Budgeting Archives - Passionate Penny Pincher

Grocery Budget Check Up Week 12

March 28, 2013 By Laurie Leave a Comment

Because I’ve got a house full of kids running around today, a to-do list a mile long, and in-laws on their way, I’ll keep this week’s grocery budget checkup pretty short and sweet! Here’s what we spent:

Publix Trip: Spent $106, Saved $102

I went way over my budget of $85 this week, but since I’ve been under budget for the last several weeks I don’t feel as badly about it. If things are slow around here for the next few days I know you all will understand, as some things are more important than penny pinching. (I’m so excited that to have family here over the weekend, and know you all will understand if things slow down a bit! Read more about why it’s such a special treat for us when they visit over HERE.)

How have you done this week on your budget? Has getting ready for Easter pushed you over your budget this week, or are you staying right on track? I’d love to know how budgeting looks in your home too, and if you have any tips for staying on track please leave a comment to share.

Share how you’ve done this week by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: Budget Check Up, Budgeting

Grocery Budget Checkup Week 11: Plus What My 5 Year Old Taught Me About Money

March 21, 2013 By Laurie 9 Comments

Yesterday I got a phone call from my nine year old at school. It was 9:30 AM, and she was calling to let me know that her five year old sister just spent all their lunch money ($25 ~ yikes!) at the book fair. They rarely eat school lunches, however their account was getting low and my youngest was be-bopping around the house before school and oh-so-excited to have that money in her hand as she headed out the door.

Sure enough, she spent every last penny. At five years old, she didn’t understand (or chose not to understand) that the $25 was allocated towards a certain place. To her, it was $25 that she had in her hand to spend, and whether or not she or her sister had lunch really didn’t matter all that much.

It got me thinking that so often we as adults are tempted to do the same thing. Need money for a cute outfit for the kids but no money in the “clothing” fund? Steal some out of the grocery budget. Really want to go out to dinner but there’s no money left in the “eating out” budget this week? Just stick it on a credit card . . . the money will come from somewhere, right?

It’s so easy to have Reagan’s kindergarten mindset of what I “want” being more important than what I “need” when we approach our own finances, even as adults. Reagan reminded me that I need to be a grown up when I attack my own spending each week, and not act like a childish kindergartener who doesn’t know any better. Maybe you’ve been struggling with this one too, and if so, I hope you’ll be encouraged to focus on your long term goals rather than settling for second best.

‘Nuf said. On to the point of this post

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? We stuck to our grocery and dining out budget this week, and I’m so excited to start “week 2″ of our budget on track! Here’s where our moo-lah went this week . . .

Publix Trip #1: Spent $58.30, Saved $81.50
Publix Trip #2: Spent $3.05, Saved $14.28
Walmart Trip: Spent $3.16, Saved $1.98

How have you done this week on your budget? Are you sticking to it? Spending way too much? Way ahead of the game? I’d love to know how budgeting looks in your home too, and if you have any tips for staying on track please leave a comment to share.

If you’re feeling discouraged, don’t. give. up. There are many days and weeks when it’s hard to stay on track, but reaching your long term goals is so worth it when you get there. (I promise!)

Share how you’ve done this week by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: Budget Check Up, Budgeting

Grocery Budget Check Up: Week 10

March 14, 2013 By Laurie 9 Comments

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? We managed to stick to our budget this week, and it’s amazing how good it feels to end our two week cash budget with a few extra dollars in my wallet. Success!

Publix Trip: Spent $32.77, Saved $20.45
Kroger Trip: Spent $8.21, Saved $4.02

I didn’t save big on groceries this week, because I was primarily stocking up on $1 Lunchables at Publix for busy mornings (which my husband thought was a little ridiculous) as well as fresh fruit. I also couldn’t pass up $1.98/lb. grapes and $.88 bread at Kroger this week. (It seems like we go through produce faster than I can buy it around here, but I love that my kids gobble it down!) I will probably make one more quick run to Publix for deals in the new ad, but am thinking I can still

I was so excited yesterday when my five-year-old screamed “Look mom, I found a DOLLAR!!!” She actually found a $20 bill in my grocery money hiding spot which I’d totally forgotten about. When we take out cash from the bank every two weeks I split it in half so that it doesn’t all get spent at once, and apparently I completely missed that extra $20. (Crazy!) Can I just tell you how excited I was about that little extra moo-lah? I should probably tell you to be careful not to lose your grocery money, but goodness, finding it is awfully fun.

Share how you’ve done this week by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: About, Budget Check Up, Budgeting, Uncategorized

Would You Be Willing To Give Up Your Cable?

January 22, 2013 By Laurie 1 Comment

I loved this post over at Money Saving Mom on how you can slashing your monthly budget by giving up cable. Although I’m pretty sure my hubby isn’t quite ready to go there, she brings up some great points. (We lived without cable for years until we moved to Alabama, but giving up Big Ten sports completely was just too much for him down here in SEC country . . .)

Filed Under: Budgeting

Grocery Budget Check Up Week 3: Are You Staying On Track?

January 17, 2013 By Laurie 7 Comments

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? I know it’s so easy to get excited in the New Year with tons of great intentions, but three weeks in those resolutions have all but bit the dust. However we’re not quitting yet (do you hear me?) We can stick with our budgets throughout 2013 and reach our long term goals.

I’m absolutely thrilled because we made it through our a-wee-bit-tight grocery and miscellaneous budget for the last two weeks with $10 to spare (yay!) We haven’t stuck as closely to it as I’ve wanted to in quite awhile, so I’m just tickled to have that $10 leftover . . . especially since that included a whopping 6 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. (There’s no way I can say no to a Girl Scout!)

Here’s what I spent on groceries this week:

Publix: $27.57
Sam’s Club: $26.56
Total: $54.13

So while I stayed well under my $85 per week grocery budget, my miscellaneous expenses were still over quite a bit. Since we lump them together our grocery, dining, and miscellaneous expenses every two weeks, I had enough room for a few extras (like those Girl Scout Cookes. . . ) because our grocery budget was under, but I’d love to save a little more in that area! Here were a few things that helped us stay on our budget:

We’ve really cut back on eating out over the last few weeks. While our grocery budget has never been high, we had gotten in the habit of eating out as a family three times per week, which was just too much for our budget. We have a ton of easy food to make in the freezer, and I’ve been working to stay on top of menu planning, which helped us to stay under budget.
When we do eat out, we’ve been mindful of how to spend less. Over the weekend we really wanted to go to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, usually a huge budget bust for our family. We chose to go at lunchtime which saved a ton, all ordered water instead of soda, and used coupons (of course!) Our family of five had a huge meal for under $40 including tip, which is pretty reasonable for us!
I’ve really stuck to my grocery budget while at the store, specifically by adding up how much I’m spending as I shop. Instead of just going in and grabbing any item on sale with a coupon, I’ve been much more conscious of exactly what my total is . . . that really does help so much!

If you need to change your grocery budget in 2013, this really is a great time to start, and I know you can do this. I wish I could let you know how wonderful financial freedom feels (if you’re not there already), because I promise it’s worth pinching every single penny! Determine today how you want your year to look, set realistic goals, and decide to take control of your finances instead of allowing them to control you. I can’t wait to hear how you’re doing on your goals, and am excited to see how we’ll do in 2013 to pinch those pennies even further.

Share your goals by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: About, Budget Check Up, Budgeting, Uncategorized

Budget Check Up Week Two: Have You Stuck To Your 2013 Grocery Budget?

January 10, 2013 By Laurie 1 Comment

Have you been keeping track of your grocery budget so far this year? I’m so excited, because we stayed within our budget this week for the first time in ages, despite a few kinks in our expenses.

We typically take out a lump sum in cash every two weeks to cover groceries, dining out, and any “extra” expenses, including $85 that I budget for groceries each week. However, this week we enjoyed lunch with family that was a little more expensive than our regular restaurant meals, had a sick little girl at home (so $10 bought a new thermometer. . . ), and a local student was selling dining coupon books for $20 which I decided to buy. Needless to say, all that eeked out money from my grocery account! I was able though to use coupons at Publix to stay under budget, and my hubby and I even have enough leftover to enjoy lunch together (using coupons of course.) Success!

Here’s what I spent on groceries this week:

Aldi: $11.93
Publix: $41.10
Total = $53.03

After shopping today I realized our freezer is fully stocked, so hopefully next week that $85 will go towards lots of fresh produce at Sam’s Club. (Their produce is so good, which is why I raised our budget a bit this year. It’s a little more pricey than my stock up prices, but worth it because my family will choose fresh fruit over snack foods!) I love when we can eat from the pantry for dinner each night, and found at least 10 meals in my pantry and freezer that are ready to go. Woot!

If you’re new to this budgeting thing, here are a few tips on that may help as you move forward:

There will always be things that pop up that can really impact your budget, so if possible, try to have enough wiggle room that you won’t go over budget too much when those things do arise. Our budget is pretty tight (my husband just can’t see why we don’t eat now for the same price we did ten years ago. . . ) but by carefully shopping at Publix today I stuck to what money we did have left. We also have more room in our checking account in case we really do go over our budget, but I think my hubby likes to see just how much penny pinching I can do.
As you grocery shop, keep a running tally of how much you’re spending. Over the last year I’ve become so lazy about this, as I just wanted to get whatever we needed and not have to worry about making an extra trip back to the store. I realized today though that by adding up how much I was spending as I shopped, I knew how much “extra” money I had to work with for to grab anything not on my list. Some days it’s hard to bypass great deals to stick to your budget, but it really does help you reach your long term financial goals!
Consider checking out your pantry and freezer for things you can make at home without spending any money. I was so surprised when I opened up my freezer to tons of veggies, make-ahead meals, and even meat that I’d completely forgotten about. I’m really going to work on using those items to make up our meals using what we have on hand, and also have enough “quick” food that there’s no reason to head to the drive thru!
Keep a spreadsheet showing how much you’ve spent and saved each week. This year I made a simple excel spreadsheet that includes the date, store, amount saved, and amount spent at the grocery each week. I’m excited to have a way to track my saving and spending in 2013 (so far I’ve spent way less than I’ve saved ~ woot!)

If you need to change your grocery budget in 2013, this is the PERFECT time to start, and I promise, you. can. do. this. (really!) Determine today how you want your year to look, set realistic goals, and decide to take control of your finances instead of allowing them to control you. I can’t wait to hear how you’re doing on your goals, and am excited to see how we’ll do in 2013 to pinch those pennies even further. You can share your goals by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: About, Budget Check Up, Budgeting, Random Ramblings, Uncategorized

Mark Your Calendar: Penny Pinching Coupon Class January 22nd {Florence, Alabama}

January 8, 2013 By Laurie Leave a Comment

I’m so excited about our upcoming coupon class that my friend Shannon and I will be teaching Tuesday, January 22nd from 6:30- 8:30 PM at Cross Point Church of Christ in Florence, Alabama! We’ll discuss how to save money at Publix, Kroger, Target & Aldi’s, as well as share basic information on drug store coupon policies. We’ll also talk about how to organize your coupons, what all those crazy abbreviations mean, and where to begin if you’re a new couponer!

A donation of $5 for the coupon class is requested, and can be paid at the door. A portion of all money received will benefit the Northeast Alabama Fellowship of Christian Atheletes. We’d also love for you to bringn a non-perishable food item to donate to the Friendship’s Center’s Food Pantry. There’s also a link to the registration form that I’ll leave up on the right side of the page. If you’re a new couponer (or even have been at this penny-pinching stuff for awhile . . . ) we’ll hopefully teach you a few new tricks, and promise to answer all your questions. We can’t wait to meet you there!

Not in the North Alabama area? Check out the list of beginners tips and videos, and as always, feel free to ask questions in the comment section or on the PPP Facebook page. We’re always happy to help!

Filed Under: Budgeting

Free Dave Ramsey Guide To Budgeting

January 7, 2013 By Laurie 1 Comment

Love, love, love this! Right now you can download your free Dave Ramsey 2013 Guide to Budgeting. After sharing our grocery budget goals for 2013, this little freebie comes just at the right time!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom! Love a bargain? Find more freebies HERE.

Filed Under: About, Budgeting, Freebies, Hot Deals

Budget Check Up Week One: Have You Determined Your 2013 Grocery Budget?

January 3, 2013 By Laurie 34 Comments

I asked a few days ago on Facebook what was the number one area you’d like help focusing on this month, and received so many great suggestions. Thanks in large part to your ideas, we’ll be starting a 25 Days of Organization series on Monday (I just wasn’t organized enough to get it started sooner. . . ) , 28 Days of Slow Cooker Recipes in February, and 31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness in March. (Are you so impressed I’ve planned things that far ahead of time? I sure am!)

Overwhelmingly though there were comments left requesting a focus on budgeting, and since I want to reign in and track my own spending in 2013, I figured we could all jump in together. Like many folks, I’ve failed to keep good account of my grocery budget over the last few months, and really do want to begin tackling that this year.

So, today I’m sharing my budget goals and I would love (love, love, LOVE!) for you to share yours too. In 2013, my goal is to spend $85 each week at the grocery (which is an increase of about $15 – $20 per week for our family), but I’d really like to stick to that. I did do some major stocking up this week (after not having a regular grocery trip in the last month. . . ) so here’s where I’m at today:

Aldi: $20.11
Publix: $63.10
Sam’s Club: $17.75

While I’m obviously over some this week, I was pretty far under for the last month so I’m letting that slide. However, it’s time to get on track now that our cupboards are stocked up! I’ve increased our budget a bit as my kids are getting bigger, I really do want more room for fresh fruits and veggies instead of so much “snack” food, and I’m trying out how using only printable coupons will work to help save my sanity ~ so I know I will be missing a few deals here and there.

If you need to change your grocery budget in 2013, today is a PERFECT day to start, and I promise, you. can. do. this. (really!) Determine today how you want your year to look, set realistic goals, and decide to take control of your finances instead of allowing them to control you. I can’t wait to hear what your goals are, and am excited to see how we’ll do in 2013 to pinch those pennies even further. You can share your goals by clicking HERE ~ I love hearing from you!

New to budgeting and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:

Filed Under: About, Budget Check Up, Budgeting, Random Ramblings

Christmas Spending Spree?

November 29, 2012 By Laurie 13 Comments

(Remember, if you’re here just for the deals you can skip on past this for the bargains ~ I promise not to be offended!)

Time for a break from hunting down the deals and a real heart-to-heart about this Christmas stuff. As I’ve posted ~~at least a jillion~~ (ummm. . . what feels like a jillion?) Christmas toy, video game, and electronics deals, I’m still reminded of what we really need Christmas to be for our family. I absolutely love Christmas, can’t wait for Santa to “surprise” my kids with gifts underneath the tree, and even at a whopping 37-years-old (yikes!), my child-like heart has yet to make it through a single Christmas Eve with even a wink of sleep.

I’m just too excited about the wonder of it all.

That however doesn’t mean that Christmas at our home looks like Santa dumped the entire North Pole underneath our tree. Instead, it means my kids come downstairs absolutely delighted by their stockings (which usually include candy, a new toothbrush & toothpaste, some fancy post-it notes, and a baseball card or play-do if they’re lucky), and then hurry to see if the fairy wings they requested actually made it down the chimney. They can’t wait to start Christmas breakfast when we’re finished un-wrapping, and know that some Happy Birthday Jesus cake will end the meal. It’s a really, really wonderful day.

Of course, my kids are getting older. My oldest at twelve definitely gets that Christmas here at our house will never be what it is down the street. I don’t know quite how much that bothers him (hopefully he won’t be in therapy for years?), but he won’t be getting $199 Beats Headphones, a fancy phone, or even any of the high-end video games I’ve posted here. It’s not because we can’t afford it, or think any of it’s awful (at all!), it’s just because they don’t need it, absolutely can’t appreciate it, and it isn’t where we’ve chosen for our hard-earned dollars to go.

This year, he’s dreaming of a crazy-fancy pair of basketball shoes that I think are absolutely ridiculous, but my hubby’s on his side, so we’ll see. Trying not to keep up with everyone around us is hard, but I really do want my kids to understand there are so many out there who have nothing. . . and something just seems wrong for my kids to have thousands spent on them when there are those in other parts of the world who’ll go without this Christmas.

Please don’t go beyond your budget this Christmas to “make” Christmas for your children. Instead, make Christmas by creating special memories, choosing a few very special gifts just for them, and warming your home by the kindness of your heart instead. (Can I just tell you how much I need to work on that one myself?) Especially if your children are little, think small because it’s just so much easier to stick with when you start the way you mean to go on. (We’ve messed up so much as parents, but I’m so thankful my husband was wise enough to decide that for our family when our babies were tiny!)

Trust that Christmas will be just enough, and remind your children (and yourself) what this whole Christmas thing is all about. I promise . . . they’ll really be okay (or maybe they’ll be sitting right next to mine in therapy for years. . .)

And on a very short side note, I struggle CONSTANTLY with posting so many deals encouraging you to “buy-buy-buy” all the great deals this Christmas, however, it is what allows me to do this work each day. I pray that you’ve created a budget, and use discernment as you purchase. (I also work very hard to only post legitimate deals… so if you’re looking for a deal, know that I’ve done the research to make sure these are the lowest prices out there!) Thanks for your support of PPP ~ I really couldn’t do it without you.

Filed Under: About, Budgeting, Christmas Deals, Hot Deals, Random Ramblings, Uncategorized