November was a little higher than I wanted, but December made up for it. DH and I started making a true effort to reduce take-out and other junk. December’s numbers really proved that dining out, even when cheap take-out, really puts a strain on the budget.
November 2014 Food Total: $464.77
Groceries: $275.66 (Meat $78.12)
Dining Out: $189.11 (40.7% of total food)
December 2014 Food Total: $358.33
Groceries: $298.81 (Meat $33.76)
Dining Out: $59.52 (16.6% of total food)
I’m so proud that we kept our dining-out costs way under the goal of 25%. It was a little easier due to the holidays, but I made a commitment and it worked.
About My Healthy Budget
My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal (local if possible,) home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400-$450 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. DH occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.