Oops! I bet you all figured July would pass before I finally got around to updating you on the June list. I finally got around to adding up the receipts and it wasn't a fantastic month. The total was $179.30, but part of that was paid for with money we had set aside for our son's birthday party. So, from the actual grocery budget it was $155.59. Not horrible, but over budget. It's getting harder and harder to keep it under the $150 with the prices of food going up. I also think our little man is starting to eat a little more and maybe it's not fair to not count him as "person" in the food budget any more. I'm going to try to keep pushing through, because this wasn't totally out of control, so there is still hope! :)
How about you, have you been able to stick to your grocery budget? What things are you noticing going up? Has it been harder for you to stay on track because of prices on the rise?
Wow is that $155.59 for the entire month?! I would be so overjoyed if our monthly grocery bill was that much. My monthly grocery bill here on Maui is $450.00 per month. Prior to all the changes in gas prices, economy, taxes, etc. it was $300.00.. everything on Maui is almost double the price than that on the mainland.. we jokingly (though it's not too funny) say that it's the price we pay for living in paradise. :(
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard things can be really expensive in Hawaii. :-/ I'm sure you'll still also end up spending more then here (hopefully incomes are higher there too though). Have you considered trying to make more from scratch or homemade versions? You might be able to try making commonly used items for less. I'd recommend looking into things like homemade yogurt, butter, mayonnaise, bread (even bagels can be made at home), tortillas, cream cheese, cottage cheese, there are probably others. It might help save some money and some of those aren't labor or time intensive either. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteI am still suprised how you dont have produce in your budget for that $150 a month. To me that is just a must for healthy families. My grocery bill was anywhere from $125-160 a week at either Traget or Walmart. Now, this being said I created a weekly list and shopped and prayed I stayed in budget at the register. Now that things have jumped i have taught myself the true art of Couponing. The way I have learned to do this also includes my dairy, fresh produce, and meat. The Stock pile is key to buying cheap and keeping the pantry stocked so not to over spend at the grocery store. I have now set $100 a week budget and have yet to even reach this amount in the past three months of couponing. Rember this is including everything. Even diapers, Pull-ups, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry soap (yes i know i could make it half the price, but when i can get Gain for $3 a bottle and All for HE for $2 I can afforad the luxary and not break my budget.) Becasue i am still laoded for the month and weeks with such deap down discounts that I only buy at this point somth that is at least%60 off or more. Wich leave plenty of room in my monthly budget to buy fresh. The first month i did spend about %120 a week to start a immedate stock pile, now if wanted to we could live off what was in the pantry and freezer for about 6 weeks or more with only needing fresh produce! Rember like the Duggars say "Buy used and save the difference." I say buy smart and save the difference, while having fun!" My Average weekly bill is about $68 a week, amd this is for the weekly bread included!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are really working hard to save for your family! That's great.
ReplyDeleteI did want to clarify one thing though. I'm not sure where you heard (maybe a typo somewhere??) that I didn't include produce in my budget, because my budget is almost ALL produce, dairy/perishables and then some stock pile items to make meals from. We are firm believers in a high produce diet. The only thing I don't include in the GROCERY budget ($150 a MONTH) are our household/cleaning items which I spend approx. $20-$30 on a month (including diapers). We also have a MISC category which includes one time/random expenses that don't fall under a certain category that some times is used for projects for the house (a gallon of paint or a part to repair something, that sort of thing). I hope that clears that up. :)
It sounds like you've made some great improvements in your budget, that's so awesome!! Every little change makes a big difference in the long run. Keep up the good work.