A Challenge for Myself

I am taking a break from the many Christmas pictures (because, yes, there are more to come :) to put my challenge in writing. Or rather typing.

This is a challenge for myself. And I guess it is for my family too since it will affect them. :)

Here it is...

For the month of January, we are going to TRY (as in make every attempt) to eat on 1/4 of our usual food budget.  I actually don't have a true budget (which is another challenge for 2013) but I am basing this on what we normally spend a month.

The kind of funny thing is what I am proposing is what actually was the total food budget for hubby and me when we first got married.  Now that is what we spend in a typical week!

Why?

I don't know.

The other day I was driving home from my umpteenth grocery store stop feeling a bit ill about all I spend a month.  That on top of the holiday spending that takes place in December, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

I LOVE to cook and have had so much fun trying new recipes, making favorites, cooking healthier and more from scratch this past year.  And we eat at home more now than ever; eating out is a rarity.

But with that (along with a child's food sensitivities), our spending has gotten out of control.

I know that housing is supposed to be like 30% of your monthly income (or less) but should food be that high on the list?

So as I was driving, I thought to myself, "Why not live out of the pantry and freezer as much as possible for the next month?"

The ironic thing is I had a friend do this in the past and thought she was a bit crazy. :)  But now it makes perfect sense.

My freezer is still full of beef and some other foods I have bought while on sale.  Our pantry is rather stocked.  Hubby just stopped at a specialty food store and picked up some much needed supplies for our food sensitive kiddo.  And we got some of our favorite (and more expensive) treats for Christmas (like pistachios, Ghirardelli chocolates, Red Bull for the hubby, etc).  So we are stocked up.

We are not going to starve.

We just need to use what we have.

I tend to plan for the week by going solely on my cravings.  I don't have to be pregnant to have those. I just get in the mood for a food and decide that will be on our next menu.

The problem is that I go out and buy for the week, ignoring the items we already have that we have stocked up on.

Which comes back to why I need to do this challenge.

Don't get me wrong.

This is not a long term solution. We can't do this forever.  With six of us, our pantry and freezer will eventually be empty. And those people around my table will still expect some kind of meal on the table.

But maybe for just a month, we will see what we can live with food wise and what we can't.

I don't expect us to have a lot of extra money at the end of the month to go live it up with...I am pretty sure my December spending already used up part of January's anyway.

But I like a good challenge.

I am eager to see what we can do.

Even if that means no shrimp for me. :(  (I almost got some the other day since it wasn't technically January but felt like that was cheating, so I put them back)

So I am putting it out there, in print.

Now I have people (all 3 or so readers :) to hold me accountable.

I do have a few guidelines for myself:
Paper products/personal care will NOT count in the total.

While I want to be frugal, some things are non-negotiable.  Things like milk, bread, and fresh fruit.  I may try to be more economical buying them but they will have to be bought. I will just have to be careful about the extra stuff I get.  I cannot skimp on the healthy stuff just to stay in budget.

Hubby is heading to the store in a bit and that total WILL count for January since the bulk of the food will be used in January.

Eating out will not count in the total. We rarely eat out any more other than an occasional sushi night.  But that is a separate part of the budget, so if we do, it will not count against us.

I can always use coupons to help but that is not my strong point. :)  Plus coupons are almost always for processed foods which we are not as likely to use these days. But it is a possibility.

Snacks and supplies for school (my class) do NOT count in the total.

While I don't want to share how much my total is for the month (mainly because I am embarrassed to admit what I typically spend :), I will give occasional updates with a percentage.  If I can remember how to do the math to figure that out.

So there it is.

It is out there.

Now it is up to me to meet that challenge head on.

Reba

Making the Cut

I am going to guess that this week's posts will mainly be about unemployment.  It is kind of the big elephant in our room/house right now, so a lot of my thoughts are geared toward it.  Unfortunately. :) 

When my DH (dear hubby) first told me about his "unhiring" (the term his bosses used...guess that softens the blow???), I was in a state of shock.  Actually, in some ways, I still am.  We all are.

One of the first things I said was, "I am still going to the beach!"

If you know me at all, you know I spend my whole year looking forward to the next beach vacation.

And this year's is already planned.

Hubby reassured me that yes, we were still going.

Maybe not wise financially.  But it may just be my last hurrah.  I am aware that DH may not get a job for a while.  Or it may be a lower paying job. My beach days may end this year.  I am going to enjoy each and every moment there.  We may not be eating out as much.  And dolphin tours (rather pricey for six kids) are probably out.  But we will be going.

However, in my true conservative nature, I immediately starting rattling off things in my mind.  What can we cut out? Where can we scale back? How can we save a little money? 

In the spending department, I am right in the middle.  I am not excessively frugal. I don't use coupons nearly enough (that takes a lot of time and planning).  I also don't splurge often.  I shop "middle of the road" stores.  I buy generic for some things, name brands for other things (there is ONLY one Mtn. Dew out there :).  We occasionally treat ourselves to eating out but I cook much of the time to save a few bucks.  I ask for favorites for birthdays/ Christmas (favorite Bath and Bodyworks soaps, pistachios, Ghirardelli chocolates) so I don't have to buy them as much. :) 


So while I am thankful for most of the time being a sensible spender, I also realize that doesn't give me as much leeway in cutting back.

So all of these thoughts are swirling around in my head.  We have some expenses we will just have to face.  Braces.  Readoption (to officially change Joshua's name).  We have some expenses we can scale back on.  Groceries (especially the more expensive meals).  Clothing.  Extracurricular activities.  And some expenses may just have to become a thing of the past.  I am still working on those things in my mind.

I don't know what the future holds.  I know God will provide our needs, though I am not naive. I know there are many followers of Christ out there who are in dire circumstances too.  My needs may not be the needs He sees as needing to be met.  I may have to give up some things I have held dear to me.

And that won't be fun.

But I also know this is a temporary home.  (Earth, not my own home)

And one day I will be standing on streets of gold without a care in the world, standing before my Jesus.

That is all that truly matters.

Even more than trips to the beach.

Reba