Project: Food Budget Weekly total: $158.72 – includes monthly meat CSA total
My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal, home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and spices/herbs.
There’s two of us eating 3 (mostly) meals per day. Breakfasts are usually light, and we try to eat left-overs for lunch. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.
December – Month Two, Week Three

This week, I did great: $158.72, which includes $100 for my first meat CSA delivery. I’ve spent $336.13 for the month of December, so that leaves a balance of $63.87 for the rest of the month.
I’m thrilled that I’m still on budget for the month. Only one more week left and I feel confident!
The only problem I foresee is iHerb.com is having a great 10% off sale for VIP customers, and I’m going to stock up on supplements, grains and other groceries. My order will be about $100, so it will take me over budget, but I’ll just adjust January’s total.
Dining Out: $4.89
Entertaining: $19.16
Groceries: $134.67 (including $100 meat CSA delivery)
Week of Meals
Thursday: Broiled, marinated flap steak (local) with white rice and steamed broccoli & carrots
Friday: Leftover frozen pork bean soup
Saturday: Family birthday party pizza
Sunday: Tomato fennel carrot soup over pasta
Monday: Turkey bacon sandwiches with cole slaw
Tuesday: Beef burgers with white rice and cole slaw
Wednesday: Roasted potatoes/onions with fried eggs
Want to Join the Project Food Budget?
If you’d like to participate in the Project Food Budget, get the details and let Emily know you’re on board!
Here’s who else is participating:
- Emily Levenson
- Dairy-Free Cooking
- Test Kitchen Tuesday
- Red Pen Mama
- Acquired Tastes
- Fit Flexitarian
- Warm As Pie
- Katy Rank Lev
- My Inner Healthy
- Little Blue Hen
- xox, b
- What da Health?
- Project Food Budget 2.0
- Ignition Nutrition
- A Nice Heart and a White Suit
- Fresh…A New Chapter
- Chandeleah
- Two Eggs Over Easy
(note: the link for iHerb.com is an affiliate link. You will receive $5 off your first order with them)
Great job with your budget so far this month! I am impressed with your very small dining out number – that is fantastic. I don’t count eating out in our grocery budget (it is in an entertainment budget), but can only strive to eat at home as much as you do!
Hmm, since my dining out $ is so low, I think I’ll treat us to take out tonight! haha
I’ve been good this week, so I deserve it! :)
Thanks Angela!
That sounds like a great plan! Enjoy your night out! ;)
You’re a budgeting queen!! Way to go on the expenditures. And what is this iHerb you talk about?!
@Angela, we did enjoy it! Thank you ! Steamed chicken & veggies with Japanese veg fried rice from the local Asian restaurant.
@Emily:
iherb.com is wonderful. I have been buying from them for years. They started out with vitamins and supplements, but now they sell grocery items too. My fave is Bob’s Red Mill!
I’m a ‘regular’ customer, so I get “VIP” discounts on my order, and once in awhile, they offer deeper discounts, like right now, they have an extra 10-12% off. I’m stocking up!
If you use the link in my post, you can get $5 off your order, and I get the commission. :)