Shopping Budget Challenge

  $50 Grocery Shopping Challenge

I'm Back! 

I know all of you will be just as happy about me jumping back into the bloggers world as I am to be here again  :-)

My little babies are no longer babies, my youngest is turning two in four weeks.  My reaction to this? Well I am torn between strapping a brick to his head so he stops growing up and jumping up and down with a glass of bubbly celebrating his independence and my extra free time.  It is thanks to this extra free time I am getting that is allowing me to bring yours truly back to Simply Beautiful. 

A few weeks back I was killing some time with a little web surfing and I came across an interesting blog.  Unfortunately I forgot to bookmark the blog and it has since taken to wearing Harry Potter's cloak of Invisibility and I can't find it anymore.  The little bit of the blog I did read was about how stretching your budgeting skills once a month and trying to keep your food budget to $50 can not only save you some big bucks but also teach you some good skills.  

I thought it sounded like a great idea and would also make a great first blog.  So if the writer of the mystery blog happens to come by this, please comment on this blog so I can add your blog address in.

                                                                  First Step 

Grab yourself a note pad and a pen and go through your freezer, fridge and pantry.  Make a list of every thing that you find, even that year old can of Baked Beans that is sitting right up the back corner of your pantry.

  After you have everything written down you can start making meal ideas on paper. For example - You find a bag of pasta and some tinned tomatoes, SPAG BOL! 

I quickly realised that I have quite a few staples.  Pastas, rice, baking ingredients ect ect...

Now go make yourself a big cup of coffee and start planning your weeks food around what your already have.  And if you feel like a little bit more of a challenge, try not to buy anything that you can make cheaper yourself.  Have you got butter, flour, an egg and sugar?  Well you have yourself the basic ingredients for biscuits, chuck in some raisins and oats and you have my boys favorite biscuits.

                                                                 Second Step

Hit the Super Market. Make sure you have something to snack on before you go to stop those impulse buys. 

Here is my haul

Total price was $55.56 so $5.56 over budget but still not half bad

      Here is my weekly menu so you can see how I will be using those groceries

Dinners

             - Potato and Leek soup  (enough for two night)

             - Spaghetti using onions, garlic and pasta from my staples.     

             - Spaghetti sauce leftovers will also be made into a Shepard's Pie 

                ( enough for two night) 

             - Mini roast chickens with the Marylands

             - Chicken Stir fry with rice noodles, chicken breast and some veg 

               from what I already had

             - Left over soup with homemade scones   

             - Spinach, chickpea and potato curry

Lunch

             - Ham salad Sandwiches 

             - Pick a plates ( big favorite with the boys ) basically just veggie sticks and fruit  

Breakfast

            - Cherios

            - Toast

            - Porridge from oats I already have

Snacks

            - Fruit

            - Canned peaches and yogurt

            - Biscuits made from staples

            - Pack of muesli bars for my fussy Hubby (haha!) 

So there you go a whole week of planned out meals for only $55.56.  

It can be done! Is that the faint sound of applause I hear? 

I spend roughly $100 a week on food for my family of four, two adults and 2 children.  If I did this once a month and saved the extra $50 in one year I will have saved $600.  

Go give it a shot and surprise yourself too. I know I sure surprised myself.

 Do you have a favorite budget meal? The more cheap meals you know the easier it is to create a budget meal plan.  

Happy shopping.

Tiffany