Cheap(er) Milk

I have been trying to average about $75 a week for groceries, for a two person household.  Grocery budgets are highly subjective for sure.  Before taking up a plant based diet, and before trying to rein in our grocery costs, it would be common for me to spend $125-200 a week for groceries.  We usually eat out about once a week, and I think that is probably a low number up to many American households.  Since we eat almost all of our meals from home, that drives up the amount of groceries needed.

One of the products that has hindered our budget at times is our (non) dairy milk.  We prefer almond milk, and we don't like some of the brands we tried.  The almond milk at the grocery store I use the most costs $4.29 a half gallon.  Our average use of almond milk is two half gallons a week, for a total of $8.58 per week.   When trying to keep the budget to no more than $75 a week, that is almost 9% of our total budget.  Wow, that doesn't leave much room to purchase all the great veggies and grains that we need.


The only solution I have come up with is to buy as many as possible when they are on sale.  I check out the expiration date and purchase the amount we normally use within that time period.  Fortunately, almond milk usually has an extended period of time for the expiration date.  This weekend the store had a buy one, get one free sale on the brand we like.  My luck was strong that day, as the expiration date was almost two months out.  Gosh, the stars and moon had aligned just for my milk buying experience. 
I bought a total of eight half gallons, for a savings of $17.16.  Woo-hoo!  It truly is the small things in life that get me excited. 
Husband's note: For about two weeks I mixed the almond milk with cow milk.  This helped me get used to the taste.  Then I was able to make the complete transition. Now, surprisingly, it tastes better to me than the cow juice.  Another thing to consider, it's healthier and has a longer shelf life.  Not a bad deal at all!