Alright, that’s it.. Last week I spent the last of our grocery money. But we’re in pretty good shape. We still have 2 gallons of milk, 2 ½ dozen eggs, plenty of beef and chicken enough produce to last us until next Friday and plenty of whole grains. Not to mention I still have several meals that I’ve pre-made sitting in the freezer including: 2 lasagnas, baked spaghetti, chili, soup, quiche, muffins and more. Next payday is on the 18th and I feel fine! Here’s our monthly cost breakdown. I’ll save this list and use it when I start making next month’s grocery list. It gives me a good starting point.
Recently I had a friend poke fun of me for “all the work” that I do just to save a few pennies. Can I buy a bag of hotdog buns for a dollar instead of making them myself? Sure.. Am I saving a huge amount of money by making my own ranch dressing? Probably not… BUT, I try to keep my shopping lists as basic as possible. The more things that I know how to make, the fewer things I have to buy. And the fewer things that I have to buy means less times that I have to go to the store. Whether or not I’m saving money on every single item is besides the point. Ultimately I WILL save money and I will eat better in the process. I've only had to go shopping TWICE this month and here are just a few things that I DIDN’T have to buy:
Graham crackers
Potato chips
Onion dip
Ranch dressing
Ranch dip
Egg noodles
Spinache noodles
Lasagna noodles
Syrup
Bread
Rolls
Pies
Tortillas
Pie crust
Granola Bars
Crackers
Baking mix
Rice milk
Italian dressing
These are just a few of many things that I’ve made for my family and for others these past few weeks. Sure- It takes a little more time. A little more planning and consideration. But by a little.. I really mean a little. It’s not that hard. It’s not that time consuming. In fact, in a way it’s liberating. I enjoy knowing that no matter what goes on sale every month, we can still eat well. I don’t have to depend on coupons and subscribe to a dozen newspapers and “deal websites“. I’m able to use weekly advertisements as a supplement to my menu instead of being a slave to what’s on sale.
4 comments:
I hope I haven't been giving you too hard of a time! I think it is great that if you just buy the basics, you can still eat a variety!!
I can see that I live in the wrong state!! I forgot how cheap it was to buy groceries out there! I usually have to pay around $2 for a dozen eggs and over $3 for a gallon of milk!! I need to get out of Jersey!
Plus, if you make it yourself you don't have to wonder what in the heck is in it. I think those cheap hot dog buns are more chemicals than anything else.
Whether or not you actually make all of these things yourself, it's always a good idea to know HOW to do it. You never know when you might need to live off of the basics (there may come a day when you don't have money to spend on extras like cookies and crackers), and you might want to know how to put the ingredients together in a variety of ways :)
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