Under $40 Vegan Budget-Friendly Grocery Haul
How to make healthy meals for the week with a budget under $40.
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When you’re younger you don’t have to worry about paying for groceries. When I was growing up, our fridge would always be stocked full of food. I also didn’t have to grocery shop which is something that I now do weekly. There’s a lot of expenses when you’re living on your own. In addition to paying rent, utilities, wifi, and gas, you have to pay for groceries which aren’t always cheap.
As a recent college graduate, I’m always looking for new ways to save money. I moved out on my own and there are a lot of expenses that I have to worry about. With that being said, I’m someone who loves to budget and save my money. I’ve always had a savers mentality, and I’m thankful that I’ve developed good savings habits over the years. Being frugal with your money makes everything a lot less stressful.
Something I have saved money on is groceries. I’m able to get all of my food for the week (and pretty much everything I want) for under $40 each week. Some weeks I’ll get money off from rewards I’ve built up, but I typically spend around $30-$40 on groceries each week. Here’s everything I typically buy.
Grocery Haul:
1. Roasted Garlic Hummus: $3.49
The first item I picked up at the grocery store is a container of roasted garlic hummus. If you know me, then you know how much I love hummus. It’s a really great option to add to salads, nourish bowls, burritos, tacos, or as a dip for carrots and broccoli. I buy hummus each week (and it lasts an entire week), and it’s a healthier alternative to dressings and sauces.
2. Almond Milk: $2.99
The next item I bought was almond milk, which cost $2.99. I sometimes buy two almond milks in the span of a week because I drink a lot of it, but this particular week I only bought one. I bought unsweetened vanilla almond milk because I don’t like buying almond milk that has added sugar in it. This is great to add to smoothies, cereal, and in oatmeal.
3. Frozen Broccoli: $1.99
I also bought a bag of frozen broccoli, which was only $1.99. I always keep frozen corn and broccoli stocked in my freezer because those are two of my favorite vegetables. Since I still had frozen corn left from the previous week, I didn’t need to restock up on it. Frozen broccoli is great to add to nourish bowls/salads, and as a side to burritos, tacos, and sandwiches.
4. Dave’s English Muffins: $4.78
I then bought Dave’s English muffins, which were $4.78. This is one of my “splurge” items, because spending almost $5 on bread is pretty expensive in my opinion. However, these English muffins are one of my absolute favorite foods ever, so from time to time I’ll buy a pack of them. I love having avocado and peanut butter banana (with a dash of cinnamon) on these English muffins.
5. Quick Oats: $2.58
I then bought a container of quick oats for $2.58. This is probably the least expensive item I bought because quick oats lasts me multiple weeks. It contains 30 servings, and if you’re a fan of oatmeal, then I highly recommend buying the largest container of them. I have oats almost every morning for breakfast, so it’s a staple of mine.
6. Salsa: $2.19
I also bought a jar of salsa for $2.19. Similar to the hummus, I like to buy salsa instead of dressings and sauces. Salsa is one of my favorite ingredients to add to salads, nourish bowls, burritos, and tacos.
7. Creamy Peanut Butter: $2.48
Next, I bought a jar of creamy peanut butter. As a vegan, I really like eating peanut butter for some protein. Creamy peanut butter is my favorite kind of peanut butter (as opposed to crunchy), and it’s a food that I eat almost everyday. I’ll add it to oatmeal, smoothies, toast, as well as dessert recipes I make.
8. Organic Dark Kidney Beans: $0.99
I also bought a can of organic dark kidney beans. Canned beans are really inexpensive, which is why I always buy them. It’s also very convenient. I’ll add beans to nourish bowls/salads, tacos, and burritos.
9. Organic Garbanzo Beans: $0.99
I also really like garbanzo beans, so I picked up a can of them this week as well. I don’t like running low on dry goods or canned goods, so I’ll often buy an extra can or two if I’m running low.
10. 6 Bananas: $0.96
I bought 6 bananas this week which is how many I typically buy. I’ll freeze some of the bananas and leave the others out to add to toast, cereal, and oatmeal. What I love about bananas is that they’re super cheap. Bananas are also one of my favorite fruits, so I always have to have bananas fully stocked in my kitchen.
11. 2 Avocados: $1.58
Next, I bought 2 avocados. Avocados are a little more expensive than some of the other foods, but they’re super healthy and one of my favorite foods to eat as well. I like adding avocado to salads, nourish bowls, burritos, and tacos.
12. Zucchini Squash: $0.55
I also bought 1 zucchini squash, which cost only $0.55. Zucchini is another vegetable that I really like to add to salads and nourish bowls.
13. Sweet Potato: $0.54
I then bought one sweet potato. I buy sweet potatoes each week, but I still had two left from last weeks grocery trip which is why I only bought one sweet potato this week. I like adding sweet potato to my nourish bowls/salads to make them more filling.
14. 3 Apples: $1.98
I also bought 3 apples, because I like to snack on fruit throughout the week. Apples with peanut butter is one of my favorite snack combinations because it’s healthy, sweet, and filling.
15. Carrots: $0.98
I also bought a bag of fresh carrots for less than $1. These are great to dip in hummus, and they serve as a great healthy snack as well.
16. Yellow Potatoes: $2.48
Next, I bought a bag of yellow golden potatoes. The golden potatoes are my favorite kind of potatoes, and it’s something that I’ll add to my nourish bowls as well. If you haven’t tried golden potatoes, then you have to try them. They are truly superior to your typical baked potato.
17. Organic Baby Spinach: $2.99
I then bought a container of organic baby spinach. It was on sale this week which is why I bought it. Last week I bought a container of lettuce. I’ll either buy spinach or lettuce depending on which is on sale that week. This is great if you want to make salads or nourish bowls.
18. Vegan Dark Chocolate Baking Chips: $2.99
The last ingredient I bought was a bag of vegan dark chocolate baking chips for $2.99. Chocolate chips (especially vegan ones) are typically a bit more expensive, but as you can see, this is really the only “unhealthy” ingredient I bought. These baking chips also only have 4g of added sugar per serving, so it’s a nice treat to have if I’m in the mood to bake a recipe for my blog, or if I want something sweet.
Final Thoughts
I was able to buy an entire weeks worth of groceries for less than $40 while still buying my favorite foods. I was still able to buy Dave’s English muffins, hummus, and vegan dark chocolate baking chips while staying under budget. As seen with this past weeks grocery trip, it’s possible to eat healthy while still enjoying your favorite foods on a budget.
