Thursday, January 17, 2008
Frugal Friday
This is my first Frugal Friday post and I was not really sure where to begin so I decided to write about my attempts to become more frugal. I have been reading Crystal's blogs MoneySavingMom.com and Biblicalwomanhoodonline.com and am amazed and inspired. I have decided to try to feed my family of 4 on $35 a week following Crystal's example. I am happy to say that the first two weeks went buy and I was able to stay in budget, but this week I have to admit that I went $10 over when we ran out of lunch meat and sliced cheese (I picked up some organic butter that I found on clearance for $1.99, I know this isn't an awesome price but it made the organic butter cost the same as regular butter and some sausage that with my coupon was $1.50). Hey $45 a week still isn't all that bad. I have found that to accomplish staying on budget I have to make a menu and stick to it, give up alot of convenience foods, and make my own snack food. I have been trying to eat healthier so it didn't break my heart to steer away from these highly processed foods, and I have always made a menu for the week as I make my shopping list. While my stores don't do markdowns like the ones Crystal has posted about I am convinced that I can feed my family a healthy balanced diet on my new budget.
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1 comment:
I think $45 a week for a family of four is awesome!
What you'll want to do is start building a stockpile of things you use frequently. If you see something on sale for a really good price, and it's something you use a lot, get two. Don't think to yourself, 'jam is half price this week, but I still have a quarter jar at home, so I don't need it.' Well, when the quarter jar runs out and the kids want a cream cheese and jam sandwich, which would you rather do: reach into the closet for that jar that cost you 99 cents, or have to pay full price at the store? And don't forget coupons!
I buy very little in the way of processed food, mostly because I have stomach problems and I try to steer clear of 'mystery' ingredients. And baked goods on the shelf are supposed to have really bad fat in them, anyway.
And you are right...a weekly menu is a must!
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