So I wrote this several weeks ago...but never published.....
I was expecting my 4 week
Budget Diet to take me to my breaking point. I figured with the snack cabinet getting bare and the extra work I needed to do to stay on budget, I was going to give up. I pushed through though...I went over budget this week but i tried....even though I hit $164.14!
So, my monthly goal was to only spend $400 mnth on food. Drum role....final total was $491.82. Yes, I know I went over but it wasn't for the lack of trying. I didn't only buy food as planed because the grocery store was having some great deals on lotion and cleaners. Sometimes, I did choose to go over because I thought the sale was worth it.
I do have a few take aways from trying to cut my food budget to $400mnth for 6 people (2 adults, 13,10,2,2).
1. If you put in the work..it can be done.
It takes a little thinking and meal creativity. I was already putting in the work with buying newspapers every Sunday and keeping track of coupon match ups on
Southern Savers. What I did differently was not buy because it was a good deal..okay sometimes, but buying because I could make a meal out of it. Creating a weekly dinner menu based on what was on sale, matched with coupons, as well as what I already had in the pantry helped me to
try to stay on budget.
2. Give your family what they want!
My family said they love chicken w/ gravy over noodles so much they could eat it all the time. I felt like I needed to be a little more creative with dinner and add variety. What I learned was less is best for them as well as the budget. If my family says they have no problem with eating chicken w/ gravy more often, then why not give it to them, especially when chicken breast is on sale for .99 cents lb. Good thing I learned how to cut a whole chicken fryer.
3. Budgeting takes sacrifice!
The biggest lesson of my 4 week Budget Diet is it takes sacrifice. I've read other blogs where people gave up buying cheese for their sandwiches to cut their family budget. I myself had to figure out how to work cheese into my budget, because my family views cheese as a basic necessity. However, my family had to sacrifice a full snack cabinet to cut the family budget. I would keep the snack cabinet full with a variety for the kids to pick from, but these past 4 weeks it was reduced to about two. Who would of guessed, my teenage daughter would eat celery as a snack...not me. I have to admit, I think my kids went through a snack withdraw. My daughter had a fit one day after school...complaining about not having more snacks to choose from, ...yes, I had to check her. After I put the brakes on her complaining,... I used it as a teachable moment about sacrifice for things you want later....like boots she's been begging me for.
All in all, I reduced my monthly grocery budget by $200 PLUS another $100 by making lunches at home compared to September. In reality, I think I will increase my food monthly budget to $450, so I can stock the snack cabinet a little.
Have you tried to reduce how much you spend each month on groceries? Have you found it harder since the prices are going up and coupon quality and amounts are decreasing.
