My $100 Per Month Grocery Budget: An Update and Tips

In this video, I menu plan and talk about my current $100 grocery budget for a family of four. I'll chat about how to plan before you go to the store, give tips on food storage, and show you how to create a weekly topical menu plan.

I'll also discuss why (despite inflation and rising prices) I decided to challenge myself to spend just $100 a month, how long I’ll do keep up the challenge, and how in the world I’m spending so little.

Be sure you watch the whole video, because I’ll be giving you practical tips while showing you this week’s grocery haul.

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We're Hope and Larry and we love practical frugality. We raised our four sons, debt-free, including paying cash for our home when our income was well under the national average. For tips on saving money, budgeting, paying off debt, and setting goals (while living with a spirit of joy and abundance), subscribe to us here on YouTube and visit us at our website and on social media.

Information on Under the Median represents our opinions only. We are not medical doctors, medical professionals, nutritionists, or investment professionals. All content found on Under the Median is intended for informational purposes only. Please be sure to exercise due diligence and always contact a professional with any questions you may have regarding any information you have seen or heard on our YouTube channel. Use caution when following instructions in this video. The creator and publisher of this video will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of any method on this channel.

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[UndertheMedian]

Folks have been asking for recipe links. I added them to the video description.

[PrepperPrincess]

Booyah! And that’s how you do it and help the environment by saying NO to food waste! Great job

[LindaFoyle]

Thank you for this video. I’m retired, cook for myself on a dime, always trying to be frugal, this helped me a lot. (71 yr old woman) ❤

[eileencostilow]

Here in the New Orleans area we never buy cabbage or other produce the weeks around St. Patrick's Day. Each weekend in mid-March there are several St. Patrick's Day parades where the people on the floats "throw" cabbages, potatoes, carrots, onions, Irish Spring soap, Lucky Charms cereal, lemons, limes, pineapples, garlic, along with beads and trinkets. Most people bring wagons to these parades since they go home with so much produce that's way too heavy to carry back to the car. We catch so many cabbages, potatoes, onions and carrots that we usually give it away to those who haven't or can't catch much (usually an elderly person in the crowd). The tradition is that you go home and cook an Irish stew wish all of the vegetables that you caught. The idea of giving out this food is to honor The Great Hunger of the 1840's in Ireland. Each year we come home with boxes and boxes. We go to several of the parades, so our garage is full of veggies in boxes, and we have to call or text friends and neighbors to come get some. New Orleans Catholic culture has big celebrations for St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Days (March 17 and 19). Some of the floats honor St. Joseph by throwing garlic, pasta, lemons and limes. I got a pineapple from a friend on one of the floats last year. I cut off the top and rooted it and eventually planted it in a large flowerpot on my patio. It's still growing and hopefully will produce a baby pineapple for me.

[schrodingerssquirrel]

For cabbage I like to make Koluska.

One onion cut coarse
One cabbage cut in strips
One bag of noodles (Cooked)
Fat (oil, Butter)

Fry onions in fat. Add cabbage and fry until tender. Add cooked noodles and cook together. I like to add tons of pepper.

This is an old depression era favorite. Cheap, hot, and hardy.

[elizaC]

It surprises me how few folks know how to stretch food, and to cook from scratch. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[sheilam]

I fed us, including buying laundry detergent and dish detergent, for the month of February for $147, for me and my 17 year old daughter. That included all toiletries, paper goods, everything.

[heatherknits]

You can serve onions roasted whole. Make sure they’re clean and fresh, no mold, and bake in the oven in their skins at 325 for an hour. Serve with salt and pepper. Cream is delicious, too.

[chrisl]

Hope, you have really inspired me! I'm thinking so thrifty now, watching how I spend my money and making choices rather than feeling like a victim of the tough economy! Food is the one area that can absorb all our 'extra' cash. By making a plan and shopping with a list, shopping my pantry and freezer, I've cut out some things I was buying completely (soda and Reeses peanut butter cups [Waah!] and I'm seeing how planning is satisfying more tummies with healthier food choices. We have an Aldi nearby. That will definitely be my go-to, followed by Wal-Mart. I'm so fortunate that my sister works at a breakfast/lunch meals for the homeless (on Thursdays) provider and she gave me some leftover produce that would have gone bad by next week. My eldest daughter volunteered all day and brought home some the produce. I'm incorporating that into our meals. We just moved to a smaller apartment so we could still afford to stay near my Mom. I'm so grateful for your many tips and teachings to be frugal and hopefully start to save $, rather than living from paycheck to paycheck.

[vcrshark]

Thank you for doing this! I’m 26 and don’t have a family to feed but was trying to find a way to keep my grocery budget down. This gave me a lot of ideas!

[brg]

We organized the freezer with baskets. Two baskets per shelf. On the top shelf, chicken in one basket vertically stored in vacuum sealed bags with dates on them, pork in the next basket, etc. We have never been organized in the freezer, but it is sure helping us. The frig freezer is same thing with one basket fruit, one veggies, one broths, and one is processed anything that is opened. That way we don't over buy or lose food. It took many years to find this and it works so much easier for us. About once a week we use up something in the frig freezer. When the basket is full we don't buy anymore of that meat or whatever. This might help someone else who is on a time crunch and tired of the stuff being hard to manage. You know when not to buy more, because that category is full. It all doesn't come flying out at you when you open the door. Not sure why no freezer or frig companies don't come with these compartments. It is so much easier.

I had a €100 food budget a month for years but just for myself. It included all food, no storage in pantry/fridge/freezer at the time. It was all I could afford. I am over that amount now as getting older, I choose to feed myself mostly organic.

[larra]

My favorite cabbage recipe is Cabbage in Tomato Sauce – Paradicsomos Káposzta. This lovely dish is from my grandfather and his parents lived in Hungary. It's really nice with falafels and potatoes on side. My second favorite cabbage meal is Fried cabbage with noodles - simple but the best.

[sharongenco]

We used to have a big St. Patrick’s Day feast with my parents. Now that they are no longer with us my family continues the tradition, vegan style. I have made corn beef style seitan baked with all of the traditional vegetables, or a hearty potato cabbage soup. But without fail, we have Irish soda, bread! ☘️

[shirleydenton]

Hope, you are just amazing. I thinkI know how to save asI make my list of loss leaders from ads at three stores I can shop in a 5 mile circle. I watch my perishables, thanks to you, and I think I have a handle on this frugal living thing. Then I see you buy all those onions, and plan meals and ways to utilize them. Onions do keep a long time, and if you like them, they can be one of the most versatile vegetables ever. I still keep learning from you, because you keep coming up with such good ideas. Larry sure ain’t no slouch either!😅

[bessiejones]

You are such a joy to the struggling family, May God bless you always

[Lee-fboj]

$100 monthly food budget is a great idea when you have a stockpile from last year just stored up and waiting to be used. Combine dried with fresh.

[d.parisi]

Cabbage was on sale for 25 cents a lb at Harris Teeter this week!

Scrap tip:I make my own celery salt by drying out celery leaves and then grinding it with sea salt in the food processor.

[nedracrouse]

Love all your meal ideas. I have a full freezer, so think I can do 100.00 a month.Grew up in a family where my mom was always stocked up and prepared.

[jessicaowens]

The RED BAGS are my fav! They're $1.49/bag here in the PNW but still an amazing value! I've also noticed a lot of the RED BAG fruit are organic. Those RED BAG veggies really encourage me to be creative and I love that too! Great video @underthemedian!