I thought I would give more details this time on how to make your plan for the week. I omit some of my steps when I write here, so this week I will *really* let you know about my process.
The foundation of all of this is a budget. I didn't used to have a strict budget. We used to just buy groceries, go out, spend money...we were living within our means, but I think we would have saved SOOOOOO much money if I had done then what I am doing now.
We recently (last year) discovered Dave Ramsey. His advice is just like everyone else's...but in a slightly different order. It really works. His advice about budgeting is to tell EVERY PENNY of your income where to go in your budget. Start with housing, groceries, transportation, then go to the extras like cable, restaurants, entertainment. In order to do that, you will have to gather 6-12 months of bills, credit card statements...all evidence of your spending habits. I know what our average electricity bill is and I budget for that average every month. If we don't spend all of that, it goes into an allocated savings account for the months (usually the summertime) when our bills are higher than average.
When you set your groceries budget (or any of them), be reasonable. If you have been spending $800 a month on groceries, don't set a budget of $200. You won't make it. You will be discouraged. You need a win. This is where Dave Ramsey is different - he talks about how finances are 20% knowledge and 80% emotion. Give yourself a reasonable amount and try to see if you can spend less than that. If you do, set the bar lower until you find the equilibrium. If you don't, try to analyze what you are doing wrong.
So now that you have your budget, Dave Ramsey recommends using a cash system. Emotionally, laying $100 in cash on the counter to pay for those groceries hurts A LOT more than swiping your plastic. Since we are on a tight budget, I like to buy scrip (grocery store gift cards) from my DD's school so that I am making a "donation" to the school to help pay for some of the extra activities at the school, but it isn't any additional money out of our budget. However you choose to do it, the bottom line is that when the cash is gone, you'd better find a way to make some meals out of what you have in your pantry until next month. Speaking of meals, make a list of the meals that you usually make. I have about 12. I listed all the items I need to make those meals. Stockpile the staples: condensed soup, rice, flour, beans, canned vegetables, pasta, spaghetti sauce...Keep those items on hand so that you can always fill in with fresh ingredients for your meal. Nothing is worse than having lots of food in your pantry, but not having the ability to make any meals because you are missing ingredients.
NOW you are ready to plan your meals. This week, there is LOTS of produce on sale. Blueberries are inexpensive at both Sprouts and Vons, corn is on sale at Sprouts for 25 cents each, watermelon is only 20 cents a pound at Sprouts, zucchini and broccoli are 88 cents per pound at Sprouts, pork chops and flank steak are on sale at Sprouts...I spent $34 on about 3-4 bags of food at Sprouts yesterday!
So our meal plan this week includes flank steak on the grill with corn and salad, pork chops with sweet potatoes and salad, fish (there are some sales at Vons) with couscous and salad, we had burritos/nachos last night, and hot dogs and beans with fruit salad for a quick and easy meal. (Did you notice the salads? Decided my family needed to be eating more fresh veggies. ;-) )
It is an involved process to do this the first time. But once you have done it, you will have more control and more knowledge of your spending habits. And then hopefully more money in your savings account!
Good luck to you!
--Katie
No comments:
Post a Comment