So, I've been working on my new budget, trying to come up with a realistic one.
Originally, I'd budgeted $100 a month for food. I'm slightly over that for September and the month isn't over. But the grocery money is gone so I'll make do with what I have for the next six days. And I really do think I can do with $100 a month as long as I'm very careful about what I buy.
I registered at thegrocerygame.com and will see if that helps. Of course, after I registered and paid, I found groceryguide.com which is almost the same but free. Argh! I talked to a few people who have tried both and they all prefer the grocery game. I'll try it for the few weeks I paid for and if I don't like it, it's worth the money to know that.
Most of my expenses are fixed and I'm trying to keep the ones that aren't fixed under control. One of the big concerns I have is paying the electric bill. For nine days in September it was almost $37. Of course, those were nine very hot Texas days!
That doesn't sound too bad until you multiply it by 3 and see that a month of electric usage is about $120. That might not seem like a lot to some people but that's more than I can handle right now so off the AC went and off it's going to stay for some time. Unfortunately, the unit that cools is also the unit that heats so once it's cold, I'll have to use it unless I come up with an alternative. There's always layering clothes and hot coffee, though.
Here's to cooler weather and low grocery spending... may they be with me for awhile.
September 26th, 2007 at 08:05 am 1190790310
maybe you could buy a pedestal fan and use that instead of the ac? they are cheap, usually around $20, and so much cheaper to run, plus they are so much better for the environment. we dont have ac but we have about 6 pedestal fans which are all in different rooms, and they are usually on for a good 5 hours every day in summer, and we hardly notice a difference in our power bill. just a thought!!!
September 26th, 2007 at 03:02 pm 1190815367
September 26th, 2007 at 04:25 pm 1190820336
Fern, ouch! That's about what I spent per month to feed two adults and one to three teens! No way can I afford that. As it is, $100 is pushing it and dependent on the sales at the local groceries!
September 26th, 2007 at 08:11 pm 1190833886
September 26th, 2007 at 08:16 pm 1190834172
September 26th, 2007 at 11:12 pm 1190844727
i'd say $100 is probably what i spend on food in a WEEK! you're doing a great job, keep it up!