Today was a super busy day!
You probably don't know because I haven't really brought it up, but we have been house hunting since March and we are finally under contract for a house we really like! It's got plenty of space, a good sized yard, a nice deck off the dining room, and as long as everything goes as planned we will get the keys on the 13th!
Since we have been putting all of our extra money into our house, money has been really tight, so when it comes to grocery shopping it is an interesting and exciting challenge to see how far I can stretch our money. I go grocery shopping every 2 weeks and usually have a budget of $150 or less each week, which included toiletries and household supplies, so meal planning is required. Here are the basic guidelines I have set for myself.
1. I try to buy healthy! Fresh fruits and veggies, particularly! I know that I am the only one that eats most of the time, leaving John eating my leftovers, or me eating them for lunch the next day, but I refuse to eat Ramen Noodles every day in order to save cash. I could absolutely buy 3 times as much processed, unhealthy, boxed food than how many groceries I actually buy, but I believe in taking care of my body.
2. Buy as many things on sale as possible. The only time that I buy things that are not on sale is when I shop at Aldi, or when I have a brand that I love! I buy Toasted Coconut Almond Milk, for example, and I really, really, love it. I budget for it even though it's not on sale. I usually buy this or a variation of the same brand as a substitute for regular milk, but I occasionally buy regular milk when I know I will have recipes that call for it.
3. I make a list. I do not veer off the list. Today I broke that rule and it resulted me paying more than I had intended on without actually getting everything on my list. I hadn't completed my list because I had written out some stuff I wanted and then wrote out a list of the ingredients I needed for my meal plan, but I did this so late that I didn't feel like combining the two lists and pricing everything, coming up with a total and then cutting things I could live without. So today, when I went to the store I saw hummus, and $0.99 french onion dip I got excited and threw them in the cart.
4. I almost always calculate items as I go along. I can't price everything, even though I usually have an estimate of how much it's going to be, so I take my calculator and I punch it all in (another rule I broke today, thinking I left my phone in the car, resulting in me looking through my purse and blocking a bunch of grumpy ladies from being able to migrate down the isle). The reason I do this is because then when I am done with my list and I have mentally added in the taxes, I know if there is a little extra left for something I saw that I wanted, or extra left in case I accidentally forgot something important.
5. What I do when I forget stuff? If it's something important I send John to get it on the way home. Today for example, the day that I just could not get it together, I forgot coffee. I did not forget to buy myself my emergency coffee beverage that I bought because I didn't have coffee to brew this morning, but I forgot to buy actual coffee, without which I die from the thousand year headache. This headache is not playing guys, so yes, I call in back up. FOLDGERS! When I forget something a little less crucial, like cornstarch for example (for thickening sauce), I try to get creative. I wanted to make Cashew Chicken tonight. I didn't have soy sauce or corn starch, but I did have stir fry sauce, which contained soy sauce and corn starch. That was exactly what I needed to save my Cashew Chicken!!!
So normally I don't forget things, but because I am still practicing being a super shopper on a budget and also trying to learn how to cook new foods it is definitely an exciting learning experience and it requires a little bit of trial and error to get it right. I think the reason that I forgot so much stuff this particular week is because I was shopping for ingredients that I never use. I kind of felt like I failed a little when I spent more than I meant to, but then I realized that it's okay because I am learning all while trying new things!
Share your favorite shopping/meal planning tips/recipes in the comments below!
Thanks everyone!
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