Guest post from Jennifer
When I became a stay-at-home-mom, making the leap from two incomes to one was an adjustment to say the least — and my husband and I knew things had to change in order for us to make this work financially.
First and foremost, we knew we had to have a budget.
We discussed where our money should be going and, among other things, decided on a $75 per week grocery budget (his would also include all toiletries, diapers, wipes, etc.)
This was a great concept and I was excited to get started. I confess no actual budget was written down or reviewed each month, it was basically a verbal budget that I was “keeping track of” in my head.
Over time, we learned that verbal budgets don’t work and are a terrible and naive way of having a budget. Sadly, I didn’t realize this for a while!
Every week, I made two major grocery trips: one to Aldi and one to Walmart for price-matching. I told myself that as long as I spent between $25-$35 at each store we were doing good. Many times, I only spent $20-$30 at Aldi so I always thought I was being a good frugal stay-at-home mom.
The truth is, I never really counted the small trips to the Dollar Store, Target, or CVS since I would spend less than $10, and I was getting so much for so little with coupon stacking, and ECB’s. As long as I spent between $20-$35 on each of my big trips each week I was staying within my make-believe budget.
How silly is that concept?
Oh, and I didn’t mention our once to twice-a-month trip to Costco that was never put into my equation. Typing this makes me want to go back in time and slap some sense into myself!
Fast forward…
My husband and I decided that I needed to be the one that paid the bills and managed our finances. We do bill-pay with our bank and everything is set up through e-mail so this task isn’t very time consuming, but it was my turn to manage it all.
We also discussed another budget. You see, we couldn’t figure out where our money was going. Well, we could have by looking at our bank statements, but we never took the time to do so and actually see where we were spending our money.
Since I was deemed the new money manager, I decided it was time to break it all down and see why we weren’t putting money into savings each month. I was shocked, no blown away to see that my” $75 per week” grocery budget was main reason we weren’t saving any money.
In one month alone, I overspent by $260!
All those little trips to Target, the Dollar Tree and CVS added up quickly, to say the least.
This was more than a wake up call, this was an air horn blowing in my face telling me to wake up and take control of our money. Aha!
The real put-on-paper-and-be-accountable-for-our-money plan:
My husband gets paid on the 1st and 15th of every month, so we decided that we would start doing a cash withdrawal from each pay check of $150 for groceries. When I reviewed our bank statements, it was the 6th of the month and I found out I had already spent $130 of the $150 allocated for the first half of the month…yikes!
At this point, I was so disappointed in myself I decided to take the challenge of only spending $20 ($22.78 to be exact) over the next 9 days on groceries and toiletries, and school supplies for my preschooler.
What we did to make it work:
1. I made a meal plan with the food we already had.
I had been doing a weekly meal plan for some time, but it always included a grocery list of items I would have to get to make the meals. This time I made a plan with the food we already had on hand.
A crazy thought, huh? I was amazed to see what we had hiding in our freezers and pantry. I created new meals we never had before and made it work.
2. I saved leftovers and actually ate them!
In the past, I would save leftovers but then on trash day those good intentions went into the garbage. This time, we ate those leftovers.
I also saved food not eaten by my children that was still left on their plates and not touched (things like grapes and peas) and used them for another meal or for snacks. Normally, I would just throw the leftover food in the trash and not give in a second thought.
3. My husband and I drank less milk and soda and more water and tea.
Before, our family would easily go through 5 gallons of milk per week. We had a large glass of milk for every meal, and my kids love milk. That is why I didn’t mess with their milk intake.
I didn’t want to create unhealthy habits for the sake of saving money. However, my husband and I were drinking way above the amount that is recommended, so we cut it down and drank more water and tea.
4. I made food out of food.
Its a wild thought nowadays to make food from scratch… but it works!
I wanted to use a recipe that called for cream of chicken soup but we didn’t have cream of chicken soup. However, we did have all the ingredients needed to make it, and that’s what I did. It’s easy and straight forward.
5. I bought only what we needed for that week.
On the Sunday before my budget overview, our church message was about the Lords Prayer. The section that stuck with me was “Give us this day our daily bread…” Not our monthly bread or stockpile bread but our daily bread.
So often, I tend to stock up on items just because they are on sale, or a great deal with a coupon — and a stocked pantry or freezer is justification on why my grocery bills are larger than they needed to be, or why our savings account was dwindling. But, during these 9 days I took a hard look on what my family actually needed, and it was a lot less than I realized.
I’m not anti-stockpiles by any means, but for my family in this season of our lives, a fully funded savings account will do us more good than 25 boxes of Mac and Cheese. I do plan to take advantage of sales and use coupons on items as long as I can stay within my cash budget and be able to get what we need for that week.
6. I looked around the house for my child’s school supplies.
Thankfully, my oldest son is in preschool, so the supply list was pretty small. He already had a backpack from last year, and Toy Story doesn’t go out of style! I bought off-brand crayons and markers because he’s in preschool. I had a box of ziptop bags in my pantry, and a couple of glue sticks in my craft supplies.
Before my budget A-Ha moment, I would have easily spent $20 or more on school supplies, justifying it as necessary for school, and a one-time purchase. But since I put myself of a cash budget, I spent under $5 and my son still had everything he needed to learn his colors and letters.
7. We had fun with it.
My husband and I like to tease each other and have fun, and this situation was no exception. We didn’t stress out or become angry, we thought outside of the box and made it work.
We survived that 9 days with on $22.78, and on the 15th, I excitedly withdrew my $150 grocery budget for the second half of the month and bought milk immediately! I’m sort of kidding… but I AM happy to say that during the very first month of actually following our budget we were able to put over $300 into our savings account!
Going to a cash budget is hard and sometimes not so fun, especially when you have 3 days left until the next cash withdrawal and you’re counting coins to buy eggs and diapers.
We will have bumps along the way, and may have to dip into next month’s cash in order to buy deodorant. In the long run, though, when we have the savings we need to replace broken-down appliances, mend broken arms, or have a proper family vacation, the extra work and planning will be well worth it.
Jennifer Willis is a stay-at-home-mom of 2 boys. She’s married to her husband, John, and they live in Olathe, Ks.
This post came at the perfect time! Thanks for writing!!! 🙂
I appreciate your perspective on stockpiling 🙂
We’ve been mulling that one around.
Thanks for sharing this…great information! I like to teach clients that a Spending Plan is vital to have in addition to a Budget. A budget does the math. A spending plan controls the flow of your money to ensure the math happens. A spending plan is a simple instruction manual for how your money will flow from the time it is earned…to the time it is saved, spent, or given away!
Chad
http://www.MakingFinancesSimple.com
Great article! We started cash in January and love it! My biggest issue was that by the end of the month, the three kids were complaining that there was nothing to eat for lunch! So this month, I started something new that I love so far. I homeschool, so they eat at home every day. I budget about $1/day for each kid. (My kids are old enough to do this! Toddlers and infants wouldn’t work.).
On September 1, I took them to Aldi and told them they each had $30 to spend on lunch for the whole month. If they run low at the end of the month, they have no one to blame but themselves… I told them each to get several cheap things and then they would have money for a couple “splurge” items. Since 2 kids are teenagers, I also look at this as a good way to prepare for being on their own! They were so happy to find good deals!! And thankfully, they love ramen, so got 12 meals for $2! Then they could get jar Alfredo sauce or whatever might be slightly higher than the daily budget! (My oldest even bought his own bread for sandwiches, even though I told him he didn’t have to, so his brothers couldn’t eat it after they consumed all of mine!!)
I have also been struggling on the “small” $10 trips to Wal-Mart or running through the drive thru. I have tried the envelope system once but it didn’t seem to work for me, mostly because if I was running short somewhere I would just swipe money from one of te other envelopes. Something I was considering was getting a two Walmart money cards, one for me and one for my husband, for our gas purchases, and then also have a different account/card for our groceries. I have not checked on the cards to see how they work or if this would be a possibility. Does anyone else use this method or any of the Money Cards from Walmart to know if this would work?
Loved your article. I too struggle with budgeting when it comes to food. I am planning on starting the Dave Ramsey plan & hopefully start by cutting our groceries to minimal, yet still providing decent meals for my family of 5 (+ friends most days). One way to cut on the food budget is to make breakfast for dinner at least once weekly, it is one of the cheapest dinners to make. I hate spending money on food…it tastes so good but is so darn expensive & just keeps rising, especially the foods that are good for us. Fruits and vegetables are so much more expensive than buying junk food. I joke with my husband that we should just live off supplements…think of all the money we would save…no need for groceries, or a kitchen for that matter. Maybe a small refrigerator to hold cold water for taking the supplements 🙂
Can someone give me some information regarding this Google Docs?? That sounds like a nice way to keep track of our spending instead of investing in a program.
Keep it up…I love the articles and recipes, way to go 🙂
Great article! Lately, my husband and I have talked about going to cash too. We also have a 4 year old and 2 year old and are basically living paycheck to paycheck. I’ve found that sometimes our Costco (Lenexa, KS) has milk cheaper than Aldi so that’s usually where I buy it.
Jennifer, I have been a stay-at-home mom for ever and we have been a one income family the whole time and it has always been some type of struggle or other. The car breaks or someone gets hurt or something. God brings us through it. I have tried to learn to not worry about the small stuff…and money is just that when God is in control. 🙂 Keep up the good work!!
Great post! Up until now I had never used Google Docs – great idea so I just signed up. I need to figure out how much we spend also since we have always had a loose budget. It is also time to get back to using coupons.
I liked this post a lot, but we have problems setting a strict budget because our income is not steady. My husband runs his own business and some months we earn a lot while others we make next to nothing. Building a stockpile during periods of higher income is critical because we live off that stockpile during leaner times. And while having cash in the bank is great, that cash goes further if we buy needed items when prices are low. A combination of stockpile and savings works best for us.
It’s so exciting to me that something as simple as paying attention to where you spent money the previous month can make such a huge difference in how you think about money. I’ve gone through this same “ah-ha” moment when I realize that I spent money the previous month on “good” things, but missed out on the “best” things for our family by losing focus. Thanks so much for sharing your story. Sounds like you’re doing a great job!
I really enjoyed the post of your budget A-Ha moment. We recently became empty nesters & I recall all the incidental costs that arose as our children grew. Being able to be realistic & brutally honest about spending and saving was something I struggled with…you can’t forsee medical costs, broken items, ect. Saving to have it when needed helped us stay out of debt. (My husband helped me stay realistic!)
Thank you so very much for this post! The timing was perfect…I sometimes fall by the wayside with my budget too and it’s good to know it happens to other people too. It’s also a good reminder that you can start again and do it better next time! Thank you again!
I love a cash budget! So much easier to spend “only” what you have!
GREAT POST! One I can really relate to! I have those same thoughts, hesitation toward using a cash system, and accordingly, make the same budgeting mistakes. Please keep these kind of “REAL” posts coming!
Thank you for this inspiring article. My family has tried the envelope cash system half-heartedly in the past without success. I LOVE the idea of using it for groceries and how you make your withdrawals twice a month. I think that will totally work for me and I’m excited to do it. And it gets right to the heart of my over-spending problem which so easily happens on the trips to grocery/drugstores. THANKS!
I am now convicted to make the last of food budget money ($5) last for another 6 days. Fortunately, we have some extra stuff around, so should not be too hard.
We are not milk drinkers, but I had a friend one time who drank 1% and she told me she bought 2% and added water to stretch it. Not sure about taste, but maybe something to experiment with.
Thank you so much for this post. I needed to read this right now. I need to change my spending habits. We are a one income family with 4 boys. My husband gets paid at end of the month. I always thought of myself as a frugal spender. I use coupons with sales and rebates and UP rewards. I like to stockpile when prices are next to nothing. BUT why am I not putting any money into savings then?? It’s because I paid no attention to a budget. I always told myself that I need to get this because it is such a good deal!! Look at how much I just saved! I start out paying with my debit card, but when my checkbook starts getting low (sometimes by the middle of the month already) I would get out the credit cards. Which are now carrying balances. I tried doing the envelope system but could not stick with it. I am going to give it another try. How do you know what a good budget for food is? I seem to get frustrated when it is too low. I have a friend that said a book told her to figure $25 or $30 per person per week. And then how do you figure in a once a month Costco trip that is always about $250!!!
I just finished reading a book called “The Complete Cheapskate,” by Mary Hunt. She describes exactly what your predicament is and how to solve it by making up what she calls a spending plan instead of a budget. She explains thoroughly how to set up a spending plan that includes giving and saving money. Mary also extensively details how to get out of unsecured debt. The thing I really loved is how she pointed out that Americans have really figured out how to shop the sales and get the good deals. We know how to get a bargain, but don’t realize how much we are actually spending. I highly recommend her book. Check it out at your local library for free.
Thanks for the book suggestion. I am going to read it!
$25 to $30 per person each week seems like a lot to me! I spend $75 each week on a family of 5. That includes myself, hubby & 3 teenagers. That also includes toilet paper, deodorant, shampoo, etc. I make a menu every week, and buy exactly what we need. Sometimes I will find a great deal (with a coupon) that I can’t pass up, or I need (for my stockpile), and will get that. I only pay with cash, and bring a calculator to the store with me. When I get near $70, I check out!
Heidi, I understand completely. I started couponing in earnest in 2009. Back then it was easy to get a LOT of products for next to nothing once you figured out how to do it, but I went way overboard. The “ah hah” moment for me came at the end of that year when I was doing my finances and realized I’d spent about the same amount on groceries and household products in 2009 that I’d spent in previous years when I wasn’t coupon clipping and bargain shopping. I had a garage full of stuff that we didn’t need and eventually got tossed. Very wasteful.
I remember once when the large jars of mayonaise were like $.99 after sale/coupon/catalina, so I bought 6 jars. What was I thinking! By the time we finished one jar, I bought another, having forgotten that I had 5 more already. By the time we finished the second jar, the 5 unopened ones were past their expiration dates. The amount I’d paid for those 5 jars was more than what one jar costs when it’s not on sale. That’s when I slapped myself in the head and vowed to stop with the crazy shopping.It isn’t a good deal if it just goes to waste.
Nowadays I keep my grocery budget under control by making a menu plan and buying just what we need for the week. If there’s a super good deal on pantry items that we consume regularly I will pick up a few, but no more stockpiling for me.
I spend about $70/week on groceries for a family of two. I could spend less if I tried harder, and cooked from scratch more, or if we ate less healthy foods, but this amount works just fine for my budget.
Good luck!
Part of it depends on where you live and what your families needs are. But most people can live comfortably on $20-$25 per person per week, and then as you get better at stockpiling, shopping sales, etc. you can bring it lower. The trip to Costco should be a part of that budget tho, not in addition to it. Try to think about WANTS (TV, internet, multiple phone plans, new clothes, etc) Vs. NEEDS (food, medicine, a safe place to live). Then try to find a way to have fun and splurge a little, but not all the time.
starting this! i use my debit card at the store and this will hold me much more accountable!! with adding baby #2 anytime in the next few weeks i have to get it done 🙂
Stikes a cord! I am overspending and I know if I go to a cash envelope it will stop, but I’m scared my budgeted $100 a week won’t be enough. Silly because I know it will, I’m just full of excuses. Thanks for the push!
Great post! My hubby and I also gave up pop and drink more water and tea. Plus, all the sugar from the pop is not good for us anyway. Now pop is only for special outings.
Thanks for sharing! Great read!
Thanks for sharing your story! I’ve been on this ride for 41 months now (being in charge of our family’s finances and following Dave Ramsey/Money Saving Mom) and I still have “Aha!” moments all the time. It’s good to know I’m in good company! 🙂
This is one of the most brilliant posts I’ve read in a while…and I don’t say that lightly. I have so many friends tell me that they don’t need to budget because they are careful with how they spend their money and shop the sales. But I maintain that unless you track your spending in some way, you have NO IDEA how much you are really spending and it is most likely more than you ever thought it was.
I love how you did some very intentional things to help stretch your budget AND had fun with it! Great ideas and inspiring too. Thanks for sharing this.
Very timely post for our family, too. Sure, my grocery budget may be $X on paper but when I’m actually spending $X+$150, that’s not going to work.
Jennifer, your writing style is very engaging. I hope we see more from you in the future.
I would second that- great writing style! I enjoyed this post very much.
Love these posts! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I think we need to switch to a cash system for groceries, because with the debit card, it’s just too easy to spend too much.
Funny you should post about this, b/c I just posted this past Tuesday about how we use cash for the majority of our budget and the benefits that we’ve seen from it. It’s been such a huge help in keeping us on track with our plan for the month. It can be work for sure and you’ll get there, but we have found it to be so worth it so keep up the good work!! MSM has been such an encouragement to us.
I love this! How inspiring!
No need to dip into budget for deodorant. Use baby powder or baking soda or cornstarch under the arms for a temporary fix. When things start to get stinky, rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or even hand sanitizer works to get rid of the odor causing bacteria:) That, or another shower:)
Anne Marie..are you kidding? I live in the Midwest and am peri-menopausal. If I tried to get away without using deodorant on a daily basis, I’d be so offensive I wouldn’t even be able tolerate myself.
Just spend the $1.50-2.00 and buy a dang stick of deodorant, the general public will thank you for it!
I vigorously exercise for 30-60 minutes a day plus chase after my 3 kids. I use corn starch and I don’t stink!
Myself, husband and 2 sons NEED antiperspirant. I have 2 sons that even playing hockey never (and still don’t) need antiperspirant. Everyone is different.
I’m peri-menopausal and this summer my underarm odor has been outrageous. I was wondering if that was a hormonal issue.
Jennifer: It took me a long time to make the change. I use a half of cup of corn starch and the same amount of baking soda. Mix. Powder under your arms after your shower or in the morning. There is no smell and I work hours in the sun on our micro farm and sweat and sweat. The best part is not the price but rather I no longer have any redness or bumps under my arms. They look great and my body is loving it. Try it…you can always go back.
I love your attitude of use what you have. We try to do that often and then we go through periods where we just buy, buy, buy! UGH!!
My only concern is your comment…. “I bought off-brand crayons and markers because he’s in preschool.” Well, I’m a preschool teacher and we request the brand names for markers, crayons and glue because they work better. It’s an impressionable age and when you are teaching a child to glue and the store/off brand isn’t working it’s frustrating for the child. I often end up throwing away almost full glue sticks of the store/off brand because they dry up so quick. As for the markers, they either smear (with the child’s arm) or are difficult to wash off (clothes, tables, skin). The store/off brand of crayons are waxy and don’t color the way the brand ones do. And they break much easier. It’s hard to hold a short crayon…even for a child.
Sometimes it’s difficult to explain to people that I am a preschool teacher…they think of it as a more expensive babysitter. (which is not reflected in my paycheck…I would make more babysitting) So by saying that you could send those store/off brands because he’s in preschool is demeaning to my profession.
But, congratulations for making your income go farther. I stayed home for many years with my children and another one of the reasons I love teaching, besides having an impact on young minds, is that I am there in morning and afternoons for my high school age children.
I didn’t take her off-brand comment to be demeaning. My son’s school didn’t specify what brands to buy so I bought off-brand as well. I have noticed some difference with crayon quality, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting anyone as far as I can tell. Preschool is very important in my opinion. It’s crazy that in my area preschool teachers are paid less.
I am an art teacher, so I totally get where you are coming from about the off-brand art supplies. Your comments about quality are valuable advice for parents to consider as they may not realize that what they are sending to school is working any differently than another brand.
I will personally spend the money for Crayola crayons and Prang watercolors, but I don’t mind a store brand shampoo… though a hairstylist might argue its inferiority. My point is just that when it comes to off brands we each have to personally judge the quality of an item and consider its worth in relation to our own priorities and personal preferences which will be different for everyone. There is also always the hope of finding a lower priced product that is equal in quality to its higher priced cousin.
I was so grateful for my youngest’s completely awesome pre-k teacher! What an important job you have as your students gain their very first impressions of school in your class, and you can have a great influence on their attitude towards learning. Thanks for what you do!
I agree!
I recall being a student and getting severely marked down on geography assignments for using crayons instead of the “recommended, but not required colored pencils”. After my grandma sent me birthday money, I bought colored pencils and I received 100% from there on out. Obviously, this child is in preschool so hopefully the teachers will be understanding, but sometimes it’s important to give your children the tools they need to be successful even if it’s something as seemingly unimporant as colored pencils for a weekly map assignment.
I have been a reader for many years and love these articles. I do have something to ask regarding toiletries,household cleaners and baby care. I never budget for these things as I buy enough TP and paper towels for a year. With shopping the sales I never run out. All my household cleaners are homemade so no cost here. Personal items I find most of our needs at the Dollar Tree. For example I have found brand name shaving cream,bars of soap,toothpaste,brushes etc. I will stock up when they are brand name. Secret/lady speed stick for $1. I will buy 3@ time. For shampoo/conditioner I go to SAMs Club once a year and buy the big bottles that will last us over a year. When my girls were in diapers many years ago there were awesome diaper deals. I was not picky with brand names so Walgreens is what we used. Was able to buy diapers for 3-4 dollars jumbo. Went to all the stores I could and had enough for both girls who came home 4 yrs apart. I do not have time to cut coupons and none of our stores have ever doubled. I also do not play the drug store games. I do ad match at Walmart and buy lots of things at Trader joes. I have really never kept track of what I spend,but I suppose around $400/mos. For the 3 of us. I am a single breadwinner and a Dave Ramsey fan.
I use a google doc to track grocery, household, and other spending. I have a category for each. We don’t use cash envelopes due to the risk of losing them. But this works just as well. After I return home from a shopping trip, I enter the info from the receipt into my google doc. I can track monthly and yearly spending, calculate averages and so forth.
Thanks for the suggestion–not sure why I didn’t think of a Google doc sooner!! I usually lag on keeping track because I don’t get on our desktop computer very often, so i don’t update my excel sheet in a timely manner. 🙂 I use google docs all the time though, so this is perfect!
I love this post! We made exactly the same mistakes, but it took us a lot longer to realize what we were doing wrong! I think it really hit home for us when we totalled up the amount my husband made at his second job in 2011 – $14K. And what did we have to show for it? Zilch. We made more, so we spent more. Now we use cash for groceries and gasoline. We have had to count change sometimes, but it is so worth it to know exactly where our money is going and to have funds for unexpected expenses – like our son’s special shoes and socks he has to have now with his ankle braces he gets in a few days.
Our biggest expense right now is milk. We easily go through 7 gallons a week for five people. One way I have found to save on this is to require the kids to drink a full glass of water before they can have milk or juice. The only time I don’t do this is in the morning at breakfast. It seems to slow them down a little. 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I could of wrote this post myself! True, how fast little shopping trips add up.
I loved the part about the make believe budget!
I did that for years-it’s so easy to think you can’t be going over budget if you’re only spending a dollar here and a dollar there-especially if you don’t use cash.
Great post! These are my favorite kinds, too.
Excellent read! I have done the same thing for years and now I have switched to the cash system for the exact same reason.
Thank you
Thanks so much for this post! I just had my A-ha moment a few weeks ago. We’ve been doing a “budget” for a couple years, but when I really sat down and looked at it, we should be able to put $$350 in our savings account each month. Instead, we’ve been draining our savings account. This post really helped encourage me as we plan to go on a “spending freeze” for the next two months and eat out of our pantry to put some much needed money in savings. Thanks again!
I think we really need to do this as well; a cash budget. It’s far too easy to just keep swiping our debit stripe for all the little things. Also, I shop when I’m bored, so when I’m out walking around the neighbourhood looking for ‘something to do’ with my daughter (1 year old) I often wander into the kids’s consignment shop and get her something new I think she needs, or head to the coffee shop for a latte and read the paper, etc. Our budget for the month is supposed to be about $100 a week for groceries, including diapers and wipes as needed, but I know we spend WAY more than that. >_<
Thanks for sharing with us. I recently had one too, more with groceries than anything. After welcoming our fourth child, I was too scatter-brained to keep up with the finances, so I let go of control of the finances and told hubby that he had to take over. It was really hard for me as I am a strong type -A and don’t really like delegating responsibilities to others…I’d rather do it myself. I told him we needed $400 a month for our family of six. Giving the finances over to him made me realize that I was spending a way more than that. I had always considered myself frugal since I buy in bulk, make things from scratch, and meal-plan, but I didn’t realize that the convenient coffee and scone in the drive-thru for me and my children really added up. I thought that I was still spending frugally since my son and I split our decaf frappuccino and scone, and my daughters split their apple juice and scone. But it was still money not anticipated in our budget. With DH now budgeting, it made me accountable to someone. I realized that the budget I had for our groceries was too little and that our frequent visits to the coffee shop to supplement what we didn’t have at home was too much. Now we have made appropriate adjustments and it’s so much easier to ward off the impulse-monster…POOR STARBUCKS! They’ve lost a huge chunk of business from my A-ha moment. 😉
I loved reading this! We are working on doing the same, however with 2 budgets so we can pile up enough money to sell our home and move closer to my husbands job (He drives 2 hours 1 way and I only drive 5 min!) Anyway I wanted to tell you my boys are 6 & 4, 2 years apart like yours and my boys are also Charlie & Henry (Though Charlie is the oldest and Henry the youngest!)
I wish we could cut down on our milk like that, but it just gets so boring since the only other things we drink are water and juice. My husband loves to add in those water flavors and while they change it up a bit, they’re not healthy to say the least. Not to mention, juice is loaded with sugar, so we’re not really doing our selves any favors there either. 7 gallons of milk a week for a family of four (2 adults, 1 four year old, and a 10 day old) is outrageous. Especially considering milk is $4.35 a gallon!
Consider herbal teas instead of plain water or juice. Instead of drinking juice, just add a bit to your glass of water to flavor it. I find that keeping a jug of water or tea in the fridge encourages me to drink that. I make ice tea by steeping 4 tea bags in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Then I add that to 2 cups of cold water to make a quart. Fill a glass with ice and pour the tea over (this makes it go farther). Sometimes I put a teaspoon of honey in with the tea bags to make it a bit sweet.
You would think we’d be tea drinkers since we’re from the South, but we absolutely hate all forms of tea. It stinks! I’d love to love tea.
Our Aldi’s has milk for $1.99/gal. and everyone else has it for $3.59-$3.99 unless on sale and then still no less than $2.50/gal. Check it out if you have one near you. Great prices on some basics.
the cheapest I’ve ever seen it at our Aldi’s is $3.00/gal. But we live in South Florida. It’s not like we have a lot of dairy farms around. SO shipping is definitely part of the cost.
in pennsylvania, the state sets the minimum amount for the sale of milk, so that’s one thing we can’t buy ‘on sale’. right now 2% is about $3.69/gal. we use about 1 gal/week for the 5 of us, mostly for cereal or sometimes for cooking or making milkshakes for a special treat. we mostly drink water.
I just discovered the low price on Aldi’s milk today! Milk runs $3.39 a gallon for 1% and then today we went to Aldi’s for the first time in years and my daughter pointed to the milk sign that said $1.89 a gallon…I thought it had to be a half gallon and had to read it twice! I am so excited! I really want to go back and check out their other prices as it is further away from me than Walmart, Target and our local grocer but it may be worth it to stop when we are near one and stock up on what we can.
We’re lucky to ever find it under $3.99 at Aldi’s 🙁
In Western New York, BJs seems to have the best price (under $2) even less than Aldi!
I am so jealous!! I wish we had an Aldi’s, Costco, Sam’s Club, etc. nearby. The closest is an Aldi’s which is 1 hour away 🙁
Our Walmart sells their Great Value, 1 gallon of 1% for $2.38, and they price match, every now and then Walgreen’s has it on sale for $2.29 if you have their card. Anywhere else it ranges from $3.49- $4.19 crazy!!
We also were going through a minimum 1 gallon of milk daily & have since started drinking more water & I buy Walmart’s Great Value drink mix (the generic for Crystal Light), you can make 3 gallons for under $2. My family loves the iced tea with lemon, some of the others seem too sweet but by doing this has made our milk last 1 1/2-2 days. (We have 2 adults, a teen & 2 little ones at home & most often have an extra friend or two for dinner).
I usually travel to Aldi’s once a year when we get our tax return & stock up on canned foods/staples. It usually cost me about $300-350 but I have everything I will need for at least the next year.
Wow! That is a lot of milk!! We go through 2 or 3 gallons a week for the 5 of us (kids are 12,9,7 years) and I’d like to cut that down to 1 gallon. Cereal is the big user of it for us. We don’t drink with meals since a spill is inevitable, and the kids fill up on drink and are hungry again 20 minutes after the table is cleared. We don’t do juice b/c it’s so bad for teeth, but we drink lots of herbal teas and occasional seltzers.
Infuse the water with fruits and herbs. Cucumber and mint, citrus with lemongrass, berries and mint. There are a ton of ideas out there!
We just drink water. My 4 kids, my husband, and me. On Friday nights, we have a “special drink”, which might be juice or Sprite or gatorade or anything really. But that’s once a week (my family drinks the whole carton/container at one sitting, cause there are 6 of us). I have one child that drinks a daily glass of milk. And everything else is water.
We are not health nuts, we are not crazy, we were not raised like this. But it makes a HUGE difference in our grocery bill, and I like that I’m raising my kids to drink water. We even just threw a birthday party (for a kid) and only served water. No one complained. It takes a month or two to establish the habit, but it’s a very beneficial one.
Wow… 7 gallons of milk is a lot! That’s a gallon per day.
Sometimes we can get it to 5 or 6 gallons a week, but that’s really pushing it for us. We drink it like air!
Do you have a Rite-Aid or a Walgreen’s close by? That’s where I buy our milk now. It’s usually around $3.50 for a gallon, sometimes as low as $3.35. If I buy it at the grocery store, it’s a dollar more. We’re in New England, also known as land of high food prices:)
That’s a LOT of milk and a LOT of extra calories, so it’s not necessarily doing your kids any harm if you cut back to 8- 16 oz of milk a day. If you’re concerned about their calcium intake, do some research on veggies with calcium. I was surprised to find out that it’s easy to get what I need without eating dairy at all, although I do love my yogurts, cheese, and a small glass of milk once in a while. I guess I am lucky that I love drinking “boring” water! Since store-bought juices can be as bad as soda. Could you invest in a juicer to make some freshly squeezed juices as a treat? I also love to infuse my water with fruit by adding a slice of lemon/ lime/ orange, a few smushed berries, a piece of melon, or whatever I have. I keep a pitcher of water in the fridge and I can change it up daily. Good luck!
We’re not really doing it because of health benefits, we just love milk that much.
We use a gallon of milk per month. We drink water and once you get used to it you do not go back. Add orange slices,limes,lemons,cherries,grapefruit to your water. Plant a mint garden of varying types and add a leaf to your glass. Add a ton of ice to your glass. It is almost fun to discover new additions and very healthy. My children were raised on water and we have virtually no dental bills. Milk in my house is used for cereal . Soda is reserved for dinners out but only sometimes and that is root beer,orange or cream. Colas never (to acidic and rots teeth)
We actually drink lots of water -more than the required amount. We just happen to be big drinkers and smaller eaters I guess. It’s not that we hate water, but we just drink so much of it, we get bored. I’ll definitely try the fruits in it though.
I buy whole milk and add water to it for cooking and cereal….and sometimes to drink if we are low. My kids have never noticed the difference. I also have used powdered milk for cooking.
I enjoyed this post. It is probably just what I needed to read today. I used to monitor my spending, but nausea from pregnancy made me give that up. I was just happy to work, shop, and care for my kids. Now, I am out of work on maternity leave without pay and I really need to get back to tracking my spending and meal plan from my stockpile. I have a budget of $80 for groceries, but anything I can save can go toward bills. I have been adding to my stockpile, but staying in my budget to do so. I’d love to spend around $50 per week until I go back to work – which would mean cutting back on the deals.
It is ok to cut back on deals. I know that sounds horrible but it is true. You will survive. Trust me, I did it and I am still ok!
Thank you! These stories are the best part of moneysavingmom!
I agree!
AGREED!
Ditto!
Yes this post hit home for me. I appreciate the writer’s transparency and it looks like many more people do too! Thanks for the great reminder about how our money can slip out of our hands when we are not paying attention.
yes, it’s easy to have small trips add up! I know some months we are tight on money and I’m using the change jar to buy eggs but it works!! The envelope system definitely helps! I am just this weekend looking at clothes I bought my littlest one and wondering if I really need it. Anything that can go back will and I will continue selling everything else either by having another yard sale or craigslist. I am definitely in a purging mode and have been since the spring. If I could double my $1100 I made I’d be super happy!!
I had this SAME moment not too long ago and am doing the exact same thing as you! I take out my cash grocery budget each time I get paid (2 times per month) and if I get low on cash I stop buying things! We are doing the same with our tiny eating out budget.
So perfect timing. Thanks!