Why I Spend $500 a Week on Groceries As A Busy Working Mom

Let’s just start here: groceries are eating my paycheck alive.

As in—we spend $500+ every week to feed our family of four. That’s two-thirds of my entire monthly income as a teacher, gone before we even think about dinner out or a coffee shop treat. And just to be crystal clear, this is not a blog post about how I’m trying to save money on groceries. This is the exact opposite. This is a blog post about why I choose to spend this much, why I’m not planning to change it anytime soon, and how I justify paying $8 for a pint of organic strawberries my kids inhale in two minutes flat. Yes, the total is ridiculous. Yes, I hate it. And yes, I wish it were less. But if this is what it takes to feed my family nourishing, mostly organic, whole foods without having to make everything from scratch, then I guess I’ll keep sucking it up—and keep complaining about it here.

Groceries = Preventative Health Care (In My Book)

I don’t just see groceries as a chore or a budget line—I see them as the foundation of our health and our most important expense. Every time I fill my cart, I’m thinking about more than dinner. I’m thinking about brain development, blood sugar balance, inflammation, gut health, and avoiding the chronic diseases that are so often linked to ultra-processed diets. I’m not perfect—and I’m not trying to be—but I am intentional. The goal is to build a foundation of real food that supports focus, mood, energy, and overall health. So yeah, it stings every time I swipe my card. But I tell myself it’s a down payment on fewer sick days, better sleep, and (hopefully) fewer future doctor bills and a long healthy life.

What I Buy at Our Local Grocery Store (City Market)

We do the bulk of our shopping at City Market, which is a Kroger store. It’s five minutes from our house and one of only two full grocery options in our small mountain town. Although it’s getting much better with offering healthier brands I love, it’s still limited in some areas. It’s also expensive. The prices are significantly higher than what you’d find in the city, but unless I want to drive to Denver for more options (which I don’t), it’s what we’ve got.

What I usually buy:

• Meats: Grass-fed beef when it’s on sale, chicken that is pasture raised, antibiotic free, and preferably organic (but we don’t always have those options here), pork chops (ideally Duroc pork when available), and minimally processed bacon or sausage (Teton Valley Ranch is a favorite). We are also incredibly blessed to have a freezer full of moose and deer because my husband is a hunter (we usually get at least one animal per year.)
• Produce: Organic fruits and vegetables—whatever’s in stock and happens to be the current obsession of my kids. I try to follow the “Dirty Dozen” guidelines, which highlight the top 12 fruits and veggies most likely to be contaminated with pesticides (and therefore worth buying organic). If something has a thick skin—like bananas or avocados—I skip the organic label since the inside is more protected. It’s a balance between health and not totally losing my mind (or my grocery budget).
  • Fruits are typically strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, precut pineapple and watermelon, apples, bananas, and avocados.
  • Vegetables are typically bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, salad greens, asparagus, and carrots.
  • Starches are typically sweet potatoes and purple potatoes if they have them.
• Dairy/Eggs: Stonyfield Organic plain yogurt, Simple Truth organic plain greek yogurt, Two Good fruit yogurt, Malk cashew and almond milk, Kerrygold grassfed butter, Good Culture cottage cheese, Tillamook cheese, Organic Valley raw cheddar, Mozzarella ball, pasture raised eggs.
• Pantry staples: (All organic) Lundberg brown and white rice, Simple Truth peanut butter, Simple Truth chickpea pasta, Simple Truth canned beans, corn, and lentils, Muir Glen tomato sauce, and Kettle and Fire bone broth and vegetable broth.
• Snacks: Simple Mills crackers, Lundberg plain rice cakes, Siete avocado oil chips, freeze dried strawberries, raisins, dates, Noka superfood pouches, Chomps meat sticks, apple sauce pouches, raw pumpkin seeds, walnuts, Hu chocolate bars.

Thrive Market to the Rescue

Living in a ski town is beautiful, but it also means we don’t have access to Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or any of the fun grocery stores that offer the clean brands I love. They’re all two hours away, and no, I’m not driving four hours roundtrip for snacks without seed oils. I’m just not.

So once a month (sometimes more), I order from Thrive Market. It’s where I stock up on the other snacks and packaged stuff I feel good about giving us all—without spending half my day in the car. The best part is that Thrive is normally cheaper than City Market, so I actually save a ton of money with these orders. Thrive tracks your savings every month and last year I saved over $3,000! It’s pretty incredible and worth checking out if you are in a similar shopping situation as us.

What I Usually Order from Thrive Market:

• Grass-fed collagen
• MCT oil
• Organic nuts and seeds (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds—whatever’s on sale)
• Mama Chia pouches
• Amara smoothie melts
• Organic coffee beans
• Seven Sundays cereal
• Flackers
• Any fun, healthy brands that are on sale that week—because Thrive always has something new I “accidentally” add to my cart

Pre-Cut Produce and Time-Saving Shortcuts Are My Coping Mechanism Right Now

Listen, I know it’s cheaper to dice your own watermelon and cut your own carrots. But I’m in a season of life where time is my most limited resource. Between full-time teaching, raising two small kids, packing daycare lunches, and trying to find time for myself to get a workout in—some weeks—ok every week right now— buying the pre-cut fruit is what keeps me from unraveling. And I’m okay with that at the moment, even though the price tag always stings.

In the summer, when I have more time, I’ll definitely go back to chopping things myself and make an effort to spend less. I’ll make more homemade sourdough and maybe even soak some dried beans. But right now? I need every shortcut I can get, and I refuse to feel bad about that.

The Truth: This Wouldn’t Be Sustainable Without My Husband

Let’s be real: if I were a single mom, I couldn’t afford to feed my family the way I do now. Spending two-thirds of my paycheck on groceries simply wouldn’t work if I were doing this alone. I’m able to prioritize these things because my husband makes the majority of our household income—and I recognize that privilege fully.

I also know that many families want to make these food choices but just can’t, and that’s not because they don’t care—it’s because the system makes it impossibly hard. If you’ve ever stood in the produce aisle debating whether the organic strawberries are worth it, or realized your “quick grocery trip” totaled $150 for a few basics—I see you.

I don’t think health should be political, but unfortunately it’s heading in that direction at the moment. Every family deserves access to nourishing, affordable, real food. That’s why I’ve been incredibly encouraged to see leaders like Dr. Casey Means—author of Good Energy and nominee for U.S. Surgeon General—getting national attention. If you haven’t read her book yet, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s one of my all-time favorites and has completely shifted how I think about food, energy, and long-term health.

I truly hope that with people like her leading the way, we’ll see real change: better education about nutrition, increased access to high-quality food, and a healthcare system that values prevention over prescriptions.

Final Thoughts (AKA Let Me Complain in Peace)

Do I hate spending this much on groceries? Absolutely. Every time I check out, a tiny piece of my soul—and my paycheck—dies a little. But truthfully, this is the most important expense we have. I care deeply about what we’re putting into our bodies, and I believe that nourishing food is worth investing in—even if it means cutting back in other areas of life.

I know I could bake my own sourdough year round, make my own purees for homemade pouches, and chop fruit in bulk like a meal prep wizard. But right now? I don’t want to add even more stress to my already full plate. I don’t have the time, the energy, or the mental space. What I do have is a platform where I can yell into the void about $8 blackberries and call it therapeutic. So that’s what this is: a blog post that lets me complain, validate anyone else doing the same, and remind myself (and maybe you too) that we’re doing the best we can in a busy season of life. So if you have the wiggle room in your budget and grabbing the precut pineapple means you get ten extra minutes to breathe, laugh with your kids, or just survive the day—do it. Let something go. You don’t have to do it all, all the time.

Let’s not lose our minds together,

Tori