The next two weeks are going to be a little rough in the staying on budget for groceries. I decided to try something new and buy food/cake supplies for Carson's party out the grocery money. I didn't go crazy on food for the party. In fact it was quite simple. I even had several cake mixes on hand for his cake. I thing that I didn't have on hand was frosting (that stuff is pricey, even on sale). And I ruined one whole cake. I also ended up with two extra cans of frosting so I didn't have to make another trip to the store. Like they say "time is money". Because I wasn't as prepared as I should have been, it ended up costing me more money.
Another thing that has tripped me up was buying cough medicine for the kiddos. Again that by itself was not too bad. I did buy the generic brand. But because I wasn't prepared, it was one more thing I had to buy. My kids hardly ever get sick so I don't keep medicine like that on hand. Had I purchased the medicine when it was on sale, I would have spent much less money. The lesson there is keep Dimetapp type medicine on hand especially when you get it on sale for a dollar or two with a coupon. Many little things have added up to a potential overage on budget. Check back to see how the next two weeks work out.
One last thing, the weekly challenge starts tomorrow. I will be making two meals from items I have on hand. I will be making a chicken pot pie and crock pot chili.
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In a pinch, you can try using 1 tsp of honey for cough medicine in kiddos...as long as they are over 1 year old. I have done it and it works ok, but I am also a fan of cough syrup. Sometimes you can find it buy one get one free at Walgreens.
ReplyDeleteAlso, question for you...Do you grocery shop once a week or do you do once every 2 weeks? We get paid every two weeks, so I have been trying to plan for two weeks, but I still haven't got it all planned out just right. I find extra trips to the grocery store are really bad for my budget. Just wondering what you do.
Thanks for the tip for the cough medicine. I will try that next time.
ReplyDeleteI was religiously shopping once a week until I started using the "cash system" and it has worked out that I do one big trip and supplement as necessary. I agree it is those "quick" trips to the store that kill the budget. That has always been the case for me.
Hi Kim, loving your blog! I have been shopping for groceries on a budget, and using cash out of an envelope for several years now. (We use cash out of envelopes for most of our expenditures - eating out, recreation, allowances, groceries, babysitting, etc.) It's a great system. Seeing how much cash you have in your envelope really makes you think about how you're going to spend it, and how long it has to last. I make one major trip for groceries - usually to a couple different stores, on one day, at the beginning of the month. Most of these items I buy to last the whole month, and then buy bread/milk/eggs as needed. My budget is not as tight as yours, but I have been really trying to cut back even more on my budget. Thanks for your great ideas and encouragement. :) What I need to work on is recipe planning and dinner ideas. Using what you already have in your pantry is essential to using your money wisely.
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