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Lately I’ve heard a lot about the #surviveon35 challenge 10 bloggers took on this week. The goal of the challenge is to live on a food stamp budget ($35 per adult, $20 per kid) for 1 week, but to do it in a healthy way.
Reading about how they’re all making their budgets work really got me thinking about my own. I’ve been slacking in the food budget department and spending more than I know I should be. Multiple trips to the store a week coupled with poor meal planning has left me spending too much money on groceries. I could say it’s because of having a baby around too, but that would just be an excuse. I have time to plan and he’s great at the grocery store.
That’s going to stop.
Time to jump start my grocery spending with a little challenge to get me going. A $200 grocery challenge.
How I’ll make $200 work
$200 a month is pretty low, especially since in the past I’d challenge myself to keep my spending at $400 a month, but I signed up for a CSA that began in April and runs through October. Each week I get a delivery of mostly veggies and a little fruit so far.
With that in place I’m planning to make the $200 (or $50 a week) fill in all the other gaps.
What ‘groceries’ will includes
- All food and drinks
- Eating out
- Toiletries and such
- Pet food/litter
Mondays will be my meal planning and grocery shopping day since they’re typically a bit more mellow. A nice way to start a new week.
This first month started on July 17th. Here’s what has been spent so far:
Groceries: $10.23
Eating out: $48.29
Coffee: $5.74
$$$$ remaining: $135.74
Eating out sure is expensive when added into the budget! Going to a new to us brewery yesterday – Everybody’s Brewing – totally worth it though.
What do you think? Possible?
Heather
I have been reading about the 35 challenge, but I’m a bit confused. Using the numbers given, for my family of four (2 adults and 2 kids), we would have $110 to spend each week. That’s actually a pretty decent amount of money. So, I don’t know if it’s much of a challenge. However, with that said, we typically spend about $125 – 150 a week for our family of four, so it might be more challenging than I think…
My husband and I have a $50/week budget for groceries. Some weeks we come in way below and some weeks we go a little over. It all ends up working out. We don’t have a baby but I think your $200/month sounds do-able!
totally possible. just takes some getting used to!
$35 is really the set “food stamp” budget? Oh wow. I totally beat that some weeks… I’m super frugal.
I don’t really know much about the food stamp budget… that’s just what surviveon35 said. Glad to hear it can be done!
Yikes. Good luck! I’m know eating the way we do I couldn’t do it. But I’ll be interested to see how you do!
Oops that should say “I” know not “I’m”.
It will be!
I just lost my job and budgeting is going to be a must in this area. Eating out needs to go and meal planning needs to start. Interested in learning more and hearing how you do it.
I hope I can inspire you Lia 🙂
Ohhh thats tough! I spend about $100 a week, plus $65 a month for the CSA box. I spend way to much on groceries, but it’s because I get crazy new ideas that I want to make. I’m going to cut back to $75. a week and see how I do with that. I need to budget more myself!! I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you!!
Yay go Jennifer! You can do it 🙂
As I’ve told you before…I am HORRIBLE at budgeting for groceries. I totally need to challenge myself to get better at it…
Challenge yourself! I’ll cheer for ya 🙂