Extreme Grocery Budgeting

Sometimes I get a little crazy and decide that I'm going to give myself "fun" challenges.  This week, I wanted to use only the cash I had on hand to buy our weekly groceries.

I had $80 in my wallet people.  Eighty....dollars....with which to buy an entire week's worth of food for our family, including one NEVER FULL tweenager.  Now, I don't know about you, but $80 bucks is less than half of what I normally spend.  That's right, I set out to cut my grocery budget by about 60% with no real advance planning or thought.  I'm crazy like that y'all....and yes, we really DO spend that much on groceries each week.  SWEET JESUS WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?

We eat almost every meal at home, perhaps we eat out together once per week but this is usually it.  All of our meals are made from scratch, we eat our leftovers and there is almost NO processed foods in our home.  In addition, we eat a fresh, plant based diet with very limited amounts of meat and we are about 95% organic.  So yeah....this gets expensive.  Like- FOR REALS.

I worked my magic, pushed myself to succeed in this crazy challenge and when all was said and done, I came in $15 under budget.  That's right y'all- I spent just $65 for a week's worth of food.  HELLS YEAH!!!!  Read on people and find out how I did this.  And how you can do this.  Because YOU CAN do this!

Proof Positive! Spent $65.33!!!

#1- Brainstorm and research.

Let's be honest, the only way this will work is if you make a list and STICK TO IT.

Get out a piece of paper and start brainstorming meals that are CHEAP, that will do double duty and perhaps provide you with an additional meal (a twofer!) and while you're at it- get on the Pinterest and search for cheap, healthy meals.

Don't forget to include meals you already have ingredients for or perhaps partial ingredients.  For example, you have a jar of marinara in your pantry and no noodles.  You should most definitely add "Spaghetti" to your list of meals to make this week.


#2- Take out the most expensive item.  MEAT.

Y'all.  Meat will drive your budget WAY up.  Like, a lot.

The truth of this is that you don't need meat to have a healthy, well balanced meal.  You just don't.  And I promise you that you will survive one week without it.  God's honest truth here- you'll be fine.

Instead- search out meatless meals and other cheap sources of protein.  A bag of dried beans cost $1 at my local grocery store and I can get at least two meals out of this.  Versus one pound of regular (not organic, not local, not grass fed, not special) ground beef at $3.99 per pound that will only make one meal.  If you are any good at math, you know that you've made one meal at .50 cents versus a meat based meal at $4.  No brainer y'all.

And for those of you who are completely unable to walk away and go cold turkey- re think how you use the meat in your meals.  If you MUST have meat, use it as a flavor enhancer rather than the star of the show.  Not everyone needs their own chicken breast at dinner time- take one piece of chicken and cook it up with lots of veggies and serve it stir fry style over some rice.  Your people still feel like they are getting meat but you know its WAY less and WAY cheaper.

#3- Shop your pantry.

To be clear, this method of EXTREME grocery budgeting is NOT meant to be used as your normal.  It's just not.  It's for week's where you don't have as much money, or you want to cut back a bit on your spending or perhaps save some of that grocery money for another area in your home and life.

So with all that being said- you should first be shopping your AT HOME GROCERY STORE, your fridge and pantry.  Use the ingredients you already have on hand to help you build cheap meals.  And if you've been building your freezer stockpile, now is the time to use one or two of those meals to help you keep your budget down this week.

#4- No frills.

This week is all about shopping the NEEDS and not the WANTS.  So things like cookies, ice cream, deli meat- yeah, not gonna happen this week.

You will also NOT be stocking up on anything this week.  I don't know about you but a regular part of my grocery trips include buying items that I know I will use later when they are on sale now.  Hard as it might be to pass these deals up- there's just no room in your budget to allow for this.  So just walk away mmkay....

#5- Leftovers are where it's at.

Learn the fine of art of eating those damn leftovers.  If we didn't have leftovers, we would legit have nothing to eat for the majority of our lunches.  Because I almost NEVER buy "lunch" food- really, I just don't and instead I force my family to eat these leftovers for lunch.  And then sometimes again for dinner, because that's just how awesome I am!

A leftover is a meal you've already paid for- so don't waste it!

The easiest way to make sure you HAVE leftovers to begin with is to simply make a double batch of your dinner.  Two cups of rice versus one cup of rice, requires NO additional effort to cook on your part and cost you just pennies more.

Another easy way to make leftovers work for you, especially for packed lunches on the go, is to plan meals that pull double duty.  Think- cheese enchiladas and homemade refried beans.  Make a double batch and you get 2 meals out of the enchiladas and then use the leftover beans to make bean burritos for lunches one day.  You have now gotten 3 meals for the price of one.  THREE.

Another favorite is basically any soup or chili dish.  You can make a double batch, eat it once for dinner, twice for lunch and a third time over some rice or cornbread.  That's three meals for the price of one.  Dude.

#6- Cook from scratch.

By far the fastest way to rack up the dollar signs at the grocery store are to buy processed foods.  You might think they are cheap but the truth is- they aren't.  If you don't have the ingredients on hand to make foods from scratch- now probably isn't the best time to buy them.  It will require some initial "investment" and output on your part to get all your baking needs supplied.  So save that for another trip.

However, if you've already got the staples like flour sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder etc- you have an entire world available to you!

Instead of buying bread, make it.  Bake cookies for an after dinner treat, learn how to make tortillas or bake up some biscuits to go with your soups.  Even homemade pizza becomes MUCH cheaper once you've learned how to make the pizza dough at home.  And y'all- pizza dough is way easier to make than you think.

Look for foods in your meal plan that you can make yourself instead of buying.  Yes, this will undoubtedly require WAY more effort and time on your part (they don't call them convenience foods for nothing!) but in the end, the savings will be substantial.

#7- Sacrifice to stay within budget.

What I mean here is that instead of buying ALL organic foods like I would normally do, I have to make sacrifices and choices on what to buy conventional and what to spend that extra money on for organic.  The sad truth is that very few items make the cut and so when I am REALLY going hard core with my budget, very little organic foods make it into my shopping cart.

Organic is expensive.

Listen, I am not the person to blow smoke up your butt and give you all these great tips on how to buy organic foods on the cheap when you are knee deep in an EXTREME grocery budget challenge.  Yes, it can be done.  You can save money on organic foods.  But- the truth is that organic still costs more than conventional.  So if you are faced with having to decide between getting 2 pounds of conventional bananas or just one pound of organic bananas- you should ALWAYS set out to get the most bang for your buck.

Psst- this rule does NOT apply to your normal grocery budgeting.  I will always encourage you to purchase organic foods- especially fresh fruits and veggies for your family because I feel that they are healthier and better for your body and the environment.  However, when you are doing an EXTREME challenge, I want you to eat healthy and at the end of the day, purchasing fresh fruits and veggies needs to happen.  Organic or not.

Another way you might make some sacrifices at the store would be when it comes to brand shopping.  Let's say you ALWAYS buy Hunt's brand tomato sauce at $2.99 for a large can.  But this week the store brand tomato sauce is on sale for $1.50 for the same size can.  This week, you will be buying the cheaper alternative so that you can save the difference.

#8- The LIST.

Now- if you've followed all the steps outlined above, you are now ready to put together your master list for the store.

Take out a sheet of paper.  Fold it in half hotdog style.  Write down all your meals starting with breakfasts on the left hand side.  It should look like this:

Leftover biscuits and jam
Cereal

Leftover beans & tortillas
Tuna
Veggie wraps
Nachos

Cheese enchiladas & beans X2
Chili X2
Spaghetti X2
Vegan split pea soup & biscuits

Chocolate chip cookies

The LIST.  It should look like a hot mess
 when you're done.

Ok- so.....take a look at how the meals are organized.  And then, on the right hand side of your paper, write down the ingredients you'll need to purchase and the quantity.  Then use your super shopping knowledge to write the estimated price down next to each item.  It is VERY important to write down the FINAL price for the quantity you need.  So if you're purchasing two cucumbers at $1 each- then you would write down $2 next to your cucumbers.  Make sense?  If you don't know the price, look it up online at your grocery store's website.  It will look like this:

Milk $2.39
pound dry pinto beans $1
jalapeno's X2 $.50
tortillas $4.99
cucumbers X2 $2
cheese X2 $8
spaghetti noodles X2 $2
chocolate chips $2

The next step in your list is to gather your coupons or add sales to your grocery store app.  I shop at Safeway and before I go, I always browse the app and make sure I've added all my sales, deals and coupons.  Check to see if you've got any freebies on your app (I typically have one or two each week) and make sure you add those to your list.  Even if it's something you don't normally buy- FREE IS FREE.  You can then go back and adjust your prices if need be.

Now add it all up.

My goal is to ALWAYS be $10 under budget.  Because y'all- once you get to the store, it is VERY hard to resist things.  This $10 will give you a little wiggle room.


#9- Shopping.

Now you've reached the most crucial part- the actual shopping.  A word to the wise- DO NOT TAKE YOUR PEOPLE WITH YOU.  Seriously- this EXTREME trip needs to be done as a solo act, trust me on this one mmkay....

Make sure you've grabbed your list and a pen and get cracking!  While you are in the store, when you put an item in your shopping cart, cross if off your list and write down the actual price on the opposite side if it differs from your estimated price.  Here's an example below.

$2.29 Milk $2.39

The $2.39 price on the right was your estimated price.  However, as is very common, the store may have had an in store only sale going, or perhaps you bought a cheaper brand or there was a .10 cent off in store coupon.  So write the actual price to the right.

By doing this one simple act, it will help you stay on budget and know where you can splurge a bit on.  Remember back to those sacrifices I talked about?  Well let's say you would really like to buy the organic bananas but they cost .10 cents more per pound.  If you've been able to unexpectedly save .10 cents on milk- you'll know that you have that .10 cents to spend elsewhere- like on the organic bananas.  Make sense?

Once you've added all your items to your shopping cart, take a moment and add up all the prices.  Make sure you are within your budget.  If you were able to come in under budget- now you can go back and add a few "luxuries" to your cart or things that you had passed up on in sacrifice to your budget.  Or you can choose to save that money and use it for other treats- like a Starbucks, or a cheeseburger.


A few words on this EXTREME budget-

I don't shop this way every week.  Yes, I have a general budget and I do meal plan to help me stay on budget.  However, I am not normally this OCD and strict when it comes to my grocery shopping and I do find myself routinely going a bit over my budget.  By occasionally doing an EXTREME trip like this one, or even my NO Grocery Store Challenge, I'm able to even myself out each month.

Shopping this way takes work and planning.  Be prepared to put in the effort, otherwise it won't work.

Your people might not like it.  Let's face it- this is a NO FRILLS sort of trip.  So many of the foods and items they are used to seeing in the fridge and pantry each week, simply might not be there this time around.  Anticipate the unhappy grumpy and move on.  They will deal.

Try to incorporate a few of these tips into your regular weekly grocery trip.  Once you come down from the high of this EXTREME trip, you can add in one or two of these tips found here.  If you never done a meal plan, give it a try.  Or perhaps you never estimate prices or look for sales and deals before hitting up the store.  Just one or two of these cost saving ideas added to your regular weekly grocery trip will really help you in the long run.

As with any challenge I do, it's meant to be fun.  Don't take it too seriously but rather- push yourself.  See how well you can do, try to beat your lowest weekly budget, set a crazy goal (like $50 for a whole week) and see if you can do it.  It's meant to be extreme and fun- not sad and depressing.

Good luck!

Here Comes Camp!

Remember back when I said "we shelter our child" and I'm OK with that....well, it would seem that while we still shelter him, this year, we are also trying to give him more age appropriate freedoms.

Ugh.

I hate this.

I'm just going to state this very plainly....I WANT MY BABY BACK.  I don't like this tweenager phase where he's still boyish and enjoys childish things but thinks he can run around town with nothing but a pack of 11 year old boys and a broke down cell phone.  Yeah no.

We've loosened the reigns on the cell phone rule and he's now allowed to have a sleepover at some place other than a relatives house.  And for the very first time, he's going to camp.

Well shit.

This Mama is STRESSING.  Tomorrow is his first day of day camp and he will be gone from 8am to roughly 6pm all week.  I'm having NIGHTMARES y'all.  NIGHT-MARES.  I just can't deal.  He will be out of my hands all day long and I will have NO clue what is happening, how he's doing/feeling, if he's safe and happy....ugh, pray for me.

This is why I don't send my child off to school.  I like having him around (most days) and I like knowing exactly what is happening with my kid.  The unknowns of camp are killing me...I'm dying a slow, painful, tortured MOM DEATH.

Homeschooling means I don't ever have to leave my child if I don't want to.  But I know all the homeschooling Mama's here are like "SCREW THAT!".  We are so busy with full calendars of fun, enriching activities and yes- sometimes our homeschooled children are away from the loving bosom of their Mom's.  But for a whole week?!?  All day?

I'm struggling.

I suppose that this is just another step in life as we give our child a few more freedoms.  But why does it have to be so sad and painful?  Seriously- why?

Camp is hard y'all.

HARD.

Lazy Mama's Vegetarian Lasagna

The other day the husband called me at 4pm to say he was on his way home and he was HUNGRY.  Like, this man was calling ahead to find out what was for dinner, HUNGRY.  Less than 30 minutes later he walks through the door and is ready to eat.  Meanwhile, I don't usually start making dinner until around 5pm and I was still knee deep in my work from home stuff while trying to get the kiddo to sit down and finish his schoolwork for the day.

BWHAHAHAHAHA....silly husband.

So clearly dinner was NOT ready at 4:30pm and on top of that- I really had NO CLUE what I was going to make.  My plan for that day was to put something in the crockpot but as any busy Mama knows- sometimes even this task is insurmountable.  After staring at the fridge for way too long and hoping and praying something would magically appear- I pulled together this really great and vegetarian meal that left my HANGRY HUSBAND full and satisfied.

Lazy Mama's Vegetarian Lasagna

1 large package (18oz or more) cheese ravioli *cheese & spinach is good as well

1 jar marinara sauce or leftover homemade sauce

1 onion, diced

6 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup REAL grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Step 1:  Saute your diced onions and chopped garlic in a little olive oil.  You can also use avocado or coconut oil but for this dish- I like the flavor of the olive oil better.  Add your teaspoon of italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

*If you are meat eaters- now would be the time to add in some ground beef or maybe some italian sausage.  You won't need much as this should NOT be a meat filled dish.  Cook it with your onions and garlic and you're good to go.

Step 2:  Set aside approximately 1 cup of your marinara sauce.  

When your onions and garlic are cooked and translucent, add in your marinara sauce (NOT the sauce you reserved & set to the side) to your pan.  You do not need to really boil this or cook it- but rather just warm it up while you get out your other ingredients.  Seriously, don't worry about this much. 

*This is the reason I always make a double batch of marinara when cooking spaghetti because I can then store the leftovers in a canning jar in my fridge for up to one week and use for another dish.  Perfection!

But if you don't make your own, please just use a good quality, organic jarred sauce.  It'll be OK- I promise.

Step 3:  Remember that saved marinara that you didn't add to your pan?  Now you will pour it evenly in a glass 9X13.  If you feel the need to spray it down first, go for it.  But really- as long as your marinara covers the bottom, you're good to go!

Step 4:  Build your lasagna!  

Start by placing a layer of your ravioli over the marinara.  Then grab your sauce from the pot and pour over the top.  Add half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan.

Repeat until you've used all your ravioli.

*And yes, you can totally use fake parm from the green canister but trust me on this one, the real deal is SO much better!

Step 5:  Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.  Everything is pretty much cooked, so your just combining flavors and melting the cheeses here.  

When you take it out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes.  This is a good time to make a salad or some other side dish.

And that's it.  You're totally done!  How easy was this business?!?

If Your Dad is On Fire....Spray Him With the Hose

And that pretty much sums up our 4th of July this year.

But seriously, this holiday is a pretty big deal for us and we really enjoy letting loose and having a good time. We always host a BBQ and each year our crowd changes.  Family, friends, neighbors, lots of kids, no kids- everyone is welcome.

This year we kept it pretty small and about as "tame" as we get.  Probably something about the holiday falling on a Monday this year and everyone having to get up and work the next day....but either way, it wasn't as big as years past.  However, something truly awesome came from this low key night of blowing shit up-

The Homeschooled Housewife's Rules for Fireworks Safety 101


#1- If your dad is on fire, spray him with this hose.

Seems like good advice, no?

Safety is key to a enjoying any holiday involving explosives and fire.  This means we always have a bucket of water nearby for fireworks that might not extenquish completely as well as the hose laying in the lawn on "standby".  The kiddo was playing around with the hose and wasting water so I said to him that he could only use the hose if his Dad was on fire.

Words to live by y'all.


#2- Don't put the fire stick in your face.

By "fire stick" I mean the punk that you keep lit to aid you in lighting all those fireworks.  For some reason, the husband and kiddo rotate between using the punk and using those long lighters.  As the night wears on, I find that they aren't as "careful" with the punk, so a reminder on what NOT to do with it was clearly in order.


#3- Move your body.

So yeah.  When you light the firework, you need to then MOVE YOUR BODY out of the way.  Like, can we please NOT stand right next to it.  Thank you very much.


#4- Cover your drink.

This one is really for the grown ups out there.  When you are lighting off the BIG stuff and it goes way up high, it will inevitably come on down again.  What goes up, must come down mmkay....so make sure you keep your drink free from falling debris and simply put your hand over it.

Drinking firework shrapnel is never a good idea.


#5- Don't light fireworks in your hand.

You would think this would be a no brainer, I mean...really.  But sadly, some folks just don't know that you should NOT light the fireworks in your bare hand and then toss them.  You should also not hold onto lit fireworks.

This is how people loose their bits and pieces.


#6- Don't be stupid.

And my final piece of advice works for all things.  But most importantly, when you have children, a large group of people, alcohol and fireworks- you should take extra precaution.  Be careful y'all and don't be stupid.



***While this post came from a funny saying during our 4th of July holiday- the advice is sound.  Please know that we are extremely vigilant and safety minded.  We want to have a fun holiday and have everyone go to bed exhausted, happy and in one piece.  Fireworks ain't no joke y'all.  So if you don't know what you're doing- then just say no.

And remember- If your Dad is on fire, spray him with the hose!

The Great Hair Cut

For almost five years now I have been growing my hair out.  I initially started growing long (see VERY long) hair because the husband loves long hair.  Eh- all men really....but I truthfully started this journey to please my man.

Gasp!  That's right....a woman intentionally doing something just TO PLEASE A MAN?!?  Say it isn't so....feminists flame on because that is the cold, hard truth.  We ladies in love occasionally do stuff just to make our husband's happy.  True story.

But then y'all....then it became SO much more.  I loved this persona of long haired bombshell if you will...whenever I took the time to really style it, I always received compliments.  And I liked it.  Who wouldn't right?  But in the midst of this small superficial shift in my personality, I decided that something MUCH better than compliments could come from all this hair.

And so it was that about 2 years into my "hair journey", I decided that I was going to donate it to charity.  Because I could always grow more but not everyone else had this ability and as I had learned, HAIR IS vital to feeling beautiful.  

Y'all.  If my hair could make someone else feel beautiful- I was gonna make that happen.

I Googled all the places that one donates hair and what I found out is that not all of them are the same.  I wanted my hair to be 100% FREE to whomever would be receiving it.  This was my gift to them and I certainly didn't want ANYONE to be profiting off of that gift.

I decided to donate to Wigs for Kids.  I researched their requirements and set about growing my hair even longer so that I wouldn't have to shave my head in order to give this gift.  I still wanted hair left on my own head after the donating was done thank you very much.

They needed 12 inches of washed, dried, color free hair.  TWELVE INCHES you guys.  As someone who's hair grows literally 3 inches per year, this amount seemed impossible.  Add into this that one needs to trim up your hair every so often so it will continue to grow and be healthy...yeah, it quite honestly felt like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.  So many times I wanted to give up.  SO.  MANY.  TIMES.

There's plenty of other people who could donate hair after all...

But you guys, not everyone does.  If we all adopt this attitude that "someone else will step up and do it" then no one ever really does.  Think of all the amazing good things we could do if only we followed through on our best intentions.

So I didn't give up.

Almost five years later, I am happy to say that my 12 inches of hair is on it's way to Wigs for Kids.  Some child will hopefully feel just a little bit better and perhaps just a little more beautiful about themselves as they go through a difficult stage in their young lives.  And this....gah, THIS is what it's all about.

I encourage every single one of you to donate your hair at least once in your life.  Just once.  Because that is all it takes to make a big difference in someone else's life.  One time.

Together we can make a big impact.

A message from Wigs for Kids:

For over 30 years, Wigs for Kids has been providing Hair Replacement Systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families.

The effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a child’s outward appearance. Hair loss can erode a child’s self-confidence and limit them from experiencing life the way children should. With an injured self-image, a child’s attitude toward treatment and their physical response to it can be negatively affected also. Wigs for Kids helps children suffering from hair loss look themselves and live their lives.

Because we never charge families for hair replacements, we depend on generous people like you that want to help donate hair for cancer and other sources of hair loss. In order to help children who have suffered from hair loss due to complications such as Alopecia in children and other medical issues, a monetary or hair donation is always appreciated.

Birthday Wisdom

I've been a bit MIA this past month over here on the blog.  In truth, I've been cutting back my social media and my online presence and trying to spend more time with my boys and family in the REAL and now.  Crazy right?!?  But don't think I've forgotten about all you wonderful peeps here in computer land!

Let's start July off with something I meant to post here last month, yeah?  My 35th birthday was just a few days ago and in honor of my impending "old age", I decided to share some wisdom and words of truth with you all.  Here goes, enjoy!

IN honor of my special day, I want to share some pearls of wisdom with y'all & hope that you'll join me in celebration of today. Not because it's my birthday (which is nice & all...) but because today is a wonderful day for celebrating. 👊

#1- Hairspray in the can works WAY better than hairspray in the plastic bottle. Sorry ozone- sad but true. Buy the can.

#2- No ones child is perfect, not even yours. You might be tempted to think so on the rare occasion, but the answer is still no. Still not perfect.

#3- Once you hit 25, you should no longer be buying the cheap makeup. Life is too short to look like a wrinkly Oompa Loompa. Buy the good shit, trust me.

#4- You know you've found a good man when he loves you just as much at your worst as he does at your best. Like when your on the table having an emergency c-section & he stands up to watch the birth of his son & after seeing all your INSIDES on your OUTSIDES, still thinks you are beautiful. Hold on to this man. Forever.

#5- Don't wear white to Disneyland. Or to any theme park or fairground for that matter. Just no. Believe me on this one mmkay....

#6- There's a reason DOG spells GOD backwards. Dogs will love you unconditionally, dogs will listen to your prayers & dogs will heal your heart one tiny piece at a time if only you'll let them. Just like God.

#7- Don't waste the calories on bad cake. And yes- there is such a thing as bad cake.

#8- No one died from saying the F word.

#9- You will never be remembered for the superficial. But rather for the way you've made people feel so be careful what you say & do because your actions & words have consequences.

#10- It's ok to say no. To all the things. And you don't even need a reason.

#11- Marriage is forever. Don't make it a prison sentence.

#12- Remove the toxic people from your life & from your children's lives. Not everyone deserves a place at your table.

#13- Flip flops work with every outfit. Every. Single. One

#14- When you are wrong, be quick to apologize. Learn how to offer a sincere & REAL apology & don't be afraid to admit you've made a mistake. We all make mistakes. How you respond in the face of it is what shapes your character.

#15- Love like it's going out of style.

#16- The answer is yes, buy the shoes.

#17- Friendships are hard. Especially women & mommy friendships. Try your best but remember it's better to have a few real friends than a herd of fake ones. Quality not quantity.

#18- Your issues are NOT my issues. Bye Felicia.

#19- Make the effort in your appearance. Not because society tells you to or out of fear of judgment, but because you are worth the effort. When you look good, you feel good. And when in doubt, just buy a FIERCE handbag & call it good.

#20- You are special & loved & important just as you are. The only person you should change for is YOU.

What would you add to this list?

Love to you all!
The Homeschooled Housewife

‪#‎ItsMyBirfday‬