I’m going to start this article off with a disclaimer: We are sharing our cheap grocery budget – that does not mean we are saying everyone should spend as little as we do… 🤷🏽‍♀️

We shop at 5 main stores and we are currently both plant-based. When we first started living by this $300 grocery budget, we were still meat-eaters. Even then, we were still successfully able to feed ourselves.

This is what our monthly grocery spending looked like in September 2019:

Costco – $77.36

We absolutely love Costco and we buy the majority of our staple food items here. What isn’t included below is our 20lb bag of rice that we buy, but of course, that is only like once per year.

• 5ct Avocados – $7.99
• Kettle Popcorn – $4.59
• Spring Mix Salad – $3.99
• Artesano Bread (2 pack) – $3.99
• Cran-Raspberry juice (2 pack) – $6.79
• Lemonade (2 pack) – $5.99
• Silk Almond Milk (3 pack) – $8.99
• Artesano Bread (2 pack) – $3.99
• Organic Tofu (4 pack) – $5.79
• Organic Tofu (4 pack) – $5.79
• Black Beans (8 cans) – $6.99
• Garbanzo Beans (8 cans) – $6.99
• Spring Mix Salad – $3.99
• Bananas – $1.49

Trader Joe’s – $65.08

Trader Joe’s has the best deals on vegan meat substitutes compared to our local grocery stores. Honestly, I would marry their frozen food section if that was possible. They also have so many plant-based meals that only require 20 minutes or less to prepare, so we go monthly to buy whatever we want – ranging from Tempura Cauliflower to Meatless Meatballs.

• Ciabatta Everything Rolls – $2.49
• Frozen country potatoes w/ green beans – $3.29
• Green Apple White Wine – $3.99
• Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels – $3.29
• Frozen Chopped Bell Peppers – $1.99
• Meatless Meatballs – $3.99
• Sweet Potato Fries – $1.99
• Thai Vegetable Gyoza – $3.99
• Tofurky Italian Sausage – $3.49
• Vegetable Fried Rice (2 bags) – 4.98
• Frozen Shelled Edamame – $1.99
• Maple Syrup – $4.99
• Organic Tahini Sauce – $3.69
• Eggplant Garlic Spread – $2.69
• Artichoke Hearts – $2.49
• Frozen Organic Vegetable Burritos – $3.29
• Frozen Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower – $5.49
• Canned Eggplant w/ Tomatoes & Onions (2 cans) – $4.98
• Pasta Shells (2 bags) – $1.98

99 Cents Only – $50.05

I know that many people don’t have access to a giant dollar store like the 99 Cents Only Store, but hey, don’t knock dollar stores until you try them! You can find many name brand products for significantly less than regular stores – just be sure to check the expiration dates.

We usually buy our dry beans, snacks, sodas, and any random vegan items we discover on our trip.

• Vanilla Oreos (2) – $1.98
• Franks Red Hot sauce (2) – $1.98
• Snyders Mini Pretzels (6 pack) – $0.99
• Sunflower Kernels – $0.99
• Roasted Peanuts – $0.99
• Dark Chocolate Sea Salt bars (3) – $0.99
• Kashi Blueberry Waffles (48ct) – $4.99
• Birds Eye Cauliflower Fries – $0.99
• Birds Eye Broccoli Fries – $0.99
• Chips (2) – $1.98
• Roasted Edamame – $0.99
• Nut Clusters (2) – $1.98
• Energy Drinks (3) – $4.47
• Wonderful Brand Pistachios (4) – $3.96
• Bags of Candy (4) – $3.96
• Steamable Jasmine & Basmati Rice (6) – $5.94
• Boxed Dirty Rice (2) – $1.98
• Boxed Quinoa (2) – $1.98
• Pho Noodle bowl – $0.99

Sprouts – $37.25

We buy most of our fresh produce from Sprouts because their great prices and weekly sales make our cheap grocery budget very happy. Fruits, veggies, nuts and $5 sushi (we all know DJ loves sushi) are among our favorite food items at Sprouts. If you haven’t downloaded their app, you definitely should! There are so many savings to be had.

• 1lb bag of baby carrots – $1.49
• Celery Stalks – $1.25
• Cucumbers – $1.36
• Grape Tomatoes – $2.99
• Bell Peppers (4) – $5.00
• Red onions – $1.03
• Red radishes – $0.99
• Koyo Ramen (4 packs) – $3.96
• Canned Hearts of Palm (2) – $5.98
• Lemonade (2 jugs) – $5.00
• Vegetable broth – $3.99 (Hubz accidentally got the expensive kind 🤦🏽)
• Boca Chicken Nuggets – $3.99

Grocery Outlet – $31.46

We rarely shop at the Grocery Outlet, but we’ve found that they do have some pretty great deals from time to time. This has been one of the only places we’ve been able to find the large box of Gardein Chick’n tenders for a cheap price.

• Gardein 7 Grain Crispy Chick’n Tenders (2 boxes) – $19.98
• Ripple Vanilla Pea Milk (6 bottles @ $0.75) – $4.50
• And some other stuff that we don’t have the receipt for – $11.48

Bel Air (Raley’s) – $20.58

You’re probably going to think that we’re strange, but we rarely go to the main grocery store. Why? Well, they usually aren’t cheaper than the other stores on this list.

The main items we buy at Bel Air include frozen hashbrowns, Country Crock margarine, vegan mayo, value sized instant mashed potatoes and other random items.

• 26.2 oz Boxed Mashed Potatoes – $4.50
• Kraft Catalina Dressing – $2.99
• Raley’s Balsamic Vinaigrette – $2.49
• 12 oz bag of Carrots – $1.98
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper – $1.68
• 2 Cucumbers – $1.56
• Field Roast Wild Mushroom Deli Slices – $2.69
• Field Roast Lentil Sage Deli Slices – $2.69

Target – $3.59

We don’t do much food shopping at Target but I love their vegan ice cream, so guess what?

I bought it.

Grand Total – $285.37!

***
That’s it! That was our entire cheap grocery budget for the month of September. Our budget typically fluctuates depending on what we decide to cook throughout the month, but we always try to stay under $300. (Check out these super cheap crock pot recipes and maybe you can do the same!)

We did a REALLY good job this month because we had to purchase a lot of our bulk items because our cabinets were empty.

People typically think being vegan is expensive, but we’re eating well over here and on a very affordable budget!

$tay Wealthy Fam,
— Dannie