Hit $50 a week on groceries after moving to Portland last fall

I moved to Portland last fall and kept seeing people say they feed themselves for $30 a week, which seemed impossible. After tracking every receipt for two months, I got my weekly grocery bill down to exactly $48.73 by relying on bulk beans, frozen veggies, and a 50-cent bag of potatoes. Anyone else find a specific number that felt like a win for their budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse2901mo ago

Can't believe you tracked every single receipt for two whole months.

wendy_bell831mo ago

Jesse, I get why it sounds like a lot... but once I started doing it with just a small notebook and a pen, it got surprisingly easy. I'd jot down the total and category right after paying, even just a quick scribble on the back of the receipt before I threw it away. After a week, it was just a habit like checking my phone... and looking at it all together at the end showed me I was spending $80 a month on gas station coffee and snacks. That one change made the whole thing worth it for me.