I recently did a post on a no shop challenge which was about not doing any grocery shopping or any other shopping for my family for 30 days other than necessities (fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and eggs). Recap: I had a bad habit on stocking up my pantry from great bargains until it was busting out of the seams. Too often these great deals would get shoved to the back of the pantry and long forgotten of which would result in them expiring and then I have to toss them out! I decided I was done with that – no more wasting money!!!!!
There were plenty of times where I did have to purchase several fresh fruits and vegetables as well as egg. So how did my family do? Drum roll…………………. Our family saved $700.00 during this no shop challenge! What exactly did we do?
One we did not eat out. This includes take out, fast food or eating at a restaurant. I know it is nice to eat out at times taking a break from cooking and clean up. Eating out can be costly even if it’s just driving through the drive thru. A nice solution to that is to pack a picnic and eat at a park for a nice change of scenery.
Two we purchase certain food items at particular places:.
~ The kids snacks and cereals I purchase at Big Lots. They have a huge clearance shelf that I take advantage of. Sign up for the Buzz Club Rewards and get high value coupons sent to you via e-mail.
~ We purchase our meat in bulk at Restaurant Dept or Penn Dutch. Most of our other shopping is done at Costco which happens to be my favorite store but word of caution their meat is expensive! The best place to purchase chicken is Zaycon Fresh – the chicken is the best deal at only $1.69 lb. The amazing thing is the it’s 100 % natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients!
~ I scour my weekly sale flyer for Publix for any buy one get one deals and match them with coupons.
More homemade! I got to experience making homemade bread which is so much better than eating store bought bread with preservatives and ingredients you cannot pronounce. Even though I do purchase the kids snacks at Big Lots I have been making them more homemade goodies which is not just super easy to make but they have less ingredients in them plus I know what is going in my kids bodies.
Lastly we used what we had! It mean’t coming up clever ways to use what we had. Thankfully my family was fine with these creative recipes. Now that our family did this challenge our goal is to make it a lifestyle change. There is nothing wrong with stocking up on deals but don’t forget about them! It is not a good deal if you wind up throwing it away!
I know all of this takes time and creativity but after all it’s hard earned money, why throw it out the window? Looking to save even more, be sure to see the article I wrote on how to stretch you grocery bill. Follow Mama to 5 Blessings on Facebook where I share other ways to save, free promotions and deals!
HOLY COW, $700? That is amazing. You rocked that challenge.
I admit, I’m a stacker. Lol I tend to stack and stack and completely forget we have or end up throwing it away. Which actually is not good considering I am trying to save money as much as I can. Definitely going to try this challenge next month. I think it would be a bit easier in the summer because I tend to eat less. It’s just too hot for food. Hahaha
I am actually kind of sad to admit the same thing. I end up wasting way too much.
This is such a great challenge! I have so much in my pantry, and something like this would help me use what I have, and not waste.
We tend to stock up also, but do a clearout every once on a while. It does make for some very ‘interesting’ recipes!
Ha! That’s my thing; I wonder what on earth I will come up with LOL
what an awesome challenge. I need to give this a try
This sounds like a fun idea for a challenge .. wow $700 saved! I would buy myself a new Summer Wardrobe with the savings
You saved a lot of money. We typically stock up around hurricane season. Once that has passed we try to use the extra before we buy more. I think we might try not eating out at all for a few weeks.
I should definitely try to get through my pantry before shopping again. There’s no reason it should have so many things sitting in there.
Great job! That is an awesome savings! we often do a freezer/fridge/pantry week to save money and use what we have. every little bit helps.
That is a great idea, too! I love it.
Wow! How awesome. I wish I could do this. I could not shop except for food. We seem to always run out of food even if we spend $600-$700 every two weeks on food ugh! But, congrats you did AWESOME!
Amazing savings!!! I can’t believe it, and that’s a fantastic price on chicken too! $1.69 is outstanding! Thanks for the tips!
Wow, that seems like and incredible learning experience. Being able to save that much in such a short period of time would change my shopping habits massively.
We stock up on some items, but my husband is so good about making sure that we use everything. $700 is SO MUCH to save!!
I love the idea! How did you do for fresh fruit for that long?
We stock up sales when they come around, but we don’t do the stock up for a year thing. We’ll get four or five extras.
That is an amazing amount of money to have saved! Being single I do not really buy a lot at one time but still I find myself throwing things out-which is why I no longer buy fresh veggies!! I shop light about once a week and it works for me.
I will admit, I am really bad about stock piling the pantry and then not using everything we have. I need to take this challenge.
Wow that is a full pantry!! And contrasts on saving so much money! Now it is time to stock back up!
This is a really hard challenge. I don’t think I would be able to do it!!! would sure like to save the money though 😉
Good for you. That is a big savings. We need to quite doing take out and ordering in so much and I know we would save big.
Wow, you really saved a lot of money with this no shop challenge. That will definitely help the bottom line of your budget for next month.
What an incredible challenge, I get so excited when I only hit the grocery store 1 x a week. I do find I use up things more when I try this. Less Waste.
Wow, I dont spend anywhere near $700 on food each month. That is awesome that you could save that much!
Amy, there are 7 of us, normally our grocery bill is more than our monthly mortgage payment.
This sounds like a fantastic challenge. I have a ton of can goods and stuff in the freezer. I will have to try the challenge and see how much we can save.
$700 is very impressive! I need to try this 30 day challenge and try to rock it like you did!
I agree, that is an impressive amount. It will be a great contribution to the grocery shopping next month.
Great job! Amazing savings. I have been using a lot of what we have too in the cabinets and deep freezer to cut down on grocery expenses too. My husband is kind of between jobs at the moment almost finished with his PhD, done being a graduate teaching assistant and applying for professor jobs to start in the fall, so saving money is a big priority right now. Praise the Lord, he had a promising on campus job interview this week! Since we are between jobs and probably getting ready to move soon, I am trying to use up the stock piles. I also buy in bulk to save money.
Thanks for the encouragement.
This is an awesome challenge. Dining out can be very expensive so cutting it out is a great idea
that is a crazy amount of money! i don’t know if i could do it! we don’t dine out but maybe once a month and i cook all the meals so that is one way we keep costs low
Wow! You saved a ton of money! I really need to go through my pantry and use up some of the items we have on hand. I know we’d save a bunch of money and not waste so much stuff.
Amazing!!! $700?! That’s crazy! I’ve never done this before, but it sems like it would take lots of time; does it?
Wow! I’m not sure if I’d be able to do this. What did you do about fresh produce and stuff?
Now this is an awesome challenge. I will have to figure a way to have fresh produce during 30 days.
I don’t think I could do this! Good for you!
I am always buying items when they are on sale even if I don’t currently need any of it. I need to take a no shop challenge.
What a smart idea and I think you have just inspired me for a challenge.
I have to say our cupboards are pretty bare right now. We definitely would not make it a month if I didn’t head to the grocery store. But congratulations on such a great accomplishment!
That is awesome! I need to try to do this myself.
That’s awesome I do this alot! It really helps save money and not only that but you can really see what is needed and or not. A lot of times you’re grabbing stuff people don’t even want in the end. No need to waste anything
Loved your post! Lots of helpful tips! We try to stretch our budget as well, thanks for all the info! Great job!
This sounds like a great challenge. I’d be interested to see how much we can sae.
This sounds like a great challenge. I’d be interested to see how much we can save.