I love all of these "No Spend" months that others propagate, and wish I was able to actually participate in one. I am trying to do a modified version of it in February. But instead of calling it No Spend February, I am calling it Frugal February. Here are a few of my ideas.
This is what usually happens: I go to Aldi with a two-week grocery list. I stick to the list, mostly, and spend anywhere from $100 to $150 dollars. Then I go to Walmart with my very short list of special items that Aldi doesn't sell. And then I walk out of there dropping another $200 (or more) easy! After I give Dawson money for school lunches, and buy us some lunch while we are out shopping, I am out of money on the first day of my budgeted time! AND then I have no money left for activities, clothes, and emergencies.
Walmart kills me. I would stay away completely, but there really are things that I have to get there.
So I made a new rule that every two weeks, on a Thursday after we go to Homeschool Co-op, I will go to Walmart FIRST .. and I will have a limit of 10 items. I will have to choose carefully what I purchase, because 10 items is it!
Then I will go to Aldi to do the bulk of my "usual" shopping, for mostly dairy, produce, frozen foods, and routine necessities (because it really is so much cheaper there).
THEN all other shopping will be done locally at our grocery store, the Amish bulk store, or Dollar General. I spend SO MUCH LESS money when I shop at these three stores because they are more expensive and I have to be selective. There is little, if any, impulse shopping going on.
How did I do this week?
I went to Walmart and purchased my 10 things (btw .. I count the TWO boxes of Goldfish as one item, because I always buy two boxes at a time in case the store is out of them next time I go .. they are my kids' snack of choice). This picture does not include the 20 pound bag of cat food and 28 pound box of cat litter. They went straight to the garage. I stuck to my limit, but still spent $85! Yikes!
Then I went to Aldi and purchased the other things on my list. It totaled $95. That is almost all of my $200 grocery budget for two weeks. I will have to go back to the local stores to get odds and ends for dinners in the next two weeks.
And this is all I have left (after buying our lunch at Homeschool Co-op) ....
Now, I do have $140 stashed away that I could use if I was desperate. But, I'm going to try really hard not to. I want that money to be put aside for the things for which it was intended ... clothes and activities. And since we don't really have anything planned in these areas, I am really hoping to be able to save it.
Speaking of saving .. have you heard about the 52 Week Savings Challenge? It's simple. The first week of the year you save $1, the second week $2, the third week $3 ... all the way up to $52 saved in the last week of the year. If you save the right amount of money each week, you will have over $1,300 saved by the end of 2013! I have saved money up through Week 7 and have $28 dollars saved so far (I put money in ahead because I get my budget every two weeks and I want it to go in FIRST before I spend it.)
I am also trying to save change whenever I can. I do dip into this occasionally when I am desperate for a dollar here or there, but I am trying to save it none-the-less.
I have posted all of this in the name of accountability, and so that you can see that we are all struggling in this area of trying to keep our budgets intact during very difficult financial circumstances.
(I also wanted to say that if I needed more money for anything, all I have to do is call Rick and he would give me more. He was so sweet calling me first thing this morning after he read this asking me if I needed more money. We have more money, I just don't want to have anymore added to my two-week budget. We have other places that money can be used. We are not destitute by any means. We just have plans for every penny we spend. We budget. I actually set this budget I receive, and Rick has more than once tried to get me to increase it as prices have increased. But I refuse to take more. It's a personal challenge for me. I am stubborn that way. And we never go without.)
I went to Aldi's and spent 195 dollars at aldi's!!!!!!! my pantry is full for now but by next payday it will be bare bones. Went to the grocery store to get a few items that aldi's doesn't have or don't buy there and spent 85. UGH!!!!
ReplyDeleteI still have to buy valentines for 2 classrooms and dog food. Why does day to day living have to be so expensive!
shannon
I look at what I bought yesterday and think I didn't really buy that much! It's enough, but ... enough is enough already! Unfortunately, I think things are only bound to get worse with our economy despite all of the unfulfilled promises. Buckle up!
Deletecorrection 195 at aldi's 46 at the grocery store good thing I was wrong about that amount :) although I still have to by the valentines and dog food and replace produce and milk.
ReplyDeleteI'm making all our bread now so that saves money.
I love this post!! I am constantly challenged to stay within our grocery budget. Like you, I shop at Aldi's first. Then I go to Giant Eagle for items that I can not get at Aldi's. They have a wonderful program where I save on gas and then save a percentage on groceries. Giant Eagle IS more expensive than Walmart, but I save enough to justify it by the gas savings and the lack of impulse shopping! I think Kroger has a similar program.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog. I feel like I have so much in common with you! I budget EVERYTHING, and we really don't spend much more than what we need. I really like having the cushion of a savings account!
ReplyDeleteGrocery prices are insane right now. We have an Aldi nearby, but I've never gone to it. I didn't realize it was that much cheaper!