Project Food Budget Weekly (10-day) total: $116.67
My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal (local if possible,) home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, entertaining, vitamins/supplements, and gardening.
There’s two of us eating (mostly) 3 meals per day. My husband occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.
June – Month Eight, Week Four – End of Month
This week, I’ve spent $116.67, for a June month-end total of $392.71.
Wow, I didn’t think I was going to make it this month, with the “extra” items like fish oil & entertaining costs!
This week, there wasn’t much money left, so I carefully planned meals, stuck to specific shopping list(s), and made sure I only got what was really needed, and it worked!
These “extra” items totaled $70 for June, and it initially made me re-consider my budget parameters for next year, especially supplements, which could easily be moved to a separate budget.
But then I realized isn’t that what budgeting is all about. Setting up a budget parameter and doing your best to stick with it? Yeah, I can pretend that supplements aren’t really “food” but I proved to myself that it can be done with a little bit of effort and creative adjustments. Ha! Now ask me again when I need to buy fish oil next time. I’ll probably be whining again!
Week Four 10-Day Totals: $116.67
Dining Out: $19.00 – (2) ice cream splurges
Entertaining: $17.76 – 2 parties
Gardening: $0
Groceries: $79.91
June Totals: $392.71
Dining Out: $63.10
Entertaining: $25.24 – 3 parties for the month
Gardening: $8.77
Groceries: $259.09
Vitamins & Supplements: $36.51
June Store Breakdown (Groceries & Entertaining)
Whole Foods $64.11 (23%)
Meat CSA $61.88 (22%)
Market Basket $50.34 (18%)
Wilson Farm $30.90 (11%)
Trader Joes $22.88 (8%)
Winchester Farmers Market $18.35 (6%)
iHerb.com $17.60 (6%)
BJ’s Wholesale $12.27 (4%)
Spending Details
Thankfully there wasn’t much need for store-bought vegetables this week, because my garden has produced some greens and I still had produce leftover from prior week. I did need lots of fruit though!
Whole Foods Market $39.38: Bargain shopper! Even though I don’t include health/beauty products in my food budget, I got a great deal on two Kiss My Face items. I had two manufacturers $3 coupons as well as two WF $2.50 coupons.
Since my two “Kiss My Face” items totaled only $9, the coupon credit of $3 was deducted from my food purchases! Yay.
So, I purchased: salsa, red wine vinegar, peanut butter (non-organic), organic ranch dressing, organic ketchup (DH), local feta cheese, (2) Muir Glen tomatoes ($1 off 2 coupon), (non-organic NJ) blueberries, sm bag of organic cherries, (4) organic peaches, (3) mangoes, (3) organic bananas, and 1 lb SAF instant yeast which I haven’t decided if I’m keeping since it’s “made in Mexico” and adds ascorbic acid, which I just found out is a GMO ingredient.
Market Basket $32.29 (3 small trips): ingredients for two family “party” dishes, plus salsa, bananas, organic peaches, cheddar cheese and a carton of Pomi chopped tomatoes
Gardening Store $0: I originally purchased an 8oz bottle of BT Thuricide, a safe organic solution for worms in my cabbage and brussels sprouts plants, but I decided to return the bottle. I’d like just continue to manually pick off the little buggers myself.
Meat CSA $26.04 – (Luckily, products from the Meat CSA are paid in full, so technically no real money is actually spent, but I apply the cost to my budget as I cook/eat it.) I was planning on defrosting a less expensive skirt steak from my February delivery, but when I noticed the beefalo brisket was getting a touch of freezer burn, I took that out instead. I think some of the vacuum seals are loosening. I gotta start using up some of this meat, even if it’s just to cook and re-freeze.
Week of Meals (10 days)
- Thursday: Homemade pizza with Parmesan & (frozen) mozzarella with my own garden salad (lettuce & peas)
- Friday: Mexican Lasagna with corn tortillas, beet greens & leftover veg chili
- Saturday: Family Graduation party – big lunch!
- Sunday: Fried eggs with salsa crostini with veggie salad (including my garden peas)
- Monday: Slow braised beefalo brisket with potatoes & beets, plus a small garden veg salad
- Tuesday: Tomato jalapeño sauce with leftover beefalo brisket topped over pasta
- Wednesday: Hodgepodge of leftovers with pasta and leftover tomato sauce plus leftover beefalo brisket and potatoes & beets
- Thursday: Leftover pasta and sautéed zucchini & peas topped with a touch of cheddar cheese & fried eggs & small garden fresh lettuce salad
- Friday: Salsa bread pizza with (frozen) smoked mozzarella
- Saturday: Family birthday party – another big lunch
Want to Join the Project Food Budget?
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Here’s who else is budgeting this week:
Whew, you made it under budget! Nicely done. :) Your garden sounds like it is paying dividends already!
Thanks Angela, yes, the garden has been doing pretty well, and yes, I was shocked I didn’t spend more this month! ha!