Pantry Challenge 2011

Have you been stockpiling over the past year?  I've been picking up freebies as I can get them.  I had cut back to purchasing only two Sunday newspapers until October when I went back to buying four.  I continue to "purchase" the free items at the grocery store if we're going to eat them.  I also try to stockpile grocery items when they are less than a dollar.  

I'm not really interested in using up our stockpile without replenishing it.  We have a workable budget and I think we do pretty good with what we have.  I don't have any plans of decreasing our grocery budget.  I would like to purchase more healthy proteins.  After watching Food Inc., I would really like to add grass-fed beef and free-range chicken to our meals.  In my opinion, these seem to be a healthier option.  I'm still researching cost and soon will make our way to the Whole Foods market and Dekalb Farmers Market to do some price comparisons.  I'm looking into to purchasing fresh eggs from some local people so that will be a little more convenient than driving 30 miles to the Whole Foods.

So here's our pantry and freezer goals this year:

• stay within our $75 weekly budget (this includes toiletries, diapers and wipes)
• continue to purchase seasonal fruit and produce
• continue to "purchase" free grocery items 
• begin purchasing fresh eggs locally ($2-3 a dozen)
• begin purchasing free-range chicken (price is unknown at this point)
• begin purchasing grass-fed beef (hoping to spend no more than $3.50/lb)
• buy hormone-free milk (Walmart started carrying this recently)
• pick our own fruit and berries (last year we picked apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries; this year I'm hoping to add peaches to our list)
• continue baking from scratch (cookies, cakes, pies - but in moderation, we really are trying to eat better and lose some weight)
• make some Pantry Meals based on freezer inventory

Recently, I started sharing Pantry Meals using up some of those store freebies you might not like "as-is".  I made Yakisoba Chicken Noodle Soup a few weeks ago and I'll share a Super Easy Turkey Pie on Saturday. 

This post has been linked to:

• Life as Mom 
• Frugal Follies

Having a Budget

 credit photo: anthonyimages

"We don't have any extra money."

"I hate being on a budget."

Have you said these things?  Most of us have.  Don't be ashamed, I've said them before too!  Sometimes I say these things and then I realize they are not that important.

We don't need EXTRA money.  We need enough to cover our bills and necessities and that's it.  In fact, that's all that God promised us anyway (Matthew 6:25-33, 1 Timothy 6:8)  And what if you do get a little extra money to put into a savings account for a rainy day?  Well, inevitably, something happens and you have to break the piggy bank to get at the money.  

Budgets are what we need to keep us in line and accountable.  If we didn't have one, we'd be over-spending and be completely overwhelmed with debt.  Look at the government and many others around the world as an example.  I'm just saying...

Going to a cash budget envelope system has really been working for us.  I've been pretty lax this last month, but I've not really been grocery shopping like normal.  (We're trying to eat up what we have on hand so I can thaw out the deep freezer).  Having only a specific amount of money to spend at the store helps me make wise choices when spending that cash.  I look for free food after coupons and sales.  I stockpile what I can when I can.  I take advantage of the freebies offered by the drug stores and roll those store rewards to get the best bang for my buck.

Having a budget can be fun.  I try to view it as a challenge, most of the time.  Like I said, I have been guilty of saying I hate to be on a budget, but in the end it's the best thing for us at this time in our lives.  What's most important is putting God first in our life and being content with what we have.   

Do you struggle with your budget?  

This has been linked to:

• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Scrappin' Sunday: Not Just Ordinary Envelopes!

Remember when I told you about the Cash Envelope Budget System?  Recently, another blogger shared her template FREE for everyone to make their own envelopes.  But these aren't just ordinary envelopes, they are so pretty and make me just want to save the cash in them!

I couldn't get the envelope template to download for some reason.  Apparently, Kelleigh was told that yahoo email subscribers were having trouble.  Hopefully they got that fixed and if you want to download the template, you won't have any problems now.

You know how impatient I am by nature, I could not wait for them to fix the problem with my email verification.  So I took a standard envelope apart at the seams.

Then I traced around it onto double-sided pattern scrapbook paper and cut them out with scissors.  Look how pretty they are!

Maybe this will inspire you to save a little money or even to start paying with cold-hard-cash versus whipping out your debit or credit card to pay for things.

Enjoy!

Cash Envelope Budgeting System

Have you tried this "Cash Envelope Budgeting System"? I read about it online and it seems like something my husband and I can implement. According to the instructions, we really need to give it three (3) months to work. So along with our Monthly Totals, I'll include how we're doing on our new Budgeting system. Since we're almost through November, we'll start this in December.

I'd love to hear how you budget your monthly expenses and if you have tried this system. Here's another blogger who also tried it.

Thanks!