Well, my husband and I sat down a few weeks ago and discussed our non-existent grocery budget. We are not huge spenders and I typically go to the store with a list after completing a meal plan, but extras always seem to sneak in the cart! :-) We are trying to trim our spending in all categories and as we came to this one, the Mister suggested that we try something new. A challenge of sorts. He asked me to try to spend no more than $200.00 monthly on groceries. There is typically three of us for 2 sometimes 3 meals a day, unless we have company or if the Mister is working late. For some, this may not seem difficult. I am not sure what other families spend, so I would love for you all to share with me what your budgets are on average. The Mister has set a goal of $200.00 a month, but I am shooting more in the range of $175.00 a month. Now, we do have a well stocked pantry and chest freezer, so the first few months may not be difficult. After that, I'm not sure. Any suggestions on how to save on groceries, other than couponing (I'm trying to get into this. It just seems like more of a hassle than it's worth. Trying to change my mindset though)? I plan on putting $50.00 away every week even if we don't need groceries, so when we need to get some, the money is there waiting for me.
After church on Sunday, we stopped by a local grocery store and picked up a few things that were on sale. We didn't need any of them, but put them in our stock.
I spent $12.80 and saved $4.63 with store sales and a freebie promotion. This bill also included $6 allergy medicine for Arrow. If it wasn't for the medicine our weekly grocery bill would have been only $7.00!
I am so excited about this challenge and I know that I can make a huge difference in our spending and in turn, make a huge difference in our eating habits! Less spending money = Less junk foods! Pray for me in this endeavor and I challenge you to take on the challenge of a trimmed grocery budget! Let me know if you are going to join in! I'll keep you updated on my progress and I'd love to hear about to progress!
Blessings...
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It's a noble goal to spend less on groceries. Do you garden? I guess we're in a special situation since we raise some of our meat. We also have laying hens for eggs and put up veggies from the garden each fall. Our bill still runs about $180. I try to cut back and have been successful in the past, but recently with the hike in dairy products it hasn't been all that easy. If my husband wasn't so allergic to hay, I'd suggest getting a dairy cow or dairy goats or something. I would tend to them myself, but working full time kinda takes too much time to do the farming too.
ReplyDeleteIt is always good to budget and I'll be cheering for ya.
Mrs. Doug,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! It's encouraging to know that others are reading my thoughts!:-) I do garden...a little. This year we are container gardening because of some major construction going on around here. I am hoping to expand our garden next year with some additions of fruit trees and possibly chickens. That should really help the grocery budget! Have a very blessed day, and I'll be sure to stop over at your blog!
Your sister told us once that it helped her to use coupons. To never shop in just one store, To never shop hungry (and I find it difficult to shop full as well)so you kind of need to be in the middle lol, and to make a list before you go and try not to buy anything you don't need and that's not on the list. I haven't tried that because, well I'm no chef, and I don't know how to make many meals. The best one I got is Lasagna and that's not hard at all. So were not eating very healthy, and I want to change that. But I hope that this helped a little, but that's all the advice I can give. :D Have a good day
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
Hi Meghan! So glad you stopped in and shared your advice! True coupons do work...I just can't seem to keep on top of them! And you are absolutely right...shopping is hard on an empty stomach and just as hard when you are full! :-) I've not been able to find a happy medium yet.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to share some recipes with you if you are interested! Lssagna is a good one! I never make that!
Have a very blessed evening!
It is amazing how little you can spend on groceries if it's necessary. Two yeras ago we were doing it on 20 to 30 dollars a week. And I didn't use coupons. Not really fun but I learned a lot during that time.
ReplyDeleteBlessings~
Hi A Joyful Chaos!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping in and commenting! I am so excited to try to spend very little...of course it isn't necessary...so I'm sure that's why I'm looking forward to the challenge! I would love to get down to $20 or $30 a week!
Stop in again...and I am on my way over to check your blog out!
Blessings to you!
Jamie
This is really neat! Can't wait to see how it turns out for you. From what you have said it sounds like it's going pretty well so far. I'm not quite there was definitely tightening up on the spending!
ReplyDeleteLove you~
Oh Kathy, it has been a blast choosing carefully what to buy and how to plan meals to make them nutritious but also in the cheapest possible way!
ReplyDeleteHugs my friend!