in with a plan, see sales that don't match, and either buy stuff you don't need or miss out on deals. Tbh, I check the flyer first, then loosely plan around 3-4 cheap proteins and whatever veggies are on sale. That way, I'm not locked into a specific recipe that requires expensive stuff. Ngl, it feels more flexible and my grocery bill dropped like 40 bucks a week once I flipped the order around.

emeryw161mo ago

Check the flyer before making your list or after? I always write my list first but maybe that's backwards if the sales change what I plan to cook.