Give Me Back My Five Bucks

Okay, so we’re finished Week #3! Wahoo!! I’m glad this is a short month, because so far I’ve spent $191/$200. And okay, that is cutting it pretty close BUT if you take into consideration I went to Mongolie Grill the night before my surgery ($30) and treated J to our Valentine’s Day dinner ($40), I’m not doing too badly! So for next week I’m going to try REALLY hard to not spend any money on dining out, and only buy the essentials from the grocery store. I’ll probably only need a couple of cans of soup and some fresh fruit. … Continue reading →

Well we’re half-way through the month. I’ve spent $106/$200 food budget, so I’m right on track with everything. I’ve also realized that I like the way I do my budget because I have the flexibility to go out for food more often if I slide things into my monthly Entertainment budget. I don’t consider this cheating, because when it all comes down to it, I’d still be staying under budget for the month … but it does mean that I’ve been spending more than I’ve realized on food every month. But this month I haven’t had the luxury to slide … Continue reading →

Well, this is the end of Week #1 for the February Food Challenge. So far, I’ve spent $75.58/$200. Ugg. This isn’t going well. But, I’m going to keep on trying, and perhaps if I still can’t reach my goal, I should re-adjust my budget. But until then, my goal is to spend under $200. $1.68 Starbucks$11.47 Asian grocery store$33.47 Safeway$29.01 Mongolie Grill Aside from a trip to the Asian grocery store for fruit, I probably won’t need to buy groceries during Week #2. I bought a lot this week from Safeway (mostly soups and non perishables). How did you do?

Yesterday after work I went to the Asian grocery store to pick up some fresh produce. 3 bulbs of garlic 1 apple 3 bananas 1 bag of baby mandarin oranges 1 red pepper 1 red onion organic lemonade 4 packages of udon noodles TOTAL = $11.47 I’m still so amazed why people buy their produce from Safeway, when the same items there would have cost at least $20. Although, I do need to go to Safeway either today or tomorrow to pick up some essentials that the Asian store doesn’t carry.

I’m bringing the monthly challenge back. Maybe not for good, but I think it’d be an interesting experiment, and a really good way to spice up personal finance. This month’s challenge is to set a monthly food budget for yourself (and your family, if applicable), and stick to it! If you would like to join me in my challenge, please leave a comment and indicate how much your budget is for. This food budget can include just your groceries, or just your dining out budget, or both of them combined. My budget of $200/month is for both of them combined, … Continue reading →