Grocery Budget Update

So for those of you who took the grocery challenge this year, here are my updated numbers:

2011 Grocery Budget Goal: $3600 ($300 a month)
Year to Date spent: $2357.12
Remaining budget: $1242.88

I know it looks like I am way over budget--but it will even out by the end of the year.  First, $200 of this was party expenses--which I budgeted for separately, so technically I could deduct that amount, but I wanted to leave it in for now to just to show the numbers (plus we had a nice amount of leftovers which has already provided us several meals this week).

Secondly, my freezer is well stocked in meat--a while back I was able to pick up boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.60 a lb, so I bought 60 lbs which went into freezer meals, marinades and extra chicken.

Third, I just paid for a bulk grain order which was close to $400.  That includes about a years supply of wheat berries, dried beans, salt, and honey plus the storage containers.  With my garden started and my neighbor who runs a little farm stand in his front yard, my fresh fruit and veggie cost over the next few months will be very small.  My freezer is fairly well stocked and I have plenty of baking supplies, so it is likely that my monthly expenditures through the fall will be around $100 a month--although I will keep you updated.  I also plan on doing a lot of canning and preserving this summer/fall to help cut down on our expenses going into the winter.

Because we buy in bulk--we have always built some flexibility into our budget--so we have the extra on months when we need to pay for big orders or buy bulk meat.  I know that is not always possible for everyone, especially when you are first working on cutting your budget--just set aside a little extra when you can (even $5 at a time will add up) for months when there are good sales or to make the bulk purchases.  I can remember one year we even had a yard sale and used the money to buy a side of beef that lasted us a full year.

 Over the next few months I will share some more of my bulk storage area and tips and also cover the basics on canning and dehydrating recipes.

Grocery Update

Before I share my shopping totals, a couple of people have asked me to clarify what I include in my grocery budget.

For my shopping budget I include:

*All of our food items including any snack items purchased at a convenience store
*All of our paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex, etc...)--try to use cloth napkins and regular towels for most things except for greasy spills.
*All of our cleaning products (window cleaner, all purpose cleaner,soap, toilet bowl cleaner, laundry det., etc....)--I make most of my cleaning products from baking soda, vinegar and essential oils so they only cost me pennies.
*All of my wine making ingredients (yes, I drink the occasionally glass of wine as well as cook with wine)--I can make 30 bottles of wine for less than $3 each and it last me a year or more

What I don't include:

*Over the counter medications--I consider these part of our medical budget
*Dining out--because our budget is tight, we consider eating out an extra and are lucky to eat out once or twice a month, if the budget allows
*Any catering or cooking for others that I am reimbursed or paid to cook

I know that some people don't include their cleaning supplies in their grocery budget and consider it a household expense or they have a separate cleaning budget.  The reason I include it in my budget is most of the ingredients are cooking items (baking soda, vinegar) and are also used for cooking.

I hope this clarifies a little bit for those of you who had questions, feel free to email me if you still want more info.

Now, onto my shopping expedition. Friday a friend and I took a road trip to the nearest Aldi (about an hour away).  I only go here every couple of months because it is so far away, but there are certain things that I buy that are so much cheaper it is worth the drive occasionally.  The Aldi is only about 15 min. from the nearest Ikea and I needed a couple of items from there for the house, so I was able to make the trip worthwhile!

I spent $123.49 at Aldi, and that included a couple of convenience food for the next week as we rip out a wall in our living room and replace it.

My second stop was at Sams Club today.  I spent a total of $88.32 on groceries, most of which was meat.  I was able to purchase a case of chicken breasts for $1.52 a pound, which is a staple in our house.  A case is approx. 40lbs and will make 30+ meals for my family. 

Even with buying some "easy" foods for the kids to prepare this week while we walk on the wall, I spent less than I was expecting to spend.  I do have one more stop to make in the next day or two and that is to pick up my Coconut Milk Creamer for my coffee--dairy and I do NOT get along :( .  I will add another update after I make that purchase.

YTD Total Spent:  $211.81
YTD Budget: $300.00
Remaining Budget: $88.19 


There is still time to enter to win a free Shortcut Cooking ebook--see this post.