Budgeting

[MelissaAlice]

I just went through my banks spending tracker for the last year and I'm shocked!!
In take out alone I managed to spend just under 3,000.00 .. and that just me not my boyfriend so I would imagine his would be around the same!!!!!

What are people tips and tricks for grocery shopping and eating at home instead of take out?

We have 2 big trips we want to take in the next year so are looking for everyones' budgeting tips!!

 

[Yoda mom]

@MelissaAlice Oh I am afraid to look at the annual total lol

For budgeting -
I do automatic withdrawal from my check to a savings account

lol and one for myself to a separate trowe price account .

If it's not in my hands I don't think about it .
A boss told me when I was in my 20s to max out as much savings as possible inta 457 etc - Sooo glad I took his advice . At the time I thought it was silly -
I set up separate accounts at trowe piece etc for the non 457 retirement jobs I had

The slush savings account is for vet bills etc
I personally don't have pet insurance - I have adult adoptees so all would be pre-existing .

When shopping on line . I put things in the cart ... Then .... Wait a few days - recheck amd prioritize what is needed or wanted (okay the splurge was the exercise wheel but I stopped getting other toys thought the year that would have probably surpassed the one big toy .

I don't do any take out
I go to the food store and buy just what I will prep for meals for a few days .
Less waste -
to be honest I eat a lot of salads and get creative .
I keep it basic so it saves money and is healthy -
I will buy a bag of baby spinach , cucumbers , carrots , black beans , chick peas etc to make a big salad - I will actually to with canned chicken etc
Sometimes making wraps out of the salad fixings.
Food processor, blender cooking l(great books at the library or recipes online )
And grilling .
I grill fish or chicken , asparagus , veggies of all sorts on the BBQ grill - nothing super fancy.
Can you tell I hate to cook! Amd got tired of putting kitties up when I used the stove lol
Once a week is "fat Friday " like jumbo shrimp with bread dipped in olive oil , Chuck eye steak ..

I found if I have a meat craving - Chuck eye steak grilled is as good as a filet mignon - a butcher turned me on to it - saves a lot compared to restaurant steak dinner .

I checked my food store ads for what is on sale - specifically what I am lookimg for shrimp , steak , chicken etc .iI buy two and freeze one.

Start a vacay fund ! Automatic withdrawal to savings or online bank free bank transfer to savings account . I got a 5 gallon water jug - any loose change goes right in- you will be amazed how much it holds-
check with your bank if they have the free coin machine - too many charge fees at those coin machines in the grocery store.

I do shop at sams club - I buy my canned chicken , almonds,walnuts , etc non perishables in bulk once a month -
When shopping , I put a max $ amount - add it up in my head - same thing - when I grab an item , I think do I really need this now. Sooo many tempting sales lol

Looking forward to others budgeting tips .

Ps- I stopped getting the newspaper with tempting coupons for stuff I do not need .
Where are you planning s vacay ?

 

[MelissaAlice]

@Yoda mom Thanks so much for the tips!!

We are planning Ireland in May of 2020 and Las Vegas in October of 2019

Tim Burton's Art Will Make a Rare U.S. Appearance at Las Vegas's Neon Museum in 2019

Tim Burton has an exhibit going to the Neon Museum in October and I'm a huge fan!
And the smaller airport 35mins from me now offers really great rates to a few European countries so Dublin sounded pretty fantastic!!!

 

[Xandria]

Hey there. yeah, it's amazing how quickly money can go.

I agree with what @Yoda mom says totally.

Avoiding eating out is the best thing (for health and pocket book). Meal planning is King!

Go to the grocery store 1 or 2 times a week with a LIST. Do NOT deviate from the list (unless it's something you forgot to add to the list LOL).

Plan for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.

Find the best places to buy things too. I actually shop at a few different place to ensure I get quality and also spend money wisely.

When non perishable stuff is on sale, buy in quantity. And if perishable stuff is on sale that you can use and freeze, also buy in quantity. I make huge batches of soups, stews, sauces etc. and freeze them.

Try to limit or eliminate alcohol and snack foods.

Not sure if you buy books and movies etc., but consider your local library for entertainment sources.

And do allow yourself a treat once in a while

Hope that helps.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Xandria tjwks for sharing lol off to the library today they called and said my book reservations are in
Sometimes I check out DVD movies and watch outside on the lanai with my old to thst DVD and vhs slot lol going to an old school drive in movie ! Do they still have those lol showing my age

Look forward to more members budgeting tips

 

[Xandria]

@Yoda mom -- I believe there are some novelty drive in theatres still!!! I love taking my tablet outside and watching elsewhere too. Years ago it was this massive laptop I had and OMG, but it was fun too.

 

[MelissaAlice]

We actually have one of the last Drives in in Ontario/Canada about 10 mins away from me!!
I renewed my library card last summer!

Our freezer broke we've been looking into getting a new one in the next month. I think that will help with things. Up until I broke I would make big batches of things and freeze them. It made meal planning much easier!

I'm not so sure how thrilled the boy friend would be if I told him he wasn't his scotch and bourbon any more he's bit of a "connoisseur" shall we call it.

It doesn't help that the step kids are fans of the "my stomach hurts" approach to meal times, if they don't think they like it then it hurts their stomachs before they even try it ... kids ... jeesh

Thanks for all the help!!!
Looking forward to getting all set up for the year and watching that trip fund grow!!

 

[Toa and Ross]

Viva Las Vegas! And Ireland...want to go there one day too.

I love to travel to so need to budget. I put some money (automatic) on my saving account each month. That money is for emergency issues or when I really really want something. And I only allow myself to buy it when I have enough saving money (I made up a minimal limit).

I have a separare "holiday' saving account. Same as with the regular account.

Every month I decide how much money I want to spend on books, cloths, going out for diner. If thw money is gone but the month not....no more books etc!

I challenge myself to do groceries for an amount of money. If I spend more one week, I challenge myself to spend less the next week.

Best budgetting I did was....buying a was less expensive house then I could afford!

 

[MelissaAlice]

Sadly due to the crazy inflation in the housing market in our region buying a house isn't possible at the moment so we rent.
We love our house though and are just under a 5 minute drive to work so we save on gas money too!

I've got a budget and meal planning binder, and I've been working a lot on my finances in the last year so I'm actually really optimistic that we will make it all our destinations!!

 

[Xandria]

Heh... yeah, I have "champagne tastes on beer wages", so I do sympathize. My scotch habit can be pricey, but when it's gone, it's gone... then I buy vodka. LOL

Seriously though, lots of good advice in this thread. Great to see how others budget.

 

[Silke]

I live in an area where there is no fast food...anywhere. So "No take out" is easy lol.
Seriously though, stock up your freezer. We usually have at least one "Parmentier" (Shepherd's Pie, basically) in the freezer for when we don't want to cook.
I also make big batches of food (Jambalaya, etc) and then put 3/4 into containers and put them in the freezer. Same with pasta sauce, pasta, veg, Lasagna etc. That way you cook once, and have a properly cooked meal when you want one.
A friend of Dave's (my builder, who is staying here atm) used to hire a lady to shop for and cook a weeks worth of meals, which then went into the freezer and all he had to do was heat them up and eat them. Even with paying her to cook, it still worked out a lot cheaper than take out.

P.S. I have an "iCan".
It's a tin can (food can with the label taken off) that sits on top of the cupboard.
Every Saturday I dump all my loose change in there.
At the end of the month, I count up the loose change, exchange whatever makes a banknote, take the change out, and put the bank note in.
Believe it or not... Since about May I've racked up €130, just from doing that.
And you never really "miss" the loose change. (I do sometimes end up with a bulging wallet tho lol)

 

[Sheofthrone3]

There are a lot of dupe recipes out there. If there's certain things you like to eat see it there's a recipe for it. And try new recipes. Keeping it different really helps to keep eating at home instead of eating out. Also, find good deals. Were i live we have a Piggly wiggly. They have a 5 for $20 deal. So I can get meats, cheese, hot dogs, etc and group then up in 5s for $20 each group. Then I plan meals around what I get there.
Keeping it interesting at home and making things you love to get when you eat out really helps.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[MelissaAlice]

P.S. I have an "iCan".
It's a tin can (food can with the label taken off) that sits on top of the cupboard.
Every Saturday I dump all my loose change in there.
At the end of the month, I count up the loose change, exchange whatever makes a banknote, take the change out, and put the bank note in.
Believe it or not... Since about May I've racked up €130, just from doing that.
And you never really "miss" the loose change. (I do sometimes end up with a bulging wallet tho lol)

I have actually started doing this; adding all my loose change to a bank I have on my entertainment stand. It's gotten pretty full very quickly!!