The Budget

March is just around the corner and I hope you are starting to think about the upcoming month! 

 

So far, we have gone over the basics of eating well and we've talked about the menu with a little bit of recipes (which I'll share more of those in the Cooking section). 

Now I am going to discuss the Shopping/Budget section.  I have a love-hate relationship with grocery shopping.  When it's just me at the store I'm pretty bad about taking my time, strolling, browsing and enjoying the time by myself.  However, most of the time I am with a newly 5 year old and two year old.  Grocery shopping is often more exhausting and frustrating.  I try to get in and out as quickly as possible and I don't always get it done in one round.  All the more reason to be sure to have a planned menu and grocery list, because with kids I manage to always buy something that I shouldn't have!

 

Myth:  It cost more to eat well.  Actually, I believe it can be cheaper.  Now if you choose to only buy your foods at health stores, you will blow your budget or likely spend more money.  Something to think about is that health stores are still businesses.  Maybe I'm a skeptic, but I'm not convinced that most of these food chains are much more concerned about my well-being than the next regular Joe store.  They are businesses intended to make money.  It's what they do.  That's my own opinion. 

HOW DOES A BUDGET HELP ME EAT WELL?

Staying within a budget actually helps us eat better.  This is mind blowing to some people, but there is a direct correlation.  Think about it:

• it helps control portions
• you are forced to be more selective about your food choices
• eating out becomes a treat instead of a daily occurrence or guilt from eating poorly

One might ask how the budget effects these things?  Simple.  If you don't have the money then you can't buy it!

• portion control--you buy what you need for that meal not enough for 10 helpings
• more selective--you can't just buy those extra snacks, chips, drinks, desserts...those are all extras
• eating out--it truly becomes a necessity because there are going to be days that just don't go as planned.  Enjoy every bite!

CREATING YOUR BUDGET
A good place to start your budget is  $100 per family member for the MONTH.
7 people x $100 each = $700 base
This is a base or foundation per say to work with, it's flexible.
Things that this budget includes:

• food
• toiletries and medicine (the basics--pain relievers, fever reducers, cold medicine...)
• laundry
• baby items
• paper goods (paper towels, plates, cups, napkins, etc.)
• some short term food storage

This DOES NOT include couponing.   I quite couponing around two years ago.  I might use a diaper one here and there, but coupons were actually killing my budget and getting me food that wasn't what I would normally eat.  Most coupons also are for name brands.  I'm not too picky with using generic brands.
I also had a friend who is like the pro of bargain shopping and couponing.  However, what she spent on groceries with coupons was the same as I was spending without...and her family was smaller.

If you have a pet include that as a person.

I had a friend that I was helping with her menu planning.  She has a family of four, soon to be five, and spent approximately $1500 a month.  They were needing to buy a new home and were on the hunt.  They needed to save money!  Her base needed to be at $400, but to avoid shock, we aimed for around $550.  That's a savings of almost $1000 to put towards their future!

I know people are wondering...what's my budget?  It's currently $750.

Now everyone does things a little differently and has different needs.  I don't have girls, I don't have to buy near as much shampoo and other toiletries as some families.  I still have younger children and just starting to hit the teen stages.  All the reason for my $50 budget increase recently in January.  My boys can eat!  I don't include lunches for the kids because only my husband takes his lunch.  Our kids eat school lunches and we budget for those separately. I'll post on that soon.

The rule in our home is I'm free to spend this money on whatever I like.  That's tempting, but the mother in me does the right thing and buys the things my family needs. :)  However, when I plan well I normally have enough in my budget to buy a little extra something for myself.

Like I said before the budget is flexible, but be reasonable.  I've been living by this principle for years.  I know it's possible and not unrealistic.