Well, not the largest. My largest expense is rent ($450)... but food is close, probably 300-400 a month.
Part of the reason is that I eat incredibly healthy. If I don't, I feel like crap. I have to.
Workarounds:
- Cook from scratch. Healthy, cheap, and not always labor intensive. I love using my crockpots. Check out 365Crockpot ,
- Buy in bulk, and on sale.
- Cook large meals and FREEZE individual portions. Not all foods freeze well. Soups and chili freeze great. Rice-based meals don't. I'm still learning about this, but I love it. When I'm too tired to cook, instead of ordering out or skipping the meal, I grab something from the freezer.
- Plan meals at the beginning of the week, shop with a list and stick to it. I know it seems simple but for the longest time I was grabbing random things from the grocery store and freestyle nomming
- Look in the freezer and cabinets, and plan meals based on what you already have.
- GROW YOUR OWN FOOD. I grow hundreds of pounds of organic produce a year, with just a couple hours a week of work. Gardening is awesome and easy. I will blog about this in the future...
Hey there Sweetie!!! I am thrilled to see this blog and honored to be your first follower!!!! I am a big time budgeter, of course my budget also has to include Tae Kwon Do, Dance class and piano lessons!!! I can't wait for your gardening posts. It is our second spring in our house and I am expanding our garden drastically. 432sq feet worth of side yard is going to be chock full of veggies if I play my cards right and my green thumb doesn't fail me. Do either of you do any canning?? I am trying my hand at it next harvest season, and I hope that any investment I make evens out at least in the end. Thankfully Kevin's Grandmother gave me a lot of her old canning supplies since no one else in the family was interested!!! I can't wait to hear some more from you both!!! <3
ReplyDeleteAmanda- how is the light set up for your yard? How much did you grow last year? I've done lost of tomato canning in the past. If you can afford a pressure cooker ($300), it's worth it for the saved time.+
ReplyDeleteI am digging up the whole side yard (almost 590sq. feet and yes, it has expanded since my last post!!!!) because it has the best light, morning- late afternoon and there is no point in mowing it. The kids have the backyard to play in. I have a regular pressure cooker and I need to study up on it's possible uses. I have two large hot water bath pots and lots of jars (although not nearly enough for my future "farm!!") I think my biggest investment this year will be a stand alone freezer. There are so many of the vegetables that we are planting that will probably be better if I froze them. 'Cause I doubt if the kids will eat pickled cauliflower!!!
ReplyDeleteGrocery Bill Savings!!!!! I've been couponing for the last few months and I'm finally getting the hang of it. I spent $127 at Tops yesterday. I saved $51.49 in bonus card savings, $19.50 with coupons and $3.00 in doubled coupons!!! A total of $74 is still in my pocket because of my sale and coupon vigilance!!!! Yeehaa!!!!!
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