To make a long story short(er), we've been spending too much money on groceries (okay, on everything) & I found this challenge on Owlhaven via a magazine article a couple of weeks ago. Technically, the challenge was for the month of September, but we started on Friday. Since we get paid every two weeks, we will base our budget on that. I had been figuring groceries & household items seperately, which is silly because I usually buy them together, so now I will combine them. Most people participating in this challenge are doing $75/week. We will be doing $237.50 for 2 weeks, which is $118.25/week. Nearly twice as much, and here's why: we do not have a garden, a fully stocked or even partially stocked pantry, we have 7 people to feed (my mother is here for awhile), and just a few weeks ago our extra freezer died leaving us with the nearly useless freezer on our side-by-side. Not to mention that we're used to spending at least twice to three times that. Yes, I am hanging my head in shame. This will be a stretch for us, but we are going to give it the old college try. I will keep you posted on how this is going, and certainly feel free to join me in my money-saving endeavor.
Monthly Budget: $475.00
Total Spent: $137.76
Total Remaining: $337.24
Good luck!! I learned so much from this challenge - it is well worth it.
ReplyDeleteDon't hang your head. I spend way more than $75 a week with a little family. Every family circumstances are so different. Just try to improve what you've been doing. Mary's book talks a lot about this. My primary goal this month was to stick to our current budget amount ($600 a month) I ended up about 10% below that amount. I could have been even lower but I didn't pass up on some great sales and produce buys from the farmer's market. The best thing is no one felt deprived since mostly it seemed we just cooked more from scratch.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely don't hand your head! Totally agree with Becky, every family is different. We didn't participate in the challenge this month (for various reasons) and I was actually trying No Spend Month back in August and lasted 5 days until I had to fly out to CA last minute for a family emergency, then home for 2 weeks and back to CA for another emergency. Planning for a 50% cut in your normal budget is a fantastic goal and you'll definitely feel challenged by that - it's not about meeting the $75/week goal, it's about doing something great for your family. Good luck and can't wait to read how it goes!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think being realistic is more important than keeping to something you can never attain...I love that this challenge has helped me think ahead more and plan better...and it did save A Lot of money for us....
ReplyDeleteC~
I’m just starting week two of the $75.00 challenge.
ReplyDeleteWe are starting this challenge with full freezers and a well stocked pantry.
Thank you ladies for your encouragement! I really appreciate it. We've been having wicked thunderstorms for a while now, so the internet(satellite) has been spotty. I will post an update soon, but so far, our biggest challenge has been actually being at home to eat the meals that I've planned, so we've spent a ton on eating out. Good news is, now we know what to work on next! LOL
ReplyDelete