Cozy Cottage

Monthly Shopping Outcome

Happy New Year!  I am determined one way or another to keep within my budget this year! One area that can get out of control quickly is our grocery budget.  Our goal is $65 per week for 2 adults and 2 kids (1 teen and 1 pre-teen) and this is just for food. We budget another $25 per week for any paper goods, tin foil, baggies, TP, kleenex, toiletries, etc.  So $90 a week max is our goal and it equates to $360 per month.

We shop at Walmart mostly because they're cheaper.  But I have found that in walking all the way across the store (sometimes several times when I forget things) I often see "specials" or "clearance" items or other things that really catch my eye.  I am not always disciplined like I should be and extra things end up in the cart. 

So.........I have decided to shop only monthly for all our groceries and toiletries to keep out of the stores.  It was a big task because I had to plan meals for an entire month, including breakfast and lunch items and snacks.  I figure we can put a little aside to get fresh produce weekly ($10 maybe) but nothing else. I am hoping that this will enable us to save money by only buying what we need on the list and save money by buying meat and other things in bulk.

Well today I tested my plan out and I was very pleased with the results.  My homeschooled children came with me to help with the loading and unloading. 

My normal grocery/toiletry budget for the month is $360 and I ended up only spending $214.98!  So I saved $145!!!!! I would have never been able to shave off $36 a week to reach that amount shopping weeklyl! I am praying that this will truly last us a month.  I will still need to spend about $5 for milk and probably another $35 in fresh produce for the rest of the month but that still saves me $105!!! Not only did I save $105 but much more if I would have thrown extra things in the cart and gone over my budget, as I've been frequently doing during the holidays. 

I'll let you know in a month how this is working. I hid a few snacks and chips in the basement so we can have new stuff every week and won't feel "deprived".  We do not drink soda and I tried to stay away from the processed stuff as much as possible, no cereal, etc. 

I'm not exactly sure why I saved so much more than my normal weekly budget other than the meat in bulk was cheaper. But that doesn't account for all of the $105. Whatever the reason, I'm happy as a clam! And....I dont' have to walk back into that place again for another month....at least I'm praying for that anyway! ~smile

I bought ground beef and chicken breast in bulk and seperated them when I got home. I needed 7 pkgs of beef for the meals I planned for the month. I bought 5lbs of beef and stretched it out to cover all 7 meals. We will be using less meat in those meals and adding beans or lentils when I can. This saves money and increases fiber and health at the same time. I also pre-made my meatloaf and formed it into a loaf shape so when it comes up on the menu, I can just pop it into the oven.

We'll be snacking on apples, homemade muffins, oranges, pears, and carrots with Ranch dip. Dinners are simple with a main course, vegetable or salad, and bread or homemade muffin or cornbread. Lunches are also simple with leftovers, sandwiches, mac n cheese, hotdogs(turkey), etc. Breakfasts are again, HM muffins, oatmeal, eggs, HM pancakes, etc. 

We drink mostly water with occasional milk and juice so that saves money too. 

I'm sure many of you ladies already shop monthly and I would love to hear how it works for you and what things you do to save money. I have done the once a month cooking in the past and that helps too but you still have to buy your lunches, breakfasts, and snacks. So I can relax now knowing my meals are planned and I have all the ingredients to make each and every item from now until the beginning of February!

Blessings

Untitled Comment

8:09, Friday, January 5, 2007 .. Posted by Kitty

I look forward to hearing about your luck, and please post any tips that may help. I set a budget of $400 per month for a fly of 4. I never am able to stick to it. I dont go over by too much, but Im still over. HELP!
Kitty

Great job!

8:25, Friday, January 12, 2007 .. Posted by mamaof2andtwins

We are trying once a month shopping also. I am taking January to get myself in gear. Last weekend I shopped Sam's and Aldi along with my local grocery store. That set me back $345, but I should only need milk and produce. Keep us posted.
Jennie

How's it going?

8:40, Thursday, March 8, 2007 .. Posted by JustaSEC

Just wondering how the once a month shopping is going? Were you able to stick to what you had bought in January? Did you save as much in February? Just curious...