Budget Challenge Week 2

Written by Kelly

I am back with another check in from my budget challenge.  For those of you who are just joining us, Laura is sharing tips this month on how to stretch your budget and I am the guinea pig who agreed to only spend $100 a week for all food and household items for my family of 3.  

So I have to admit that week 1 was pretty tough!  I planned all of our meals and made my list according to the sales last week and yet my grocery haul did not last as long as I had expected.  I guess that happens when your husband consumes an entire bag of chips in one night!  By the end of the week David was begging me to go to Chick-Fil-A but we only had $7 left in our budget to last us for two lunches and a dinner.  Not gonna happen!  We ended up having peanut butter & jelly sandwiches almost every day for lunch.  

Here's a sampling of what we ate for dinner during the week and a treat that I made to keep the family happy.

When you are on a tight budget coupons for freebies become like gold treasure in your house!  

I offered to share this Diet Coke with David as a peace offering.  When he went to get it from the gas station, he was craving junk food so badly that he scrounged up enough change in the car to buy a pack of M&Ms.  He was a desperate man!

After all of the penny pinching and the saying no to my begging family I still somehow accidentally overspent by $3.89!  I was a bit frustrated!

So when preparing for Week #2 I psyched myself back up to conquer this budget beast.  This time I remembered to go to the bank and retrieve my cash before heading to the grocery store! YAY!

I have to admit Laura was right that parting with cash is a lot harder than swiping a card.  I was holding on pretty tightly to these bills.

I had once again studied the grocery ads and planned meals according to what was in our fridge, freezer and pantry.  This week I spent $16 less at the grocery store! When I returned home after this grocery haul the weeping and gnashing of teeth began the moment I walked in the door.  Apparently all the cheaper items that are on sale don't always meet the high standards of David's tastebuds.  The chips and queso I purchased for him got an immediate snub.  

So all I can say is please pray for me this week!  Pray that my family will not plan a revolt and that somehow we will live through this budget challenge with our family intact at the end of March.  :)