Wednesday, January 12, 2022

$100 A Month Grocery Budget For 2022

 


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.

 

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.

 

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!

 

10 comments:

  1. 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

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your challenge is very inspiring! Do you mind sharing how much you budget for your prepper pantry monthly?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't. I have literally pulled that one together with any extra money I could come up with.

      Delete
  3. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I always feel good about budgeting and economizing my food budget - I just wish my husband would cooperate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are inspiring! Thanks for sharing with us. I would love to spend less on groceries. I will look at it as a challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I 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.

    ReplyDelete

Your kind comments are always appreciated. I love hearing from you.

**Note: Comment Moderation has been turned on due to spam.