Woman Grocery Shopping
Remember when I said that I wanted to cut my grocery budget in 2009? It is now going to be a necessity. Due to a fluke at Mike's work, his overtime did not get put on this month's check. We should get it next month (plus what he is earning this month), but in the meantime we are suddenly without almost a quarter of our income.
After a frantic, crying phone call to my best friend I calmed down enough to decide to look on this as a challenge. At least we should have a big chunk to put in savings next month, right?
For the rest of January I will be buying nothing but groceries and gas and my grocery budget will be cut in half. The girls and I are going to be in a wedding in about 6 weeks, but all expenses for that are just going to have to wait.
My next grocery shopping day will be Tuesday and I will let you know how it goes. Organization and planning are going to be so important. No more putting something in my cart without thinking. I'm sure I'll be shopping with a calculator.
13 comments:
You can do this. I had an entire year of monthly income about half of what I was used to. I had to shop very carefully, throw nothing out. Look for recipes that make large quanities, chicken spaghetti, soups etc. I also used about half of the meat I normally would use in a recipe. Instead of 4 chicken breast, use 2. In something like spaghetti you never miss it. See how low you can go before it gets to be uncomfortable then take it up another notch. Lunches on the weekend, we ate alot of tuna sandwiches and tomato soup. I do not know how old your children are but mine were teens and they survived without too many complaints, now they actually like it. There are hundreds of blogs out there to give you advice on how to stretch what you have.Good luck on this new adventure. You can do it.
Lorri
I am kind of in your same boat. After the stock market took a nose dive in October our credit card APR went through the roof. I have no choice but to pay it off and now. So, I have lowered all of our bills including grocery in order to do this. My husband is quite amazed at my ability to do so (which made me feel good). Good luck and let us know how you do!
I know what you are going through and have been doing the money juggle myself for about a year now. One of the things that helped me was CouponMom.com. That site was a godsend when it came to grocery day.
Jenn
You CAN do this! Do you like the site Hillbillyhousewife.com ? Great information there! I've done a couple thrifty food posts here:
http://nannamanna-moxie.blogspot.com/2008/09/rubber-meat.html and
http://nannamanna-moxie.blogspot.com/2008/11/xtra-cash-4-holidays.html
The second post has some links to cheaper menus....maybe these will help get the creative wheels churning!! Keep us posted how you do!
You already seem to do so much with baking, and from scratch meals, I'm sure it will be tight but you can do it! It's amazing how God provides for us in times like these, meals seem to stretch further, people aren't as hungry, etc. Prayers coming your way from Oregon!
You CAN do this!! We have been living off of $400 less per month for the past year ( with some of those months having almost no income other than unemplyment when my husband was laid off) and we have a household of 6 plus two dogs. It takes some creativity and also not buying conveneience foods at all!! I also live in New England and the cost of living is ridiculously high here but if you shop around at diffferent stores for the best prices, you will see the savings :) I shop at Walmart for diapers and paper goods, which I cut back on... only two rolls of papertowels per month and they are strictly for doggies "mistakes" cheap napkins as well as cloth napkins, paper plates only for emergencies--like when I'm sick--and I found that with only one child not potty trained, a 4 pack of Scott double roll toilet paper lasts the 5 of us a month. We never buy soda but we do buy juice and I have a water pitcher ( Clear 2 o which has a filter) and we just fill our own bottles or water with free tap water :)
You bake alot from scratch, as I've seen here on your blog. It just takes some creativity to cut back on the items that are not necessary and that you can make at home for a fraction of the cost :) Good luck :)
Bless your heart! Yes, you can do it! Look for the lesson in this situation....God wants you (and probably most of us!) to learn how to economize in these hard times. And He know you can do it. He won't give you more than you can handle. With the help from friends, family, and His grace, you'll get through this. I'll be saying prayers for you, sweetie. I know you'll get through this.
And yes, DMB is my absolute fave! Of course I'm a country gal at heart, too. But there's just something about that man's words- so dreamy and romantic! :)
Oh, I'd love to give you a big hug... I can see how scary that is. I just have to ask... is there no way that his company can create another cheque for him? As someone who does payroll, I know there are usually ways to create cheques even when it isn't the month-end run. But, I'm guessing if they could, they would have already.
And please do fill us in on this challenge; I would loveto hear what you do and how you make those dollars stretch, I think your challenge could really benefit a lot of us and God just might really use this to show others how to stretch their dollars when time are tough.
And also, let me just say my hat is off to you for not resorting to credit, etc, to spend what you usually want/like to spend. That is a trap that so many of us get into.
Keep us informed and many blessings upon your endeavor!
Please share your budget cutting secrets, because I have a feeling I'm spending way more than I need to!
Ladies, thank you so much for your comments! I can't tell you how much you have encouraged me and how much I appreciate your prayers.
I feel like God is telling me "You said you were going to cut back on grocery spending, well here's your chance." :)
Moxie thanks for the links! They are so helpful.
Armchair Housewife, my husband works for our state so there is no way to get payroll other than when THEY say, unfortunately. Everything is direct deposit and we are just going to have to wait until the next time they payout overtime statewide.
You can do it! I will be thinking about you. And do let us know how you do.
I had to cut our grocery budget out of necessity last year when my husband's empoyer decided absolutely no overtime, and we were dependent on it. Since then, I have cut it a couple of other times (I make more things now, so I'm not buying the expensive packaged stuff). I have found that cash is my best friend at the grocery store (it HURTS to hand over than money!). When I am in the store I will add up in my head or I write down on my list as I go how much my running total is (rounding up to cover tax) that way I don't go over the cash I have.
I know you can do this! And, ike you said, it's your chance to cut your budget.
Blessings-
Phoebe
With some additional and unexpected medical expenses, I'm watching the spending, too. Before I hit the check-out counter, I go through my cart and ask myself, "Do I need this? What will I use it for (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? Can I go without it? " This little tip helps with impulse buying and saves a lot of money, too.
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