Over the past few weeks we've been hit by several unforeseen expenses (largely due to moving Boo to a new school). As a way of offsetting some of these expenses without tappng a savings account I have decided to cut my grocery shopping budget in half for the month of October.
About a year ago I started to focus on learning ways that I could reduce our monthly grocery spending. Through learning to shop by the grocery store sale ads, by starting to use coupons on items when they are on sale, and by planning my weekly menus around what's on sale and what I already have on hand, I've made a lot a headway in my effort to cut grocery spending. I've also been learning how to keep my pantry and freezer stocked with items by purchasing multiples of them when they're on sale at a good price.
Typically I spend between $300 and $350 on groceries each month to feed our family of four -- that's $75-$87 per week (this includes food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and diapers). For October I'm trying to spend between $175 and $200 (that's $43-$50 per week) for a month's worth of groceries. Sounds drastic, I know! There are, however, several reasons that I think I'll be able to accomplish this goal -- a) I already have a decently stocked pantry and freezer, b) the professor will be out of town for a week this month thus simplifying the cooking I'll be doing that week, and c) I think it will be fun!
The professor works faithfully to provide for us and I want to be a good steward of his hard earned salary. So, this is my personal challenge for October. I won't be breaking the bank if I do go over budget -- the goal is to significantly reduce how much I spend. I plan to update each week as a way of keeping myself accountable.
Week 1 Shopping Trip
Spent:
- $53.10 (yikes! already a little over budget, but several items that I bought such as, multiple bags of coffee, an extra carton of eggs, and a big bag of potatoes will get us through the month)
My best shopping deals:
- 2 1 lb. packages of Smithfield bacon for a total of $1.50 -- I froze one
- Hunt's diced tomatoes for .48 cents per can -- I bought 3
- 1 16 oz. bottle of Ken's Steakhouse salad dressing for .50 cents
What I've learned so far:
- Shop with a calculator.
- Pray that God will give me wisdom to know which items we really need and which ones that we can do without.
*photo caption -- apples and pears that were on sale of $1.00/pound
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