Can you guess what these questions indicate about how the strict $160 ($140 for food & household goods and $20 for fun eating out/take out) weekly budget went?
I did not succeed. Went way overbudget. And I have dropped my goal of doing that strict budget for four weeks.
But I also learned a few important things and it got my brain thinking and I'm going to try again after doing some serious budget analysis and thinking about how I want my money to be spent and saved. It helps that we are now in a position to be actively decorating and furnishing our house so my motivation to save up for things is high. Saving for actual things versus theoretical future things is easier and far more fun for me.
So let's go back a few weeks so I can tell you how my cash budget for groceries played out:
I started strong with a trip to the co-op on Monday. I had my meal plan in place and I shopped only for the items I needed. I didn't let Bella pick out extra organic fruits or yogurts just because she wanted it. We usually avoid interior aisles in grocery stores so she doesn't even know the sheer amount of foods she could be requesting - ha! I purchased dried beans from the bulk bin, rather than the BPA-free canned beans. This is a change I have been wanting to do FOREVER, and it felt good to finally make the switch. I didn't pick up anything from the deli for lunch, even though that is my usual habit at a co-op. I used a calculator to figure out what it was going to cost me and I parted with $50 of my cash. The whole experience took longer than usual and I left with less than usual.
We had crab cakes, baked potatoes, and salad for dinner.
The next day, Tuesday, I went to Super Target for what I thought would be the rest of the week's purchases. I didn't use my calculator. I needed diapers for Oliver (I don't care for cloth diapers at night) and the $20 for the chlorine-free ones made me quickly realize that I probably shouldn't try to be including household items in the budget. As I bought the other items needed for the week, I found myself frustrated that I couldn't pick up some of our staples in larger amounts even though they were on sale. I wanted to get a dessert item and initially went to the bakery. But as I looked around at the items and what they were charging, I realized that I wasn't down with spending my precious dollars on those. All that money for a small piece of cake that doesn't taste that great? So I headed to the packaged mixes, started reading ingredients and realized that was not going to work for me either. My sweet tooth and my personal goals of eating real, whole foods were at war. So I kept looking and found a gluten-free brownie mix that had decent-enough ingredients, but cost $6. I pondered it for another minute and then decided to buy it. As I checked out, I was cringing to see the total going up, up, up, and finally landing at $95. Now I was left with only $15 leftover for take-out & alcohol for the week. That was far less than I had been hoping for.
I made zucchini fritters for dinner with cucumber-filled tzaziki and served it with lettuce. Delicious.
Wednesday I cooked up a big batch of chickpeas in my slow cooker and felt proud of myself. I bought some wine and beer and that brought us to $20...which was $5 over budget. Hm. I could still do this, or come close anyway, we just couldn't get take out on Friday like planned. And there would be no Starbucks or Panera with the kids. Also, I was going to have to remove the household purchases from the $160 goal for sure. I was starting to rationalize things and my resolve wasn't where it had been on Monday.
We had roasted beet & apple salad with the leftover zucchini fritters for dinner.
Then came Thursday. During Oliver's morning nap, Bella and I busted through making two large meals: chana masala with the chickpeas and a large vegetable lasagna. Anyone remember what happened to that veggie lasagna?
That night we had this for dinner.
For the rest of the week I continued to save receipts and I didn't go nuts on spending, but I'm pretty sure I came in around $200 once all was said and done. After all, I had drank all my wine on Thursday night and it was imperative that was replaced. Imperative, I tell you!
So like I said, I will admit to not succeeding on this project. At all. But it got the gears going towards change and my brain is mulling over a lot of things that I learned from that week. And here is what I learned - or am in the process of learning - because a bigger change like this is a process:
- I do not want to bend on purchasing organic food. There was a moment at Super Target where I debated going for some of the conventional food items, because they are so much cheaper, but I decided against that. I will always choose to spend money on food over clothes or a tv or home decor. Totally insane to some (many) people, but it's what I/we choose. So, since organic is going to be the way we go, the more logical solution is to limit the more expensive items (meat, bell peppers, berries come to mind) and change dinner plans as needed depending on availability and cost of produce items. I will also have to continue to shop at at least three stores in order to make this work financially - Co-op, Super Target, and Trader Joe's. What a pain.
- I need to get smarter about my shopping. Have very specific lists and get my pantry stocked a little more. Perhaps I can get it so that I can do the Super Target & Trader Joe trips every two weeks rather than weekly. I need to get more efficient.
- I need to spend more time assessing what I actually spend on food, how I can spend less, and what that meal plan would look like. More work up front and THEN embark on a cash-only grocery mission. In the meantime, I need to keep working on thinking about every single item before tossing it in the cart.
- To the previous point, I am reading a couple books about budgeting and the process of change and I have more on my to-read list. I need help in this area and I learn best through reading.
- I need to really watch the extras that I'm tempted to add on to grocery trips - the prepared desserts, the deli items for lunch, the sushi. That stuff gets expensive VERY quickly.
- We drink too much and we choose expensive stuff to drink (Surly beer for Husband, fancy ciders or $15 wine for me). The obvious solution would be to switch to Coors Light and Two Buck Chuck. Maintain the buzz at a fraction of the cost. I kid. We have already cut back and we would like to resume being the kind of people who only drink on the weekends. No more glass of wine with dinner every night, even though it's oh so very French (and oh so very desirable after a long day!)
- I was very struck by the experience I had trying to choose a dessert at Super Target. When I put limits on my spending, suddenly the individually packaged bulk cake - normally something I desire - was far less appealing. When I really thought about it - I don't like that cake! I don't! It doesn't taste good - it's waxy and makes my teeth hurt and it's. just. not. good. So...what the hell is up with me being drawn to those items again and again while shopping? What is this wicked sweet tooth about? What do I really want or need? I hate to admit that I still have mild food issues that crop up, but there they are. And I think the lure of pre-packaged easy treats is related to being an exhausted mama. I want a quick fix way to feel good and my depleted body tells me I can get that through a sugar hit. And I prefer single portions because I can control my intake better this way. But this is very, VERY much at odds with the rest of my eating. None of this is new and I have discussed it on the blog before, but it has given me further food for thought (PUNNY!) about the connection between my spending and eating. I'm okay with my diet not being 100% exclusively pure organic and "real food" ingredients (like the author of the 100 Days of Real Food does), but crappy cake should be rare. Good cake, probably one that I would make myself, is a better fit for what I want out of my food.
- I am down with making my own beans in the crockpot from here on out.
- I need to keep back-up fun food in the freezer. This probably means a frozen meal or two from Trader Joe's - something like a lasagna or Mexican food. Food that doesn't technically fall into the category of "whole organic food" but gives me the take out option I crave on Friday nights or when Oliver throws a lasagna on the floor. Cheaper and faster than takeout, but still tasty. I tend to avoid buying stuff like that because I tell myself if I don't have it, I won't eat it, but HELLLLOOOO reality. I need to join reality to my overarching goals for myself.
I need to join reality to my overarching goals for myself.
So that's what I'm working on, folks.
Great post! I've got a lot of money-saving things on the brain lately what with our about-to-purchase-a-home status and all.
ReplyDeleteWe spend a LOT of money on food every week and tho it's felt wasteful, it's been fine for us economically. But like you, now that i have ACTUAL things to save for (eventually will want a new kitchen and a fancy stone wall etc etc), oh and an actual MORTGAGE (this terrifies me) i'm MUCH more inclined to get serious and focus.
Have you ever read 'The Tightwad Gazette'? I'm guessing yes. My mom had that thing around for years and used many of the tips -- and i was always horrified. It's still way over the top in some ways, but when I sit and read through it, I just start to get into a different mindset. Each silly convenience food or book purchased (instead of using the library) seems stupid. The one place she really differs is the quality of food -- she loves canned and weird and maybe even a little old. I'm not going down that route, but I can certainly use more dried beans and way fewer bags of pita chips.
Yesterday, i took the time to really menu plan and make a list -- something I honestly don't do much since being a mom. I only spent 85 at whole foods and walked away w enough groceries for the week I HOPE. (This will never happen, but hopefully just 20-30 to supplement). We don't drink, so i think that helps a bunch budgetwise.
I have no idea where I'm going w this..except to say, it's HARD and i'm with you and let's try to keep each other honest! I love takeout after a long day, I love to buy sandwiches when I'm out-and-about (or she's at preschool ... that's when I'm really bad...) and sometimes it's just easy to relax instead of plan.
This is 40,000 words long. I must miss blogging. I'm still sad you lost that lasagna... xo
Oh man, and when you say expensive beers you really do mean expensive with Surly! Love their beers and fortunately/unfortunately we can't buy them in Wisconsin. I've cut back on drinking beer for money and calorie savings.
ReplyDeleteI would love to stop buying some convenience foods like canned beans and just make them and freeze them but we haven't bought a chest freezer. While I meal plan and am pretty strict about buying only from my list, I make my meal decisions at night when I get home from work. Sometimes I'm too tired to spend an hour on dinner so I make something quicker.
Next step in saving money AND time is getting a chest freezer and making freezer meals.
I love this post. I too have struggled with how much we spend on food. A couple years ago, I showed my hubby some blog posts and we set out to use coupons and sales, and reduce our weekly grocery spending to a very ambitious $100 a month. It took an exhausting amount of time and energy, and driving around to stores that were all 15 minutes away in all different directions. I was so discouraged to find us constantly hungry and eating crappy cheap foods.
ReplyDeleteWe have come to terms with the fact that food is not where we can realistically save money. We enjoy eating way too much, and we enjoy lots of healthy meals and snacks. We don't buy organic like you, but even fresh quality produce at the "nice" grocery store costs a lot. We look at it as an investment in our family's health and happiness. But by the same token, we hardly ever eat out. We get $32 worth of takeout sushi on average less than once a month. Tim and I don't spend much money on ourselves in any other category of the budget, so that makes us feel better on the splurge for food. We make a menu, we make a list, and we stick with it. We shop at the commissary for most of our staples, and that saves us on average about 30% of what a regular grocery store costs. We get good produce at the expensive grocery store, and I'll bet we spend about $50 a week on that alone.
I'm with you on the nice alcoholic beverages. When I want a beer, I want it to be a good one. I figure as long as we keep it in moderation, we're good. It sure is nice to have at the end of a long, hard day.
Oops, I meant to say "an ambitious $100 a WEEK", not month.
DeleteGood post! I agree with a lot of what you say regarding the food. We try to eat mainly whole foods, reserving take-out or dining out for just special occasions. We never eat pre-packaged freezer meals. But, sometimes we have a faster, cheaper item for dinner, say spaghetti for example. Regarding the budget, we actually don't look at all what we spend on food EXCEPT for the take-out and going out. We try to limit this to 2x/month both for budget reasons and for health reasons. My husband and I feel a lot better about ourselves and what we're eating if we know that we made it. We spend a ton of money on food - we do a big grocery shop about every 2 weeks and spent $300 and I still have to go once a week to get staples - produce, milk, bread, etc. and usually spend $100 or so. So that puts our monthly food budget around $800 which is quite a bit for food, but I like how we eat. About the only time I (or my husband rather since he grocery shops) look at prices is when buying out of season produce. For example, we bought cherries the other week and didn't look at the price.. um $15 for a bunch of cherries was ridiculous and my husband admitted he screwed up. When raspberries start creeping up over $4-5 for a small container, we just wait until the more in-season time to buy them. We still buy plenty of other produce to make up for it, just limit the expensive items because they are out of season. Also, we definitely buy in bulk where we can to save money. I like to give Allie carrot sticks, but I don't buy the baby carrots (full of nitrates besides) and buy the whole carrots and cut them up myself. We buy huge quantities of toilet paper because it's cheaper that way. I also have found a few name brand things that work better in my opinion than generic because you can use less. Dish soap for example comes to mind. We buy ivory because although it's more expensive, I feel I can use less for the same job. So, we definitely consider budget when shopping, but I figure it's food, I'm feeding my family well and we can cut on other things... like clothes for myself and for us, alcohol, since neither of us like to drink. Regarding organic, I'm with you - I like to buy it because I feel better about it, but have you considered the dirty dozen? I'm sure you have and have your own ideas, but we kind of stick to that. I really only buy organic for those things that are known to have more pesticides in them and will buy regular of plenty of other items. I also wash all my fruit before putting it in the fruit bowl. I read that a long time ago, my parents did it too, and I feel better about eating it knowing I've removed some of the germs from people that have touched it. Again, good post. It's nice to know that other people still believe in spending money on food (one of my employees told me her and her husband never spend more than $50 on food for the week, what the heck are they eating besides frozen pizzas!!) and I was shell-shocked by how different we are with what we spend!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am always thinking about how to cut our grocery budget and still eat whole healthy foods. It's hard! I would love to hear more about what budget books you are reading.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved here, I found that I had less organic options (that I've found so far) but the options are cheaper. So I'm doing my best to get the organic things I can.
ReplyDeleteHow do you do the beans in the crockpot? We bought dried pinto beans, but we found that we had to eat them much faster and I had to watch them in the pot for quite a while. A crockpot options would definitely help.
I'm trying to drop my expectations some. We have meals in the freezer all the time, just in case I need them. There are days when I know that I could make a meal but end up completely frazzled and yelling at my kids. So for me, the best option is a frozen meal, sandwiches, or eating out. I hate it, but I think in this season of life it's something we have to do.
Thanks for this post. I'm working on getting our budget back on track now that we're moved and settled in.
We've been going through a similar thing for the last 6 months - trying to regulate our food budget a little more tightly. Just a couple of things that have been effective for us:
ReplyDelete1) I make a lot of soups and I make a TON every time. I make sure I leave out potatoes or anything that doesn't freeze well, and then bag the second half of the soup and put that in the freezer. Those end up being our go-to freezer meals when we are at a loss of time or energy and all you need to go with it is bread.
2) I comb Amazon for staples and buy in bulk there. It is amazing what all they have and if you go with the subscribe and save option (which actually doesn't require you to commit to any future purchases), you can usually save even more. You have to be willing to devote space to bulk storage, but I've found this be amazingly cost effective for stuff like cereal, jams, tea, adult and toddler snack food, some toiletry stuff, and our Charlie's cloth diaper soap.
Always glad to hear that we aren't the only ones who try and fail and try again at things like this. :)
Here's an idea to help with your sweet tooth....do some baking and then freeze the goodies in single servings. For example, I'll make cookie dough and use a small ice cream scooper/melon baller to make little balls on wax paper on a tray. Put the tray in the freezer over night and then once the balls are frozen, put them in a gallon ziplock bag. That way I can take a few out at a time and bake them up for a special treat.
ReplyDeleteI've also made whole cakes with frosting and everything that we couldn't eat whole thing, so I would cut slices of the remaining cake and freeze them in a tupperware and again you can take out individual slices when you want some cake! This works with brownies, cookies, cupcakes, etc...
I do this because I also have a sweet tooth too and I enjoy baking with my kiddos but we just don't need to be eating a WHOLE cake or 2 dozen cookies before they become stale. Saves on waste and keeps my sweet tooth happy :) And so much better than packaged baked goods.
For organic natural food, you might try Earth Fare
ReplyDeletehttp://www.earthfare.com/OurStores.aspx
Kathy
Have you checked out Vitacost.com? I just ordered a bunch of stuff from there and they do free shipping on orders over $50. We are trying to save money to buy a house in the future, and I also struggle with money spent on food. Have you ever thought about having a garden? My mom has an amazing garden and we get lots of fresh veggies from her. If we weren't renting this house, I would definitely put a garden in the backyard! Good call on the dry beans. They taste so much better too!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear the dry beans worked for you. Do you soak them overnight first? I want to make that switch but I don't plan far enough in advance to soak them. How did you cook them? Oh, and I've totally had to check myself on wanting all organic. We have a hard time getting a variety of organic veggies up here (even with Seattle based casas). I found myself passing up yummy non-organic veggies all summer long. Doh!
ReplyDeleteyou're a dietician, you know good food...stick to the cash and it'll work. also, you have a garden now. It saves a lot after the investment of planting, and you can involve your kids & teach them.
ReplyDeleteLove the comments - I also get lots on Amazon (with buying in bulk and doing subscribe and save). BIG savings on chlorine free diapers on there!! Plus I use Azurestandard.com (have to create an account to see prices, but there's no commitment for doing so and they deliver monthly to various drop locations around the cities. Alos might want to consider buying meat in bulk (we get 1/2 cow grass-fed from a farmer we've grown to know well and it is great to pay $5/lb. whether it's ground beef or steaks.)now that you have more space. http://www.andersonfarm.us/ No matter what you do, it takes a lot of thinking, will-power, decision making, and time and energy.
ReplyDeleteAll these thoughtful & helpful comments make me very glad I finally got around to posting this update.
ReplyDeleteBJA - I miss you blogging, too. ANd I haven't read that Gazette - will add it to my list.
Shelley - A chest freezer! I forgot that we now have space for one. I should price it out. Will be especially handy for future freezing of CSA & garden produce. I do a ton of freezer meals, especially now that it's fall and I'm up for soups & stews & chilis. Works a lot better to heat something up at night rather than wrangle the kids + cook.
Rachael - I was amazed at how ambitious your $100 a month budget was. Haha! It's so tricky to find that sweet spot between convenience and good/healthy food for the family.
Snowpeas - I live & breathe the clean 15/dirty dozen (and thus don't buy organic bananas, mangos, etc...) but I've become a ton more wary about GMOs of late so now I'm doing organic soy milk, tofu, etc. And seasonal produce is a big part of our eating, too. So berries are probably done until spring and apples are back in the rotation in a major way :)
Meg - The budget book is actually an e-book about food budgeting I saw on an organizing website, I haven't done more than quickly browse so I can't really recommend it or not yet: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cut-it-out-how-i-feed-my-family-of-10-for-500-a-month-without-coupons-kate-megill/1112304633 The change books are the ones that are particularly inspiring for me. I just finished Switch http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752 and that has a reference list of more books that I want to check out.
Amy - I have been VERY surprised to see how long it has been taking us to settle into routines in the new place - only in the last few weeks have I felt like my ducks are getting to be in a row. So it took over two months! For crockpot beans I found it so much better than stove-top (my two attempts at that weren't so hot in the past). I just did some googling to find a method. Here's one: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html
TwoTomatoes - Great point on Amazon! I do buy bulk diapers there (had run out, hence the single purchase at Target) but I should look further to things like the kashi cereal my husband eats, organic jellies, etc.
Mama Tully - Yes. I'm more in the mood to bake now that fall is here. I should try my hand at at fabulous cake and get it all packaged up into the freezer. I just need to change my habit re: buying desserts.
Kathy - Earth Fare looks awesome, but I don't think we have one in MN (yet!)
Crystal - I will check that website out! And a garden (plus another CSA) is in the works for SPring. My mom is a master gardener and knows cold Midwest gardening, so I will enlist her help. I'm excited for the produce and completely fearful of the worms I will encounter. AAAHHHHH! WORMS!
Lish - I did not soak after a quick google search made it seem not necessary (though one type of beans needed boiling to remove a toxin - black beans? kidney?) I would think organic vegetables woudl be prohibitively expensive in Alaska & not even that fresh sometimes - maybe conventional is the best choice nutrient wise?
Anonymous - Oh, how I wish being a dietitian made it easier to do the right thing with eating! I mean, of course it helps to have the knowledge, but the behavior change is always the beast to wrestle with (see also: doctors who smoke, anxious yoga instructors, crazy psychologists). But I do want to go back to cash once I figure out a proper amount. I know the kids will love the garden process and especially the joy of eating fresh tomatoes, carrots & raspberries just like I did as a kid!
OKay, kids began to destroy the room as I got through these comments. Must away! Mama duties call!
sounds like a decent first effort! would love to have a solid budget myself and i will use some of your ideas. can you share you recipe for crab cake and the zucchini fritters?
ReplyDeleteRachel - YES! Another thing that was off my radar that I needed reminding about. I will definitely check out that link and it sounds like a chest freezer is a priority purchase...now to convince the husband of that :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - Those particular crab cakes were a random TJ freezer section purchase (pretty good!). And just a note to clarify my use of those when I hadn't purchased them that week - I had been planning to be one week "behind" on meat/fish/poultry purchasing and eating (i.e. I was eating what I had in my freezer already, but purchased a whole chicken & some italian sausage that week for the next week). But I have made my own in the past and I used & like this recipe from Cook's Illustrated: http://community.tasteofhome.com/community_forums/f/30/t/59037.aspx. The zucchini fritters are a modified "zucchini patty sandwich" recipe from Whole Living: http://www.wholeliving.com/144899/zucchini-patty-sandwiches My modifications to that recipe are: chopped green onions in place of grated red onion, no pita, no yogurt, no lettuce, and I chop the mint leaves and add it to the patty. Then I make my own tzaziki (greek yogurt, diced cucumber, dill, lemon juice, S&P, 1 chopped garlic clove). Hope that makes sense!
I love this topic!~ I was so excited to see that you had talked about it and was waiting on your reply. I am trying the cash thing too and meal planning. It is so hard because I bundle together diapers and soap like Dr. Bronner's because they sell that at my grocery store. Therefore my budget has to accommodate that as well and it is tough. I buy 90 percent organic everything and 90 whole foods. It is hard to stay on budget and so many people tell me they can't do it because it's too expensive but I have found, like you, that i don't need newer clothes and can get away without over spending on house decor and such so that we can eat well. What we put into our bodies is absolutely my first priority as well as what we put on the outside and how we life. I have found that Kroger brand chlorine free diapers are a great steal. They are 6.99 for 20 and are the most absorbent I can find. Seventh generation and other chlorine free leak for us but not these. If you have a kroger check them out they are budget friendly, chlorine free and no scent. They don't irritate his skin at all. I am so interested in reading about this journey of your family. Thanks for being awesome:)
ReplyDeleteI don't have time to do a real comment right now (hopefully I'll remember to come back later), but I just wanted to say thank you for this post. I love that you didn't reach your goal but still thought carefully about the lessons learned; this is so much more interesting than a one and done post on food budgeting. I am so interested in both the topic and the journey, don't give up!
ReplyDeleteWe have made a decision to go organic-only too. It's important to us, so in our minds it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteI know that you have kids which makes this harder, but my husband and I take a day and make a bunch of freezable meals for easy defrosting on a weeknight when we don't have time to cook. Maybe the kids could help?
Thanks for posting this. Ive been thinking about it a lot since your last post,, about how much i"m spending at the grocer store and where i'd cut back. Since I entered the childbearing season of life, I've been buying more organic, and more meat, and more high quality vegggies, so naturally I'm spending more at the store nad having a hard time finding those places to cut back. Im not breastfeeding anymore, bbut taking care of a baby is a lot of work, and it seems like we almost dont get enough to eat with the way I'm used to cooking. Your discussion about sweets resonated with me - I have a sweet tooth too. But, I want to spend my money and calories on something that will be satisfying, which often means baking it myself (and freezing most of it). I love your meals here - they look healthy and delicious!
ReplyDeletehave you heard of the blog budget bytes? she prices out all meals, does vegetarian, & talks about make-ahead meals that you can freeze, etc, too.
ReplyDeleteprice out chest freezers on craigslist, too. we got one on there, almost brand new, that would normally cost 300 for 125
also, have you thought about preserving food? not necessarily canning (I, personally, find that very intimidating), but maybe dehydrating things? super easy & you just turn it on & forget it. then you can buy seasonally when things are really good prices & be able to just rehydrate to cook with or eat them as snacks during the off season
great job with being thoughtful & honest about this process & what will work for you :)
also, microwave cake? (homemade!)
http://pinterest.com/pin/95208979592884063/