Budget Check Up 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

Grocery Budget Check Up: Week 9

February 28, 2013 By Laurie 8 Comments

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? The last few weeks have been nuts around here and I’ve skipped updating this post, but am finally back at it again. Here’s where our grocery money went this week:

Publix Trip: Spent $62.91 including tax, saved $86.81
Target Trip: Spent $9.21

While we’ve done really well sticking to our grocery budget (we moved it up to $85 this January, and I think that’s more than enough for our family), our dining out and miscellaneous expenses have been way over the last few weeks while we were traveling, and getting through two birthdays. Tomorrow begins our new “two week budget”, so my goal is to completely stick to the cash for all of our daily expenses over the next few weeks. Thankfully we have extra in our checking account when we go over, but it’s so nice to stick to the budget!

If you’ve don’t have a budget for your family’s regular expenses (groceries, eating out, entertainment, etc.), I highly encourage you to get started. In our area of the country I know many folks are looking at possible job layoffs or furloughs, so sticking to a budget (whether you need to or not!) can really help those more difficult financial times become manageable. And, if your budget is really tight right now, I encourage you to hang in there to reach your financial goals . . . I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to those financial goals, but you can do this and it is so worth it!!!

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, Uncategorized

Grocery Budget Check Up Week 5: Still Sticking To Your Budget?

January 31, 2013 By Laurie 4 Comments

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? I’ve done a lot of shopping this week, and my cupboards are just about bursting with food . ..I’m thrilled to be so well stocked! Here’s where our money went this week:

Publix Trip #1: $58.86 (saved $140.97)
Publix Trip #2: $16.91 (saved $10.18)
Publix Trip #3: $5.76 (saved $17.72)
Sam’s Club Trip: $21 (stocked up on fresh fruit & veggies)
Total: $102.53

This was a bit over our $85 per week budget, however I was under budget by $87 for the month, so I had a little extra to play with. That second Publix trip was the one that totally pushed me way over, because as I was at the store (for just a few deals, really!), I decided to surprise my hubby by making him lasagna. Since I didn’t have any ground beef thawed out I paid way more than I should have. That’s what I get for not sticking to my menu plan this week! (And we didn’t even get to have lasagna because of the way our scheduled changed that night… but I did make a mean slow cooker meatloaf last night. . .)

The one thing that I was reminded of after that trip, was how very important it is to have an exact plan in place before getting into the grocery, and I highly recommend that (and wish I’d thought a little more prior to shopping.) Even though it was in our budget, adding last minute items to your cart can really hamper your penny pinching! However, this is the first month in quite awhile that we’ve stuck to our all-cash budget for groceries, miscellaneous expenses, and eating out, and I’m soooo excited about it, even if we did go over a bit this week.

If you’ve been considering creating a budget for your family’s groceries, this is a great time to start! And, if you have any tips on steering clear of those last minute splurges, I’d love to hear them . . . happy penny pinching!

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, Uncategorized

Grocery Budget Check Up Week 4: Do You Keep Track Of Your Spending?

January 24, 2013 By Laurie 9 Comments

How’s your grocery budget looking this week? I really hope that you’re focusing not only on pinching those pennies with all the great deals out there, but also keeping track of your spending.

As I shared earlier this year, we increased our budget to $85 per week in 2013 as I really wanted to stock up on more fresh produce for our family (and love Sam’s produce which is a little pricier than Aldi’s!), however so far we’re still staying right around $60. Here’s where our money went this week:

Publix: $32.63
Kroger: 27.86
Total: $60.49

I’m so excited because as I’ve really focused this month on getting the best deals, my pantry, fridge and freezer are completely stocked, and we have plenty. That’s what makes clipping coupons so much fun for me! The thing I love about saving money with coupons is that there is no other area in your family’s finances where you can so drastically control what you spend. You can’t drop your car payment, electricity, or mortgage by 50% each month, however you have control over every penny that you spend at the grocery store. (And I’m a girl who likes a little control!)

My friend Shannon and I taught a coupon class a few days ago, and I’m always amazed at how differently we look at shopping. Several folks in the class really just bought items as they needed them, not taking into account items that were even on sale . . . much less coupons. Even if you NEVER, EVER use a coupon, ALWAYS check the sales ad! I bet that 30-40% of my savings each week is simply by shopping what’s on sale, and that really can impact your budget.

Here are a few tips to help you reign in control over your budget if you’re struggling with this one.

Make a spreadsheet. I have a simple excel spreadsheet that keeps up with my savings, and this morning when I realized I’d lost this week’s receipts I headed out to the trash because I really want to know where my money is going each week! When you get back from the store, enter your total amount spent as well as savings in, and see how you’re doing each week. (So far this year we’ve spent $280 for $670 in groceries . . . woot!)
Determine what you want to spend each week on groceries. Consider your family size, the amount of time you realistically have for bargain hunting and couponing, and what you’ve spent over the last three to six months on groceries. Also check out your pantry, take into account what items you’re stocked up on and which items are looking pretty slim, and determine your budget for the future.
Don’t go to the store for one more “deal” if you’ll be tempted to purchase more than you really need. It’s so easy to see another bargain, head back to the store, and overspend on purchases that aren’t really all that necessary. What’s even more tempting is to grab one more not-so-great-deal as you go. Know what your budget is and stick to it, no matter how great that deal may be. (I promise, I’ve been a penny-pincher for quite a while and there is always another bargain deal . . . really!)
Remember that you can significantly impact your families financial situation by how much you spend at the grocery store, as the amount of money spent on groceries is one of the few items in your family’s budget that you have complete control over.

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. 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 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

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

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

Grocery Deals & Donations, Plus 2012 Grocery Budget Checkup: Aldi’s, Publix & Kroger

January 6, 2012 By Laurie 4 Comments

Enter to win a Kindle Fire!

Here’s week one of my grocery 2012 Grocery Budget Checkup. This week I shopped Kroger, Publix & Aldi (which is a lot of shopping for me, but I couldn’t skip the Kroger deals this week!) This is what I purchased this week . . .

Aldi – Spent $9.60

Kroger – Spent $20.38 plus tax for $59.55 in groceries

Spent $8.20 for $29.34

Our totals for the week including tax were $57.03 (my hubby picked up a few things for a recipe that aren’t shown above. . . ) I’m planning to donate one of the bottles of Tide (which is quite a sacrifice . .. Tide’s a rare treat at our house!) as well as some of the Chex Mix & deodorant. Next week I’m hoping to plan my donations a little better. . . this week I was still just getting back into the swing of things after the Holidays!

I’d love to hear how your grocery shopping trip went this week, and if you were able to purchase an item or two to give please take a minute to share that too! See how other folks are saving at Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom,Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix, and Friday Finals at Southern Savers.

New to couponing? Start out by checking out all Publix matchups over HERE, and also take a minute to visit this week’s top Kroger deals and Drug Store Deals. You can also check out my beginners series over HERE.