Homemaking

Grocery Budget

I haven’t personally taken the time to count every reference in the Bible made about money. The late Larry Burkett must have because he said there were more references made about money than any other single subject in the Bible.

My husband handles our finances and does a very capable job of it. He does not see the need for us to be on a budget. He says if we don’t need it we won’t buy it and if we do need it we’ll buy it. Of course, this is a very convenient philosophy for me to live by. J

But… My mother was always a saver. When my dad and she were just a young couple and had almost nothing left after paying off their bills each month she would still always try to put something in their savings account, even if it was only $5. So, naturally this has influenced my thinking.

I have been trying to think of ways that maybe I could cut back on spending and take any extra and put in a savings account. One area that I have been thinking about is the Food budget.

I did find this site by Crown Financial Ministries. They have a Budget Guide Online Calculator where after you type in your gross income, tithe and tax it will calculate a budget for you based on percentages for each category. For instance, the suggested percentage for food is 12% and for clothing it’s 5%.

You don’t have to sign up for anything to use the calculator and it only takes a couple of seconds to get the information.

The amount the calculator said I could spend on food each month I think I would have a hard time keeping to. For goat milk alone our family was spending $200/month. (We’re not buying it right now since the lady we were getting goat milk from moved to Colorado.) Still, you can see that buying milk at $6/gallon can put a serious dent into a food budget!

I do buy bulk and since we hunt we usually have plenty of meat in the freezer. One idea that I have been doing off and on and which I think will be a help to my budget is planning my meals.

I’m going to give this budget idea a try. I may see if I can budget more categories in addition to Food. I’ll try to keep you all updated about once a month as to my progress.

Does anyone have any tips on how they cut back on their food bill each month?

 

6 Comments

  • Rebeca

    Yes, I’ve come up with a great way to save on the grocery bills- bedrest, coupled with people bringing you dinner every night. Any grocery necessities needed you ask some willing soul to pick up, and they stick to your list, no impulse buying! It’s working well for us.

    Then again, whatever we are saving on groceries we will more than make up for in medical bills. ;>

    Seriously, good for you trying to think of ways to cut back. Have you looked at the Everyday Cheapskate website? I get a daily email from there that always has money saving tips, often very useful ones.

    Bless you,

    Rebeca

  • OHFarmwife

    Here are a few things I do:

    shop at lower priced stores, like Aldi

    make things at home from scratch

    have a garden every year

    raise our own animals or buy locally produced food

    have a weekly menu

    we usually only have either oatmeal/cream of wheat or eggs and toast for breakfast, both are really cheap

    Hmm, if I think of any more I’ll post again.

    ~Karen

  • StitchNchick

    I plan meals and keep a pantry/freezer inventory sheet filled out at all times so I know what I have and what I need. This helps to keep me from buying another box or jar of something that I don’t really need. Though– when the things we use or like are on sale…I buy a TON of it. (As well as things like spaghetti sauce and creamed soups because you can do so much with them.)

    We also have a garden and freeze/can whatever we are able. We have some home grown meat– not beef right now unfortunately, but we go to the local butcher shop and stock up there. I love to buy in bulk! I go to Sam’s Club and buy like 10# of pancake mix and make them ahead and freeze. It’s nice on a busy morning, the boys can just nuke them and they taste like fresh made.

    I also cook from scratch (other than the pancakes) and rarely buy junk/pop unless it is really on sale. We used to spend so much money on buying pop and I just can’t justify it. (Not to mention how much sugar is in it!) I do splurge on gourmet coffee though, lol.

    I have a family of 5 (3 growing boys) and we spend about $450 a month on groceries and cleaning supplies. I’d like to make my own laundry detergent, but I have heard that it dulls clothes, so I’m not too sure about it. I know many women who swear by it and I would like to try it…I’d also love to make our own soaps, etc. I spent about $30.00 tonight on laundry detergent. It was buy one–get two free and they are large jugs! It should last me about 3 months, depending on how many “adventures” the boys get into!

    ~Amy

  • HarmonyArtMom

    Our family includes one firefigher, two teenage boys, and one who is supposed to be gaining 20 pounds. I buy a lot of groceries and cook a lot of food.

    My best tips:

    1. Plan your dinners to include what you have in your freezer.

    2. Fruits and veggies are the least expensive items on your grocery list.

    3. Make as many meals from scratch as possible.

    4. Stock up when you see a good deal on something you normally use.

    5. Try to stay out of the grocery store as much as possible.

    I have started planning lunches and it keeps from being tempted to run out and “drive thru”.

    Barb

    Harmony Art Mom

  • SongOfTheSagebrush

    A big pot of beans is a great budget stretcher in our house…the first night, it’s bean soup (pintos, onion, garlic, and perhaps meat if we have it…bacon makes them a little creamier, but ground beef is also great). The next night, I may or may not re-fry, use the blender to make them more smooth, and serve along with rice and tortillas. Whatever remains after that goes into burritos or over chips the following night(s). This takes us through 3-4 days depending on how much I prepare.

    My other budget stretcher is to make a huge pot of soup, which lasts 2-3 nights.

  • mom2chris

    Thanks for visiting my blog and your comments. I am enjoying reading your posts – I am going to add you to my friends list. 🙂

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