New month, new grocery budget
So this month, I was originally going to have a $90/week grocery budget. And then I lost my major source of income. Although it is not our family’s main source of income, it does put a huge kink in the whole debt-reduction project and make things a lot tighter all around. So in an effort to preserve any debt reduction I can, even though I kept the grocery budget at $90/week for November, I am going to make every effort to spend less than that if possible. So it might surprise you to find out that this week, the very first grocery day in November, I spent $51.34 at Aldi and $44.66 at Walmart for a total of $96.00.
However, Diet Mountain Dew was on sale at Walmart for $1/2-liter, so I bought 12 of them, all I could reach on the shelf. I tried to climb up to get the last two left but then decided I would probably fall and it wasn’t worth it. The normal price for it is $1.38/2-liter so this was a significant savings and will last for the next 5 weeks. So I’ll be trying to spend $87 or less instead of $90 for the rest of November since I will not have to buy the Diet Mountain Dew. I am not the one drinking it! My spouse takes it to work with him, he dislikes coffee and he stays up too late with the littlest one.
I bought two impulse items, a box of julienned potatoes for $0.88 and a book for my son for Christmas for $1.99 (I could separate that out and put it in the Christmas budget but I am lazy) so $1.87 of impulse spending or 1.9%. That seems pretty reasonable. I am really trying to control the impulse spending so I can continue the debt reduction with a vengeance. Hopefully it will work! I am looking forward to the free turkey from my spouse’s work this year, I am going to use that turkey for all I can get out of it. All turkey recipes welcome :).
So $87/week (or less) for the rest of November. I think we can do it. I am feeling very optimistic :).
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November 3rd, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Great job! And I agree that saving the money on Mt. Dew wouldn’t be worth it if you had to pay the doctor bill for a broken arm.
I’m looking forward to turkey, too. We won’t get a free one, but I’ll pick up a cheap one when they go on sale. If I get a freezer before Thanksgiving, I may pick up an extra one for a few months down the road.
November 3rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
1.9% is a great improvement, isn’t it? Congrats!
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:42 pm
How much income are you going to do without per month, now that you lost the position?
People never realize that once income is reduced, their lifestyle must be reduced IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise, you are going to be in for a real rude awakening. Like losing your car, for starters, unless you sell it first if that’s what needs to be done.
I only read your quick post regarding shopping:
You spent $12 on diet soda when water is free?????
You bought your son a book when the library is free?? You WASTED $14 + tax on nonsense. You could have bought life saving food like milk, chicken, whole wheat bread, fruits and vegetables for that.
You have to get a handle on your situation other wise bad things can snowball very quickly.
I’ve been through several job downturns and take it from me, it can turn into not-such-a-pretty picture very, very quickly.
You can go back to buying Mt. Dew (which is very unhealthy BTW) when you get back on track. But you should sit down with your son and DH and all get on the same page: things are going to be tight for awhile.
Also, never, ever forgo your health and good eating habits ever!
Just my four cents.
Good luck!
November 4th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Honestly, I *do* have a handle on things. If you had read my post on the change in income, we have been using about $200 a month from my income for our budget. All the rest had been going to debt snowballing (way above and beyond the minimums). And my income was VERY variable (being a contract position). We have made changes in my husband’s tax withholding to cover most of that and the rest at the moment is being financed by this blog, actually.
I did not waste $14 on nonsense. My husband keeping his job is important. We can discuss his caffeine addiction at a later time if you’d like, but at the moment, that’s what keeps him productive, alert and happy at work and getting glowing positive reviews. We have two small children and one of them hates sleep with all of her little heart.
The book is sentimental. I saw it - and it was greatly reduced I might add - and it was a book I had as a child and loved so much I loved it to pieces. The Monster at the end of the book. It is for my son for Christmas. My son is 3. And since I think you are a new visitor, I’ll explain that my son has a communication disorder in which he communicates at this point much closer to a 2 year old. My son is not old enough or understand enough (in my opinion, which since I am the parent, is what matters) to explain something like this to him.
My son is not the one in debt. So my son is not responsible for getting us out.
It is easy to read a single snapshot of a person’s life and make several assumptions based upon it. Without knowing the whole picture it is hard to offer a constructive assessment. I hope you stick around to see the whole picture (which you can still heartily disagree with) but if not, I thank you for stopping by and getting a glimpse into another person’s life!
And lol - things are already tight. Heh.
November 4th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Oh wait, I forgot to ask, where do you get your water for free? Our water bill was $60 last month. that’d be a nice thing to get rid of. Let me know where the free water is located and I’ll hook it up to my house
“people never realize” is an overgeneralization and really, probably not very true. Some people maybe, but most people are smarter than you are giving them credit for.
November 4th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
On top of your $60 water bill, you go out and buy diet soda for your hardworking husband? Diet soda that is full of aspertame or spenda or whatever artificial sweetner ‘they’ put in it PLUS caffeine. You’re a great wife. Do you have any idea how this crap affects a person’s health in the long term? You sound like a young couple and have many more years of life to go. Protect and extend your lives by eating correctly. Especially when you are under financial pressure. You have no idea how the stress affects your life. If I sound hard, it is because I am concerned about you and your family. These are tough times and believe me, all the money in the world can not restore bad health.
Your son is not the one in debt. His mommy and daddy are. Kids know when parents have problems and it affects them. I understand your son may love the books but my kids learned to love the library. You can also. There are tons of books and things your son would love at your local library. Try it.
That’s all.
Good luck to you.
November 4th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Honestly, if your motivation was concern you’d probably read more than one post. I’ve read you before on other blogs.
But thanks for your input. And my husband is an adult who makes his own decisions. Remarkable, that is.
If you’re interested in more come back tomorrow for the whole story (in two parts). If not, have a nice night!
November 5th, 2007 at 2:25 am
You’re right. I’ll be back.
I know. It’s not easy.
November 5th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
I have a recipe for left over turkey for you. Actually, it’s for what’s left of the bird after you’ve eaten everything else. Take the carcas, boil it for a while to get the last bit of meat, and make a broth. Add in egg noodles, carrots, celery (and anything else you want), and add them to the broth, and then season. Really simple, and makes a few meals out of just a few dollars plus something you were just going to throw away.
November 5th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
oooooo cooking with what I would normally throw away! Frugalicious!
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I’m kind of late, I know, but better late than never, right?
As an alternative to egg noodles in that soup, may I recommend barley? It’s healthier and has more fibre, and it’s yummy. That’s how I make it.
Not too much barley, though. I let my husband add in more last night, and now I have more of a stew than a soup for lunch today!