I think it's important to raise grocery budget if it means buying better food, especially if you can afford it. However, if you are going to be doing crock pot meals, more planning, and less junk, you will find that your grocery bill will actually go down. When I gave up junk food, working on a healthier weight loss plan, a pleasant side bonus, I spend far less on groceries. Less junk and no fad eating made such a big difference to my budget. Good luck to everyone just trying to figure out these high prices in 2023, hopefully inflation flattens out somewhat.
My mom always kept ready-to-eat veggies in the fridge (carrots, celery, radishes) for us to snack on. It cuts down on junk food snacking. Carrots and radishes are my favorites. Another plus to that is if you need to throw the carrots and celery in the slow cooker with a roast, they're already prepped.
I don't budget for groceries. I eat from my stock pile both pantry and freezer and I replace what I eat...or if it is something I don't eat often I will wait for it to go on sale. My son does 90%ofmy shopping, so he does go by the list I have given him. That cuts down on impulse buying a lot. The one thing I keep plenty of on hand in the freezer. I usually buy 10lbs. of ground chuck at a time and break it down into 1 lb. and 1/2 lb. packages. You can always find something to fix with that. Good luck with your new budget, Dawn and y'all have a Blessed day.
I supplement my grocery budget with weekly food pantry visits. You get random things, but I think of it as a challenge to try new recipes. If I get a large amount of one thing, I put it away however I need to.
That is absolutely wonderful all of the goals that you have for 2023. My husband took me grocery shopping today and we were able to snag a phenomenal deal at lidl. They had turkeys for 29 cents a pound. We have an upright freezer and we had some freezer room I bought two turkeys 11 lb the other one 14 lb the one cost me $3.11 and the other one cost me $3.45.
Try batch cooking. Make double portions and freeze the second portion. You can defrost your frozen dinner and you’ll have a full meal ready to eat. Plan ahead.
Went to the grocery store this morning… their delivery truck just pulled in so I could see what people shopped before the ice and snow and bitter cold we got over the weekend. Oh my gosh. They sold out of chips, candy, ice cream, cookies… you get the idea. What people didn’t buy was produce. Which is fine by me, because that’s what I went in there to buy. And some milk and coffee creamer. But how sad that people are stocking up on JUNK ! People, that is not real food. We can save lots of we cut that crap out of our lives. And our health will be better as well !!! Here’s to a healthy new 2023 !
@@abbeyl6115 I live in Kentucky. We’re in the top 3 for cancer deaths and obesity. 🤷🏼♀️ I think we have some of the most smokers too. It’s sad to see. 🥺
I love the idea of only shopping at one store a week! I never thought about it, but that would certainly save a lot more money and keep one within budget.
I always ask myself the same questions before I buy anything...Will I eat it, use it, wear it, preserve it, need it, or enjoy it within one week. If the aswer is no...leave it. It sure works for me
Our post-Covid food budget has gone up 90%. We shop primarily at Walmart and get a few items at Publix that aren't available at Walmart. I cook primarily from scratch but we do have some frozen dinners and cans of soup that we'll eat when I don't have the time or energy to cook. At 71, I am glad we have the luxury of doing that. In that budget, we cover eating out and taking our family out to eat. You're a great cook; however, it's good to have some convenience foods as you are so busy. Love to all, Linda
Cost of food is going to higher in 2023, definitely pre-plan, cook larger meals and freeze for later. I roast a chicken and save the breasts to add to soup, Chuck roast I use for cheese steak and portion out leftovers, freeze for later use. We cook large meals and freeze for later, this way we pick what we want. We have zero food waste. Good day to All!
Me too but it sure isn't going to cost no $500/month for 3 people even with inflation....and one of those people is my 6'2" twenty-two year old son and my daughter and myself.
Thank u going to join u on the challenges thanks 😊 for sharing 😘. Lov u 😘 and family 👪 ❤ with 👪 joy peace and happiness always 💖 😊 💕 ❤ frugal queen 👸 voice of a angle heart of 3bless u for ever 💖 🤗❤💛🧡💜💙💚👋
Hello Dawn! I found out that I need to meal plan after I eat all leftovers in my fridge. Helps to reduce food waste. Some leftover dishes I remake into another dish. When I follow this plan, I feel that I don’t need to change my food budget $$$.
I love this! I do the same with meat, I'll cook it simply the first meal then make it into tacos or sandwiches in subsequent meals. Do you have examples of making leftovers new?
Leftover sweet potato is an addition to a meatless grain bowl that includes brown rice sprinkled with a dried herb (I use oregano or Italian seasoning), chunks of bell peppers, baby spinach, olives and cheese I have on hand. I use this as my meatless meal. Leftover turkey I’ll make a simple dish by thickening broth with shreds of meat and heat it through. Serve over bread slices for an open face sandwich.
Errand day today. As usual, I stop by the grocery store to check the prices of frozen foods. We're they incredibly high today! Was fortunate to have found a quality brand chicken pie. Bought a ten serving bag of frozen veggies at $4.30. like my mom, she added veggies to all dinner meals including frozen chicken pies(she often worked two jobs and too tired to cook); the veggies are an inexpensive filler to extend the meals, packed with nutrition and has the fiber to make one feel more 'full'. My goals to lose weight and also eat healthy, staying on budget. Insanity sometimes at it's best.
I have a lot of goals for 2023. I guess I better buckle up for a wild ride! 😜 I have declutter goal, spiritual goal, continued weight loss goal, continue prepping goal, and financial. So for groceries I have set $150 a month for me and $150 for the cats. I have never meal planned, and seldom batched cook. But those are 2 parts to the grocery goal. This week I had made French onion soup which I have eaten 3 times this week so far, and I made chili. Been eating off of that also. I'm like you Dawn, I can eat the same thing all week. Since I will be getting back on my whole food, plant based meals I think I will spend a lot less. And I will batch cook, steaming a lot of veggies and potatoes. I will sit down every Wednesday, see what is on sale, and make a meal plan for the week, then shop and cook on the weekend. I am excited to see how it goes. The cats aren't as excited.
This is more on topic than it might appear. LOL. I fully support changing up things, if for no other reason than what you are doing no longer pleases you. * I watched the most delightful instagram where a woman is being questioned on everything she does in her life, and her answers were: "It pleases me." " It brings me joy." "I like that right now." I watched that video at least five times. I was not raised to live my life "my way." I was raised to always be subject to the opinions of outsiders. That is why this little video grabbed me, and shook my brain. * Isn't it wonderful that she reached the place in her life where she does not feel the need to explain or defend anything she chooses to do? * Let's add that to our 2023 perspective. Make the simple things in life fun, modifying as you go, so it PLEASES YOU. The freedom to simply be ourselves, without judgment, is right in our own hands. Dawn, I love that you take that freedom, and share it with us. You are a master at finding ways to stay in love with life. Thank you for the joy and enthusiasm you share with us. In your modifications, others find inspiration, and often we find a new, better, and fun way to tackle the realities of modern living. Cheers to you! Much love, Dawn. May 2023 be kind to you in all ways.
Thanks Dawn for all the information and thanks to all your great subscribers for their numerous tips. Love from Debbie and Dexter-Dog. It sounds like you have a cold ...if so get well soon.🙏🏡💝😃
You can save money by shopping at several stores in one week if you only purchase sale items you need and as long as you aren’t spending more gas money to travel. Stocking up on sale items saves money too. For example if butter is on sale, I’d purchase more then I need in a week and then I wouldn’t have it on my list for a while and have to pay full price too. I personally save more shopping this way.
Hope you are feeling bettering! It really helped our budget to only do a certain store at a time. Less money, time, and gas. Now that we have a better idea of how much we use, we simply replace what we use and rotate. We always have the ingredients for at least 8 meals. Crockpot meals are great and if we don't want to eat it all, we freeze part for a night we don't want to cook. Good luck on your new budget! Have a Wonderful 2023!❤
Great share, Dawn. I can’t wait to hear what all you have up your sleeve. 🙌. I doubt that we will change our budget, but we do have some changes coming since we now have a deep freezer to work with. 👍
Oh you poor dear ❤ sending you lots of hugs and get well soon wishes🙏 what a trooper you are to make us a video when your ill. Thank you! We are also changing our grocery budget for 2023 but we are going to try lower it. I hope we both succeed 🤞🙏 (rooting for you and wishing you lots of luck on your weight loss journey)
After the new year, I'm going to go thru our pantry and clear out food we haven't eaten, and donate it to a shelter. It's hard to really cut our food budget because there's five of us. We tried meal planning but it didn't go too well. I definitely want to try again and see where it takes us.
I’m going to go three times a month instead of weekly. This does mean less fresh fruit but I’m going to give it my best try. I really only need eggs, milk, dairy and fruit. I buy a huge pack of tortillas at Sam’s once a month and have given up bread unless there is a huge sale. I’ve done that much of 2022. I can’t justify a loaf of bread when it’s just me and my freezer is too full to store breads!
I did pretty well on groceries this year. I still will only shop once a month, for the most part and only at Aldi's, for the most part. There is one store that carries a couple of things Aldi's doesn't. My budget depends on what happens with food stamps. I feel the need to decrease my grocery bill to $200 a month. If food stamps go back to the "regular" rate, I'll have to eat way less...try for $125-$150 a month. That'll still use up my whole COLA increase from Social Security. So, we'll see. If it happens, that's no more stocking up for me. We'll see. What a good and well thought out plan you have! Love you! ❤
I love cabbage. It's so healthy, not only in fiber, but its also one cup shredded has 42% of your daily allowance for Vitamin C. I went to Aldi today, with a list, and only bought a few extras, because of the after Christmas sale items, which didn't add up to much. If you have money left at the end of the month, that can be saved for the future holiday meals or Christmas gifts, kind of like your own Christmas club banks used to have. I remember my Mom had one . 🥰❄☃✝💖🥰❄☃✝💖
We bulk buy and shop every two weeks. Big difference in my budget is that we are almost vegetarian now. Only twice a week we eat meat or chicken or fish. I bake my own bread and make my own cake. I'm trying hard to stop buying processed food and ready meals. I bought an air popcorn maker at the thrift store.$7 Going to make popcorn instead of eating chips and pretzels. Thanks Dawn for your great budget tips. Hope you feel better soon. ❤️
Grocery changes for my 2023 food budget: Bring out the crockpots and cook bone broth, soups, stews, entrees inthe crockpots overnight. A good homemade chicken or beef rib or ham bone broth seasoned with carrots, celery, onions is so delicious vs. a commercial store bought can of chicken broth. My focus will be to add more vegetables, more nutrition to our diets. And I will be mixing up and freezing eggs every week. Egg prices will keep going higher.
You said it!! I live in NM. I went to Walmart to pick up eggs 5.87 for a dozen of extra large. That was the price when I looked up today. Over this past weekend, Christmas weekend, they were 7.84. Ridiculous!!
We could find a 90ct container of large eggs for $10-$11 at Sam’s club. Maybe look at your local Sam’s club? But then again not everyone needs 90 eggs. We buy 2 boxes at a time.
You know what works best for your family. We hardly ever eat out, and I put that under entertainment in my budget. But for 2 of us, we’ve been spending under $300 per months. If I find specials, I buy extra.
I will be lowering ours to 500 instead of 600. Our family won't down to 3 in the house. I completely agree with having a few ready made things on hand. It keeps us from going out.
Hi Dawn, I still have a FLEXIBLE BUDGET which works best for my GROCERY BUDGET. Back in the day ,and I used to go to both stores on the same trip. I changed the shopping trip to different days. For example: If I grocery shop at Kroger one day and I will go to Aldi on another for price difference items. Or if I go to Meijer to grocery shop and I will go to ALDI on another day. I don't go to two different stores on the same grocery shopping 🛒 day. I still take my calculator and coupon file with me when I go grocery shopping 🛒. And I also watch the sale papers for Aldi,Kroger,and Meijer Stores. The store hours for Detroit area Aldi Stores are: 9:00am until 8:00pm from Sunday through Saturday. But when you are in Aldi and make sure to stay out of the Aldi's Find aisle or you break the BUDGET!
Today I tried my only paper product shop. I spent $42.00 and that will last at least 3 months. Next month will be toiletries and the following month cleaning supplies., each category lasting 3 months. Makes me more mindful of what I’m using AND spending. I took the amount off my grocery budget so I know what is left is for food only. I think it’s going to work. I’ll let you know. You always have great tips. I’ll be trying some of those, too. You’re doing great, Dawn! Keep doing what you’re doing and thanks for what you do! ❤
Love cabbage soup! I make it with just cut up chicken thighs and cabbage with lemon grass and salt to taste. Soooo good over rice! For my family of 4 we will increase our grocery budget to $300 a month for the year 2023. Convenience food is always helpful sometimes. We always pick up 2 frozen pizzas and frozen chicken nuggets during our monthly grocery haul because sometimes we’re just too lazy or too busy to cook.
Aldi Finds!! (Shaking my fist like a villain in Scooby-Doo) Huge budget killer! But yogurt...I make yogurt once a week with a gallon of milk (goat milk when I have does in milk, which I don't right now and store-bought whole milk when my does aren't in milk). Heat the whole gallon to 170° in a big pot then pour into 4 Ball Mason jars (widemouth is better because it's super thick), cool to body temp and stir in well 2 Tbsp store-bought plain yogurt (homemade yogurt, once you've made some), put lids on, set in 115-120° oven and leave the door shut. I preheat my oven and when it reaches 120, I shut it off, then every so often, I turn it back on to bring it up to the 115-12]° range, hold that for about 8 hours then let it set overnight. Next morning they will be room temp, just label with the date and stick them in the fridge. You'll never eat better yogurt!
Am trying to pull myself from my downfalls of instant sugared snacks. Made a carrot cake from box. Instead of sugared icing which I don't care for, I used vanilla yogurt as an 'icing', adding only when I had a serving of cake. I did health it up a bit by adding half a grates carrot in. Recently made a move so not ready to go full out on certain baking, cooking. Working soon to finding good homemade cake recipes online.
The only thing I will do differently for my grocery budget is making sure I stay with what is on my list. I used to buy a little extras like snack cakes, but if it is on my list I will buy. Otherwise I will avoid them altogether. My only things I know I will want to keep on hand are milk and bread an occasional meat.
I’m planning on buying some prepared food to keep on hand this winter. I plan on using if I should get sick my family will be able to pop it in the oven and have dinner. It’s cheaper than ordering pizza. I will buy these items within my grocery budget.
Also, you can make yogurt at home using your chosen fat% of milk and some plain yogurt to add to the milk for culture. (RUclips has a great variety of yogurt making videos) Then you can sweeten it and flavor it however you like.
I find that if I keep easy meals in my freezer. Some help the budget while others maybe considered extra spending. But it works for us. I keep a couple or more of frozen items in the freezer, I e. Can bag of chicken casserole, made from leftover chicken or sometimes rotisserie chicken, home made soup, meatloaf, a frozen pizza & frozen fish & or ravioli. These items are much less expensive than eating out when I just don't feel like cooking. This works for us but may seem extravagant to others. We each need to find out what works for us
My food budget went to hell in a handbasket. I budgeted $950 ( included dog food in this ) and just did my year end grocery tab. OMG ...... over $1100 / month. My daughter reminded me that I am also covering my mother's food bill and also gave a lot of food to another child's dating partner as a Christmas gift. My food budget will DEFINITELY be going down in 2023.
I am going to try and stick to a lower grocery bill. I found out going to restaurants and specialty food was making me go over budget. Meal planning with what I have and what is better for my health, the consumption of sugar laden items will have to be in check also, they also cost way more than i need to spend. Scrutinizing cost per meal also will help. thank you for reminding us to keep our budgets in order.
I only shop once a week, try to get everything just once. I plan my meals and that way I buy what I’m going to use for dinners, etc. once a month we do a bigger shopping, like paper towels, toilet paper, shampoos. Or every 2 months. But I always stock up when things are on sale. Great video Dawn. Happy New Year 🥳
I'm going to buckle down on my grocery budget, that's where we really need it. We also need to rotate inventory, so only slight replenish. I'm excited to see my bottom line by the end of the year! Happy holidays!💜🎄🎉
last year I spent on average $47.50 a week, I still manage a good stockpile. this year I'm challenging myself to a 25$ a week budget. I have 3 people in my family, but my daughter buy some of her own treats.
I cannot imagine that my retired, 70 year old family of two would need $500 for groceries, unless that would include eating out and vacation food spending. Your family is different, so I would like to see what you eat in a week.
I'm going to make it an effort to be more detailed on my budget. I ordered a weekly/monthly planner on sale, and I'm looking forward to getting started for the new year. Thanks for sharing and hope you're feeling better! 🙂
I like to make soups and stews and put half in the freezer. It’s so nice on days you don’t have as much time or just don’t feel like cooking. I also started making roasts and it’s so nice to have several days worth. The other thing I’ve recently started is pre prepping my veggies and having them ready to cook for the week. It makes making dinner so much easier.
Heating tip. If your A/C heating vents are on the ceiling, and you have large cold areas along the wall because all of the fins are slanted toward the center of the room, you can carefully bend three or four of the fins closest to the wall "straight" so that some of the heat is directed downward where the furniture is usually positioned. It has made a difference in my home.
Someday I would love to buy whatever I wanted to eat for a month! I just can't do it lol. A well stocked pantry both a blessing and a necessity. Batch cooking is also quite useful. Cook less if you don't like leftovers. Learn to bake and cook things you love from scratch. There are lots of copycat recipes online for your favorites.
I will not even go grocery shopping unless I absolutely must. I'm using "Instacart" because I can't/don't/won't control my impulse buying. Too often I say to myself, "That looks good. I know it isn't on my meal plan, but it is healthy and I want whatever it is." So I believe that a shopping and delivery service will cost me less in the long run. Also I will be using my car less.
Our goal last year was $300/month+$100 extra in Nov and Dec. This was a total of $3800. We were close, coming in at $3844. My husband and I considered increasing it; but decided instead to lower it to $300/month only -- no extra for holiday meals. (Your No Spend for Christmas dinner inspired me.) We are buying food for our “prepper” pantry from which stock will be rotated from. Again, the limit is $300 for a month of supplies. Our goal is to have 3 months to a year’s worth eventually.
I’m going to go back to using bar soap in the shower. I know it lasts longer than liquid (at least in our house). It prob won’t be appreciated, but if they want different they can buy their own. Lol
I'm working on my 2023 budget this week too. About 5 years ago when I realized I had no idea how much $$ I was actually spending - I started tracking every penny I spent. This year my "plan" is to stay the same on my Grocery budget- which is my food, any hygiene & personal care things, pet food & supplies. I am just 1 person family& I spend about $400 month on the things I mentioned.i tried to split out food separately in my budget but I found it too tedious & decided it didn't really change my outcome so I stopped giving myself a headache doing it-- lol . If I eyeball my receipts for a month - I think food = $300 . On it's own.
Guess what? Hearty soups, especially cabbage , are healthy and will help you lose weight too. Don’t most of us need that after the holiday season? I am even planning that this week , in between Christmas and New Year. Eat light on a couple of nights to balance things out. I am overstocked as I usually am at the turn of the year. So in Jan I will be taking inventory and planning meals around what we have. Usually it takes till March to clear most of our stuff from freezer and pantry. I need to cut back on shopping in these 3 months.
Dawn if your grocery budget is $500.00 maybe it should be for food only, I am going down on my grocery bill food is $175.00 $25.00 is paper, plastic, etc., I am doing a 2023 no spend year, now I have $50.00 for needs, I am planning to live on 1/2 my income, and saving 1/2. Remember if you are unable to live with in your income, and save money then it's kind of hard to be frugal.
@@NMWoman I have one pantry I can go to that doesn’t have an income requirement. However, I feel bad using it. I’ve been watching videos on how to make food on a budget. It’s just scary with the cost of food going up.
I think it's important to raise grocery budget if it means buying better food, especially if you can afford it.
However, if you are going to be doing crock pot meals, more planning, and less junk, you will find that your grocery bill will actually go down.
When I gave up junk food, working on a healthier weight loss plan, a pleasant side bonus, I spend far less on groceries.
Less junk and no fad eating made such a big difference to my budget.
Good luck to everyone just trying to figure out these high prices in 2023, hopefully inflation flattens out somewhat.
My mom always kept ready-to-eat veggies in the fridge (carrots, celery, radishes) for us to snack on. It cuts down on junk food snacking. Carrots and radishes are my favorites. Another plus to that is if you need to throw the carrots and celery in the slow cooker with a roast, they're already prepped.
Yes ! For sure !!
Oh thanks! I always forget radishes and they're so inexpensive!
@@loripark6391
Super easy to grow too 😁
@@loripark6391 I could eat a whole bag of radishes in one sitting. I don't, but I could.
Cabbage and carrots keep for a long time. Great in soups, stews, roast and salads
Ooo...feel better soon.
I don't budget for groceries. I eat from my stock pile both pantry and freezer and I replace what I eat...or if it is something I don't eat often I will wait for it to go on sale. My son does 90%ofmy shopping, so he does go by the list I have given him. That cuts down on impulse buying a lot. The one thing I keep plenty of on hand in the freezer. I usually buy 10lbs. of ground chuck at a time and break it down into 1 lb. and 1/2 lb. packages. You can always find something to fix with that. Good luck with your new budget, Dawn and y'all have a Blessed day.
I supplement my grocery budget with weekly food pantry visits. You get random things, but I think of it as a challenge to try new recipes. If I get a large amount of one thing, I put it away however I need to.
That is absolutely wonderful all of the goals that you have for 2023. My husband took me grocery shopping today and we were able to snag a phenomenal deal at lidl. They had turkeys for 29 cents a pound. We have an upright freezer and we had some freezer room I bought two turkeys 11 lb the other one 14 lb the one cost me $3.11 and the other one cost me $3.45.
Dang, I would have bought as many as I could have fit in my freezers.
@@lovelife7343 yes, two was our limit. That was all we could fit
WOW!!!
That is awesome!
Wow! Am not surprised as usually after the holidays there are deals
Try batch cooking. Make double portions and freeze the second portion. You can defrost your frozen dinner and you’ll have a full meal ready to eat. Plan ahead.
Went to the grocery store this morning… their delivery truck just pulled in so I could see what people shopped before the ice and snow and bitter cold we got over the weekend. Oh my gosh. They sold out of chips, candy, ice cream, cookies… you get the idea. What people didn’t buy was produce. Which is fine by me, because that’s what I went in there to buy. And some milk and coffee creamer. But how sad that people are stocking up on JUNK ! People, that is not real food. We can save lots of we cut that crap out of our lives. And our health will be better as well !!! Here’s to a healthy new 2023 !
Agreed. At least balance out the junk with some produce.
@@abbeyl6115
I live in Kentucky. We’re in the top 3 for cancer deaths and obesity. 🤷🏼♀️
I think we have some of the most smokers too. It’s sad to see. 🥺
I love the idea of only shopping at one store a week! I never thought about it, but that would certainly save a lot more money and keep one within budget.
I always ask myself the same questions before I buy anything...Will I eat it, use it, wear it, preserve it, need it, or enjoy it within one week. If the aswer is no...leave it. It sure works for me
That's really good advice! I used to have a little Post It note on my debit card that had similar questions on it. I need to write a new one!
Our post-Covid food budget has gone up 90%. We shop primarily at Walmart and get a few items at Publix that aren't available at Walmart. I cook primarily from scratch but we do have some frozen dinners and cans of soup that we'll eat when I don't have the time or energy to cook. At 71, I am glad we have the luxury of doing that. In that budget, we cover eating out and taking our family out to eat. You're a great cook; however, it's good to have some convenience foods as you are so busy. Love to all, Linda
Sounds like you have a cold. Hope you take care of yourself.
Cost of food is going to higher in 2023, definitely pre-plan, cook larger meals and freeze for later. I roast a chicken and save the breasts to add to soup, Chuck roast I use for cheese steak and portion out leftovers, freeze for later use. We cook large meals and freeze for later, this way we pick what we want. We have zero food waste.
Good day to All!
The only thing I'll make sure to do , like you , is keep extra of the things I use regularly.
Me too but it sure isn't going to cost no $500/month for 3 people even with inflation....and one of those people is my 6'2" twenty-two year old son and my daughter and myself.
That is so smart
Thank u going to join u on the challenges thanks 😊 for sharing 😘. Lov u 😘 and family 👪 ❤ with 👪 joy peace and happiness always 💖 😊 💕 ❤ frugal queen 👸 voice of a angle heart of 3bless u for ever 💖 🤗❤💛🧡💜💙💚👋
Hello Dawn! I found out that I need to meal plan after I eat all leftovers in my fridge. Helps to reduce food waste. Some leftover dishes I remake into another dish. When I follow this plan, I feel that I don’t need to change my food budget $$$.
I love this! I do the same with meat, I'll cook it simply the first meal then make it into tacos or sandwiches in subsequent meals. Do you have examples of making leftovers new?
How smart
Leftover sweet potato is an addition to a meatless grain bowl that includes brown rice sprinkled with a dried herb (I use oregano or Italian seasoning), chunks of bell peppers, baby spinach, olives and cheese I have on hand. I use this as my meatless meal. Leftover turkey I’ll make a simple dish by thickening broth with shreds of meat and heat it through. Serve over bread slices for an open face sandwich.
Errand day today. As usual, I stop by the grocery store to check the prices of frozen foods. We're they incredibly high today! Was fortunate to have found a quality brand chicken pie. Bought a ten serving bag of frozen veggies at $4.30. like my mom, she added veggies to all dinner meals including frozen chicken pies(she often worked two jobs and too tired to cook); the veggies are an inexpensive filler to extend the meals, packed with nutrition and has the fiber to make one feel more 'full'. My goals to lose weight and also eat healthy, staying on budget. Insanity sometimes at it's best.
I have a lot of goals for 2023. I guess I better buckle up for a wild ride! 😜
I have declutter goal, spiritual goal, continued weight loss goal, continue prepping goal, and financial.
So for groceries I have set $150 a month for me and $150 for the cats. I have never meal planned, and seldom batched cook. But those are 2 parts to the grocery goal. This week I had made French onion soup which I have eaten 3 times this week so far, and I made chili. Been eating off of that also. I'm like you Dawn, I can eat the same thing all week.
Since I will be getting back on my whole food, plant based meals I think I will spend a lot less. And I will batch cook, steaming a lot of veggies and potatoes. I will sit down every Wednesday, see what is on sale, and make a meal plan for the week, then shop and cook on the weekend. I am excited to see how it goes. The cats aren't as excited.
This is more on topic than it might appear. LOL. I fully support changing up things, if for no other reason than what you are doing no longer pleases you. * I watched the most delightful instagram where a woman is being questioned on everything she does in her life, and her answers were: "It pleases me." " It brings me joy." "I like that right now." I watched that video at least five times. I was not raised to live my life "my way." I was raised to always be subject to the opinions of outsiders. That is why this little video grabbed me, and shook my brain. * Isn't it wonderful that she reached the place in her life where she does not feel the need to explain or defend anything she chooses to do? * Let's add that to our 2023 perspective. Make the simple things in life fun, modifying as you go, so it PLEASES YOU. The freedom to simply be ourselves, without judgment, is right in our own hands. Dawn, I love that you take that freedom, and share it with us. You are a master at finding ways to stay in love with life. Thank you for the joy and enthusiasm you share with us. In your modifications, others find inspiration, and often we find a new, better, and fun way to tackle the realities of modern living. Cheers to you! Much love, Dawn. May 2023 be kind to you in all ways.
I love you
Can you share the link?
@@nancyshrout-wankowski7147 I am so sorry. I am unable to retrieve it, but it was very beautiful.
Thanks Dawn for all the information and thanks to all your great subscribers for their numerous tips. Love from Debbie and Dexter-Dog. It sounds like you have a cold ...if so get well soon.🙏🏡💝😃
Love you too
You can save money by shopping at several stores in one week if you only purchase sale items you need and as long as you aren’t spending more gas money to travel. Stocking up on sale items saves money too. For example if butter is on sale, I’d purchase more then I need in a week and then I wouldn’t have it on my list for a while and have to pay full price too. I personally save more shopping this way.
agree
Thanks for sharing!!
Hope you are feeling bettering! It really helped our budget to only do a certain store at a time. Less money, time, and gas. Now that we have a better idea of how much we use, we simply replace what we use and rotate. We always have the ingredients for at least 8 meals. Crockpot meals are great and if we don't want to eat it all, we freeze part for a night we don't want to cook. Good luck on your new budget! Have a Wonderful 2023!❤
Great share, Dawn. I can’t wait to hear what all you have up your sleeve. 🙌. I doubt that we will change our budget, but we do have some changes coming since we now have a deep freezer to work with. 👍
Oh you poor dear ❤ sending you lots of hugs and get well soon wishes🙏 what a trooper you are to make us a video when your ill. Thank you! We are also changing our grocery budget for 2023 but we are going to try lower it. I hope we both succeed 🤞🙏 (rooting for you and wishing you lots of luck on your weight loss journey)
I am just fine . Thank you
@@CentsibleLivingWithMoneyMom sorry thought you were sick 😢
After the new year, I'm going to go thru our pantry and clear out food we haven't eaten, and donate it to a shelter. It's hard to really cut our food budget because there's five of us. We tried meal planning but it didn't go too well. I definitely want to try again and see where it takes us.
Brittany, try letting each family member pick one meal for each week, that’s five days meals planned and everyone gets their favorite one day.
Donating is a wonderful thing to do.
I’m going to go three times a month instead of weekly. This does mean less fresh fruit but I’m going to give it my best try. I really only need eggs, milk, dairy and fruit. I buy a huge pack of tortillas at Sam’s once a month and have given up bread unless there is a huge sale. I’ve done that much of 2022. I can’t justify a loaf of bread when it’s just me and my freezer is too full to store breads!
I did pretty well on groceries this year. I still will only shop once a month, for the most part and only at Aldi's, for the most part. There is one store that carries a couple of things Aldi's doesn't. My budget depends on what happens with food stamps. I feel the need to decrease my grocery bill to $200 a month. If food stamps go back to the "regular" rate, I'll have to eat way less...try for $125-$150 a month. That'll still use up my whole COLA increase from Social Security. So, we'll see. If it happens, that's no more stocking up for me. We'll see.
What a good and well thought out plan you have! Love you! ❤
You are doing great
I love cabbage. It's so healthy, not only in fiber, but its also one cup shredded has 42% of your daily allowance for Vitamin C. I went to Aldi today, with a list, and only bought a few extras, because of the after Christmas sale items, which didn't add up to much. If you have money left at the end of the month, that can be saved for the future holiday meals or Christmas gifts, kind of like your own Christmas club banks used to have. I remember my Mom had one . 🥰❄☃✝💖🥰❄☃✝💖
I like stuffed cabbage
We bulk buy and shop every two weeks. Big difference in my budget is that we are almost vegetarian now. Only twice a week we eat meat or chicken or fish.
I bake my own bread and make my own cake. I'm trying hard to stop buying processed food and ready meals. I bought an air popcorn maker at the thrift store.$7 Going to make popcorn instead of eating chips and pretzels. Thanks Dawn for your great budget tips. Hope you feel better soon. ❤️
Grocery changes for my 2023 food budget: Bring out the crockpots and cook bone broth, soups, stews, entrees inthe crockpots overnight. A good homemade chicken or beef rib or ham bone broth seasoned with carrots, celery, onions is so delicious vs. a commercial store bought can of chicken broth. My focus will be to add more vegetables, more nutrition to our diets. And I will be mixing up and freezing eggs every week. Egg prices will keep going higher.
Sounds great!
You said it!! I live in NM. I went to Walmart to pick up eggs 5.87 for a dozen of extra large. That was the price when I looked up today. Over this past weekend, Christmas weekend, they were 7.84. Ridiculous!!
We could find a 90ct container of large eggs for $10-$11 at Sam’s club. Maybe look at your local Sam’s club? But then again not everyone needs 90 eggs. We buy 2 boxes at a time.
You know what works best for your family. We hardly ever eat out, and I put that under entertainment in my budget. But for 2 of us, we’ve been spending under $300 per months. If I find specials, I buy extra.
I will be lowering ours to 500 instead of 600. Our family won't down to 3 in the house. I completely agree with having a few ready made things on hand. It keeps us from going out.
Hi Dawn,
I still have a FLEXIBLE BUDGET which works best for my GROCERY BUDGET. Back in the day ,and I used to go to both stores on the same trip. I changed the shopping trip to different days. For example:
If I grocery shop at Kroger one day and I will go to Aldi on another for price difference items. Or if I go to Meijer to grocery shop and I will go to ALDI on another day. I don't go to two different stores on the same grocery shopping 🛒 day. I still take my calculator and coupon file with me when I go grocery shopping 🛒. And I also watch the sale papers for Aldi,Kroger,and Meijer Stores. The store hours for Detroit area Aldi Stores are:
9:00am until 8:00pm from Sunday through Saturday. But when you are in Aldi and make sure to stay out of the Aldi's Find aisle or you break the BUDGET!
You are so smart
Today I tried my only paper product shop. I spent $42.00 and that will last at least 3 months. Next month will be toiletries and the following month cleaning supplies., each category lasting 3 months. Makes me more mindful of what I’m using AND spending. I took the amount off my grocery budget so I know what is left is for food only. I think it’s going to work. I’ll let you know. You always have great tips. I’ll be trying some of those, too. You’re doing great, Dawn! Keep doing what you’re doing and thanks for what you do! ❤
Thank you my dear
Your skin looks so lovely in this video.
Thank you
Love cabbage soup! I make it with just cut up chicken thighs and cabbage with lemon grass and salt to taste. Soooo good over rice! For my family of 4 we will increase our grocery budget to $300 a month for the year 2023. Convenience food is always helpful sometimes. We always pick up 2 frozen pizzas and frozen chicken nuggets during our monthly grocery haul because sometimes we’re just too lazy or too busy to cook.
Yummy
Aldi Finds!! (Shaking my fist like a villain in Scooby-Doo) Huge budget killer!
But yogurt...I make yogurt once a week with a gallon of milk (goat milk when I have does in milk, which I don't right now and store-bought whole milk when my does aren't in milk). Heat the whole gallon to 170° in a big pot then pour into 4 Ball Mason jars (widemouth is better because it's super thick), cool to body temp and stir in well 2 Tbsp store-bought plain yogurt (homemade yogurt, once you've made some), put lids on, set in 115-120° oven and leave the door shut. I preheat my oven and when it reaches 120, I shut it off, then every so often, I turn it back on to bring it up to the 115-12]° range, hold that for about 8 hours then let it set overnight. Next morning they will be room temp, just label with the date and stick them in the fridge. You'll never eat better yogurt!
For an easier version you can also make the homemade yogurt in a crock pot and not have to fool around with the temp of the oven
I make yogurt in.my slow cooker it is so good
I just completely stay out of the Aldi finds aisle. They usually don't have anything that I need, and it cuts way down on impulse purchases.
Am trying to pull myself from my downfalls of instant sugared snacks. Made a carrot cake from box. Instead of sugared icing which I don't care for, I used vanilla yogurt as an 'icing', adding only when I had a serving of cake. I did health it up a bit by adding half a grates carrot in. Recently made a move so not ready to go full out on certain baking, cooking. Working soon to finding good homemade cake recipes online.
Thank you for the budget thoughts. Why did you stop your diet? Your weight loss was so encouraging to me.
I have news on Jan 1st
The only thing I will do differently for my grocery budget is making sure I stay with what is on my list. I used to buy a little extras like snack cakes, but if it is on my list I will buy. Otherwise I will avoid them altogether. My only things I know I will want to keep on hand are milk and bread an occasional meat.
I’m planning on buying some prepared food to keep on hand this winter. I plan on using if I should get sick my family will be able to pop it in the oven and have dinner. It’s cheaper than ordering pizza. I will buy these items within my grocery budget.
I think that is so smart
Also, you can make yogurt at home using your chosen fat% of milk and some plain yogurt to add to the milk for culture. (RUclips has a great variety of yogurt making videos) Then you can sweeten it and flavor it however you like.
I have done this. It is good
Given the rapid increase in the price of food, it make sense to increase your monthly budget
Great idea's
I find that if I keep easy meals in my freezer. Some help the budget while others maybe considered extra spending. But it works for us. I keep a couple or more of frozen items in the freezer, I e. Can bag of chicken casserole, made from leftover chicken or sometimes rotisserie chicken, home made soup, meatloaf, a frozen pizza & frozen fish & or ravioli. These items are much less expensive than eating out when I just don't feel like cooking.
This works for us but may seem extravagant to others. We each need to find out what works for us
My 2023 goals are to continue making more meal prep from scratch.
I really haven't figured out a budget for groceries, although I don't spend very much and am pretty frugal, thanks for all your encouragement!
You are so welcome!
My food budget went to hell in a handbasket. I budgeted $950 ( included dog food in this ) and just did my year end grocery tab. OMG ...... over $1100 / month.
My daughter reminded me that I am also covering my mother's food bill and also gave a lot of food to another child's dating partner as a Christmas gift. My food budget will DEFINITELY be going down in 2023.
It is okay. We can always do better in 2023
Pet food has really gone up
May you reap blessings for your generosity. It was well done.
I am going to try and stick to a lower grocery bill. I found out going to restaurants and specialty food was making me go over budget. Meal planning with what I have and what is better for my health, the consumption of sugar laden items will have to be in check also, they also cost way more than i need to spend. Scrutinizing cost per meal also will help. thank you for reminding us to keep our budgets in order.
That makes sense
I only shop once a week, try to get everything just once. I plan my meals and that way I buy what I’m going to use for dinners, etc. once a month we do a bigger shopping, like paper towels, toilet paper, shampoos. Or every 2 months. But I always stock up when things are on sale. Great video Dawn. Happy New Year 🥳
I'm going to buckle down on my grocery budget, that's where we really need it. We also need to rotate inventory, so only slight replenish. I'm excited to see my bottom line by the end of the year! Happy holidays!💜🎄🎉
your cold sounds no fun....get better asap!! huggles
last year I spent on average $47.50 a week, I still manage a good stockpile. this year I'm challenging myself to a 25$ a week budget. I have 3 people in my family, but my daughter buy some of her own treats.
Nice work!
I cannot imagine that my retired, 70 year old family of two would need $500 for groceries, unless that would include eating out and vacation food spending. Your family is different, so I would like to see what you eat in a week.
Hope you feel better soon. Sounds like you need a nettipot.
Sounds good, I need to implement these
I'm going to make it an effort to be more detailed on my budget. I ordered a weekly/monthly planner on sale, and I'm looking forward to getting started for the new year. Thanks for sharing and hope you're feeling better! 🙂
That's a great idea!
I like to make soups and stews and put half in the freezer. It’s so nice on days you don’t have as much time or just don’t feel like cooking. I also started making roasts and it’s so nice to have several days worth. The other thing I’ve recently started is pre prepping my veggies and having them ready to cook for the week. It makes making dinner so much easier.
Heating tip. If your A/C heating vents are on the ceiling, and you have large cold areas along the wall because all of the fins are slanted toward the center of the room, you can carefully bend three or four of the fins closest to the wall "straight" so that some of the heat is directed downward where the furniture is usually positioned. It has made a difference in my home.
Mine have adjustable fins!
@@paulahastings7865 Lucky woman. All of my vents are fashioned from a single sheet of metal - so all of the fins are "fixed."
Someday I would love to buy whatever I wanted to eat for a month! I just can't do it lol. A well stocked pantry both a blessing and a necessity. Batch cooking is also quite useful. Cook less if you don't like leftovers. Learn to bake and cook things you love from scratch. There are lots of copycat recipes online for your favorites.
I will not even go grocery shopping unless I absolutely must. I'm using "Instacart" because I can't/don't/won't control my impulse buying. Too often I say to myself, "That looks good. I know it isn't on my meal plan, but it is healthy and I want whatever it is." So I believe that a shopping and delivery service will cost me less in the long run. Also I will be using my car less.
Our goal last year was $300/month+$100 extra in Nov and Dec. This was a total of $3800. We were close, coming in at $3844.
My husband and I considered increasing it; but decided instead to lower it to $300/month only -- no extra for holiday meals. (Your No Spend for Christmas dinner inspired me.)
We are buying food for our “prepper” pantry from which stock will be rotated from. Again, the limit is $300 for a month of supplies. Our goal is to have 3 months to a year’s worth eventually.
That is fantastic
Great job!
We will be spending 500 dollars a month too Dawn! 😊
I’m going to go back to using bar soap in the shower. I know it lasts longer than liquid (at least in our house). It prob won’t be appreciated, but if they want different they can buy their own. Lol
Looking forward to ur follow up
I'm working on my 2023 budget this week too.
About 5 years ago when I realized I had no idea how much $$ I was actually spending - I started tracking every penny I spent. This year my "plan" is to stay the same on my Grocery budget- which is my food, any hygiene & personal care things, pet food & supplies. I am just 1 person family& I spend about $400 month on the things I mentioned.i tried to split out food separately in my budget but I found it too tedious & decided it didn't really change my outcome so I stopped giving myself a headache doing it-- lol . If I eyeball my receipts for a month - I think food = $300 . On it's own.
Guess what? Hearty soups, especially cabbage , are healthy and will help you lose weight too. Don’t most of us need that after the holiday season? I am even planning that this week , in between Christmas and New Year. Eat light on a couple of nights to balance things out.
I am overstocked as I usually am at the turn of the year. So in Jan I will be taking inventory and planning meals around what we have. Usually it takes till March to clear most of our stuff from freezer and pantry. I need to cut back on shopping in these 3 months.
😊
My hubby and I are doing the Whole 30 in January. I’m hoping to spend less money.
Thar is fantastic
Your plans sound great, Dawn! I want to do a better job of meal planning
You can do it!
Dawn if your grocery budget is $500.00 maybe it should be for food only, I am going down on my grocery bill food is $175.00 $25.00 is paper, plastic, etc., I am doing a 2023 no spend year, now I have $50.00 for needs, I am planning to live on 1/2 my income, and saving 1/2. Remember if you are unable to live with in your income, and save money then it's kind of hard to be frugal.
Yes, you are so right. It is personal finance.
I noticed Aldis is not that cheap anymore.😢
for sure
I need to use everything in our deep frezze and pantry
I am in trouble. I only have $100 per month for groceries for myself . Honestly, I am scared.
I think it can be done
Call local food pantries to see what their requirements are. Find out if you qualify for SNAP (Food Stamps).
@@NMWoman I have one pantry I can go to that doesn’t have an income requirement. However, I feel bad using it. I’ve been watching videos on how to make food on a budget. It’s just scary with the cost of food going up.
Don’t ever feel bad about going to a food pantry…they want to help.