The Grocery Diaries | Chelsey's Under $1000 April Challenge — Intro
Come with me on a month-long journey into the weeds of my grocery spending
Welcome to the first installment of The Grocery Diaries!
Ever since I started living on my own in college, I have tried to be wise with my money when it comes to spending on food. Unlike a water bill or a mortgage, groceries are a variable expense—without intention, you can spend more than you plan to really easily.
When Christian and I got married in 2009, I tried to spend less than $200 a month on groceries. For the most part, we stuck to that. We were motivated to stick to our budget because I got pregnant very quickly after we got married and we really wanted to pay off Christian’s student loans before the baby came. Once our first son was born, I stayed home, which cut our income in half, necessitating keeping a very small and simple budget.
The USDA puts out a monthly cost of food report, and in the month we got married, the report says the “thriftiest” monthly cost for a household like ours (based on gender/age) was about $320.1
It’s now 2025, and no one needs me to tell them that f…
