How Stumptown Savings’ Founder Feeds His Family On $150 a Week

Welcome back to Rose City Receipts, a feature from Stumptown Savings where we invite Portland-area residents to share their strategies for balancing grocery shopping, dining out, and adhering to a budget. Interested in being featured? Get in touch! Everyone who successfully completes a Rose City Receipts in 2026 will receive a $15 grocery gift card!

Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how I grocery shop and cook for my small family. I tracked during the last week of January, focusing on a mix of using up what we already had on hand with some additions of fresh produce. It’s a highlight to the real savings this newsletter can help you achieve over time.

Who are you? Bryan, the founder/publisher of Stumptown Savings
Where do you live? Montavilla (the East Portland part)
What’s your weekly grocery budget (roughly)?: $100-$150
How many people are you shopping for?: Two
What are your favorite stores?: I shop at various places: WinCo for bulk/packaged items, Fred Meyer/QFC for proteins/produce, Costco for organic chicken and ground meats (beef, bison), specialty stores (Hong Phat, Best Fresh, butcher shops) for bulk/unique items, and Trader Joe's for snacks.
What’s your top priority when it comes to grocery shopping?: Stumptown Savings' low revenue means money is tight, so price is key, but quality matters. I prioritize quality and price alignment by buying meat and bulk goods at places like Costco and WinCo, using other stores for specific needs.

I'm not your typical grocery shopper; my days are dedicated to researching and writing about the local grocery landscape, and I've long been accustomed to strategically visiting multiple stores for specific items. What's been surprising over the past nine months, however, is that I now spend less time on grocery shopping than before. By meticulously tracking sales and how store prices fluctuate, I've developed a much more efficient shopping strategy. Previously, I would often visit 2-4 stores a week, sometimes going out to shop as many as three times. Now, I usually only shop once or twice weekly, stocking up on dry goods and freezable products when they are on sale or at bulk-friendly stores like WinCo. The outcome? We continue to enjoy fresh, high-quality food, all while seeing a significant drop in our weekly food budget.

Weekly total: $142.87
Eating out total: $63.97
Groceries total: $78.90
Most-expensive line item: $5.49, 12 large organic free-range Happy Egg Co. eggs 
Least-expensive line item: Free 12-pack of cookies
Number of grocery trips: 2
Number of meals out: 1 (plus dessert)
Stores visited: 3 (WinCo twice, Fred Meyer once)

This week's primary grocery run took me to my preferred WinCo location on 122nd Avenue. Although stores on 82nd and 102nd are closer, I opt for the 122nd store for its bakery (not available at the 82nd location) and the extensive bulk goods section, which is my favorite part of shopping there. This trip was specifically to restock bulk staples like rice and cereal, along with purchasing fresh produce and other ingredients for our week’s meal plan.

While I was out, my wife and Stumptown Savings' copy editor, Monique, was at home preparing dinner: Hatch chile smoked sausages, which we bought the day before at Mayer’s Custom Meats, served with roasted broccoli and some leftover pinto beans we made over the weekend.

After eating, I experimented with a new recipe, baking a big batch of oatmeal cookies — a mix of chocolate chip-raisin and chocolate chip-praline. I also got a head start on Tuesday’s dinner by soaking dried shallots in water overnight for mast-o musir, a Persian yogurt dip.

Monday total: $49.14

Monique introduced me to Persian cuisine. I've learned a few dishes, helped by a Persian rice cooker — the only single-use appliance I own — so we can enjoy the food at home.

Tuesday's meal was a Persian feast: Tahdig, kabab, mast-o musir, roasted tomatoes, and cucumber. I made the mast-o musir (yogurt with minced shallots I soaked overnight) that morning.

That evening, I started the tahdig (Persian crispy rice) in our Pars rice cooker. As a white Midwesterner, making tahdig was hard until my wife's aunt showed us her rice cooker. It's simple: rinse the rice, add water, fat, and salt. Wrap the lid in a towel and cook for about an hour and 15 minutes for fluffy basmati rice with a golden, crispy crust.

We used ground bison for the kebab, cooking it like a meatloaf since it wasn’t up for staying together on a skewer without adding a binder. We roasted tomatoes alongside it.

It was a delicious feast that, while perhaps not perfectly authentic, tasted EXCELLENT.

Tuesday total: $0

The return of the rain made it a perfect evening for a comforting bowl of soup. I opted to make Zuppa Toscana, utilizing some frozen sausage I already had and significantly increasing the amount of kale — I doubled the recipe's requirement. The outcome was a wonderfully hearty bowl of soup.

Having made this dish with various recipes before, I found this particular version overly rich due to the heavy cream. I would definitely adjust this next time by reducing the cream by half or even three-quarters. I served the soup alongside WinCo cheese focaccia, which is more accurately described as cheesy bread than traditional focaccia.

Wednesday total: $0

Thursday began early with a trip to Magnolia Animal Dentistry in Beaverton for GiGi and Iris's teeth cleaning. Despite the drive, it's cost-effective; they clean both dogs for just over $1,000, including an exam and nail trim, far less than the typical $1,000+ per dog. Since we only do this bi-annually, it's a worthwhile investment given the dangers of gum disease.

Nearby, I stopped at WinCo for groceries, grabbing sausage and a bell pepper for Saturday's homemade pizza, and potatoes for Friday's dinner.

Next, I headed to the NE Glisan Fred Meyer to charge our EV (we get free charging through September thanks to a deal we got when we bought the car almost three years ago). I worked from the parking lot and found a great deal inside: Happy Egg Co. large organic eggs were on sale for $5.49 with a digital coupon, plus a free 12-pack of Fred Meyer's fresh-baked cookies.

We returned to Beaverton in the afternoon to pick up the dogs. Dinner was a simple frozen Kirkland Signature lasagna with a side salad.

Thursday total: $23.76

Had an afternoon coffee with a former OPB colleague at Speedboat Coffee.

Dinner was a culinary experiment gone slightly awry: scalloped potatoes. The prep work was excessive, and despite cooking them ten minutes longer than the recipe suggested, they were still undercooked. I understand now why this isn't a dish I've made before — the effort doesn't justify the result. We had them alongside a side salad. It wasn't a total disaster, but definitely not a dish I’ll make again. (It’s no fault to the recipe, to be clear. It’s just not for me).

Friday total: $5.50

The weekend kicked off with a homemade breakfast of chilaquiles, made with a batch of New Mexican red chile prepared the week prior. After taking the girls to a local Sniffspot, we made a stop at the Franz Bakery Outlet's $1 Day in East Portland, stocking up on English Muffins and a loaf of Texas Toast.

Lunch was a treat: the $18 buffet at Dwaraka Indian Cuisine on Hawthorne. Widely recognized as Oregon's best buffet, this spot consistently delivers, offering a wide array of vegan and vegetarian choices, alongside what is arguably the city's finest butter chicken. New favorites included the delicious broccoli curry and vegetable korma.

For dinner, we tackled homemade sourdough pan pizzas, topped with sausage, yellow bell peppers, and onion.

Sunday began with a French toast breakfast, utilizing the $1 Franz Texas toast from the previous day. Dinner featured one of my all-time favorite meals: Oven-roasted chicken shawarma. This legendary New York Times Cooking recipe is simple yet deeply flavorful. Chicken thighs are infused with a marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, and spices like paprika, cumin, and turmeric, then roasted for about 30 minutes with quartered onions tossed in the same marinade. It's a simple, delicious meal perfect for pita filling or on its own. We served it with za’atar-spiced carrots and leftover mast-o musir.

We capped the weekend off by ordering cookies (this was a big cookie week, which is unusual for us!).

Weekend total: $58.47

I'm a huge fan of stocking up at WinCo's bulk section! When you hear "buying in bulk," you probably picture those massive, commercial-sized bags of flour or rice you see at Costco. WinCo is different — their bulk bins let you grab as much or as little of an item as you actually need.

This is a game-changer for spices. If I need just a tablespoon of something I rarely use, I can get exactly that. I also get all our rice (like basmati and wild rice) and dried beans from the bins. Seriously, dried beans are way better than canned, and so much cheaper! Lately, I’ve been buying dried fruit, nuts, and even baking ingredients this way, too.

The price difference is incredible compared to buying prepackaged items. They even carry well-known products, like Bob’s Red Mill flour, in the bulk bins for less per ounce than buying the pre-bagged version.

Now, my only gripe with the WinCo bulk bins? You can't bring your own containers, so you have to use their plastic bags. Bummer for the environment, but the savings are real.

Beyond the cost, shopping the bulk bins often means fresher pantry staples. WinCo is constantly refreshing and refilling those bins, while packaged versions might sit in a warehouse for months before they ever hit the store shelves. If you’re not shopping the bulk bins at your favorite store, what are you waiting for?

I don't typically use a precise recipe for mast-o musir, the Persian shallot dip that is a must-order whenever I see it on a menu. Instead, I rely on a standard list of ingredients and a few fundamental steps. The amount I usually prepare is enough for two generous servings for the two of us, lasting for two meals—often dinner and then lunch the following day.

Experiment with adding ingredients such as minced garlic, dried mint, or cumin to achieve your preferred taste. I’m considering trying it with labneh instead of yogurt next time. This dish pairs excellently with grilled meats (like kebab or lamb shanks), served over rice, or simply as a dip for warm lavash bread.

Interested in being showcased in an upcoming edition of Rose City Receipts? Email [email protected] for your chance to be featured! As a thank you, everyone who completes a Rose City Receipts feature will receive a $15 gift card.

Happy saving!
Bryan,
Stumptown Savings