Bi-Weekly Grocery Budgeting Tips, New Year, New Grocery Budget
- Chelsea Stolte
- Jan 9
- 4 min read
This month is dedicated to, saving money for your heating bills. Happy new Year everyone! Frosty the snowman got a great deal on his nose at ALDI, from what he tells me.
I know it sounds easier said than done. If you need help budgeting, check out this FREE DIY Daily Planner & Budget Sheet. If you want to get even crazier and start the new year off with in-depth budgeting - see here for self-assist budget spreadsheet. This thing overhauls your whole year for you.
All About the Savings
What are we saving for? Well, most Americans deal with lack of money to save or put away for an emergency fund. Luckily you can save some mullahhh $$ when you learn how to shop sales and meal prep for the family. Where can you start your savings this year? Making your own bread! You can read the recipe in the link below!
Did someone say BREAD?
Low Carb Bread Recipe - Bread Machine: Delicious Low Carb Seed Bread Recipe for Bread Machine with Printable Instructions
Ingredients You Will Need (2LB Large Loaf)
Here’s a list of ingredients for this low carb seed bread. Most are easy to find in grocery stores or health food shops:
1 Cup + 3 Tablespoons Water 80-90 degrees F
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
2.5 Tablespoon Flax Seed Oil (or Olive Oil)
1 Tablespoon Splenda
1-1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Almond Flour
2/3 Cup Oat Flour
2/3 Cup Brown Rice Flour
Vital Wheat Gluten 1/4 Cup
2.5 Tablespoons Flax Seeds
2-1/4 Teaspoon Active Yeast
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Gardening Tips for Winter
As we transition into fall and winter, it’s time to think about your garden. Here are some seeds to plant (START INDOORS at 55°F at night):
Kale
Spinach
Lettuces
Beans
Snap Peas
Cauliflower (1" tall seedlings)
Cabbage (1" tall seedlings)
Root Veggies (beets/turnips)
PLANT YOUR GARLIC HEADS! I ordered mine from Keene Garlic. Look for a 5% coupon online! It’s not too late if you are in warmer zones.
Get a Zone 5 or 6 Garden Planting Zone Planner for yourself here:
Let’s dive into the sales for this week. This is for my local folks in the tri-state area of Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Maybe some of my fellow Virginia friends will find this helpful too!
Food Recalls: Stay Informed 1.7.2026 Update
It's time to discuss food recalls. Here’s the latest list of recalls. CHECK YOUR CHEESE! CHEESE is still a recall.
Company | Product | Recall | Note |
Mountain West Food Group LLC | ground beef | E.coli | forward farms ground beef - use or freeze by 1/13/26 |
Lorraine Quiche | did not pass inspection | did not get inspected | quiche with pork |
Olympia ready to eat holiday Kielbasa | kielbasa | foreign matter, metal | |
La guadalupana Foods LLC | Ready to eat frozen tamales | undeclared allergy | mislabeling |
Always check the FDA's full list for previous and still active recalls.
Grocery Savings: Maximize Your Budget
In-Season Fruit and Veggies
Base your meal prep around seasonal savings. We are back to looking for whatever is on sale these next couple of weeks.
This week strawberries are 2/$5 at Food Lion (was anyone else sick of blueberries?)
Couponing Tips (Updated 1.7.2026)
Save A Lot has a membership program now! Make sure you sign up to continue getting the best deals you can! If you can afford it this week, take advantage of the meat sales and stock up!
Save A Lot: Now Downloadable in a PDF.
Winners:
Chicken Leg Quarters .69 c/lb
Ground Beef 3.99/lb
Center Cut Pork Chops 1.99/lb
Produce 10 for 10$? Is this new?!
Blackberries and raspberries are 2/5
Green Giant Fresh Veggies 2/5
Aldi: Now Downloadable in a PDF.
This might be the week to head over to Aldi for some produce if your budget is tight.
Winners:
Avocados are .49 cents each
$2.69 for oranges
$1.45 English Muffins
$3.89 Oats
Almond Butter $3.19
Sam's Club:
I usually shy away from here because even with my bigger family, I do not need the products they offer. However, I found some relevant savings.
Winners:
The $5 Chicken
Food Lion:
Food Lion has shop and earn rewards, if it fits in your budget, try to buy the things that can get you that extra bonus each month! You can see these on your food lion APP.
Winners:
Whole Chicken $0.99
2/$1 Magos
$2.99 3-pack colored bell peppers
$0.79 cent fresh leg quarters
$1.49 / lb pork picnic
$2.99 imitation crab meat sticks
BOGO Frosted Sugar Cookies!
Martin's: New PDF of Weekly Ad
Winners:
Ice cream - Turkey Hill $3.49
Chicken is $1.97/lb
Lots of Buy one, two, 3 promotions. Pork, Canada dry
The 7.99 chicken has a 2.00 off coupon to snip (I wish I saw this)
My Shopping List
I am not going to be shy this year. I will show you what I am buying and what my average spend vs budget is every week. I am trying to keep it at $100/week in food related items. It is quite a stretch but I think we can do it! Buy things that can work as snacks and in other meals so you don't waste. MY first shot for week one was approximately $116.00 + a random Thursday night rotisserie chicken that cost me 7.99 at Martin's. I also had to purchase a gallon of milk which was approx 3.69. So my grand total for groceries the first week of January was approximately $130.
Some items I started stocking up on to keep as healthy snacks:
Celery
Avocado
Cherry Tomatoes
Baby Carrots
Pickles
Fruit on Sale (this week was strawberries)
Cheaper meat cuts every other week:
Kielbasa
Hot Dogs
Bolonga
Sale Meat
Organize Your Budget
Don't forget you can purchase your own downloadable grocery budget sheet below:
So to sum it up, try it with me.... plan to spend only 100 a week and see what you can do to minimize waste, stick to the budget, maybe even share some new recipes with the rest of the crowd over here!
Happy shopping, my tri-state friends!
~DIY With Chelsea
1.0.2025
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