Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

We were on the road only a couple days during this week!  I went over last week so I was trying to keep it within reason this week.  It was a tough week to stay under budget because Jake’s birthday was on Tuesday and I am making a couple meals for people in our church who need them.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

Ingles  Groceries:

• $18.79 at Ingles for 1 bag Ingles Wavy Chips, 1 Laura Lynn Bread (1 1/2 pound for $0.98), 1 container Stonyfield Strawberry Yogurt (on clearance and great for smoothies), 1 container Daisy Cottage Cheese (on clearance), 1 container Biltmore Onion Dip (on clearance), 1 bag Philsbury Caramel Brownies (on clearance), 1 container Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Dip (on clearance), Sirloin Tip, 1 large bag of Banana’s (on clearance), and 1 three pound bag of Yellow Apples (on clearance). The most expensive part was the meat, it was the only item not on sale or clearance but I picked it up for a special dinner.

Dollar Tree  Groceries:

• $0.50 at Dollar Tree for 2 boxes of Honey Oat Rings Cereal on clearance for $0.50 each

Aldi’s Groceries:

• $9.02 at Aldi’s for 2 packages of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 4 cans of Cream of Mushroom, 1 bag of Fresh Spinach and 1 bag of Santa Fe Style Tortilla Strips (on clearance).

BiLo Groceries:

• $10.98 at BiLo for 2 large cans of Green Beans and 1 five pound bag of Tater Bites.

CVS Groceries:

• $8.02 at CVS for 4 – 12 packs of Mountain Dew (they were on sale for $2.50 each and I found peelies on the packages for $1.00 off 2)

This week I spent $47.31 on groceries.  Even though I was over my budgeted amount for the week  I was able to stock up on several items on clearance and stay at least somewhat close to the budget.  I REALLY hope to have a better week for my next update, it doesn’t sit well with me going over the budgeted amount two weeks in a row.  I am happy to stock up but need thumped on the head for going over the budget again this week.  We were out of town for a part of this grocery week so it was a little different from our usual events.

It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.