Since tomorrow is September 1st, can we start a new grocery budget challenge? State what your goal is for the month and then update as you spend it! (please specify if your budget includes pet supplies, paper products, eating out, etc.)

My budget for the month of September is $600. This includes paper products, household cleaning supplies, eating out and regular groceries. We are a family of 6 (3 adults, plus 3 kids) and also have another adult (my mom) over for meals about 4-5 times per week. We homeschool, so this budget is for 3 meals per day/ 7 days per week. Also, dd1's 9th birthday is later this month, so any expenses related to that will need to come out of our grocery budget!

8/31 (but counting towards our September budget):
$94 grocery store + $7 organic milk

9/2: $60 on household products (Melaleuca)
$40 groceries

9/4: $7 for lunch out (this was $7 for our entire family....we went to Moe's and used a B1G1 coupon, and then had $15 in gift certificates that dh was given as a gift....and all we had to pay was $7!)
$35 odds and ends at the grocery store

9/7 big stock up grocery shopping trip $120 (that was after $102 in coupons/VIC savings).

9/9: $20 (dh picked up a few things at the store)

9/10 ate lunch out and took entire family (my parents included) out for ice cream to celebrate our good news! $30 (YIKES!)

9/11: $22 at BJ's (eggs, new kitchen scissors, juice, milk)

9/12-9/20: have spent another $260 on groceries/etc...I think that puts us over-budget for the month....between my dd's surgery and food needs post-op, and my morning sickness/food aversions, we've bought more groceries than I had planned and ended up eating out one night....plus we rented a few movies for dd while she was "home-bound"

9/23: $30

I need to do this as well. We've never had a budget before so I really have no idea how much we spend. I *think* we have $400 for food, dog food, supplements, toilet paper, toiletries,etc. I'm not planning any eating out this month. DS and I eat vegan and gluten free, but I have started buying meat for dh. I really don't want to eat grains, but it looks like I will have to because they are cheap. Oh and we are a family of 3 with 2 large dogs. We were spending almost $50 a month on dog food for one dog and we just took in a stray that eats more than he does. They get holistic dog food and I'm not willing to compromise on their health. I am going to research the barf diet and see if it would cost less.

I'm going to need help, I don't know how I'm going to do this.

Whole Foods:
tinkyada pasta $3.59
earth balance $2.49
total $6.21

Walmart:
hershey syrup $1.50 (dh felt bad that I gave up choc. silk so he bought this)
Total: $1.57

Farmers Market:
5 bellpeppers total $1.00

Walmart:
stuff for week $23.08

Walmart:
lemons $3.31

Whole Foods:
2 peanut butter
2 boxes cereal
honey
case of milk
total $35.74

produce stand $24.30

Walmart $37.61

two loaves of bread $5.05

2 bags of dog food $56.66


Bakery Thrift:
$2.97

Walmart:Food for week $$29.46

total for month: $226.96

Dh and Ds are not gluten free yet and dh still eats some meat, but here are the main dishes I'm making this week.

White beans (in the crock pot) and rice. Dh will have ham with his.
Tex Mex Corn Casserole (from Body Ecology)
Tortilla Soup (from a post here)
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole (from Vegan and Gluten Free yahoo group)

I'm also making black bean hummus, hashbrowns, crock pot breakfast delight, eggplant, spinach, squash, and will have salad every day.

I just started cooking again so this list freaks me out a little. LOL

I really need to figure out breakfast ideas for dh. He leaves at 5:30am for work and usually eats poptarts in the car. Ds eats gf cereal so I'm hoping he will like the breakfast delight. I'm thinking of making gf breakfast burritos for dh, but I can only imagine the mess they will make while driving. When I figure out how to make bread it will be so much easier to get them on board with gf. They both (dh and ds) eat sandwiches for lunch. Dh sometimes doesn't get a lunch break so he has to take a 10 minute on the side of the road lunch break. And he can't eat in his truck.


I can't believe I am actually staying under budget. I made sure to cut back last week so that I can buy dog food tomorrow.

shannon, i spend a lot on pet food too, and i cant do 400-- thats what i have been trying to make happen and i just cant do it. Between food and litter and flea drops for 3 cats we spend over 100 a month. I spend 100 a week between the grocery and the veggie coop, 100-150 at the beginning of the month at sams, and then 150 every 2 months at the coop

Thursday, Aug 30th (but off Sept budget)
$52.46 at the grocery (including Alex's $15 thermos for his lunch box)
$25.60 at Costco
$2.35 for treats (berry smoothie and a lemonade)

Friday, Sept 1st
$2.80 coffee and $.50 tip

Saturday, Sept 2nd
Trip to farmers market...
pulled $25, spent all but $.01 of it. LOL!
(Includes lunch, and produce, a $2 donation to the fire fights against muscular distrophy, and a cookie for each kid)

$15.07 for Monsters and food out for Don.

Sunday, Sept 3rd
Lunch: $14.29 (Ikea trip)

Tuesday, Sept 5th
Shopping: $33.74 (stocked up on sale items such as tortillas and yogurt)
Costco $14.57 (for feta, organic salad greens, and freezer sour dough bread loaves.)
Treated myself to a small blended decalf coffee $3.00 with tip

Wenesday, Sept 6th
Ate out with friends :heart: $7.01
$12.64 at the farm for more squash, eggs, corn, and zucchini.
Don picked up whipping cream, milk and water at the store tonight... $6.

Monday, Sept 11th
Went out to lunch with Cyan today... $14.59
Grocery shopping. $41.11
$6 for icecream after the first day of school (Cyan)

Thursday, Sept 14th
Grocery shopping trip for cheese and milk etc. $26.05
Large Chai tea for my first morning off in FOREVER! $4 with tip
Monsters for Dons night shift $3.25

Friday, Sept 15th
Stopped and got Chai tea (to make) for me and a friend $4.99

Monday, Sept 18th
Grocery for dinner fixings and fresh produce $26.73
Costco $15.97
Coffee $3.20 with tip

Tuesday, Sept 19th
Ate at Izzy's with a friend on kids night. $15.62

Wenesday, Sept 20th
Fixings for this weekends menu $16.70
Ate out for lunch $13.22

Saturday, Sept 23rd
Groceries $52.03
Water and a few last things that Don wanted $12.01
Don brought lunch home from local burger place (cus I let him sleep in. lol) $15.40

Total so far this month: $478.70

This is it for this month. Not only are we pretty stocked up now, but we are out of money until Don gets paid.

Sat; Fresh tomato soup, with fresh sour dough bread
Sun; pasta tossed with fresh tomatos, veggies, and olive oil

shannon, i spend a lot on pet food too, and i cant do 400-- thats what i have been trying to make happen and i just cant do it. Between food and litter and flea drops for 3 cats we spend over 100 a month. I spend 100 a week between the grocery and the veggie coop, 100-150 at the beginning of the month at sams, and then 150 every 2 months at the coop

Oh, I forgot about the flea stuff, and the brewer's yeast for the dogs, and treats, and oh how am I ever going to do this? :p And not to mention a dh on prednisone and a tiny six year old that eats more than his dad on prednisone. lol

I'm really wishing the co-op would start up again and that we had a CSA still. I'm thinking of going to the farmer's market this weekend with a specific list. Do I need to join Sam's? When I had a card I only went a couple of times a year, but now that I'm trying this budget thing I may go more often. Hmm, just not sure about that one.

I'm in. I didn't get to post an update on the other thread but we did pretty well overall.

This month we have $400 for the month, so we'll see how we do. I think we should be fine since we stocked up on some basics this month. This includes most of our soap/shampoo etc, except that today I spent $40 on those things (stocked up on some deals) and I'm not counting that. Doesn't count pet/animal food.

Not sure of exact dates or what was what anymore! (Which would be helpful to know, it might help to map out, like Val, exactly what we spend where.) But the only take-out we've had is twice I have picked up a sushi roll for $3.50 at the co-op, and a 69 cent water. I'm weak! I found $10 and spent it on yummy treats at the coop today (cultured butter, natural saeurkraut, the roll, water, an avocado!).

Anyway so far we have spent $187 - that included about $40 for wine and beer and food for our friends who came over for Labor Day. Still have one bottle of the wine. That also includes $20 to make about eight gallons of pickled cucumbers. ($10 for 1/4 bushel pickling cukes, $1.60 dill, $4 for five heads of organic local garlic, $2-3ish for sea salt, $2 for peppercorns). And it includes $9 for a **** fine jar lifter for canning (the only choice at the local general store - I will use a stockpot for my small batch of jelly, I resisted the $24 canning pot/rack).

And then I know I spent about $10 at the co-op the other day, and $16 total today.

So total: $213. Ack! It's only the 6th! :P We are well-stocked on food though.

I'm in. I've been getting out of hand with BUYING. ugh.

Our budget for September is: $350 This includes food, cleaning supplies, bulk items, laundry soaps, eating out. Also, we share dinner with other families 3 times a week and lunches several times, too--but those are pitch-ins. :)

Jeni

Goal is under $200 this month. We move in just a bit over a month and I really need to clean out the fridge and freezer. We have a bit of meat and veggies in the freezer, some fruit. In the fridge there are some other meal ideas so I'll work with those before buying things for new meals.

Last month we spent $260+ including an expensive emergency, organics and stocking up on clearanced items. However, I didn't purchase any supplements last month and I'll need to purchase a couple this month.

Count me in. We have my daughter's birthday party to buy for so I am going to add that in. Goal for Sept $280.
This includes all toiletries, eating out etc.
ETA: this also includes one dog(and a "stray" cat that eats dog food too)


9/1-hubby ate out for $8
9/3-Sams-$47.33 and $8 to eat there
Walmart--$30.78
9/7-Farmers Market-6.59
9/11-Kroger 22.32 and $5 pharmacy
Paid angel food $79
$41.82 + 16.85--canning stuff and peaches
picked fresh figs--$16
9/13 Walmart $43.07-pressure canner
9/14 bowling alley $12.83
9/17 Kroger $8.25
Walmart $31.84
9/23--a fast breakfast at Burger King $5.67
$5.49 for ice cream and tortillas
9/25 Walmart-$8 on veggies to plant
Kroger $11

$406.93 Done for the month and ouch

September Goals for Selena $350
this is my plan for the whole month's spending, including gas money while DH is working - remember, we are at Mom's so no other expenses besides food and gas and mad money (hopefully to a minimum)
September 2
16.29 at Old Navy for 2 shirts and one pair of shorts for Dan-he needs warmer shirts and cooler bottoms to get him through the last couple weeks of heat (shorts) here and the first couple cool days (shirts)
$46.20 at Payless, 3 pairs of shoes Anna no longer has any shoes that fit... her feet seriously shot out in the last week. She has hand me downs from a friend that are too big and about 10 pairs that are now too small...grr. And I got some fake crocs... they are a wee bit too small, darnit...
$20.03 at Pizza Place in mall
$40 spending money to Jeff
----------
$122.52 Running total as of September 2 And Mom bought our first week of groceries because she felt bad that there was nothing in her house that we usually eat. So, I suppose, with that... we aren't off to too bad of a start. School is expensive. Oh, and we bought books but that came from old paypal so I am not counting it ;)

Wow...my grocery budget is SO high compared to everyone else's.....and I'm worried about being able to get everything within that budget range....and I use coupons all the time! Obviously we must eat a lot more than other folks or something! LOL!

Wow...my grocery budget is SO high compared to everyone else's.....and I'm worried about being able to get everything within that budget range....and I use coupons all the time! Obviously we must eat a lot more than other folks or something! LOL!

Well, if your feeding more people (or bigger people!) it goes up! lol We have two adults, two teens and 7 and 5 yr olds. My budget is $600. That does not include pet food or school lunches that are purchased by my two teens. I'd like to get it down but my teens eat alot (and are both super thin) and my younger kids must be having growth spurts since they are eating a ton lately. I'm just trying to stay in budget since I frequently go over. We've cut our eating out way down from what it was. I'm going to do envelopes this month and have a seperate one for dining out/take out and see how that goes.
Anne :)

Well, if your feeding more people (or bigger people!) it goes up! lol We have two adults, two teens and 7 and 5 yr olds. My budget is $600. That does not include pet food or school lunches that are purchased by my two teens. I'd like to get it down but my teens eat alot (and are both super thin) and my younger kids must be having growth spurts since they are eating a ton lately. I'm just trying to stay in budget since I frequently go over. We've cut our eating out way down from what it was. I'm going to do envelopes this month and have a seperate one for dining out/take out and see how that goes.
Anne :)

Okay, thanks Anne...you made me feel better! We have the same budget ($600) and we're feeding 3 adults (my dad also lives with us), 3 kids (9, 5, and 2 1/2)...plus my mom eats dinner with us about 4-5 times per week. And I do home daycare and while the parents send lunch, I do sometimes end up doing additional snacks,etc.

I think you quite well for all the people you feed! And heck if we could afford more we would but we have about $20 leftover at the end of the month(according to my budget..in reality it's never there:rolleyes:).
Brie


Okay, thanks Anne...you made me feel better! We have the same budget ($600) and we're feeding 3 adults (my dad also lives with us), 3 kids (9, 5, and 2 1/2)...plus my mom eats dinner with us about 4-5 times per week. And I do home daycare and while the parents send lunch, I do sometimes end up doing additional snacks,etc.

I think I may be in...We are seriously considering dropping our gf/cf diet. We may later regret it, but we've been on it the entire summer and have really seen no differences. This is going to mean we're restocking on items we haven't bought in a long time, but it will also mean that we won't be buying gluten-free and dairy-free all the time, which will save. And, I will be able to cook normally again. I hope to still keep dairy to a minimum and/or will be very particular about what dairy products we are buying. I want to keep preservatives, additives, etc. to a minimum, so sometimes that means paying more too. We'll see how it goes...At the least, this will encourage me to keep track so I can do better in the coming months!!! I have yet to see how my body reacts to adding these things back in too, so it should be interesting.

At the moment, because we have been doing the special diet thing, I have completely lost track of how much I am spending (not good). DH and I have an 8 year-old son, a 5 year-old son, and a 2 3/4 year-old daughter. I am almost 22 weeks pregnant. I intend to send the kids' lunches to school because I am not impressed, generally, by what they feed them, and it would cost like $1.85 for lunch (plus I think milk would be another 40 cents more). I may cough up the $23 a semester for the snacks they provide for DS's kindergarten. I hate to do that too. I have to give it some more thought...

DH just bought 2 3lb bags of apples 2/$4 and a pack of hot dogs, $2.69.
9/02 53.20 Meijer
1.48 bread store
9/6 2.73 bread store


I am working on a menu plan, and it looks like once I get a list of groceries I have going, I should be set for the month.

Bump cuz I don't see any edits besides mine. :p And mine is crazy high already this month. *Sigh*

We spent $110 on food on September 1st. Our kitchen is are just stuffed. Truly, there is no room for anything else in either our fridge, freezer, or cupboards. So we are good to go for a while I think! LOL. Actually, we spent less than that, because we also got household (not food) items on that bill. So we actually probably spent about $95 on food.

Kerri

I'm in this month. I failed last month at $400 so I'm upping it to $500. We are a family of 5 with a cat. Most of my family can not have wheat, citrus, dairy, or onion so our costs are a little higher. I think I can get away without buying any meat this week so we will see. Kalyn will be starting school on Tuesday and I'll be packing her lunch.

I'll play, but I'm not setting an amount because I just need to keep it as low as it can possibly be.

So far:
Sept 2: $58 for water (we have arsenic in our water, not supposed to drink it or cook w/it. I spend roughly $150 a month on water.)

Sept 3: 1.70 for a bag of cucumbers from the farmer's market

holey cow! Do you live somewhere where you can get water delivered? Like Mt Shasta Spring Water or Kulligan? they deliver in 5 gallon Jugs with a dispenser and stuff...

holey cow... arsenic in water! ((hugs))

holey cow! Do you live somewhere where you can get water delivered? Like Mt Shasta Spring Water or Kulligan? they deliver in 5 gallon Jugs with a dispenser and stuff...

holey cow... arsenic in water! ((hugs))

No, we live in the country so no delivery. I looked into buying the cooler/dispenser and purchasing the 5 gal jugs, but it's actually no cheaper than buying bottles. I thought for sure it would be. I do only buy our water on sale, so only compared it with the sale price. I didn't even add in the cooler cost because you can buy a dispenser that goes right in to the 5 gal jug and you just pump it for water.

and you've not heard my water rant? I thought I'd bugged everyone w/it. :hahaha: short version. We live in an area w/an abundance of chicken farms (mostly tyson). They feed the chickens arsenic to plump them up and kill bugs in their gut. Much of it is passed in manure, which is then collected and spread on the corn, cotton and soybean fields. Then it gets washed down into the water that eventually comes up through our well. We're at 5 times the "allowed" or "safe" level. Since I've had cancer already, it makes me WAY paranoid.

OMG that is awful. I would seriously consider moving... and honestly probobly sueing as well. :hug:

Val

OMG that is awful. I would seriously consider moving... and honestly probobly sueing as well. :hug:

Val

Now I feel bad, I've totally hijacked this thread. :shake:

We are part of a state study, which is how I know the exact levels of our well, and the source of the arsenic. There are better chicken handling practices now, but it's just hard to get people to change when they've done the same thing the same way for so many years. honestly? I seem to be the only one around here that cares, other than the environmentalist that are doing the study, and that's just because they are fully aware of the implications. They did take the elementary school off a well and run city water to them, but they didn't make it so that we could hook up. If they did it'd have flouride in it.

Moving, well, don't you pretty much just change one polutant for another? I can't figure out how to escape it. I could go live w/Lauren. That would more than likely be a safer alternative. I'm wondering if it's even completely safe up there?

I'm in, $500 a month for this month, down from $600/ then next month trying to get down to $400 per month and stay there. This includes pet food paper products, bathroom and cleaning stuff.
Sept. 4 Grocery store $120,only bought 2 items not on sale used coupons saved $27

I'm in, if I can remember to keep up with it, LOL.

To keep things easy for me, I'll work mine the way our budget is worked on paper. Groceries includes anything I buy at the grocery store and any food items I buy elsewhere. It does not include our weekly meal out or dog food.

My budget is $125/week. I'll edit after I check the receipt from yesterday.

bump.....any updates? Anyone spend over the holiday weekend?

This is really keeping me on track this month. I usually start being really good about eating at the table for every meal and cooking things we have right around harvest time because there is such bounty that I enjoy experimenting with it... but this list has really kept me on track this last week. I still doubt I will be under my $400 goal, but we are eating SO well right now and I am cooking well too. It doesn't matter to me in the slightest that we may be a bit over budget. I am also using everything we buy by being really on top of what is about to turn and using it before it does that the waste has been minimal (not to mention the glorious pantry and freezer foods I have put away for winter!!)... even that in and of itself is such a reward, and now that school is starting, and I will be making lunches for Don and Alex everyday... well it just feels great. Even though we are not totally on budget or minimizing what we are using of our budget for food, I really feel that we are doing the best with what we get, and really enjoying food. And the lack of budget doesn't bother me a bit. Who knows? If I keep going we MAY be under! We are still in stock up phase this month. ;)

Did a grocery run on Sunday (9/3) and spent: $79.94 I was trying to keep it under $80 and was amazed at my estimating skills. This all should last at least a week and includes things like t.p., dish soap, laundry detergent etc.

This weeks sweet treats will be zucchini bread and banana bread (or muffins), made from free zucchini and sale bananas.

Today's dinner is vegetable soup (my first time from scratch!!) and bread. I used free zucchini, squash, carrots, tomato, garlic and peppers in the soup, added potatoes, beans and onion that were purchased. Bread was bought on Sunday from the day old cart. Cheap dinner!!

********************

Went shopping on 9/10 and spent $147.65. This was high because we needed cat food, dog food, toothpaste (silly strawberry and mint, $4.xx for the good stuff), deodorant for J (again $4.xx for the good stuff), two different types of gas remedies for Luna (one $8.99 and the other $11.xx), wrapping paper and a few notebooks and folders for the girls.

This week, we made 4 loaves of zuchinni bread to use up the extra zuchinni. We also tried making our own granola and did up a double batch that cost a lot less than buying it by the box. If I get up the gumption, I have supplies to make some more zucchini (may add carrot in there too) bread to freeze for snacks down the line.

********

J went to the store on Monday, the 18th and picked up soymilk, water and a SEVEN dollar freaking magazine! :eek:

********

9/3 $79.94
9/10 $147.65
9/18 $16.41
Running total: $244.00

(((Marina))) Matt bought some Tyson chickens on sale at the grocery store, they were like $1.75 for an ENTIRE CHICKEN. It scared me - how can they do that? :( Then I saw the brand and was MAD. I have been boycotting Tyson (not that the other factory farms are any better) since I have known about your well.

Jake eats tons of chicken, and we have not always been able to buy organic - and his arsenic levels in his hair were sky-high. :( Just makes you think. I want to do meat birds in the spring, so badly! Heck, I want to do them NOW!

You are welcome to come live with me. ;) But as for it being safe here - of course it isn't truly safe anywhere. We have acid rain, tent caterpillars, and crazy weather (we seem to be channeling the Northwest as far as weather - it is 50-60 degrees and drizzly/gray a lot of the time and all the old timers are *freaking out* - and it takes a LOT to freak out an old crusty Vermonter who's seen everything you can believe in weather). I did a ton of research though, and Stannard has are almost zero industry and we are on top of a mountain. No one can intensively farm up here. Our neighbors are a logging operation and a tree farm - that's the "industry" in Stannard. Of course I pay with isolation, but I love it. It's not for everyone. I have not had my well tested, nor my basement tested for radon - but I need to - dirty well water and radon are real risks.

Anyway, Vermont in general is not a perfect place. Lake Champlain is polluted, Lake Memphremagog is as well - it seems everywhere is struggling with the effects of industry and factory farming. :( Up here though, versus in the South, I see a lot more awareness and outcry over it.

Bump for Monday. :D

Val

I have not spent any more since I posted. :D This is good for me! Except it's because we have absolutely no money. You know it's bad when you call your therapist and ask her to hold your copay check until Friday. LOL!

At the same time $213 represents a signifcant cut back in our grocery spending from the two weeks before this. I know I won't spend any more until Friday, which is payday. I do have to buy food and drink for the kids' birthday party Saturday, but I am not taking that from the $200 we have for the second half of the month. We are doing cheap eats, not sure exactly what yet, probably a veggie burrito bar for the grownups and what they call "American Chop Suey" for the kids (and a veggie version). Of course if J is diagnosed celiac in the next two days I guess all that will change!!! But there is only a 5% chance of that.

It feels so good to stay on track like this.

I spent $7 today on milk and eggs. I need produce, so I might have to spend more tomorrow. But we're still only at $102 for the month so far I think.

Kerri

I have since spent another $100 on food, so we're at around $200 for the month.

Kerri

I am so in for next month. Our food budget is outrageous these days.

Spent $100 on Monday, I think I'm ready to go down to $100 per week from $125. Then we'll have $100 more per month for debt. Organic frozen veggies still on sale for $1 per bag, so I have been stocking up.

I edited my total for the last time. I was able to feed my family for less than $12 a day, which seems pretty good! How did you do?

$478.70 for this month... Not only are we pretty stocked up now, but we are out of money until Don gets paid. We did a grocery run today because we were out of essentials like onions, milk, cheese, bread, and something we absolutly can not run out of... parmesean. lol... Don picked up lunch today and I wish he didn't, in fact I was pretty upset about it, until he said that it was becuase I let him sleep in and I had such a long day yesterday (which I did... I had 6 kids all evening after taking mine on a very cool feild trip all day long over and hour away).... can't blame him too much, but it did feel like a waste. So we are over. Hmmm... By quite a bit for us. This doesn't include the two date nights we went on (becuase I include that in entertainment) and I am starting to feel like eating out should be in this catagory too... just because I had $100 put away for that these last two weeks and I have ended up using it to EAT OUT. lol... That is what we are over. So I may have to adjust that. I remember when we only had $212 to eat each month (plus WIC I guess so add $60 to that), and we ate just fine... I wonder what happened. Anywho... this is this month. $17 a day to feed the 4 1/2 of us. With a preteen boy and a VERY active man (both of whom I pack lunches for) a pregnant chick and a 5 yr old that doesn't seem so bad. But at the same time, we used to eat on half of that. I guess that was what this experiement was all about and why I was so vigilant about it. Live and learn.

Well, we ended up $125 over budget. But, I will say, that is it...that's our food, household products, entertainment, everything.....and with me suffering morning sickness badly for the last two weeks, plus my dd's surgery, we have been a little "slack" about being frugal...we were just trying to survive! LOL! I'm looking forward to next month's challenge. I'm really going to try to stay on budget!

Yes I agree jma... that is us too... entertainment, household stuff (including all the kids new lunch stuff this month) etc. We didn't do anything else (aside from out date nights which are important) for entertainment except rent movies which we have a blockbuster movie pass so we get charged $26 once a month to get all the movies we want. So yeah... I agree. I don't mind it too much... but I know we can shave off here and there and I know that we still ate pretty well when we were spending half that (I just planned better). So there is room for improvment.

I will update after my last grocery shop of the month(tomorrow) but I only plan to spend $20. $13.57 per day to feed us...two adults, one kid that eats like a horse, a daughter that eats very little and then munchkin that is still only breastfeeding.

This has been very good for me...points out how much I am really spending instead of just how much I budgeted to spend...didn't realize what a huge difference there is and usually there isn't such a big difference. Hopefully once birthday months are over we'll do better. And it's good to be accountable...has kept the baby weight coming off=) Only ten pounds to go!

I spent another $45 yesterday.

It was all super-good deals, but honestly, it was more stocking-up food than food we'll eat right away, and we didn't need most of it. I think we could spend less than $300 (my usual grocery goal) if I stopped buying things because they were good deals and just stuck to what we need or will eat that month.

Sigh, I just have issues with having lots of food in the house because of previous scary low-food times. So we're done for the month at under $250 and I'm still mad that I spent on unnecessary things.

Kerri