Pantry Challenge Update - End of Week One!
I almost forgot to update you all on my Pantry Challenge experience!
Saturday was the end of my first official "week". My goal for the month of January is to spend $50 total for groceries - saving us $$130 for the month. So far we've spent $3.56 and $10.66 for a total of $14.22, which is pretty much right on track.
This week is going to be harder. Why? Because we're going to have to buy 2 gallons of milk again, and it's not on sale this week. Thus, about half of our budget of $12.50 for the week will go to milk. I also need to buy flour, eggs, and fruit. It will be tight to get as much fruit as we usually eat, but I think we can do it. Chicken is on sale this week and I'm really tempted to buy one package or maybe two. We'll see. Potatoes are on huge sale, and I'd love to buy some too, but again it depends on how much I spend on everything else.
I'm finding that I have enough long-term type stuff that I might just bump our budget up to $20 for each week (half of our usually budgeted $40) for the month of February just to use up some of what we have in the freezer. I didn't realize we have so much - veggies and meat mostly. A few other 'special' things too - lots of chocolate chips (hmmm, I think cookies need to be forthcoming!) and a few frozen sweet breads ready for cooking. Buddy also won a frozen apple pie playing a Thanksgiving bingo game that we need to use at some point. I also have two turkeys that I will cook one this month and one in February.
I hadn't realized before how much flour we go through, though it did feel like I bought flour often, or how much fruit we go through in a week. We didn't freeze much fruit this summer since we prefer fresh and like just about anything, so whatever is in season works. I need to think about that some more.
So, I guess I am learning a few things though our eating hasn't changed. That's the point, isn't it?
How are you doing with the pantry challenge? Go here to Money Saving Mom to share.
Saturday was the end of my first official "week". My goal for the month of January is to spend $50 total for groceries - saving us $$130 for the month. So far we've spent $3.56 and $10.66 for a total of $14.22, which is pretty much right on track.
This week is going to be harder. Why? Because we're going to have to buy 2 gallons of milk again, and it's not on sale this week. Thus, about half of our budget of $12.50 for the week will go to milk. I also need to buy flour, eggs, and fruit. It will be tight to get as much fruit as we usually eat, but I think we can do it. Chicken is on sale this week and I'm really tempted to buy one package or maybe two. We'll see. Potatoes are on huge sale, and I'd love to buy some too, but again it depends on how much I spend on everything else.
I'm finding that I have enough long-term type stuff that I might just bump our budget up to $20 for each week (half of our usually budgeted $40) for the month of February just to use up some of what we have in the freezer. I didn't realize we have so much - veggies and meat mostly. A few other 'special' things too - lots of chocolate chips (hmmm, I think cookies need to be forthcoming!) and a few frozen sweet breads ready for cooking. Buddy also won a frozen apple pie playing a Thanksgiving bingo game that we need to use at some point. I also have two turkeys that I will cook one this month and one in February.
I hadn't realized before how much flour we go through, though it did feel like I bought flour often, or how much fruit we go through in a week. We didn't freeze much fruit this summer since we prefer fresh and like just about anything, so whatever is in season works. I need to think about that some more.
So, I guess I am learning a few things though our eating hasn't changed. That's the point, isn't it?
How are you doing with the pantry challenge? Go here to Money Saving Mom to share.
