Last May I was participating in a class that required that I track spending weekly and monthly. Then after a month create a budget. Budgets aren't a new thing to me, my husband and I have budgeted since before we got married. BUT I have struggled to stay on budget.
When I started keeping track of our spending I was shocked at how much we were spending on FOOD! We hardly eat out, maybe once or twice a month. Maybe. So why was this so expensive?! Over $600 a month for 3 people seemed crazy to me! It is crazy!
Since then, I have been on a mission to try and find the best ways to keep us on track, still have yummy dinners and cut the amount of money spent on groceries in half. Here are a few things we have tried, and are working!
TIP #1: MEAL PLANNING
Yes.. I said it. For some of us this seems like a daunting task. If this is you, I am sorry. I enjoy cooking, so meal planning for me is mostly enjoyable. Instead of meal planning weekly, I started meal planning for an entire month at a time. YEP. 30 days. I first take an inventory of what I have in my cupboards and freezer. What needs to be used first? I write those ingredients down and then, make a list of meals using those ingredients first.
I don't plan on cooking all 7 nights of the week. That is overwhelming and we usually have leftovers so there is at least one leftover night a week if not two.
These are little calendars I just googled and printed off, nothing fancy. I started this in September and it has worked great for us! It helps me know at the beginning of the month what I need and what to look for as it is on sale.
The hardest part of meal planning for me is when it comes time to make dinner, what if I don't feel like eating what I have planned? That leads into tip #2.
TIP #2: Monthly and weekly shopping trips.
I live in a small town, so the Walmart closest to us is about 30 minutes away. Because most items are less expensive at a Walmart or big box store, I make a trip at the beginning of each month. During that trip I get everything that isn't fresh that I will need for the month. The magic of meal planning for the entire month is that I know what I will be making for dinner for the next 4 weeks, so I know exactly what I need! I also stock up on things that we use in addition to dinners. (Ex. I buy 5lbs of shredded cheese and the 25 piece pkg of sliced sandwich cheese. That is all the cheese we need all month long.) I can stock up on tortillas, packaged foods, pasta, freezer items, meat etc. Then for the rest of the month I shouldn't need anything each week except for produce, milk, and other fresh products. That is the ONLY time I walk into a big box store! If I have to walk in more than that, I always spend more than what I was planning on going for.
Next is the WEEKLY shopping trip. No more than that! My weekly shopping trips happen at the local grocery store in town. Produce is better, and I have even noticed bread is often cheaper there than Walmart. Because I should have pretty much everything I need for meals, my weekly trip usually costs anywhere from $30-$60. It's not expensive to get the fresh items, especially if I only go off of my list.
Along with these two tips, Tyson eats leftovers for lunch everyday. It has been rewarding to see how far we can really stretch a buck. We also buy meat in bulk. That comes out of our savings, and is something we prepare for ahead of time. I buy 40lb boxes of bonless, skinless chicken breasts about twice a year. Once a year we buy bulk ground beef as well. The fact that those two meats alone aren't coming out of our monthly budget does help cut down on cost.
I love FOOD! I enjoy preparing it, trying new meals and of course eating it all! Scrolling through Pinterest each night deciding what to eat gets expensive really fast. This way I still get to scroll through and save what sounds yummy to my boards, but then I put it on the calendar and it is in the plan.
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