I'm well into the 2nd week of the Grocery Budget Challenge and it's going pretty darn well, thankya very much. In week 1, I spent $26.00 and Cam spent $38.00. The $75 I had allocated was for myself, so I'm quite amazed as a team we came in at $64.00.
This week, Cam was away on business for a few days, so all his meals were covered. It would be easy to suggest more business travel for Cam to reduce personal spending on food, but what we'd save in groceries would be spent on alcohol for me to keep my sanity. Anyone with a 7-year-old who argues like a lawyer will know exactly what I'm talking about.
This week I've yet to hit the groc shop, but the $375 I spent on tires certainly took a bite out of my wallet. Made a trip to The Shwa (that's local lingo for Oshawa, a town just east of Toronto) this morning to exchange some baby clothes for Lauren that are brand new and too small.
Straight exchange at Carter's for a bigger size of sleepers and onesies. Had to get a totally different outfit at Please Mum because for the fabulous fleece vest and matching cords we were returning, there were none left in a larger size. Dang. So, we got a yoga outfit instead. It's not just moms running around in yoga pants, no sirree. Tiny little girls wear them too, apparently. Spent all of $0.02 because I returned $34.98 worth of clothes and bought $35.00. Gave them my 2 cents worth, as it were.
On my way through Chapters to the parking lot, I noticed a cookbook for homemade baby food. It's Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young. If I can eliminate or reduce the cost of jarred baby foods and cook something healthier for Lauren (when she starts eating solids), then I'm all for it. Austin, as a baby, ate several jars per meal, and the grocery bills were definately higher while he was in his jarred food phase. And, since I am an absolute junkie for cookbooks, any opportunity to pick up another cookbook is cool by me.
As I stood in line to pay for the book, I was eyeing the cds displayed for sale. Picked up the new Michael Buble one. Put it down. Picked it up. Had an argument with myself, along the lines of, "Oh it's a treat. No, you can't afford treats, you spent $375 on tires this week!" Finally put it down with the resolve to put it on my Christmas wish list instead. Spent $15.08 for the cookbook and left. This demonstration of will-power and resisting a drive-thru at lunchtime has definately earned me a glass of wine tonight. Is it 5:00 yet?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
As Requested - Baby Gear Tips
Yes, I take requests! This one goes out to Shawn, Leigh, and baby Gavin, who's brand new. I was sharing some tips with Shawn this morning and he suggested I post something on baby stuff.
In no particular order:
In no particular order:
- Store brand is your best bet for baby basics. Diapers, baby wash, wipes, etc. One exception - the smallest size (Newborn) is not available in store brand so you'll need to buy Pampers for that mini size.
- Try the different stores' baby products to see what you like. We are huge fans of Teddy's Choice (Loblaw/No Frill/SuperCentre/Zehrs) diapers, at under $8.00 a pack compared to at least $13.00 for brand names. Everything store-brand we've bought at PharmaPlus (Rexall brand baby wash, wipes, even soothers) has been great and a huge savings over brand name products. So far, the only store-brand disappointment has been Sobeys' wipes, which are a bit rough in my opinion. But shop around and figure out what you like, or more importantly, what your baby likes.
- When diapering a baby boy, pull the front of the diaper up a tiny bit higher than level with the back. Boys saturate their diapers up front (how's that for diplomatic?) so you can avoid leaks by tweaking the waist-band height.
- Don't waste your money on a changing table. Use a bureau-top or a bathroom counter. Or the kitchen table, the couch, your bed...you name it, just make sure you never leave the baby un-attended. (my legal disclaimer!)
- My friend Sarah, who makes amazing baby quilts and is an amazing mom, gave me a great tip yesterday. Use an exercise ball to sit on and bounce/rock baby to sleep. I tried this yesterday and not only does it save your back and arms, but you can incorporate a little core muscle strength training while you're at it, if you want.
- Go "gently used" for baby and kids' clothes. Once Upon A Child and Value Village have quality brand-name gear for a couple bucks an item. The money saved on clothes alone can nicely fund a college education account.
- Baby and kids' clothing sizes are weird and unpredictable. My experience has been that the size listed on baby gear is the "best before date". For example, a size "3-month" sleeper will be too small by the time baby hits 3 months. Older kids' stuff (size 3 and up) tends to be "if your kid is 3 years old, they will most likely be wearing size 3".)
- Most importantly, the sleep deprivation phase is temporary! Take it easy, enjoy your little one, and sleep whenever you get the chance.
Here's a picture of one of Sarah's quilts. Very hip!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Don't Tempt Me
Today I bought 2 much-needed new tires for my car. I had replaced the other 2 about a year ago. Much as I love the service and staff at my local Volvo dealership, I knew that I'd pay less for tires at a tire shop. Having checked out prices and availability in advance, I had an appointment at noon, at Active Green & Ross Sounds like a law firm but no lawyers, just tires.
I knew this lunch was going to be expensive, in the neighbourhood of $375 for tires, labour, tire disposal fee, taxes, and all, everything but an actual lunch. Initially, I had thought I'd grab a fast food lunch in the adjacent shopping centre and then do some browsing, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I am lousy at window shopping. I'd wind up being tempted to shop as a time-filler, and the total cost of my trip to the tire shop would grow well beyond the tire bill.
Although it felt kind of lame to pack a little lunch, I actually enjoyed my peanut butter sandwich, banana, and water in the customer lounge. It felt kind of like a school lunch, what with my water in one of Austin's water bottles (Olympic hockey themed, no less.) Of course you aren't allowed peanut butter in school lunches any more, so I could pretend mine was an illegal sandwich. Lauren had her lunch there too, and we both enjoyed a bit of t.v. while we waited. I also chatted with an 80-year-old man and a 2-year-old girl.
When it came time to pay for the tires, somehow it didn't seem to sting as much, knowing I hadn't spent any more than just on the tires. Much as I'd love to imagine I could reallocate my saved money to something fun and 'champagne-y', I am also due for a visit to my Volvo service friends in the near future. Wasn't tempted today because I outsmarted myself. And I've got a fine pair of Michelins to show for it.
I knew this lunch was going to be expensive, in the neighbourhood of $375 for tires, labour, tire disposal fee, taxes, and all, everything but an actual lunch. Initially, I had thought I'd grab a fast food lunch in the adjacent shopping centre and then do some browsing, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I am lousy at window shopping. I'd wind up being tempted to shop as a time-filler, and the total cost of my trip to the tire shop would grow well beyond the tire bill.
Although it felt kind of lame to pack a little lunch, I actually enjoyed my peanut butter sandwich, banana, and water in the customer lounge. It felt kind of like a school lunch, what with my water in one of Austin's water bottles (Olympic hockey themed, no less.) Of course you aren't allowed peanut butter in school lunches any more, so I could pretend mine was an illegal sandwich. Lauren had her lunch there too, and we both enjoyed a bit of t.v. while we waited. I also chatted with an 80-year-old man and a 2-year-old girl.
When it came time to pay for the tires, somehow it didn't seem to sting as much, knowing I hadn't spent any more than just on the tires. Much as I'd love to imagine I could reallocate my saved money to something fun and 'champagne-y', I am also due for a visit to my Volvo service friends in the near future. Wasn't tempted today because I outsmarted myself. And I've got a fine pair of Michelins to show for it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Diggin' the Dollar Store
There is nothing like shopping at a dollar store to stock up on essentials at a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere. I'm not suggesting you do all your shopping at the dollar store, but you can find a lot of basics and even some treasures if you dig around a bit.
The dollar store is great for greeting cards, giftwrap, party items, holiday decorations (Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc.), stationery basics, and health & beauty basics. It is also the best place to buy panty-hose, so long as you're not looking for designer ones which rip even faster than regular ones do. But don't get me started on my panty-hose conspiracy theory.
Not everything is great quality, so my philosophy is if it's something you'll use up (like cotton balls) or don't expect it to last, then $1.00 is more than reasonable and you're getting what you paid for. If it's something you want to last longer, like a kitchen gadget, then you'll get what you paid for if it's $1.00. Just like the can opener I bought, half opened a can, and then the opener fell apart in my hands. I think the can actually opened the opener. Buyer also beware with respect to dollar store pregnancy tests.
The bigger stores (such as Dollarama and Dollar General) have an amazing selection, and while there can be a lot of junky junk in the smaller independent stores, sometimes the little guys have unique items. For example, there is a small dollar store near my house that carries a good selection of British food items, and there is nothing like tucking into a packet of Hobnobs after a trip to the shops on the high street.
Let's crunch some numbers. On a typical trip to the dollar store, my haul might be a box of cotton swabs, a bag of cotton balls, a pack of 25 facial wipes (make-up remover wipes), 2 birthday cards, 2 birthday gift bags, 1 pair of panty-hose, a box of thank-you cards, a 3-pack of Christmas tree ornaments, and a 2-pack of lipgloss. Eleven items, each a dollar, that's $22.00 plus taxes.
Looking at the cost of these items elsewhere, I am going to use average prices, although any of these can be bought anywhere from Wal-Mart to Holt Renfrew, depending on how organic, designer, or fancy you want to be. Or not.
Let's assume normally you'd pay $4.00 for a box of Q-tips, $2.00 for a bag of cotton balls, $5.00 for facial wipes, $3.00 each for 2 birthday cards, $4.00 each for 2 gift bags, $6.00 for panty-hose, $8.00 for a box of thank-you cards, $10 for the tree ornaments, and $14.00 for the 2-pack lipgloss (although you could easily pay $25 for a lipgloss at the cosmetics counter.) That's easily $63.00 plus taxes.
Serious savings are found if you buy the basics at the dollar store. I'm not going to get into percentages to demonstrate the savings because that's not where I'm going with this. Tweaking the numbers a bunch of ways to make a point is not my thing.
Really, truly, in the spirit of champagne taste on a beer budget, the $41.00 (or potentially more) saved can now be used guilt free for some great wine, or good eats, or some other kind of treat for yourself or anyone else. Say it with flowers. Or in Cam's case, say it with steak. I'd probably spend it on a nice bottle or two of a big red wine. Based on this philosophy, I think it's no coincidence that LCBO outlets are often within a stone's throw of a dollar store.
Cheers!
The dollar store is great for greeting cards, giftwrap, party items, holiday decorations (Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc.), stationery basics, and health & beauty basics. It is also the best place to buy panty-hose, so long as you're not looking for designer ones which rip even faster than regular ones do. But don't get me started on my panty-hose conspiracy theory.
Not everything is great quality, so my philosophy is if it's something you'll use up (like cotton balls) or don't expect it to last, then $1.00 is more than reasonable and you're getting what you paid for. If it's something you want to last longer, like a kitchen gadget, then you'll get what you paid for if it's $1.00. Just like the can opener I bought, half opened a can, and then the opener fell apart in my hands. I think the can actually opened the opener. Buyer also beware with respect to dollar store pregnancy tests.
The bigger stores (such as Dollarama and Dollar General) have an amazing selection, and while there can be a lot of junky junk in the smaller independent stores, sometimes the little guys have unique items. For example, there is a small dollar store near my house that carries a good selection of British food items, and there is nothing like tucking into a packet of Hobnobs after a trip to the shops on the high street.
Let's crunch some numbers. On a typical trip to the dollar store, my haul might be a box of cotton swabs, a bag of cotton balls, a pack of 25 facial wipes (make-up remover wipes), 2 birthday cards, 2 birthday gift bags, 1 pair of panty-hose, a box of thank-you cards, a 3-pack of Christmas tree ornaments, and a 2-pack of lipgloss. Eleven items, each a dollar, that's $22.00 plus taxes.
Looking at the cost of these items elsewhere, I am going to use average prices, although any of these can be bought anywhere from Wal-Mart to Holt Renfrew, depending on how organic, designer, or fancy you want to be. Or not.
Let's assume normally you'd pay $4.00 for a box of Q-tips, $2.00 for a bag of cotton balls, $5.00 for facial wipes, $3.00 each for 2 birthday cards, $4.00 each for 2 gift bags, $6.00 for panty-hose, $8.00 for a box of thank-you cards, $10 for the tree ornaments, and $14.00 for the 2-pack lipgloss (although you could easily pay $25 for a lipgloss at the cosmetics counter.) That's easily $63.00 plus taxes.
Serious savings are found if you buy the basics at the dollar store. I'm not going to get into percentages to demonstrate the savings because that's not where I'm going with this. Tweaking the numbers a bunch of ways to make a point is not my thing.
Really, truly, in the spirit of champagne taste on a beer budget, the $41.00 (or potentially more) saved can now be used guilt free for some great wine, or good eats, or some other kind of treat for yourself or anyone else. Say it with flowers. Or in Cam's case, say it with steak. I'd probably spend it on a nice bottle or two of a big red wine. Based on this philosophy, I think it's no coincidence that LCBO outlets are often within a stone's throw of a dollar store.
Cheers!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Interview with a Carnivore
Today we're talking meat with Cam the Carnivore. He believes a meal is just a snack if there's no meat.
Elaine: You've just returned from Sal's , our local butcher/grocer. What did you get?
Cameron: Mushrooms and 2 striploin steaks. I went there to buy t-bones, but I didn't like the cut of them so I got the striploins instead.
Elaine: What's the difference? I know I'm not the only one who gets confused when buying steak.
Cameron: A t-bone is double-sided. It has a piece of striploin in it, and a piece of filet. Striploin is just striploin. When I looked at the t-bones, I noticed Sal had chopped off too much of the filet, so since they were mainly striploin at that point, I just bought striploins. No point paying extra for filets that aren't really there.
Elaine: When buying steak, how do you know what to get? What are your thoughts?
Cameron: With steak, you should spend the money to make it worthwhile. If you're in for a penny, you might as well pay for the pound, as the expression goes. A lot of people buy sirloins that aren't a very good cut, and wind up with a less flavourful and sometimes chewy piece of meat. Shop around, buy good steak when it's on sale, since one of the grocery chains will always have something good on sale.
Elaine: What cuts would you recommend? What's good?
Cameron: T-bones and striploins. Filet's good but it can be pricey. Have filet when you're at a corporate event, ha ha.
Elaine: I've seen you get a roast and have it cut into steaks. What kind of roast is best for this?
Cameron: Rib roast. Just ask the butcher to cut it for you. Or cut it at home. Presto - you have rib steaks.
Elaine: What about steak for stir-frying or for fajitas?
Cameron: I personally like using good steaks, because of the better taste. If you're on a budget, use the "stir fry steaks", but sometimes they are a gamble because they can be tough or not have great flavour.
Elaine: Can you freeze steaks? If you find a good deal and stock up, what are they like later?
Cameron: I think they are not quite as tasty frozen then thawed, but if you got a good deal, then it's still worthwhile.
Elaine: So basically, go for the "champagne taste" in terms of buying the good cuts of meat, but look for ways to lower the cost when buying it.
Cameron: Exactly.
Elaine: By the way, what did your Sal's trip cost?
Cameron: $1 for the mushrooms, and the steaks were $3 apiece. Pretty good deal.
Elaine: Bargoon! Thanks, Cam.
Elaine: You've just returned from Sal's , our local butcher/grocer. What did you get?
Cameron: Mushrooms and 2 striploin steaks. I went there to buy t-bones, but I didn't like the cut of them so I got the striploins instead.
Elaine: What's the difference? I know I'm not the only one who gets confused when buying steak.
Cameron: A t-bone is double-sided. It has a piece of striploin in it, and a piece of filet. Striploin is just striploin. When I looked at the t-bones, I noticed Sal had chopped off too much of the filet, so since they were mainly striploin at that point, I just bought striploins. No point paying extra for filets that aren't really there.
Elaine: When buying steak, how do you know what to get? What are your thoughts?
Cameron: With steak, you should spend the money to make it worthwhile. If you're in for a penny, you might as well pay for the pound, as the expression goes. A lot of people buy sirloins that aren't a very good cut, and wind up with a less flavourful and sometimes chewy piece of meat. Shop around, buy good steak when it's on sale, since one of the grocery chains will always have something good on sale.
Elaine: What cuts would you recommend? What's good?
Cameron: T-bones and striploins. Filet's good but it can be pricey. Have filet when you're at a corporate event, ha ha.
Elaine: I've seen you get a roast and have it cut into steaks. What kind of roast is best for this?
Cameron: Rib roast. Just ask the butcher to cut it for you. Or cut it at home. Presto - you have rib steaks.
Elaine: What about steak for stir-frying or for fajitas?
Cameron: I personally like using good steaks, because of the better taste. If you're on a budget, use the "stir fry steaks", but sometimes they are a gamble because they can be tough or not have great flavour.
Elaine: Can you freeze steaks? If you find a good deal and stock up, what are they like later?
Cameron: I think they are not quite as tasty frozen then thawed, but if you got a good deal, then it's still worthwhile.
Elaine: So basically, go for the "champagne taste" in terms of buying the good cuts of meat, but look for ways to lower the cost when buying it.
Cameron: Exactly.
Elaine: By the way, what did your Sal's trip cost?
Cameron: $1 for the mushrooms, and the steaks were $3 apiece. Pretty good deal.
Elaine: Bargoon! Thanks, Cam.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
It's A Team Effort
It's amazing how much easier things are when you have the support of friends and family. We had a wonderful surprise this morning at Austin's music lesson. (Austin is learning electric guitar at Creative Math & Music) One of his neighbourhood buddies has been paired up with him in his class, and this is going to be a win-win for everyone. Auz is psyched to have his friend learning with him and I am hoping the kids can practice and jam together to keep the enthusiasm going. We already see other friends and their kids at the music school, and I am looking forward to the circle growing further.
The Budget Challenge has brought out a team effort in our family as well. Cam is on board with the idea and I was so impressed to hear him say to Austin a few times, "We're on a budget now, Auz." I'm surprised Austin didn't ask what "budget" meant, considering it's never been uttered in our household before.
Today we took our steely resolve to retail and didn't do too badly. I hit Wal-Mart while Austin was at music class, not only to make good use of my time but to avoid additional "Please, Mom?!" spending. I picked up the Halloween candy, toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, and a pair of pyjamas for Austin. Not sure if any of this qualifies as "groceries", but for the sake of the challenge, I am going to call everything you could find in a grocery store a grocery item. Total spend at Wal-Mart was $36.02, and deducting Auz's $10.00 p.j.'s (not a bad price, eh?), we'll call it $26.00.
Next stop was Value Village for Austin's Halloween costume. We perused the "Previously Enjoyed" rack but no luck unless he wanted to go out as a princess or a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. We settled on a Ninja costume and bought a kids' novel for him to read, ringing in for a total of $15.72, but none of this qualifies as "groceries" for the challenge.
The amazing team effort warmed my heart when Cam read the grocery store flyers and made a list of what deals were where. His focus was mainly on meat, which is usually the big ticket items during our groc shopping. His pre-shopping research really helped and made me proud that all of us were on board. We hit up No Frills for a few items and Cam later went to Sobey's. A trip to Sal's is in the works tomorrow, for t-bones for dinner. Cam spent $13.02 at "the Frill" and $18.19 at Sobey's, for a pretty good haul of salmon filets, cheese, fruit and veggies, cookies and yogurt.
So in terms of the challenge and tracking the numbers, when I budgeted $75/week, that was what I was going to stay under, as Cam and I both make separate groc trips throughout the week. How it all adds up thus far: I have spent $26.00 so far for the challenge this week. For curiousity's sake, Cam has spent $31.21 on groceries, but his spending is not part of my $75 goal.
So far so good - way to go, team! Now I need to get Auz off to bed in his $10 pyjamas...
The Budget Challenge has brought out a team effort in our family as well. Cam is on board with the idea and I was so impressed to hear him say to Austin a few times, "We're on a budget now, Auz." I'm surprised Austin didn't ask what "budget" meant, considering it's never been uttered in our household before.
Today we took our steely resolve to retail and didn't do too badly. I hit Wal-Mart while Austin was at music class, not only to make good use of my time but to avoid additional "Please, Mom?!" spending. I picked up the Halloween candy, toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, and a pair of pyjamas for Austin. Not sure if any of this qualifies as "groceries", but for the sake of the challenge, I am going to call everything you could find in a grocery store a grocery item. Total spend at Wal-Mart was $36.02, and deducting Auz's $10.00 p.j.'s (not a bad price, eh?), we'll call it $26.00.
Next stop was Value Village for Austin's Halloween costume. We perused the "Previously Enjoyed" rack but no luck unless he wanted to go out as a princess or a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. We settled on a Ninja costume and bought a kids' novel for him to read, ringing in for a total of $15.72, but none of this qualifies as "groceries" for the challenge.
The amazing team effort warmed my heart when Cam read the grocery store flyers and made a list of what deals were where. His focus was mainly on meat, which is usually the big ticket items during our groc shopping. His pre-shopping research really helped and made me proud that all of us were on board. We hit up No Frills for a few items and Cam later went to Sobey's. A trip to Sal's is in the works tomorrow, for t-bones for dinner. Cam spent $13.02 at "the Frill" and $18.19 at Sobey's, for a pretty good haul of salmon filets, cheese, fruit and veggies, cookies and yogurt.
So in terms of the challenge and tracking the numbers, when I budgeted $75/week, that was what I was going to stay under, as Cam and I both make separate groc trips throughout the week. How it all adds up thus far: I have spent $26.00 so far for the challenge this week. For curiousity's sake, Cam has spent $31.21 on groceries, but his spending is not part of my $75 goal.
So far so good - way to go, team! Now I need to get Auz off to bed in his $10 pyjamas...
Friday, October 23, 2009
My son, the starving artist
Last night's low cost dinner got mixed reviews. I was happy because it was super easy to make. Cameron ate it without a complaint because there was meat in the meal (ham in the soup.) Also, the beer before dinner mellowed him out a bit.
Austin, however, was another story. Initially, he picked the ham out of the soup and ate that. Sweet potato - nuh uh, no way, not even with maple syrup. Sliced red peppers? "I'm not eating tomatoes!!!" Even his favourite cole-slaw was deemed tainted, as the other vegetables had touched it.
I was out for the evening at a Parents' Council meeting (aka PTA) and when I came back, Cam recounted Austin's further reaction to the meal. After much complaining and refusing of the meal in front of him, Austin was sent to his room by Cam, to have "quiet time" (ie: colouring or reading, no DS) if he wasn't going to eat. When it was time for bed, Austin was knee-deep in drawing pictures, and they had a bit of a discussion:
Cameron: C'mon Austin, time to wrap up and get ready for bed.
Austin: Awww....Dad....I'm busy colouring. I'm not done yet. I want to finish my art.
Cameron: You can work on your art tomorrow.
Austin: Tomorrow? Why? What's for dinner tomorrow night?
Austin, however, was another story. Initially, he picked the ham out of the soup and ate that. Sweet potato - nuh uh, no way, not even with maple syrup. Sliced red peppers? "I'm not eating tomatoes!!!" Even his favourite cole-slaw was deemed tainted, as the other vegetables had touched it.
I was out for the evening at a Parents' Council meeting (aka PTA) and when I came back, Cam recounted Austin's further reaction to the meal. After much complaining and refusing of the meal in front of him, Austin was sent to his room by Cam, to have "quiet time" (ie: colouring or reading, no DS) if he wasn't going to eat. When it was time for bed, Austin was knee-deep in drawing pictures, and they had a bit of a discussion:
Cameron: C'mon Austin, time to wrap up and get ready for bed.
Austin: Awww....Dad....I'm busy colouring. I'm not done yet. I want to finish my art.
Cameron: You can work on your art tomorrow.
Austin: Tomorrow? Why? What's for dinner tomorrow night?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Grocery Budget Challenge
The gauntlet was thrown down at my church's "moms' group" yesterday, over the next month to stay within our grocery budget and spend a bit less.
This should be an enlightening experience for me, as I don't really budget. I have a general idea of what things cost on an item-by-item basis, but that's the extent of it.
So the challenge is to pick a dollar amount per week to stick to (I'm taking a stab at $75) and to record how much I spend, as well as noting down helpful hints, problems, etc. At our November 18th moms' group, we're going to report in and discuss how we made out. I will definately share comments, suggestions, ideas etc. from the group, in a post here.
The timing of Grocery Budget Challenge couldn't be better. I am currently off work on maternity leave and while my husband, Cameron, is still bringing home a paycheque, we are having to watch our spending. And, considering we like to eat well, my challenge is going to have to be not only to stick within a budget, but also to satisfy the tastes of Cam, and my somewhat choosy-eater son Austin, plus myself. The baby, Lauren, hasn't developed a taste for fine dining, although breast milk might be considered fine dining by babies' standards, despite its low costs. (feed mama, baby eats!)
My gameplan is to throw some low-cost meals into the mix, as well as to discover what goodies are hanging out in our pantry and freezers. The anchor for tonight's dinner is French Canadian Pea Soup made from dry mix from Bulk Barn, with some frozen chunks of ham thrown in to spruce it up. Hopefully it won't taste like an anchor! Salad and sweet potatoes will round out the meal. Since everything was already in the freezer/fridge/pantry, I haven't spent anything on groceries during The Challenge, per se. Brilliant!
This should be an enlightening experience for me, as I don't really budget. I have a general idea of what things cost on an item-by-item basis, but that's the extent of it.
So the challenge is to pick a dollar amount per week to stick to (I'm taking a stab at $75) and to record how much I spend, as well as noting down helpful hints, problems, etc. At our November 18th moms' group, we're going to report in and discuss how we made out. I will definately share comments, suggestions, ideas etc. from the group, in a post here.
The timing of Grocery Budget Challenge couldn't be better. I am currently off work on maternity leave and while my husband, Cameron, is still bringing home a paycheque, we are having to watch our spending. And, considering we like to eat well, my challenge is going to have to be not only to stick within a budget, but also to satisfy the tastes of Cam, and my somewhat choosy-eater son Austin, plus myself. The baby, Lauren, hasn't developed a taste for fine dining, although breast milk might be considered fine dining by babies' standards, despite its low costs. (feed mama, baby eats!)
My gameplan is to throw some low-cost meals into the mix, as well as to discover what goodies are hanging out in our pantry and freezers. The anchor for tonight's dinner is French Canadian Pea Soup made from dry mix from Bulk Barn, with some frozen chunks of ham thrown in to spruce it up. Hopefully it won't taste like an anchor! Salad and sweet potatoes will round out the meal. Since everything was already in the freezer/fridge/pantry, I haven't spent anything on groceries during The Challenge, per se. Brilliant!
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