Week 16! Seriously! I have been managing a food budget for four months.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to get our expenses under control. Not just food – pretty much everything. Being on a food budget has helped immensely. We haven’t sacrificed convenience or quality. I have just been smarter about how and when I buy things. I don’t clip coupons or shop circulars, but I have managed to stay pretty much on budget even without any kind of discounts or sales. That is probably because we don’t buy a whole lot in the way of packaged goods anymore. We still buy some, mind you, but, we don’t rely on someone else to make the majority of our food. It’s the old 80/20 rule at work: 80% DIY, 20% okay to splurge on someone else making it for you…
This week, things were back to normal around these parts. There was rain. There were deadlines. 2Chili questioned my Test Kitchen Tuesday meal choice. And, we spent our full budget. Ah, back to how it should be.
I went the lazy way out this week and bought everything from Amazon Fresh, even though Trader Joe’s is much cheaper for bananas, milk, and pasta sauce. Time is money, and this week, I needed more time than money! The nice friends at Amazon placed our groceries on our doorstep, and, life was good.
Goal: $75
Actual: $77.36
| Amazon Fresh | Qty. | Extended Price ($) |
| Organic Valley Milk, Fat Free, Half Gallon | 1 | 3.49 |
| Zucchini Squash, Organic, 1.25 lb Package (Mexico) | 1 | 2.99 |
| Shallots, Organic, 5 oz Package (United States) | 1 | 1.99 |
| Cherry Tomatoes, 1 pint (Mexico) | 1 | 3.89 |
| S&W Black Beans, 50% Less Sodium, 15 oz | 1 | 3.18 |
| Tia Rosa 8 Inch Premium Soft Taco Flour Tortillas, 10 ct | 1 | 2.89 |
| Walnut Acres, Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, Low Sodium | 1 | 5.19 |
| Gia Russa, Gnocchi with Potato, 16 oz | 1 | 3.69 |
| Baby Carrots, Organic, 1 lb Package (United States) | 1 | 2.29 |
| Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice 128 oz | 1 | $6.79 |
| Yellow Onion, 1 Large Onion (Washington) | 1 | $0.59 |
| Chiquita Bananas, 5 Count Bunch, Green (Ecuador) | 1 | $2.09 |
| Chiquita Bananas, 3 Count Bunch, Ripe (Ecuador) | 1 | $1.29 |
| $40.36 |
CSA Box – $37
Menu for the week:
- Monday: Cashew Cheese Ziti with Snap Peas
- Tuesday: Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Butter
- Wednesday: Leftovers
- Thursday: Teriyaki Chickpeas
- Friday: Out to eat night!
- Saturday: Some sort of bean burger and home fries
- Sunday: TBD
Budget Buddies:
- Emily Levenson
- Maria Marz
- Veggie Converter
- Dairy-Free Cooking
- Motor City Girl In the Steel City
- Veggie Burgher
- The Happy Cactus
- The Vegetarian Salmon
- Newly Vegan
- Always Sick and Tired
- Veggie on the Cheap
- MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
- A Guy, A Girl, And a Dinner Plate
- The Amateur Low Carb Flexitarian
- The Veggie Life
- Caroline Cain Holistic Health
- Under The Apple Tree
Have a great weekend!
View Comments (6)
i love that your days of splurging are…oh…2 DOLLARS over budget.
have you started budgeting in other areas? how’s that going?
Ha, well, yes…I am wild and crazy!
We have been budgeting in other areas. We brought our cell phone bill down by 1/3 (we had way too many minutes), I stopped paying people to make my coffee, and we have done something important, which is we think, then buy. Our credit card bills have gone down quite a lot. It’s a good thing!
Excellent! You have motivated me to have a look into my mobile phone bills…(I keep getting sales calls and sending them packing!)
So right re your first paragraph, no skimping on quality, just buying everything fresh, in it’s most simple form really makes a difference. I didn’t think it would but has really made us look even more into what we buy and eat.
Enjoy your weekend
Great that you guys both work from home – what do you do (when you’re not trying out a new recipe for fun)?
Yes, it works out well, especially for our pets! I’m a marketing writer and my husband is an architect. We are really lucky to be able to be at home most days, and we know it!
Sounds great. Good life choice!