Budgeting and grocery shopping is one of the best ways to trim down your monthly expenses and daily spending- but there are dozens of challenges out there- especially the advice that is ultimately unrealistic. Here is a list of budgeting and grocery shopping challenges and how you can make them realistic strategies to save on grocery shopping!

Challenges about Budgeting and Grocery Shopping

Challenge #1- Unrealistic Research

I’ve spent a lot of time scouring Pinterest and have not felt entirely satisfied with the results. Some articles seem too unreasonable to be applicable. More often than not, it comes down to unrealistic costs of groceries. For example, I cannot find 1 gallon of milk at my local Walmart for $1. And our Dollar Tree out in Montana doesn’t have a grocery section- we do have a freezer section, but it is only 2-3 doors of frozen dinners. And our bread and produce is not as cheap as the other articles.

What I have done to get around this challenge is to focus on my resources at a local level, comparing the costs at the stores in Kalispell, MT and coming up with a blog to share my insights with you!

Challenge #2- Unrealistic Apps like Ibotta and Checkout51

This is my biggest annoyance/frustration for two reasons:

1. Ibotta and Checkout51 are only worth it if you actually buy that item

Ibotta and Checkout51 have cash back offers for brands and foods that are costly and items I would never buy in the first place- or are unrealistic to buy when you are grocery shopping on a budget. A $4 item that only gives you back 10 or 50 cents is not worth buying if you can buy something that is already $2 or less.

2. Your Checking Account Doesn’t Care that You’re Saving Money Later

You’re only ‘saving’ after you get that money back. Don’t manage your grocery budget in past tense. Your checking account doesn’t. Your bank account doesn’t know that the milk you bought with the Ibotta app is costing you $2 after the apps process your grocery receipts.

Dave Ramsey once pointed out that just because something is on sale, you don’t really save money big picture. In a different translation- just because you will be saving $1-2 on that brand of gallon of milk, doesn’t mean you should buy it. Buy the milk that is already $3 instead.

Grocery Shopping and Budgeting
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Do Careful Considerations for Apps like Target, Thrive Market and Whole Foods

There are apps and specials that do make sense though! Meal Planning, preparing a grocery list and sifting through resources before grocery shopping is always best! Here are 3 apps I take advantage of for budgeting and grocery shopping.

Target

I use Target Circle deals on the app and save all the ones that are tempting and the ones I need. It makes more sense to do it with the Target app because it is already applied the day you’re making your purchase. So you’re checking account is experiencing the savings with you!

Thrive Market

I am on a low carb diet for my epilepsy! Keto and low carb alternative foods are not cheap but they are more affordable if I buy them with my Thrive Market Membership. $10/month paid annually or monthly- I encourage you to read about Thrive Market posts so that you can make an educated decision if you need to buy organic, Keto, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. Thrive Market is an online, membership-based grocery store that has whole foods and household items- even beauty products! As of 9/15/21, I have saved $180 in just four orders and I have access to one free Members Gift almost every day. On Sept. 15th, I got 2 boxes of bone broth FOR FREE when they’re normally $16 total.

Whole Foods

There are crazy deals on Whole Foods. I use 1) the coupon on the app and 2) get 3% cash back on my Amazon credit card statement (yes I see that this is retrospect thinking). I only use this when we are traveling. There are no Whole Foods Market stores in Montana, and Amazon won’t even deliver Whole Foods to Montana. But while we are traveling, why not stop at the store, buy some of the things we need and save some money on the trip. We don’t have sales tax in Montana, so in a way the 3% I get back from Amazon helps with the taxes later.

Final Thoughts for Budgeting and Grocery Shopping

So there you have it! 2 of my biggest challenges when it comes to grocery shopping budgeting and the information I have read in my research. I hope you find my resources and blog to be a little more helpful and realistic.

Budgeting and grocery shopping is one of the best ways to trim down your monthly expenses and daily spending- but there are dozens of challenges out there- especially the advice that is ultimately unrealistic. Here is a list of budgeting and grocery shopping challenges and how you can make them realistic strategies to save on grocery shopping!

Disclosure: I am a Thrive Market Affiliate and this post contains affiliated links. This means that I earn a commission if you choose to purchase a monthly or annual membership by using these links. The products listed in any of my blog posts that promotes Thrive Market are only the ones that I have ordered and really enjoyed. Read full disclosure here.