I was so happy
with how my 2021 grocery budget worked out last year that I decided to repeat
it again this year. Back in 1989 I had a
$10 dollar a week budget, occasionally $15, to purchase all of my food and
nonfood essentials. At the time there
was just two of us in my little family (which is where I'm at once again and you
can read more about that if you click here). We did amazingly well with that little budget
and I even managed to stock up our cupboards with a few extras as time went
on. I loved the challenge and how
creative it forced me to be in order to put nutritious meals on the table and
provide us with everything we needed.
I looked up the rate of inflation and I'm about on par with my old grocery budget
Fortunately, I
ended 2021 with a fully stocked pantry, a full chest freezer in our garage, and
a decent amount of items in our refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen. With that in mind I have no doubts that I can
stick to this same budget of $100 per month for groceries and $25 a month for nonfood items again this year. I am really looking forward to the challenge.
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| I purchase most items on sale, with coupons and/or on markdown |
You might be wondering
why I am being so frugal with our grocery spending. The simple answer is because I can. Right now I
don't need to spend more money on groceries and because of that I'd rather use
the extra money I don't spend to meet a very important savings goal I'm working
on - early retirement. It is a very
important goal to me so I want to throw everything I have at it this year.
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| Italian sausage with gnocchi, green beans & homemade dinner roll I don't let a minimal budget keep us from eating remarkably well |
The other reason
is because I really love the challenge
an extreme budget presents. To me, this
is a lot of fun and I get to strategize, plot and plan, and really tap into my
creativity. It's a game and I'm pretty
darn good at it. I should be since I've
been doing it for so long. So! Let the fun begin!
Your grocery stores seem to have way better prices than the ones in Raleigh. Harris Teeter can have great deals but overall their prices are very high. We do have Aldi/ Lidl and a couple of Trader Joe’s plus Food Lion, WM
ReplyDeleteThat is rapidly changing I am afraid. ��
DeleteYour challenge is very inspiring! Do you mind sharing how much you budget for your prepper pantry monthly?
ReplyDeleteI don't. I have literally pulled that one together with any extra money I could come up with.
DeleteI totally understand this. I always found it fun to see how far I could stretch our budget. Your positive attitude is half the battle. Thanks for sharing; I enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam 😀
DeleteI always feel good about budgeting and economizing my food budget - I just wish my husband would cooperate.
ReplyDeleteYou are inspiring! Thanks for sharing with us. I would love to spend less on groceries. I will look at it as a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we first got married in 86, my budget was $10 a week. We didn't have any pantry built up, but my dad made sure we had some meat. I think every time we went to his house, he gave us something.
ReplyDeleteWhat a true blessing your dad was. :)
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