This is all about how a family of 4 adults is making a huge difference in the household grocery bill…..even for a thrifty pro like me.

So, in an effort to get control of my budget and what we spend on groceries, I started Walmart Pick up. What did I usually do? I would stop by Publix (almost daily) and pick up what I needed. I never bought excessive stuff that I didn’t need, but I was stopping almost daily as I decided what we would have for dinner. My son (Kyle) had been using Walmart pick up for a WHILE and told me how much he loved it. I don’t know why I have waited till now to do this. Last week was the first week to do this and here’s my findings. PROS totally weigh out the Con’s. THANK YOU SON FOR GETTING ME ON BOARD!

𝗣𝗥𝗢’𝘀
* They had everything we needed, except 1 item that was out of stock. They substituted the item, but it didn’t fit my needs, so they took it out and removed it from my bill. No troubles!
* My youngest and his girlfriend was able to pick up the groceries while I was out of town…and put them up at home. WIN WIN. I didn’t spend an hour shopping and walking down aisles. I quickly keyed in all of the items on the grocery app, picked a time, paid online, and was done. They’ll send you an email and text when your order is complete and ready for pick up (ready during the hour you select).
* During the week, I can add items to my cart as I realize we are getting low or will need them. Getting low on salad dressing? Just add it to the app right then.
* Management of the grocery budget is the biggest win here! I clearly can see how much we are spending. It just takes a little planning, which was needed anyway. Everyone participates in the meal planning. No more complaints about “not wanting that for dinner”. We all agreed ahead of time. We do have the freedom of changing around night for night, but we know what we will have during the week.
* I’m saving money y’all! I can tell already! We have 4 adults to feed. The first week, I spent $119.69 plus another $35 at Aldi. This week, my order is $101.98. There is 1 item that Walmart doesn’t carry. I’ll pick that up at Publix and it’ll be around $5. There is another item that I do not want to buy to far in advance (fresh asparagus). I’ll pick that up later in the week. Count that as another $5. My goal was to be under $600 for the month. This is totally doable y’all!  See my PRO TIP below for another 5% savings I found!  Prices from Walmart are much cheaper than Publix…even the few $.05 and $.10 add up!

𝗖𝗢𝗡’𝘀
* We ran out of shredded cheese (lunches and such) and I figured out it was definitely cheaper at Aldi in the long run. So, I just stopped by Aldi to pick up cheese….and eggs. I also picked up my favorite chicken nuggets (Gluten free) and some milk for the baby. I’ll continue to go to Aldi for those staples. I love Aldi organic bananas better than anyone else. No more bananas from Walmart pick up. It wasn’t that they were bad/ruined. I just love Aldi’s organic banana’s better…better than Publix too! Have you tried them?
* I wasn’t a fan of Walmart grapes. I’m picky with my grapes and bananas, clearly. I want firm big seedless grapes. I’ll just continue to buy these myself to inspect them and see it’s a good week to buy them or not. Other produce was GREAT!

💡𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Pay with a credit card that gets you money back from using Walmart or groceries. I just saved an additional 5% using my Discover card!

💡𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Keep your meal plan and ingredient list in a google doc. You can see what you’ve had the weeks before and not get burned out on the same things. For meals that you really enjoy, repeat those more frequently. You can change up the menu by what’s in season or according to the weather (grilling, soups, etc).

💡𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Take an inventory of your freezer and pantry. Use items that you’ve been ‘saving up’. Stop spending more money when you can use items you have on hand already. One night, we are having fish tacos. I have tilapia fillets that need to be used in the freezer. I didn’t have to spend money on protein for one of our meals. What other ingredients do you have on hand that can be the basis of some of your upcoming meals?

💡𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Add some of your Christmas gifts to the list! No more fighting crowds.

⁉️Would anyone be interested in my meal plan?⁉️ I usually make enough for dinner to have 1-2 left over dishes for lunches the next day.

NOTE: 2 of the adults is doing a Keto diet. 1 of the adults is on Weight Watchers. 1 of the Adults eats whatever he wants. This works for all of us. I (Weight Watcher person) just have to adjust slightly sometimes on what I put on my plate. I also get to have items that the Keto folks can’t. I make it work for all of us.

💸If you want to try the Walmart Grocery app , mention “Chilly” to save $10. Using this LINK should automatically give you the $10 off!  If you go to the Bessemer Walmart, Briana will take care of you.