So then the dreaded cost of food came to me. Ugh, now that's a doozy. Here's a visual of how I feel it looks.
Ok, maybe it's not really that bad, but I do need to buckle down and stop spending so much for lunches, and randomly picking up things for dinner/eating out. Being that I am the main breadwinner (my husband stays home with our daughter), I need to make sure my finances are in order, so I can lead the life we desire.
Currently, I can seriously spend a good $50 each time I go to the grocery store, and it usually will be for two dinners and some snacks. Ooopsies!
Soooooo, I have decided to tackle one thing at a time. Food first!
The plan:
Monday - Friday: Bring lunches to work, allowing an eat out once a week
Saturday - Sunday: Allow one nights dinner for eating/take out, otherwise all meals will be cooked at home.
Go to the store (preferably Winco if I can stomach it) once every 2 weeks to gather up any canned/box foods we might need.
Go to Whole Foods/New Seasons and get meats & veggies weekly for dinners and lunches for that week.
I found a few websites I loved, that I thought I would share. I hope they can add some assistance in my weaker moments!
I'm an organizing junkie, Meal planning mommies, and What's cookin Chicago
Wish me luck! :o)
4 comments:
Good luck! I grocery shop for two weeks groceries at a time (Our groceries = about $400 per month)and Jeff takes left overs from the previous nights dinner for lunch. We started this when I moved in with him and it really helped our budget. (As he was spending close to $20 a day for lunch in downtown Chicago).
$400 a month? That is awesome! I honestly think we spend more towards $700 :( So crazy when you think about it.
My goal is to do what you've been doing by going to the store only a few times a month- not only will that save me time, but hopefully I won't compulsively shop!! :)
Actual meal-planning has helped us save some money. I say some because we're already pretty frugal. I like this website because it's given me ideas -- 100 Days of Real Food. Prior to that we ate meat with every dinner, but by not doing that we're saving money. Similar to Kati we also eat leftovers are lunch for the next day. And we only buy what we need! Stay away from that compulsive shopping! Make a list and stick to it. :) Good luck!
Melissa, thanks! :) I actually remember you talking about that website. I'll have to check it out again! I'm slowly trying to transition into not eating meat every night with dinner.... while I am ok with it, Eric is less enthusiastic about it, so it's a slow transition! haha
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