Project: Food Budget

Posted on January 6, 2011

It was bound to happen. It’s something I’ve been contemplating for ages. Throwing around the idea in my head week after week. Then pushing it away because it seemed like it would be too hard. Or a little frightening.

But it is the new year. And it is a good time to make some much needed changes.

So here it is: my goal is to spend $50 per week on groceries.

Now, that might not sound like a big deal. And to some, it might even sound like an exorbitant amount to spend on food. But, the reality is…it’s a lot less than what we spend now. A. Lot.

I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to post about this. I’m not sure I feel like listing everything we buy. I was inspired by Krista and Jess to write about the cost of each meal, but am thinking that takes a lot of mental effort to do.

Some questions: what do you do about staple items like flour, sugar, spices, large bags of rice, etc? We have a lot of things in our “pantry” that we like to keep on hand for cooking and baking, but aren’t necessarily buying it for a specific meal. How does that get tracked? And should that go into the $50 per week budget?

I’m totally open to suggestions, and advice, on how to get this going.

Wish me luck!

Edit: learn more about the Project: Food Budget challenge here.

{image from totally money}

The Epic E-Book

If you're anything like me, you have big, amazing, ambitious dreams.

In this epic e-book, I'll walk you through the ideas and exercises that have transformed my life - and the lives of my clients - and brought those ambitious dreams into being.

Get in on the fun.

14 Comments Posted in P:FB

< Tuesdays with Mama Food Budget: Week 1 >

Michele

Wow. $50 is cheap for my family. We food-shop once per week (usually) and our ‘budget’ says we should be spending $125 per week or less. We usually end up being slightly under $125 (more like $90 – $120) for a few weeks in a row and then we find we start running out of a lot of the big ticket items and will have the occasional week where we spend $150 – $160.

Of course different regions sell food & products at different costs. Not only are we vegan, but we are also Gluten Free and we live in New York. This budget only includes weekly expenses at the grocery store, but we also order some grocery items in bulk online that we don’t count. I’d be very interested in seeing a food cost breakdown, but I can’t imagine being able to afford to cut down our budget to only $50 per week.
http://www.youractivecity.com Sara

Congrats on trying to get a handle on this, it will be worth it! I’ve had a house budget for about 6 years now and I can offer a few tips from the experience.
1. consider looking at the budget on a 2 week or even monthly basis, rather than weekly, because of things like flour, butter, etc. that aren’t used up weekly. (look at the weekly as well, but know that it will fluctuate)
2. if possible, give yourself more than $50/wk. For me and hubby we budget $100/wk (sometimes actual is more, often it’s less). Buying lots of fruits and veggies is more expensive than lots of processed stuff. You could live on mac&cheese daily and stay within $50, but who’d want to?
3. separate bath and beauty products into its own budget or you’ll drive yourself crazy.
4. keep at it. You really won’t get a consistent sense of what you need to spend until you’re several months in. After a year you can do an average and account for special months (holidays, birthdays, etc.)

Good luck!
Pingback: Tweets that mention Project: Food Budget : The Reluctant Vegetarian -- Topsy.com
Katie

My family consists of myself, my husband, and my toddler. I grocery shop every week, normally. Every two weeks (on pay day) I plan the dinners for the next two weeks, I make a comprehensive list of ingredients I’ll need, and I go shopping. I usually spend about $170 that week, and it includes 14 dinners, 14 lunches, seven breakfasts and staples like flour, yeast, sugar, tea and such. The weekend after my big shopping trip, I go again, but I usually just need milk, cereal, poptarts, fresh veggies for the week (if I buy veg ahead of time, it usually spoils in the cripser drawer) eggs, and maybe pull ups or apple juice. I spend about $40 on those weeks.
The key for me is planning ahead, and by doing so, I’ve cut my $600-700 dollar food bill down to under $500 every month. Including all the crazy baking I did over the holidays. I can’t imagine spending $50 a week and feeding my family. That was my sister’s food budget for just herself during law school, and she lived on Ramen and the Wendy’s dollar menu. Good luck!
http://thepoint.etsy.com Jody

Emily,

I applaud you for doing this! I am in a situation where a tight budget forced me to really make wise purchase decisions over the last year.

I don’t know how to answer your above questions, but I wanted to share my experience..

Identify what you absolutely KNOW you will eat each week and just stick to that. Period. Also identify foods that can be cooked one day and made into another meal the next day. Or become an accompaniment to tomorrow’s dinner. (rice and beans are good for this) Look for things that can serve two purposes for you. Hummus is my big one. I can have it as a quick snack with crackers/carrots, but I can also make it my meal – putting in a wrap with feta, onion and tomatoes.

Buy in-season fruits/veggies – always cheaper, and can always be incorporated into so many meals/snacks.

Buy ONE box of cereal/crackers,etc at a time. When you finish that box, then get another one. I found this to be very helpful. We waste so much less food now.

Really comparison shop – there are always deals to be had. Coupons are helpful too, of course.

My pantry and refrigerator look bare compared to years past, but I can honestly tell you that my daughter eats really well – and I don’t have a food budget that is out of control!

(and p.s. I’ve been focusing on healthy breakfasts lately !!)
Emily

Hi Emily:
I empathize with your challenge — fresh fruits & veggies are the most costly items on my list. For Pgh, I recommend Trader Joe’s and Stan’s in the Strip. Theyre both an additional stop from my usual grocery store, but the cost savings is worth it. If you can find fresh produce at a better price, please let us know! Goodluck!
http://blog.paigelysaght.com Paige

Use coupons! It’s definitely worth the time and effort. And coupons do exist for healthy products (unfortunately there are gazillions for junk food too), it just takes a little work to track down the best ones. You can really take your grocery bill down pretty significantly (especially since most stores double coupons). In the past few weeks, I’ve found coupons for organic eggs, canned beans, spices, etc…

I’m all about doing things on the cheap, and getting into coupons has made a huge difference.
http://kristaandjess.wordpress.com Krista

I’m definitely interested to see how this works. When we started we considered just getting out cash and keeping it in an envelope and keeping track that way. And calculating out the cost of a meal definitely isn’t as easy.

I think staples can be free unless they are especially expensive, although I have been trying to calculate more and more of them into our costs. We have been taking measuring cups with us when we get our bulk food so I am able to figure out the cost of them by measurement instead of weight, and so we only buy exactly what we need.
http://reluctantveggie.com Reluctant Veggie

you all are fabulous! thank you for your advice and support.

i think i’m going to up the budget to $75 per week and include the staples into the budget. and i’m trying to learn about coupon sites to help as well.
http://emilylevenson.com Emily Levenson

you all are fabulous! thank you for your advice and support.

i think i’m going to up the budget to $75 per week and include the staples into the budget. and i’m trying to learn about coupon sites to help as well.
http://kristaandjess.wordpress.com jess

$75 is definitely do-able. $50 would be easier in the summer, when you can have a garden & produce is cheaper.

I think whether or not you include (and how you account for) staples depends on your reasons for limiting the budget. I can make the case either way (and do, on a daily basis when we discuss it) to count or not count staples. If you have enough money and space to store it, you can buy 100 lbs of flour, and it would be so much cheaper. If you don’t have money or space, then you have to pay more for flour. Etc.
Pingback: Food Budget: Week 1 : The Reluctant Vegetarian
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/b dairyfreecook

I’m so stoked that you’re taking on this challenge! Question: are you including beer or other adult libations in your budget? I think my husband and I could feasibly pull off the $50-75/week on groceries, but not if we included our weekly expenditures on good beer. Hmmm.
rachel

Hi I spend between £20 and £30 pounds a week on shopping and that’s for myself and my partner.

That’s a student budget though, tends to be fresh products as we don’t have a freezer.

Good luck with your budget, I hope it goes really well!

Newsletter Signup

Want more out of life than feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed out all the time? Are your health, your relationships, and your waistline paying the price?

Loretta LaRoche had it right when she said that life isn’t a stress rehearsal.

Sign up for some weekly inspiration, and I’ll send you five tips to help you stop stressing and start living the life you know you deserve.

And I’ll continue to send you tips to keep your mojo rising, healthy recipes to rejuvenate your menu, and the 411 on upcoming teleclasses and events.

Well. What are you waiting for?!

The Epic E-book!

If you’re anything like me, you have big, amazing, ambitious dreams.

You also have this sense that you are meant to be living a bigger, more powerful, more epic life. A life that is filled with purpose, passion, and panache.

So what’s stopping you from living that life?

Maybe you don’t know how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Maybe you don’t know what action steps to take.

Maybe you just need a motivational kick in the pants to make the transition.

Enter the epic e-book.

In this epic e-book, I’ll walk you through the ideas and exercises that have transformed my life — and the lives of my clients — and brought those ambitious dreams into being.