Last month I spent $201.43 for the grocery budget (not including any household supplies or personal items). I had a few things stored in the freezer to help keep the budget low, like cheese that I got on sale last year--November--and some beef Lee bought.
Some key things that help me stay in budget:
*Writing a menu before I go shopping
*Buying only what I need (sometimes I buy other things but I try not to stray)
*If I am not quite sure about how much everything is going to cost, I hold back items and see what the total is before I buy them. That way I don't have to ask to have the item voided--I just don't buy it.
*I look for coupons around the store...One luxury I have shopping on base is there are coupons all over. I rarely get coupons on the internet and I don't subscribe to a paper to get them either (which those are GREAT sources!)
*Lee eats lunch at home--we have either sandwiches or leftovers
*We don't go out to eat--we do go out to eat maybe 3 or 4 times a year and when we travel we like to stop at Little Caesars. $10 for dinner for a family of 7, not bad while on the road.
*We don't buy extras, hardly. I do buy apple sauce, animal crackers and pretzels at Aldi ($1 per box/bag) or cheese crackers at the commissary when they're a $1. Things like juice, lunch meat, cheese and yogurt are luxuries here. We have treats for Family Home Evening, Sunday night Conference talks and game/movie nights, but those are mainly things I bake from scratch; cookies, cinnamon rolls, brownies, etc.
*I have a little food storage money set aside each month. For March it's $30. Someday it will be higher. BUT, when fabulous deals come along, like cereal for $0.50 a box, I can buy a bunch and not worry about breaking the food budget!
The key though to all of this IS to have a budget and stick with the pre-determined spending plan. Budget, budget, budget.
~Ramen Queen
4 comments:
I just accidentally discovered this site. How long has it been here? I think I'll be back!
We just started it in January. We hope you come back and visit Mary!
Where in the world is cereal on sale for .50 that is awesome!!
Hi Michelle! Right now I can shop at the commissary on an Army base. Sometimes they have great deals like this! I love it. Have you checked out Krazy Koupon lady? I have a friend who checks out her site, and it seems she almost always spends less than $1 on cereal.
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