We’re “starting fresh” this January, completing 22 mini-challenges in 22 days for a cleaner, fresher and healthier kitchen and grocery budget. Just joining us? Read about the what’s and why’s on the mini-challenges, as well as the previous days tasks, and jump right on in!
Did you miss day 9 this week? There’s only two days left in a giveaway especially designed for those who struggle with meal planning (and don’t we all need some help now and then?
) Don’t miss out!
Two weeks ago you were challenged to take a solid look at your finances and create a grocery budget. I’m here today following up with you, wondering how that budget is coming along.
Maria is one of my closest friends. She knows me pretty darn well and she has a knack for knowing when I’ve been avoiding something. She invites me over, gives me a big hug, pours me a hot mug of coffee and then bluntly asks me how I’m doing in that area.
It’s crushing, yet uplifting at the same time. I know I’ve been a slacker, yet how wonderful it is to have someone who is willing to pick me up and carry me through the issue. It’s because I love her that I sometimes want to throw a cream pie at her face when she asks me those questions!
Am I your Maria? Do you want to throw a pie at my face when I ask you about your grocery budget?
I hope so, because it’s out of love that I ask in the first place. I’ve seen first-hand the rewards of having a grocery budget. I’ve experienced the peace of mind that I can afford my groceries AND rent. I’ve also seen how harmful not having a grocery budget can be to a household.
Allow me to virtually pour you a mug of coffee and let’s discuss today’s challenge together.
Day 13 – Budget Check In
Today’s challenge applies to everyone, whether or not you created the budget from day 3. However if you’ve been plowing along with us on these challenges and somehow missed day 3, please stop reading this post and go back.
Yes, creating a grocery budget is so important that I do not want you to read anymore today until you’ve done it. Allow today’s post to be your reward for completing day 3. 
Where we stand today with our budget will look different for everyone. We’re halfway through the month so in theory, we should have half of our budget left. However, on any given month I’ve spent close to 75-80% of my original budget at the two week mark. That’s the result of buying most of my groceries the first week and supplementing as the month progresses.
Your task is to evaluate your established budget and your expenses thus far.
- Is there enough left in your budget to account for purchases for the rest of the month?
- Have you spent your budget yet seem to have nothing to show for it?
- Did you allot enough in the budget at the beginning?
Consider where you stand and learn from it. There are three major causes why budgets fail. Let’s talk about these and make changes to our budget accordingly. Knowing where failure lies allows us to avoid it.
1. Unrealistic Goals
Unrealistic goals are based on an improper foundation. Numbers randomly picked out of the sky because they sound good, or chosen because it’s the number that works for another family are poor choices and will likely fail.
How did you decide on your grocery budget?
- Did you randomly pick a number because it sounded adequate? Or did you account for how much food, the type of food and your own shopping habits to account for your budget?
- Did you take the budget of another family and adopt it as your own without giving it much thought? Or did you account for the size of your own family, the type of food your family needs and the area in which your family lives?
If you’ve found yourself in a position where you won’t be able to meet your original grocery budget, it’s possible that your goal was unrealistic. Re-evaluate and devise a better, more realistic target that’s better suited for you and your family.
2. Quitting Too Soon
Despite having a monthly grocery budget, I usually go over. In fact, I was over budget for six of the eight months that I accounted for last year. Some would say that’s a 75% failure rate. I say that’s a 25% success rate and a reason to keep up the hard work.
It’s because of these months of consistently spending too much that Mr. Crumbs and I re-evaluated our grocery budget and decided to increase it to accommodate the nutritional goals of our family. If it weren’t for these months, we wouldn’t know how to adjust our plan and which direction to direct our efforts.
Again, if you’re in a position where you don’t think you’ll make your budget goal this month, take the opportunity to re-evaluate and adjust your plan. Now you know how to change your efforts (both budgeting and spending) so that you’ll be better equipped to reach the goal next month.
3. Misunderstanding What a Budget Really Is
In my how-to-budget series I reference budget as “the b-word.” So many people don’t even want to mention the word because of the feelings it arouses. A budget is not meant to imprison – it’s meant to be freeing! Knowing how you spend your money is incredible knowledge. It’s with this knowledge that you can strategically lower your monthly expenses. For example, if you see that your family eats eight loaves of bread on the average month (two loaves each week) thus costing $24 out of your grocery budget, you can equip yourself to make the decision to bake your own bread for a net cost of one quarter each loaf. You’d save $22 in bread alone!
Take this approach when evaluating your current budget. You shouldn’t feel confined to a certain number and sense lingering defeat. Take reign of your budget and make it work for you. When you look at your spending with objective eyes, you will see clearly how well you are, or are not, spending your money. Allow this knowledge to empower you to change and make improvements.
Day 12 Update
Yesterday’s challenge of using food twice was a little tougher than I anticipated, only because we were already headed towards the leftover train and I wasn’t sure there would be anything to repurpose. So my update will include my efforts from this past week in addition to last night.
Monday – made soup for dinner
- intentionally made double batch for leftovers on Wednesday
- saved onions, carrots and celery for broth
Tuesday – Lemongrass vegetables and rice noodles
- used mostly stems from broccoli, very few florets
- saved carrot and celery ends for broth
- one portion of leftovers designated for Mr. Crumbs lunch
- remaining leftovers stored in the freezer to be used for a dinner later, over fresh rice
Wednesday – tacos
- made double batches of mango salsa, pico de gallo and homemade salsa
- leftover rice was combined with mango salsa to make two separate lunches
- remaining pico de gallo will be frozen and added to the next batch of tortilla soup
Thursday – ribs and couscous
- I am the only one who eats leftover ribs, but if more than one portion is left, it will be saved for bbq sandwiches next week
Friend to friend – how is your grocery budget looking so far?
Love this series! What a blessing to share ideas for improving our stewardship of our finances by taking a more purposeful look at our grocery budget. I’m really having to re-examine ours due to these new tax laws taken a huge chunk from our income. So … some of the real food expenses need to be streamlined down into a more manageable budget. Definitely reading more about ideas on budgeting, so I appreciate your time in sharing this! Blessings, Kelly
Thank you Kelly! I’m glad that you found this post a blessing, and given the tax issue, sounds like it is well-timed!
This is a true challenge for me. We have some taken out of our check as well and I’ve already spent all the food budget and we still have two more weeks left to go and I will be eating what we have as much as possible,but realistically we are going to need a few things like milk,bananas,and sweet potatoes. I stocked up on this great Montana Wheat flour and a good meat sale. I guess I struggle with that. We will need it and if I can get it at a better price-shouldn’t I? But then here I am with no money left for food. I think I don’t allow enough in the budget to eat healthy food,but we truly have no wriggle room so should we eat less healthy again? But then I feel like the Lord led me here and to heavenly homemakers and that we should be so I just don’t know. I am so stashing away butt for future use though=) I guess I am not good at those quick decisions. You know when you are standing there in the store and something is unexpectedly marked down that you know your family uses and I don’t know what to do. We are truly struggling and it is so easy to get disheartened and I may momentarily,but I am determined not to be. I just have to lean on the Lord more-somehow this will all work out. I guess I shouldn’t be making sweets,but it brings my family joy-you know? Homemade brownies or scones for breakfast made with whole wheat. Ok I’m sorry as I am totally rambling here even more than usual. Just doing a lot of thinking tonight-maybe too much. Thanks for your encouragement. Baby steps I know.
Think of it this way – knowing the situation with two weeks to go makes you better prepared when the budget resets. If you know how much you will need for the last two weeks, perhaps setting it aside at the start of the month will make next month’s halfway mark easier?
For us, I’ve found it incredibly beneficial to cut back on the amount of meat we eat general, which means freeing up money to be spent on other, wholesome items (like the wheat). One way you could do this is to implement pasta night (pasta, no meat in the sauce) and a soup night (again no meat, but definitely beans and maybe some rice or pasta). Even make bean/cheese/rice bowls with lettuce and tomato? Think meatless. I’d also suggest pulling out your receipts and see if some of the “small” expenses (yogurt, bread) are adding up to be big. Once you free up some money, spend it on quality, rock-bottom price meats and buy just enough enough to last one month worth of meat-meals. Repeat. More food for thought – consider how much meat your family truly needs in a meal. We’ve found that half as much is just as tasty and fulfilling, and consuming more veggies on the side is a bonus!
I struggle with stocking up vs. the budget too – every single month. This is not a new battle, nor will it go away soon. One thing that helps is knowing there will always be a sale. Always. I’ve even found myself NOT walking by the meat isle, just to avoid the confrontation. I sometimes compromise by buying 1 or 2 pounds of the good-priced meat, then stretching that for as many meals as I can. I get a good deal and I haven’t spent the whole budget.
If sweets bring joy, don’t stop altogether. Consider the once a week rule, or even every other week. Serve frugal oatmeal the other times or fresh fruit instead for dessert – or even consider half-batches of the sweets each week. Brownies for dessert one or two nights is just as joyful as four or five nights. Your family won’t remember the frequency – they’ll remember how you made them from scratch out of love.
I’m very thankful that you feel comfortable to speak here Gina. Please know that I’m here to listen and help however possible. I’m thankful everyday for the blessings you all bring to me, and I know God will never lead you in the wrong direction. Pray, rely on Him and He will provide. *hugs!*
Thank you Tiffany for your helpful advice. The making sweets less idea is a good one. I guess I should have added making it for them brings me joy too and sometimes sanity =) I love to bake! My husband is not good with pasta at all. I do try to make it twice a month as it is cheap,quick,and healthy,but my husband always always gets indigestion and I use the good pasta too-like the whole wheat kind. So there is always leftovers which is good because Micah and I eat those. My husband is definitely a meat and potatoes guy so I do try to use dishes that stretch it. Once I made this meat/rice bowl dish and my husband was skeptical that it would be enough meat for all of us,but it was. So I would really like some more meat stretching ideas. Oh and I remembered that there is actually one bean soup I make that he likes so I should get that on the menu again. I like your idea of resisting the temptation to begin with and looking over receipts to see if there is anything I could spend less on. I have been making all my own bread for a couple months now,but there could easily be another culprit. I’m also way more aware of not wasting food. Where I shop for meat though there isn’t always a sale-sometimes months go by without one and there really isn’t any other place nearby that sells good quality meat so that’s why I struggle with that. Again thanks for letting me share here and all your helpful advice =)
I am really happy with my budget so far this month. I really only have about 1/4 left but I got my husband to splurge on the good meat ( the kind that is about $5 a lb but totally worth every penny) and we bought some things to try that we normally don’t do. We are trying to eat more veggies than we already do and can some things that have been really cheap. 12 quarts of applesauce done today mmmmmm. I may run out of budget but we have been thinking of readjusting anyway. Dairy has gone way up in our area.
Yummy applesauce! Way to go on eating more veggies and staying within the lines so far. Can some of the dairy you buy be made at home? (I’m thinking mainly about yogurt…)
Yep, yogurt is one of those things we are still trying to get right. I am not that worried about that one because lately I have been able to get our favorite Mountain High Yogurt for about $1.50 or cheaper for 32 oz. I am talking about milk and butter. We buy rice milk for our one son who can’t do milk (even organic bothers him). Trying to find ways to cut the milk consumption. Any ideas?
The only suggestion I have for reducing milk consumption is to simply not drink it. We RARELY drink milk here, mainly because of the price. We make yogurt and dressings and create buttermilk for recipes, but most of our drinks are simply water. There was a time (and we still have a similar mantra) that unless milk was an absolute necessity for a recipe, we always used water instead (i.e. oatmeal). We received all the goodness of dairy through other, less expensive sources.
You can make your own rice milk too, which would be DIRT CHEAP, but consistency may be an issue. I’ve never bought it before, only made it, so I don’t really know what it’s supposed to be like, lol.