Shelf Cooking - $21 a week!!
$21 a week budgeted for groceries for a family of 4 - COULD YOU DO IT?
I am trying! I am currently challenging myself this month to spend between $20-30 each week for groceries for my family of 4.
It is not as bad as you might think!
I saw this concept on a few YouTube videos as well as the Jordan Page FunCheaporFree.com site where she explains the reason behind this challenge:
Basically, it's a way to give your budget a boost or a break, however you choose to look at it.
Food is the EASIEST place to make changes when you want to throw a little more money into savings or maybe on debt if you have any. For us, we have some exciting trips coming up and we want all the cash saved prior to going. We vowed to NEVER go back into debt for ANY reason ... so, we plan accordingly now and have cash on hand before we take any vacations.
The average family should spend $100 per month for each member of the family. So, for example, for my family of 4 we should only spend $400 a month on groceries ... averaging out to $100 a week. Soooo... if I spend no more than $30 a week for a whole month, we will save $70 a week. That's $280 this month put away. Easy. Now, if you also cut out any restaurants or eating out, you will obviously save much more. And that's what we plan to do.
This challenge will also force me to use all the extra items that are just sitting in my pantry and freezer.
Cutting back on waste AND saving money. Sounds good to me.
I am planning to post a new video each week on my progress, so be sure to check that out!
Currently, my first shopping trip for WEEK 1 took place at Aldi and I ended up spending $26. So far, so good.
On my video, you will see the meals that I accomplished for the week. This is not just dinners; this includes our lunches, breakfasts and snacks. Yup. And it's actually working out just fine.
To be honest, the whole idea gave me anxiety. I was so worried that we would run out of stuff, that we would just live off garbage and it would be totally miserable.
Wrong. So very very wrong.
My family has not even noticed the slightest change. We still have fresh produce. We have pretty much eaten the same things we would anyways.
I have just needed to be a little more crafty with my meal planning...
Before going shopping, I "shopped" my own pantry and freezer. I made my meal plan for the week based on much of what I already had on hand. My grocery list was really just a few items that I needed to make my meals complete as well as a few basics, like milk.
This was so incredibly easy.
I packed up my boys and went to the store with my list in hand, we did not stray from the list like we usually do. I got up to the register and my grand total was less than $27. This was on Monday and today is Friday. No issues this far; the crockpot is currently full of turkey-chili and I will start the cornbread right before dinner.
The best advice I have for anyone wanting to accept this challenge:
1. Choose meals that are versatile. [ Example, our chili for tonight's dinner will also go over chips on Sunday afternoon as nachos for lunch. ]
2. Choose simple meals. [ Spaghetti is simple and very affordable and can be a great lunch the next day. ]
3. Stretch or go without meat in meals. [ I was able to use 2 lbs of ground turkey in 4 different meals: spaghetti, chili, nachos and tacos.]
4. Bake when you can. [ Make your own dinner rolls instead of purchasing them. ]
5. Be creative and make it fun. [ Be excited about the challenge! ]