Where the H&G Budget Stands

I still have high hopes that September will be a low spend month in the Household and grocery area. Using up older pantry foods, buying only what we need, and not wasting is my strategy. I include everything we consume-food, paper products, health and beauty, and cleaning supplies in my total so I can get a better sense of what it costs to manage my household discretionary funds. While these are necessities, I can control to a small extent, how high I have to spend. For simplicity, I am tracking as a full week for September, making it a four week month. I also started early-August 30th before Labor Day weekend. Mu austere target is $300 for the month. I'm rounding to the nearest dollar at a store or transaction as I track. 

Week One: Aldi, Dollar Tree, and Farmers market for $58.

Week Two: $71

• Aldi $12
• Walmart: $44
• Dollar Tree  $1
• Cobornes $14 

I didn't need to get anything but milk, but ended up picking up take and bake pizza and snacks for the Thursday night football game for DH after I helped my cousin rather than risk him ordering an expensive take out. He has a huge sweet tooth and requested Reeses, so there was a big bag for $10, plus the dog leash for the deck. Neither were really household or grocery, but I needed some category to track spending. That's where I think I get in trouble with budget leaks. I spend on items that don't discreetly fit in a category, so I don't account for them at all. I feel like I have a bounty of groceries at my finger tips to make meals for the week. I have a $21 cushion tot he $75 per week average. DH has not been doing any rogue shops for a while, but I like to have those extras for if and when he does. I fear an spendy eating out month-already at $42 from Friday night and we have our college weekend, Veg Fest with DD1. plus the supper club family dinner. Best I really rein in the groceries. 

Meal options for the week and ideas not used last week, planned with some sort of vegetable include:

• Chicken cordon bleu and rice
• Meatballs and gravy over mashed potato's
• Homemade chicken tenders, roasted potato wedges
• Chicken, cheese, noodle hotdish
• Tuna hotdish
• Cheese ravioli in mushroom sauce
• Fake it Panda Express chow mein with chicken and veg stir fry
• Chili cheese enchilada bake with rice

We've had some cool days-Saturday didn't even reach 70. I looked ahead and we have some warm days ahead, so not pushing soup for meals for a bit  even though seeing the corn in the freezer is calling out Corn Chowder. I made some vegan banana bread-my own recipe inspired by several I saw online, and noticed I am about at the end of my sugar, so that will go on  the list.  I'll need to be more thoughtful about using up things this week. I have the produce from last weeks farmers market, 1/2 cabbage, three zucchini and  yellow squash that I cannot let go to waste, so the fake Panda stir fry is a high probability. And then there is still that darn ham! Most of these make good lunch leftovers. My desk drawer for emergencies is getting slim so I need to make sure I a packing a lunch all week and don't succumb to eating out or a walk tot he Target deli. 

If you track your household and grocer spending, how is your budget doing? Where do you track those odds and end type expenses?