It was good to treat my family the past two weeks. While my older kids have fairly good salaries considering the average in America, they both have expenses by choice of where they live, that eats into their cushion. Of course with my daughter, her status as a new home owner makes her cautious about unnecessary spending. Inflation has hit my son hard, the gas prices this summer, groceries, and utilities in one of the most expensive parts of the country, while managing erratic income streams. College kid is well, a college kid. The fun is over, life gets back to normal. Willy nilly spending like we have no cares is not our norm. We can afford the extra bite, because most weeks we do care about our spending.
Then there's my self imposed challenges which do at least two things. One, they save me money to help bounce back after or prepare for a particularly expensive time period. Maybe it's planning for vacation or hosting as we did. It could be for a home project without biting into savings, or right now, planning for an expensive holiday season. Those are the limited budget target type challenges. Second, and maybe more importantly overall, the challenges push me to think creatively in how I can maximize our budget. This is what I plan to tackle between now and November 20, 10 weeks of fiscal fortitude. My challenges are a variety of both and for those that fall in the second category, mostly for entertainment or research purposes.
- *$200 2/3rds of September grocery budget
- *$50 2/3rds of September H/H/B budget**(DH already hit most of this yesterday morning by getting his essentials. I think we'll be good though because I can't see we need anything that couldn't wait. I can also shop my stash of H&B items.Plus, he bought bulk of several things that won't need replacement in October.)
- *$300 October grocery budget
- *$75 H/H/B
- 4 for $16meal budget
- 3 for $9 meal budget
- $5 Dollar Tree Meal
- Buy Nothing new ( clothes, furnishings, decor, books, etc.)
- No shop week-nothing at all, even if we run out
- Turn off air/ no heat until November ( I know this will be tough in both ends, but I'll track how many days of success.)
- Meatless meals 2x week (If success in September, this might bump to 3x for October)
- Line dry/ hang 50% of our laundry
*Reflects a 25% decrease in paper budget, prorated after September 10.
I wanted to do the SNAP challenge, living on just what two people would receive, but I couldn't find a chart that I trusted was accurate as it came out higher than my challenge. I have some curve balls to work around. It's apple season soon and we'll want to go pick. While a lovely, wholesome activity, apples are probably twice as expensive this way. My last DT challenge was not a roaring success, and I had five items. Now, I'll only get four for same price. DH gets picky, and it won't do me favors if I drive him to get take out or the drive through.
I think I hit several ideas suggested a few weeks back. Do any of these strike a chord with you? Fancy playing along?
Grocery Run Rate 9/11 to 9/30: $32 ( DH bought a $16 bag of chicken wings. If it saves a few bar and grill outings this month, I'll work around it, and stay diligent.) Balance:$168 max.
H/H/B Run rate 9/11 to 9/30: $36 Balance: $14
I also like thinking of mini goals. I haven't come up with anything that feels right at the moment, but maybe something like:
ReplyDelete-Minimal eating out between now & our vacation (need better definition of this)
-No major grocery shop this week (my husband is out of town, and he's the one who always likes to do a big shop)
-Eat 3 meals from the freezer
-Add $1,000 to savings
You have good ones for your life and busyness. I can afford timewise to push myself and get creative.
DeleteI’m still chugging along with my decluttering challenge, only about 25% of the way there but I’ll happily extend my deadline to keep up with the progress. After our road trip we need to get our spending in check. The raise with my promotion will be reflected in my next paycheck and I would like to start saving that extra money. I still think I will take some money to treat myself at some point, but my jeep is going to need brakes and I need to get to the dentist and I’m way past due for glasses, so as quick as it comes in, it will go right back out. Thinking ahead to the holidays, I don’t see us having anything extravagant, so realistically we could finish the year strong. I really need to keep up with batch cooking, planned overs and having quick things on hand to eat bc dinner seems to be such a thorn in our sides. I’m glad soup season is almost upon us. JoAnn
ReplyDeleteI'd like to nix the spending on extended family gifts. No one needs anything. I'm telling my kids to not spend on us. I'd rather a shared experience.
DeleteI like your challenges, although they're probably more strict than I would attempt (only because I know myself too well)! The one thing I can relate to is no air (I don't have that anyway) and no heating until November. Now THAT would be a challenge for me, but then there's only me here and I'm a cold-blooded Brit. Not sure I'll be able to make it until November but we'll see. And if you DO make it to November then I take my hat off to you because I believe your climate is colder than ours! Good luck, even attempting it is great!
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely stretch challenges for me. I won't beat myself up, but hope I do well.
DeleteFall is always the worst season for me and grocery spending challenges. With canning season and getting onions, potatoes and apples in bulk, I set aside the same money I paid last year for these things and I am now going to do a good old fashioned grocery store exile to see how long I can go before going to the store. The last time I was in a store was Friday. I am hoping to make it 15 days, which would put me at 9/24. I plan to move my date if I get to 9/24.
ReplyDeleteI sort of cheated by starting on the 11th. I got some pricey things out of the way. 9/24 is a good stretch to be store free. Good luck.
DeleteThe SNAP challenge people do always seems so disingenuous since people who do it always have a stock of spices and little bits that people on Snap will most likely not have. Salt and pepper may be their only spices, and that "bit of leftover onion" I have seen people talk about using probably is not a reality for people really strapped for money or food. Besides, this is usually a self-limited exercise and the pretenders know they do not have to eat this way for the foreseeable future. They know they can go back to their indulgences once their week or month is finished. To me it would be like someone spending a night in jail to get the feel of jail. I always think a person could get a true feel for SNAP eating if the budget were tried for six months and the cupboards were bare or forbidden. It has been a long time since I used SNAP, but I can see the problems with trying it and saying a person can understand, because a person cannot really.
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly not a criticism of your idea, just generally what I think of this challenge. I remember a congressman or some official trying the eating with few dollars and said it was not so bad. I do not remember your trying it, so criticism of your attempt.
I don't disagree. I would be doing it to share how hard it is, little variety, limited extras. My point wouldn't be to show ease, but highlight challenge like, no spices, maybe no heat source even. On more research, I found the benefits are really quite low- I was reading the budget plan, at $459 for two, but that's not what SNAP would be. They deduct 30% of net income, so unless income is very,very low, few households with two adults, even elderly on SSI only, wouldn't get much.
DeleteI think of the self imposed challenges as fun, though the SNAP challenge I did a few years back was very hard, especially since I did it as if I was starting with no existing pantry items.
ReplyDeleteI find the challenge fun because it's interesting to stretch out mindset. I too have no doubt it would be difficult to budget from $0, with nothing in pantry. I had been looking at wrong end numbers, but rather starting point.
DeleteI was wondering if your husband likes navy bean soup- it was one of my husband’s favorites and it freezes well too. I use dried navy beans, celery, onion, carrots and did you know you can buy a honey baked ham bone from the store for a reasonable price. I don’t eat pork any longer so I make mine vegetarian. You can serve it with cornbread if you need a side. Nan
ReplyDeleteHe's tolerant of it. One meal, but with a hearty sandwich. I love it though.I make it vegan so .y daughter will eat it.
DeleteAs my schedule the next couple of months will be nuts, I don't think I can play along although I would love to. I just can't add one more thing to think about. But Hubs is on a protein diet until his surgery, so it is just go to the freezer and select and then add whatever is in the garden
ReplyDeleteBut I love how you splurge with your family and then cut back to make up some savings. I think it is a good plan.
You're already a black belt at these challenges, Kim. This will be a good month and 1/2 to try this. Operable word is try.
DeleteI found myself thinking of you as I grocery shopped this week, and I passed over almost everything that wasn't on sale! You're a good influence!
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Sheila. Itl make your next shopping trip feel more flush.
DeleteMy current challenge is to try new things whether that be making, cooking or whatever and increase my skillset to meet the cost of living crisis in as positive way as possible. Arilx
ReplyDeleteI like that. I really need to improve my sewing skills so I can mend better. Also, home improvement/DIY skills.
DeleteWell, lightning struck my work house and ruined my air conditioner so I have been without since July bc it also ruined my plug. I am also in the very Deep South… lol. That is at the work house tho and I am not there but three to four nights a week at most and usually at night so not too bad. I will eventually get the electrician here to replace the plug. I am sloth like in my repairs also unless dire emergency. I really run the air a lot on weekends at college town house though, and make up for it… lol. Not doing heat until November is obviously somewhat normal for me, especially at work house in southern part of state. I actually don’t think so have ever turned the heat on before November 1st, that I recall. I try to wait until December 1st but not always successful. As I mentioned on Anne’s blog, I have been sloth like, post Covid, so not really buying a lot of food. Basically, I work, sleep, then work again. Actually, I took a nap between my post on Anne’s blog and this post so I am going back to bed now… 😂 Cindy in the South.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a long time to bounce ba k after Covid. Those that got just the mild cold are fortunate. We've already had some nighttime temps in the 40's, but another warm week this week. Trying to fight turning air on again.
DeleteThat is a great list of challenges you have there. I hope you meet every one. My challenge is to survive the high electric bills of summer. I’m really looking forward to cooler temperatures so the bill will go down.
ReplyDeleteWe learned our water is extreme usage so need to get something done. I'm sure it's the upstairs toilet that needs a real fix, not hubs DIY. I wish you luck on your energy bills. I know I'll miss s few of my challenges but they are stretches to try at least
Delete