Over budget

Our spending this weekend was a budget nightmare. Not just in groceries but in "entertainment." We had family in town which always requires a little extra cash. Going out, having fun and eating out is a must when people are visiting and that's just what we did. And honestly, I'm not stressing about it. It's going to make this week (and next) a little tougher money wise but with the recent changes I've made, it should be doable. Fingers crossed.

Our groceries added up to roughly $155. Yikes! I think I've figured out why. Because I'm really monitoring what I'm eating (getting close to my goal weight!), I bought some extra items just for myself. This combined with more fruit than the past two weeks is what made for the extra spend. In regards to the fruit, we've noticed a shortage of fruit about mid-week since reducing our grocery budget. Fresh fruit is big at our house and running out wasn't good. While at the store this weekend, we loaded up on fruit. I did weigh everything, actually my son weighed everything (he loves to do that part), in an effort to keep tabs on how much each item would be. But in the end, it all added up pretty quickly and helped bust our budget.

It's hard to get upset about going over budget when it's for items that are good for us. But the fact is, we need to stay on budget. I'm going to look at how to incorporate my special diet needs more economically. I'm also going to accelerate reducing more of the boxed items. For instance the ginger cookies I bought because I had a coupon. Could have saved $3.69 instead of just $1.00 if I had passed on them altogether. And for an item like cookies? Something we should never buy, only make. The cookies not only helped break the budget but break one of my food rules.

So this is still a work in progress. I have a lot more planning to do and strategies to create. And to follow up on my last post about Kashi cereal, it's actually only a .30¢ difference at Target. With the $1 coupon I used I still saved .40¢. Also, I was successful at getting the last few things at Trader Joe's and the Farmers' Market within budget.