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Budgeting is not that intimidating if you start writing things down. You are computer literate, so you can even set it all up on Word(?)
Do a search for a budgeting app. I learned all my budgeting skills as a new military wife back in 1978...THEN....went to live with the in-laws who were retired Army-Air Corp. MIL taught me everything she knew.
It is most definitely possible to figure out where the monetary leak is happening.
Do you have adult children who could help?
Looks like the OP has recently posted, so maybe he'll check back in and update us on the situation, so we can provide more constructive assistance to get his grocery budget on track.
There's no need for that, Claymoore. You just need to analyze your grocery bills and figure out where you're spending the money and decide if your current plan is appropriate. I think you have plenty in your budget to eat well. There is a big hole in your grocery spending that is draining your money without filling your stomach. Find it, and you're halfway there. If you want help, post your grocery receipt, and we'll help you figure out where to go from here.
Here's a breakdown of what my daughter and I are eating tonight:
Two onion rolls (sold individually from the bakery): $.0.60
Two vegetarian spicy quinoa patties (from a package of four): $2.79/2
Sweet potato: $0.79
Tomato: $1.10
Quart of strawberries: $0.99/2 (we'll eat the other half tomorrow with breakfast)
Jalapeno: $.0.11
Small yellow onion: $0.25
2 slices of cheddar cheese from a package of 20: $0.20
1/4 avocado, a leftover from this morning: $0.25
From the pantry or garden: olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, green leaf lettuce, rosemary
Total cost: $5.20 or $2.60 per person for meal consisting of a loaded vegetarian burger on an onion roll , rosemary roasted potatoes, and strawberries, plus ice tea made in a kettle from loose tea, not out of a bottle. Later, I might take my daughter out for ice cream to celebrate Independence Day, but even if we don't, we've still had a great dinner.
Last edited by randomparent; 07-04-2018 at 06:17 PM..
AS a single adult, I got mine down to around $80 a month, but there were snack foods in there, too.
All meals cooked from scratch. No prepackaged things that contain two or more ingredients, buy the ingredients and mix them yourself. Like Bisquik, a huge waste of money for flour, baking powder, fat solids, sugar and salt. Never buy things like soup off the shelf.
Cut down on your meats, to two or three ounces a day. Use meat as a condiment, in sauces and stews. Learn to like organ meats. Make your life beef-free.
Discover beans, and invest in a pressure cooker to cook dry beans into many varieties of things that go good with rice, and I don't mean Minute Rice.
Reduce the size of your snacks. One peanut or chocolate chip (found under the sofa cushion) is as satisfying as a handful. One cookie at a time. A chocolate bar is divided into ten squares, which will last you ten days.
Buy store brands. Forget about coupons. It's cheaper to buy economical size of store brand of something you want, then small size pack of name brand of something you don't want.
Prepare a meal two or three times a week, enough for several days, and have the leftovers later. Budget yourself that 2-3 hours a week as meal preparation time. That ten hours a month could save you several hundred dollars.
When I routinely fed a family of five, I found buying and cooking in bulk most cost-effective, but cooking for two is any entirely different animal. You don't need a 5# bag of sweet potatoes. You need one. You don't need eight onion rolls for burgers. You need two. With a few notable exceptions, it's better to work with smaller quantities because it helps prevent boredom and, therefore, waste. Portion control, which is a big part of budgeting for groceries, starts before you even get to the checkout lane.
We just went on the facts that we didn't eat all that much and that what we did eat was usually stuff like hungryman frozen dinners.
We did purchase meats but usually, those too were on sale, the cheapest grades or a day or two before they went in the trash.
A Big Thank You to Everyone who responded!
Because I am too old to learn new tricks .. I guess that our new diet, (And new Lower food costs) will go something like this:
rice and beans
bologna
beans and rice
bread with bologna
OY VEY
Must not forget the popcorn!
You forgot the tortillas lol. I eat a lot of tortillas with beans and rice and veggies.
If you're willing to at least clean pans, you can get a rice cooker - easy peasy. Throw in a cup of rice and a few cups of water (follow what it says on the package as to how much water, as different rice needs more than others), turn it on and voila! Rice in about 30 minutes.
Another option would be to buy an InstaPot or a slow cooker. There are a lot of recipes for both that just requires you to throw in ingredients.
Another appliance you might enjoy is a bread maker. Again, you just throw in ingredients, turn it on and it makes bread for you. Even if it doesn't save you a ton of money on bread, you'll enjoy your bologna sandwiches a lot more on fresh, warm bread. Or make soup in your InstaPot or crock pot and eat it with fresh bread.
And buy bags of salad. If you like spinach, it is usually cheaper than lettuce and lasts longer in the fridge.
Oh, and potatoes! You can poke a fork in them, throw them in the microwave for around 10 minutes (your microwave probably even has a potato button). Get the gold or red ones, so you can eat the skins, too. Super easy, yummy baked potatoes. You can just eat them with butter or get some canned gravy or chili. Or, buy frozen bags of veggies with sauce, that you also just throw in the microwave, and put that on top of the baked potato - like broccoli and cheese, etc.
If you'd be willing to cut back on meat, you can save a lot there, too. Try some meatless days. Good for your health, too.
Store brand cereal and Hungry Man TV dinners do not add up to 600/month. Whining because nobody feels sorry for you does not change anything.
The money goes somewhere. So what did you buy last week and what did you eat last week? What is included in the 600 - food items only, pets, alcohol, ....?
Store brand cereal and Hungry Man TV dinners do not add up to 600/month. Whining because nobody feels sorry for you does not change anything.
The money goes somewhere. So what did you buy last week and what did you eat last week? What is included in the 600 - food items only, pets, alcohol, ....?
I think he got the point, and I'd bet he's now looking at his spending with a more critical eye. He doesn't need to share his receipts with us or explain further if he doesn't wish to do so. Our work here is done.
I think he got the point, and I'd bet he's now looking at his spending with a more critical eye. He doesn't need to share his receipts with us or explain further if he doesn't wish to do so. Our work here is done.
I do not work here.
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