Every year I do a new budget for the next year. I have done this for at least four year's so I think it is a pretty complete picture. Furthermore, I then record actual each pay period. But this year, it is going to be tight. When I say it is going to be tight, it is important that you realize cash flow is a funny thing. For example, we could get an extra few thousand dollars by stopping retirement contributions, but this would result in higher income tax. We could pass on maximizing our HSA (new this year - so a new adventure for us) but this would increase taxes and not be preparing for the future. Or, I could decrease expenses by taking the girls out of gym. Anyway, so when I say it will be tight, understand that some of that is a CHOICE and that I know that so please do not take that as whining.
Jason gets paid biweekly. This results in two weird months but I am otherwise used to it. I have thus shopped every two weeks. I try to set aside some cash for the end when I know we will need milk, eggs and some apples, etc. But inevitably we use it for something else. And this then feels very tight. Part of this is because we are in fact running very lean. Anyway, I was reading something on a blog site when I was looking for recipes last week. This lady says "I set aside $125 a week for our budget challenge." This totally excited me because 1) that is slightly less than half of my two week grocery budget and 2) it had never occurred to me to divide up my grocery cash and shop once per week. But upon hearing it it was SO OBVIOUSLY a good idea. It's like when Nila stored my measuring cups upside down. Wow!! So easy and yet I had never thought of it but it was a much better option than right side up where the balance was all off. Now menu planning can also be done weekly rather than for two whole weeks at a time. Yay!!
So, this Friday is the first pay period of the "challenge." Well, challenge is maybe an overstatement but of the new approach and the $125 per week goal. You should have heard Nila when I told her $125 per week. She thought that was obscenely low for a family of five but I told her I was sure I could do it - but I wasn't sure that would include laundry detergent, tissue paper, garbage bags, etc. Dog food - I am not sure if that is or is not in the $125. I am considering making homemade laundry and dishwasher detergents. More on that later if I actually do it.
So, to help me keep honest, I am recording it. Could I use a paper journal? Yes, but electronic writing is easier and blogging has certain attributes that makes it even better than a word processing document - for example, sort ability, each entry having a title and being its own page. Plus, Nila can watch it as I was discussing the idea with her. High powered executive, adventurous, jet setting single woman is nice to be interested in my domestic mother stuff.
Shopping for this week:
Real Produce $32.73
Costco $71.41
Nob Hill $25.10
Nob Hill $1.99
Subtotal: $131.23
Over: $6.23
I love Real Produce. Reasonable prices. Lots of varieties. Locally grown options. Organic options. Knowledgeable, friendly staff. I had a list. Things I bought that were not on the list but I had planned to get "some other produce" so not a splurge buy - prickly pears, mangoes (Cressida loves them, I needed two bought six), melon and bananas from the $1 bin, Persian cucumbers, tomatoes (99 cents for a pound of Camparis!)
4 $1 bags - squash and bananas (bruised but otherwise fine)
yellow onions - 3.67 pounds for $1.84
campari tomatoes - 3 lb for $2.97
Altufo mangoes 6 for $7.74
Red beets 2.51 pounds for $2.48
Bell peppers 10 for $7.57 (priced by the pound but I bought 10 so it was that not the pounds that counted)
Prickly pears 1.91 pounds for $1.89
Yam .78 pounds for $.76
Persian cucumbers 10 for $3.48 (priced by the pound but I bought 10 so it was that not the pounds that counted)
Costco I actually had a non-grocery buy of $14.60 for trash bags but I am splitting it with my friend so she will give me $7.30 which will bring me back under $125. And that is including non-grocery item!! Plus I had two or three splurge purchases. Two were clearly splurges: chocolate kettle corn and dark chocolate pomegranate seeds ($15 total). The third was Monterey Jack cheese (about $6 or $7). We do not use it often but never have it when I need it - so I thought it would be good to get even though strictly speaking it is not needed for meals this week.
Milk - 2 gallons for $5.39
Apples - 9.99 for 12 apples (honeycrisp)
Eggs - 5 dozen for $7.29
Cheddar cheese (ungrated) 2 pounds for $5.39
Jack cheese (ungrated) 2 pounds for $5.39
16 cans of diced tomatoes for $7.59 (coupon buy one get one free)
Garbage bags 200 13 gallon with drawstring for $13.49 (split half with Tess so $7.30 net after tax and reimbursement)
Dark chocolate pomegranate bits $9.99
chocolate kettle corn $4.89
Nob Hill. I like Nob Hill. Even our small one. I do not like Lucky. I love the big Nob Hill which is where I went today. I bought noodles, cream, tomato sauce and rump roast. The rump roasts were not there so I had to ask the meat guy and he said someone had just bought the last but he was cutting more and they would be out in a minute. Nob Hill folks are much friendlier than has ever been my pleasure at Lucky. I could have gotten noodles and tomato sauce cheaper at Grocery Outlet but it is farther away. The noodles weren't too badly priced. The cream was a steal at $1.99 per pint, we got three. Yes, cream is a staple in our house. Weird, I know. But the second Nob Hill is because I forgot to get a red bell pepper at Real Produce (wasn't on my list) so the two big girls went down on their bikes to get it. They had to go twice. The first time they got a green (I had bought 10 of those today) and so they went back and exchanged it for red. Dai thought green, but Phyllis thought they were supposed to get red. Oh, well, live and learn. Their riding in a buddy team to Nob Hill (no roads to cross) is very helpful to me and Dai says it makes her feel like a "really big girl." She actually said that one time when I waited in the parking lot when she ran in to get something by herself. (Smile and reminisce)
Tomato sauce (8 oz) $0.79
Macaroni - 4 pounds at $1.28 each
Whipping cream 3 pints at $1.99 each
Rump Roast $9.74
But I think we will not need anything more until next Friday. To be totally fair, a couple weeks ago we had some excess so I bought stew meat, chicken, hamburger, etc. That will help fill in for a bit as I make my $125 stretch.
Last night we had Beaker Soup. We sued to literally eat this 4-5 nights a week and often for lunch, too, when Zack and Crys lived with us and some before, too. It is cheap food. Healthy food and very good. Someone asked if we got tired of it and I think not. We usually had fresh bread machine challa to go with it and it is tasty. Having it last night made me wonder why I had not made it in so long. The girls heard we were having it again for dinner tonight and that was met with much rejoicing. It is a simple one pot meal. Barley, garbanzo beans, veggies and seasonings. Of course it calls for canned garbanzo beans but I cook from dry. Once upon a time I did it on the stove top! Yikes. Then I used a pressure cooker on the stove top. Back then I would cook up beans in huge batches and freeze them to throw in soups and stuff later. Now I have an electric one - better still. I still try to remember to pre-soak but it isn't totally necessary. I love my electric pressure cooker. Beans are cheap food and it makes them much more doable.
Ok, so one soup made yesterday made two dinners (no Jason either night and he didn't need leftovers for lunch today) and there is still some left in the fridge.
Tonight I prepared a couple of frozen meals that I will throw in the crock pot. Tonight was supposed to be freezer mac-n-cheese but we had leftovers instead. We have never had freezer mac-n-cheese so we shall see. I made a BBQ chicken and veggies one. No commercial BBQ sauce but truthfully Jason doesn't like BBQ sauce so we will have this the first time tomorrow while Jason is in DC, but there is at least another day's worth in the freezer. I also did freezer goulash. I cooked twice as many noodles as I needed. Again, learned where to find how much dry noodles makes how much cooked noodles (but unfortunately too late for that recipe). Love the Internet!! Anyway, those freezer bags are way too full. But that is another day or two's worth of food in each of the two bags. Also a recipe we have never had. Finally, I made mac-n-cheese muffins tonight. And am done until tomorrow.
My kids pack lunches every day. They are good about it. I pack little containers of pretzels, almonds, prunes, etc. This helps make it easier for them to pack. They are really good about three produce items every day. Yes, I count prunes as one. Sometimes they can take applesauce as one. Often they take a stalk of celery, a carrot (they waffle between big ones and liking baby ones), grape tomatoes, Persian cucumbers (original we called them baby cukes until Costco quit carrying them and Real Produce had them as Persian cucumbers), mini bell peppers, pickles, apples, bananas or oranges. We more consistently have veggies than fruit in the house. They do not question why three? They take three. Sometimes Phyllis takes string cheese. Dai finds it gets too warm and soft so she does not.
Sandwiches are where they struggle. Hard to make. Usually makes a mess in the process. Do we have bread? Do we have crackers (peanut butter crackers counts, too). I made pizza bites and they took those for awhile. Sometimes they take leftover pizza (if we have it and Jason isn't taking all of it). One time Phyllis took leftover something else - pasta maybe? Sometimes they take boiled eggs in lieu of a sandwich. But, it always comes back to sandwiches. So I found some alternatives. PBJ muffins (will make later) and mac-n-cheese muffins. Both come from the Sneaky Chef. She is all about sneaking veggies into meals. My kids are more than willing to eat fruits and veggies so I do not need to trick them into it but these two recipes call for pureed carrots and yams, so I am doing it. I hope the girls like them. This could be another easy option for in lieu of a sandwich.
So that is what we bought and what we ate so far.
There are other food items that may be an issue. we buy oatmeal at Winco. This can be pricey. Cheap per pound but 25 pounds or whatever still adds up. I also found Costco did not have chicken bullion today. Last time I got it it was there. Being a soup person I use a lot. I expect I will get it at Winco. We buy flour in big bulk, too. We buy hard wheat from the church storehouse. Cheap per unit and handy (Jason grinds fresh wheat flour when he make bread), but pricey to do periodically. The occasional big bulk could be hard. And I have no idea how to do meat. Smaller purchases I guess even though it will be more per pound. Or maybe sometimes I will be able to get some extra to really stock up and count it outside of the $125. What an adventure to learn about what we really spend on groceries. I am excited.
