Budget Control (part 2 - Food Costs)

   I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the cost of food continues to increase.  Recently, our family has made it a priority to establish a written household budget. In the process of evaluating some of our expenses, we've discovered that our monthly grocery bill is simply too high.

According to Dave Ramsey, food cost is a major area of our finances that we can tackle in our first month of budgeting to reduce expenses immediately.  So, my husband and I have determined to take control of our food budget beginning January 1, 2014.
  (I know, I know, just another New Year's resolution, but note the emphasis on the word determined!)

   Unfortunately, we tend to do our weekly shopping "on the fly" rather than creating a meal plan first & then sticking to a shopping list.  This behavior has developed into a bad habit over the years due to lack of pre-planning and sheer laziness on our part. 

   Well, the time has come to break that habit!   Over the next few weeks, we will be creating a monthly meal plan with shopping lists for each week.  Once I have my meal plan in hand, I can scan the supermarket sales flyers & match my menu to what is on sale.  Then, if I have coupons, I can take advantage of further savings.  BUT, this gal isn't coupon savvy enough at the moment so right now the target is to start PLANNING what we will eat & buying accordingly.

   So, I've spent the last few days researching online for ready-made meal plans.  Hey, why reinvent the wheel right?  In that time, I've come across sites claiming to "feed a family of 4 on less than $50 a week"!  However, I hesitate to imagine what we'd be eating for under $200 per month!! :) Sadly, after quick inspection, those meal plans generally included plenty of dry milk, white rice, dried beans, and white flour based recipes.  That doesn't fit our family as we enjoy eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as lean meats.  We believe it is more cost effective in the long run to choose healthier, whole foods to stave off future illness.

   Other sites assume we have a fresh supply of vegetables flowing in from our own garden or an ample storage of foods that I've canned myself just sitting on shelves in our pantry waiting to be opened.  Still others expected me to spend hours & hours each week clipping coupons and driving to 3 different supermarkets to get "the best price match". 

Sigh.

     We live in a small townhome with zero space for a chest freezer, no basement for storing items bought in bulk, and I am not the type to clip hundreds of coupons.  What to do? Well, I finally came across a website that I think might fit our family's needs.

  Wholesome Mommy.com!  

 This site offers menus based on real foods, not fillers.
Plus, 4 weeks of meal plans with shopping lists and recipes for FREE!!

Here is the link-
 Wholesome Mommy 4 Weeks of Meal Plans

Sign up for her newsletter at the top of the website &
the meal plans will come to your inbox

   What I really like about this menu plan (other than the inclusion of whole foods) is that it is based upon a $400 per month grocery budget.  Currently, we spend about $650 on groceries. That is too much!!
Which is why we desperately need a food budget & fast!  Our intention is to try to stick as closely as possible to the Wholesome Mommy meal plan beginning January 1st.

This will be our first attempt to stick to a grocery budget - so pray for us!! :)

I'll try to update you on our success (or failure) with 

this 4 week meal plan throughout January.

Comment & share what your family does to lower grocery bills!