Did you know that a basic grocery list could be the differentiating factor between becoming a millionaire or not? If that sounds unbelievable, let me prove it to you.
So grab a pen, paper, and calculator; I’m about to unveil the secrets of a mindful grocery shopper. *Cha-ching!*
Poor Planning Makes you broke
First, let me explain to you the two internal qualities you must possess if you want to be wealthy:
- You must be able to live simply.
- You must be strategic about where you allocate your money.
These two qualities both come into play when you are launching a business, trying to make $1 million dollars, and making a basic grocery list.
Poor planning is an external reflection of a disordered internal intention, or lack thereof. So before we can make permanent change on the outside, we must confront the inside.
Look within and identify the emotions and feelings when it comes to financial planning. Do you struggle because you don’t want to take responsibility for your finances? Do you play victim to your situation and always look towards those with success as to why you might be failing? Or are you simply just not knowledgeable that something is wrong?
Whatever the case might be, there is always room to grow. So, with an open mind we can accept our shortcomings and become someone new. Let go, release, and let’s move on.
Examples of a Basic Grocery List
I want to show you different examples of a basic grocery list. They each follow a simplified structure that is easy to follow, easy to make, and will save you money over time, giving you more money to save, invest, or spend on things you really enjoy.
1) For The Single Individual
When I was a single bachelor learning to navigate living on my own for the first time, I remember my first grocery run—I spent $125 for the week. I didn’t have a grocery list; I just winged it.
I thought that was normal, until I ended up eating all the food in 5 days—not even a full week! Curse my high-protein, body-building needs at the time. Related Reading: Low-Protein Diets: The Secret To Slimming Down And Looking Toned
Here is the list I created that met all my nutrition needs and only cost me $50 per week!
- Must Haves
- Eggs
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Sourdough Bread
- Oats
- Butter
- Bananas
- Peanut Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Cheese
- Protein (Choose 1 for the week)
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Carbs (Can rotate once it runs out)
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Vegetables (Choose 1 for the week)
- Kale
- Celery
- Carrots
- Broccoli
That was pretty much it. The beauty is that some of these bulk items last longer than a week. So I would have grocery bills that were about $50-55, then the next week it was $35-45.
Every month I saved on average $1,500, solely because I was able to knock my grocery bill down.
2) For the Couple
For those of you who have found your soulmate and need a simple grocery list, there are some slight tweaks we need to make. After all, you are no longer just taking care of yourself, you have to take into account your partner’s needs as well. Here’s what that grocery list might look like, averaging $115 every two weeks.
- Must Haves
- Eggs
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Sourdough Bread
- Oats
- Butter
- Bananas
- Peanut Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Cheese
- Honey
- Tortillas
- Protein (Choose 2 for two weeks)
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Carbs (Can rotate once it runs out)
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Vegetables (Choose 2 for two weeks)
- Kale
- Celery
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Onions
- Peppers
- Desserts (Put your favorites & eat sparingly, not as a full meal)
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Small Ice Cream Pint
- Pack of Cookies
The main difference here is we added more variety items, desserts (if you and your partner like them), and you’re just buying a little bit more than you did when you were single (i.e. Instead of 1 loaf of bread, you now buy 2. Instead of 1 kind of protein for the week, you can now buy 2 different ones and freeze 1 for the following week).
You also aren’t buying food every week. You can now space out the trips to every two weeks, saving you time and freeing up your month to do other things. When my wife and I first got married, we only ran 2 major grocery runs a month. That was it!
3) For the Family
Now things get a little more complicated here, but also the more important a grocery list becomes because you have several mouths to feed and it’s a lot to cover in just a couple of grocery store runs.
At this point, your grocery store list has evolved to the point where it has taken on a life of its own. Not only that, but you probably are running to multiple stores to pick up miscellaneous and specialty items as well (i.e. diapers & wipes, milk, spices & sauces, cereal, clothes, cleaning supplies, toys, kid snacks, etc.).
However, what if I told you that it’s possible to make your already basic grocery list even more basic, removing the stress of writing down all the items you need to buy for the month?
The key is to follow the same principles as before (buying more quantity and adding some variety). You want to keep the sections the same, adding necessary FOOD items only. DO NOT add specialty and miscellaneous items to this list. (You will see why in a moment). Here is what a grocery shopping list should look like for the average family that should cost anywhere from $125 to $250 every two weeks.
- Must Haves
- Eggs
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Sourdough Bread
- Oats
- Butter
- Bananas
- Berries
- Peanut Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Cheese
- Honey
- Tortillas
- Pasta
- Protein (Choose 2 for two weeks)
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Fish (more expensive)
- Carbs (Can rotate once it runs out)
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Vegetables (Choose 2-3 for two weeks)
- Kale
- Celery
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Green Beans
- Onions
- Peppers
- Desserts (Put your favorites & eat sparingly, not as a full meal)
- Candy
- Ice Cream
- Pack of Cookies
- Brownie Mix
Add a Separate Budget For Miscellaneous and Specialty Items
According to USDA estimates, a family of four on a thrifty budget spends around $900 to $1,000 a month on groceries.
That’s just on food alone. That doesn’t account for specialty items, or even random things you need to buy throughout the month.
Once your basic food needs are met with your normal grocery list, we can count all these extra items as just normal line items on a budget. How my wife and I have it set up is we have $700 to spend for the month, and that’s including food, activities, miscellaneous items, gas, gifts, etc.
This keeps everything so simple that all we have to do is not go over $700 for the month. We give ourselves enough room that we never overspend. Some months we even end up only spending $550, and now we have $150 to do whatever we want.
If you follow the family grocery list I provided, you would end up with $500 on the high-end for food, and you could even double that to make your total spend for the month $1,000, putting you right there with the estimate for a family of four’s budget. However, this $1,000 budget also includes all your random spending for the month. (excluding utilities, mortgage/rent).
You may have to play around with the extra amount, after food, to see what works for you. You may find that you have so much money leftover that it’s too much, and at that point it would be wise to save and invest it.
Sometimes, you may feel it’s a little too restrictive and you can’t even buy things you absolutely need. At that point, you should slowly add more money to the budget (i.e. feeling stressed spending only $700 for the month, but then getting relief when you can spend $800.)
My wife and I try to give ourselves just enough money to enjoy ourselves and leave a good portion of our money to invest and save.
Key Grocery Shopping Strategies To Keep In Mind
- Find your go-to stores that have the prices you want.
- Buy in bulk for basics because it’s cheaper. Specialty items you can buy at more of a premium.
- Don’t feel bad because you’re not shopping at the bougie grocery stores. What’s important is that you’ll end up with more money in your pocket at the end of the day than the average grocery shopper.
- Focus on affordable health foods; splurge on items you really want.
- Don’t overcomplicate your grocery shopping list. The simpler, the better. The simpler it is, the easier it is to adhere to.
- Be smart with any extra money you have leftover. Building financial stability through saving and investing will benefit you in the long-run, whereas splurging the extra money can actually cost you more than if you didn’t have extra money to begin with.
- Only buy what you need for the week or two weeks; don’t plan ahead too much and overbuy because you will end up spending dollars you otherwise wouldn’t have. You’ll just get in the habit of over-preparing and overstocking, always spending more than necessary.
- Spend 90% on necessities, like whole foods, and 10% on fun stuff like dessert, snacks, dining out, etc. That’s what keeps you sane.
- Staying lean and fit by implementing healthy weight loss strategies prevents you from overspending. You can only eat so many calories to maintain a lean physique. If you are lean, chances are your grocery bill will be smaller.
- As your family size grows, focus on buying the same foods you would normally buy for yourself; just buy larger quantities.
- Eat basic dishes (chicken & rice, beef & noodles, potatoes & pork, etc.) most of the time. That will save you time and money. Throw in more sophisticated dishes (lasagna, enchiladas, burger and pizza night, etc.) every now and then to keep things interesting.
- Eat through your food supply when possible; don’t have random items in the pantry you never eat. Keep it clean and organized. If you are overwhelmed with your pantry, you have too much food and likely overspent money.
- Always eat your leftovers.
Think of Your Grocery List as Training Wheels to Financial Freedom
You might look at these grocery lists and think they are restrictive, and maybe to you it might be. I won’t lie that my wife and I had to eat and buy very basic in order to save a lot of money early on in our relationship.
However, as our income and net worth grew, we began to have more flexibility in our budget and things became less restrictive. We now don’t use a grocery list and just know what we need off the top of our heads.
However, we don’t forget the principles that got us to where we are financially, and so we are still mindful of everything we buy. This basic grocery list is a starting point for those who have not yet built their wealth and are looking to do so.
As you grow your wealth through making strategic financial decisions and living simply, you eventually get to live a life that the average person never gets to live because you did the hard work from the beginning.
Even something as simple as making a grocery list can change your life for the better. That’s just one smart financial habit. Imagine what your life could look like when you master the others.