I spent $620.79 in January on groceries, household goods, dog food and diapers for my 3 year old but we only ate out once for $10. Family of 5 and my husband takes his lunch to work every day. I am so proud of that! We went from spending $1200+ and unfortunately wasting a lot of food to spending much less because I learned how to cook from scratch and be more creative in the kitchen, and freeze leftovers to combine into new meals/soups etc. your channel has been a great inspiration to me!
@@homemadesimplewithlori split pizza with extended family 😆 we will probably eat our some next month but we were on a full spending freeze for this month to save as much as possible!
Family of 5 here also! Spent $800CAD ($595 USD) for a family of 5! Used to spend $1200CAD easily ($890USD). I’m going to try to reduce even further- maybe get down to $500USD since we’ve still been buying chips etc.
We have 9 people in our home and our grocery budget is 1000, our oldest just moved out but we have not changed the budget. Our home budget is 100 monthly. We have children from two to eighteen still living here at home, and have a small kitchen garden that I can a bit from. I have found canning beans, vegetables, and sale meats allows us to have more of our favorites and still be within budget.
When I think about going out to eat, I think about these things… we have $200,000+ left on the mortgage, $90,000 of home maintenance on the back burner, 3 kids to help go to college, 2 potential future weddings to pay for. If I cook some fun food here and there, hubby is just fine eating all meals at home and packing a lunch when we need to eat on the road. Friday I wanted burgers and onion rings. I stopped in at Aldi and spent an extra $10. Family was ecstatic. It wasn’t quite Red Robin onion rings but it was great nonetheless!
Thank you for always being authentic, vulnerable, and intentionally forthright in your videos. It really is rare this day & age. You are amazing and such a gift to us. ❤❤❤
Family of 5 - we did a pantry challenge and only bought what we had to and items that were really discounted that we knew would be needed in future months. 277.34 on groceries $12.16 on eating out $35.90 on household supplies $31.77 on winter food and extra bedding supplies for our pet rabbit. Those will last months.
Just as of this month, we increased the grocery budget from $350 to $400. We feed 2 adults and a 3-yr old. However, this number includes all the paper products, toiletries, pullups, etc. We also host a monthly group Bible study for about 30 people and I have been furnishing the meal, but have recently gotten others to help with some parts of the meal. So the bump in the budget has give me some breathing room, which is really nice!
I'm trying to spend less, and one of my strategies is to shop for groceries (big trip) twice a month instead of weekly, if possible. Then just filling in if I need more perishables between trips. Fewer trips = fewer temptations = learning to make better use of what's in the pantry. Also, fill out those surveys on the Aldi receipts. I've said for years that I never win anything, but I won an Aldi gift card this month!
You did?????? That’s so good! I think twice a month is a good plan. I tried that a while back and it didn’t go great but maybe I can do better now. You’re right. The less trips in the less money goes out!
@@homemadesimplewithlori back when my kids were all home, I had a Sam's membership and a freezer and shopped once a month, just filling in as needed. The kids are grown now and the 30-plus-year-old freezer died. I don't have the freezer space I once did, so I'm trying twice a month, but it would be great if I could get back to that monthly plan!
Thank you for being so transparent. I need to start separating the household items also. We have a lot of animals also, but not large animals. I keep a list of all animal expenses; food, litter, medicine, supplies. This may be too personal but I’d like to see how you do your budget. I love how you lean toward simplicity without being extreme.
I'm a mom of 2 teenagers and when they go to the store with me oh my. I agree with everything you said. Cash is better for me and big shopping just by myself. I am a couponer so I do add household with my groceries. Some people I know have a snack food budget that might be an idea I use for this year.
There is a big difference between just feeding your animals and not using them in the end game and feeding them for processing them for consumption. ie...eggs from the chickens, milk from the cow and goats and meat from them all. Also there is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while. Just not every day. You def need separate categories for groceries and household goods as well as the animals. Make as many as you need for your family. It is hard to shop with others when they want everything they see. LOL Do the best you can and don't stress over it. Work on long term storage of things you and your family eats that last forever. ie.. beans, rice, pasta that sort of thing. You're doing great!!
what i do to save costs is to run down my pantry and freezer , then make a list and fully stock them again , after that only buy what you need like bread and milk and small things.
Lori, you did awesome on your grocery budget. I have a budget of $700 with 5 adults/teens 2 of the teens are boys and they eat more than my husband and I put together. My husband goes with me shopping all the time because he has late stage dementia and can't be left alone but with taking him with me he does pick out things that he will eat he is picky and pretty much only wants processed freezer foods and even if I makehim some homemade convenience foods he doesn't want it he wants the stuff from the freezer section part of it is he has paranoia at this stage and he doesn't trust people cooking for him. I think i might try to cut the food budget in other areas I just have to figure out what we are going to cut the other thing is my husband and I eat all meals at home and my teens eat all breakfast and dinners at home during the week they get free lunch at school and on the weekend we all eat at home. I got 6 pounds of chicken breast for $6.01 so that was one good deal but i also got the walmart family size frozen sausage patties 20 in a bag for $2.50 a bag i bought 4 bags we already cleared a bag out of the freezerbecause last week we had breakfast sandwiches 3 or 4 days because we had 8 inches of snow in Tennessee one other good deal I got today was jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches 8 count in the box for $2.75 a box I got 2 boxes and I also got big bags of temptation cat treats for 99 cents they are close to $5 for the big bags got 2 I figured the cat would have treats for a while. Lori you got this and i will help motivate you and hopefully make some changes in my budget . Take care and stay safe friend!
You crushed it on groceries! I can relate to several of your points: cash spending this month helped us save so much. Also, animals are so expensive! We had to let go of our goats when we realized what we were spending on them Va the little bit of milk we got. It was a fun season, but I’m glad it’s over!
We are a family of 5. Right now our teenager is staying with my parents while we are rebuilding so I purchased $128 worth of convenience foods for him that I normally don't buy. In total I spent $431 on groceries in January. We also ate out twice for a total of $40 that isn't included in the grocery budget. Also, $78 of the above amount was spent at biglots on clearance snacks and cereal. Right now we are still working on rebuilding our house so I am not able to cook from scratch as much as I usually do. I am trying to get back to my normal cooking routine. All we can do is try our best and make improvements as we go. Thanks for the content.
Good for you! Thank you for being honest. Because eating out is important, make that a separate line item. Put that amount in cash, in an envelope. When it has been spent, you are finished for the month. Make provision for special meals that you know will be needed. You are on the right tract, be deliberate and steady. Each month is new! Don’t be discouraged, learn from your monthly journey. God bless you and the family.
First of all I am so proud of you for making a conscious effort to Keep within your budget. At the first of every month I buy all of my household items such as shampoo, batteries, soap, shaving cream, toothpaste, laundry detergent, hand soap, razors, aluminum foil, parchment paper, toilet paper, trash bags, over the counter pain medication generic Tylenol, etc. The cost is 150. For groceries I spend $400 for a family of 3. I try to limit paper towels except washing hands after handling raw meat. My hubby & MIL are not so conscious. We use cloth napkins. I try to limit use of foil & plastic wrap & try to use glass containers for leftovers. I have a separate budget for dog & cat food, cat litter, pet treats, pet vitamin supplements, vet visits.
I think you did great for the month of January. Your non food budget was really great. Listening to you actually makes me want do better too. And I like to eat out at least once a week. It gives me a break
Great job on your budget! 👍🏻 Don't beat yourself up on the area where you feel like you need to improve, though. Remember... it's only January and we're all here to help and to hold each other accountable. Many blessings to you and your sweet 💞 family!!
I started saving my receipts from going out and I had 8 hundred dollars in just coffee (not Starbucks) in one year ! I don’t buy coffee out anymore. You need to add your eating out in with your monthly groceries. If you keep track of what you spend eating out you’ll probably be shocked. 💰💵💰
Lots of homeschool moms without access to farm animals would probably love to make a feed donation in exchange for a tour around your homestead. I was homeschooled and we went to a few mini farms growing up.
For a family of 5 I am so proud of you, Lori. I am here to make sure March and April won’t slip! I live alone so I don’t spend nearly as much as that but I also have a huge pantry so spending 118 on produce and a few meats is all I spent. I also stopped buying bread in January. But you did great!❤
I forgot. I have one small dog that cost 36.00 a month in food and snacks. But since her food has almost doubled in the last 2 years I am okay with that.
It doesn't matter whether we are at a toy store or at the grocery store, I tell my son that he can take a picture of it or add it to the list and I will get it when it goes on sale or he can save his list for Christmas and his birthday. He knew that it would work out better to get more later when they were cheaper. It was too hard for me to separate household goods from groceries but I have heard that it helps some people. Interesting information about the animal feed cost because many people don't talk about that cost to get their milk and eggs because it isn't certainly free. Currently $145 spent on groceries and $20 for takeout both for family of three which are within budget. This was super interesting!!
In January I spent $450 on groceries for myself and my 20 year old grandson who eats dinner at my house 4-5 days a week. I also hosted my children and grandchildren for dinner one time in January for my grandson’s birthday but most months they eat dinner at my house twice a month so I may spend a little more most months. I cook mostly from scratch and shop BOGOs as much as possible; for instance, I made three homemade chocolate cakes in January for special occasions. I think I am doing pretty well with food prices the way they are.
So, I’m gonna be honest also. I actually had to do a huge stock up of my pantry. I actually spent very little for groceries in December and budgeted $250 towards my pantry and some of that included all my laundry supplies. I spent $335.38 at the grocery store and $59.27 of that for laundry/trash bags. Still, thats a lot for a single person. However, what I am ashamed of is how much I ate out/convenience items, etc. Am I really going to put this out here….$252.59. 😳🥺 Like I had no idea I was spending that much. This was the first month I have ever written down every dollar I have spent and it was really eye opening. It’s so easy to just go through a drive through when you are single and have no one to cook for. Also, singles often socialize over dinner so I probably eat out more than most. Next month, I am going to try and do a no eat out challenge, allowing only for the monthly eat out my church does. I will try to rein it in otherwise.
I get the idea of treats being hard. How about having the kids agree a list of favourite treats - maybe 30 of them and pick one of those each week depending on sales or a new item that is on sale - 1 per week. Everyone deserves a treat once a week. As for husband, he makes the money so I get it. Even he can be on a budget. Have him make a list too and give him the things he likes based on the sales. A kind of menu of all the things he likes that you can choose from based on this week’s specials. Would that work?
We ran into the same problem with keeping animals. It was sad to get rid of them all at first but very freeing financial and chore wise. I just stop at farm stands now and get goat's milk and eggs. Good luck!
Some local groceries here will give food scraps from the veg department to local farmers who ask for it. Also, I remember when I was a child our school had food scraps from lunches that a local farmer picked up for their pigs. Maybe you can find something like that?
I am have a very limited income and there are six of us also 2.doggs 3 cats.i spend about that much and I do like you with making every thing at home as well any extras are homemade .
Winter is always a higher cost season for feeding livestock. There isn’t enough stuff growing for animals to forage on. The higher costs balance out as the weather improves and you aren’t having to buy as much hay and feed. IF you intend on keeping the cow and goats then invest in the hay feeders. Or try to build something that will help cut down on the animals wasting the hay. If you are possibly going to get rid of the cow and goats then start actively looking for new homes for them now. I have a small flock of chickens (5 hens and 1 rooster). I also have 1 dog who I am now cooking food for due to his health problems. He was on an expensive dry kibble that I am no longer purchasing. I do need to purchase some vitamin supplements for him now to ensure he is getting the proper nutrients. I tend to stock up on my chicken feed in the Fall so that I don’t have to deal with moving 50 lb bags of feed in the snow and ice. I have metal trash cans that I keep the feed in inside of my garage to keep it rodent proof. I try to purchase a 6 month supply of feed and supplements for the chickens at a time. You are doing well adjusting to being mindful of your budget each time you go out to shop. It takes time to establish a new routine. You have to train yourself to keep doing the things you set as goals for yourself, like using cash, reducing impulse purchases etc. As long as you have the money in your budget, eating out as often as you and your husband decide to is fine. That decision is best made between you and him, not with the children having a say UNLESS the children will be pitching in to cover the costs. I realize that you have adult children and a toddler so it makes it harder for decision time on certain activities and spending. That said you and your husband have the overriding say of how your budget and money are spent. It may benefit the girls if you allow them a small portion of your monthly budgeted money for their personal necessities. That way they learn how much money it will cost them to provide for their daily personal care needs. It is a huge shock to many young adults who leave home for the first time at just how expensive providing for every single need can be. When you provide everything like toilet paper, Kleenex, toothpaste and tooth brushes, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and softener etc., it hits them hard when they now have to buy all of these things along with their food and pay all of their other bills.
I spent $250 on groceries, just 2 of us but, I bought some stock up items Household: Spent $5.99 for on 90 ounce Ajax dish soap, $2.99 on 12 pk. Scott comfort toilet tissue, dishwasher tabs$1.99, 4 body washes for $6 after digital store coupons I have plenty of toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoos, laundry detergent, razors, face wash, deodorants and etc. my husband has an electric razor and it is SO worth the money$ Last for years for about $30 after coupons
I really enjoy this video and it sounds like you have a solid plan. Sticking to a budget on anything is a learning process from week-to-week, month-to-month...taking stock, like you have, of what's gone before and planning ahead with what you learned this month. I think you'll do well this year, just keep learning.......
We have a 400/month grocery budget that includes paper products and shampoo etc. We only have 2 adults, however we feed more than that every week. My adult children are here several times a week. Im going to make a new line item of household/misc of 100/month. Great video
I will agree that taking cash helps for me too. Last time I went to the store I did take cash and I ended up having $17.++ left over. This was amazing because to be honest I was spending $200+ over each time I went to the store (twice in one month). It was much easier to ask myself do we need it or can I go without this item. I really thought it was because of prices going up but I have always kept track, it was mostly my choices. You are doing an wonderful job!!! I know that we are working on things that can help our families in different ways. Way to go I started something a few months back- I ask everyone at the dinner table one night for any suggestions of meals, snacks, or desserts for the next two-three time (I shop for this length of time). I try to ask that each person request one thing. We do a dessert once a week and a cookie once a week. Meals I can be a bit flexible. I try to make their requests happen within reason but will look at prices of things and try and make a wise choice. We don't eat out at all so I do try to keep the ideas of how to keep everyone working on the same goal in mind. We are paying down debit and we all are working together. I enjoy setting the table with our table clothes, dollar store candles every night, and we have a few nights a week where I like to play different types of music. We do our cookies on Wednesday night to help people feel loved on and then our dessert on Sunday nights. These things have helped take the focus off the "food" and help us to focus on one another.
My husband and I decided to do a “no-eat out/no extra spending” for the month of January and it went pretty successful. We had one cheat day here this past week…:P But it is just us and our toddler and baby. I could see no eating out being more difficult with teens. I think I tried to keep our monthly budget for January around $450 but that did include house items that you listed (detergent, diapers, etc…) so I need to break these apart to get a better idea how much we spend on food. -Holly
You did so great on your grocery budget! We are a family of 5 with two teenagers and a preteen. I've chosen to keep groceries and all household items under one budget category but I do keep a separate out the dog and chicken feed. We spent $575 on groceries/household ($600 is the budget) I'd still like to try and get that expenditure down even though I budget for $600. Animal feed was $100 for two dogs and a few chickens and is pretty steady at that number. We previously had 3 cows and 4 dairy goats but decided to sell them for a season. It wasn't really a financial decision at the time. We sold them because my husband was diagnosed with cancer for a second time and was doing chemo and radiation and we decided that our energy wasn't going to spent on taking care of livestock. PtL he is finished with treatment and healthy again but we have still decided to hold off on buying new animals. The extra money that we would have spent on animal feed is now going towards 3 kids in braces and inflation. We went over our eating out budget of $100 and spent $160. I'm bummed about that but historically eating out has been our biggest budget buster and we've made huge progress in getting that number down so I'm trying celebrate the improvement and not beat myself up too my about it. Keep up the good work. I really appreciate your transparency and sharing what you're doing to cut expenses. It really helps to hear how others are making ends meet, especially on one income.
I feel your pain on trying to keep to a budget and enjoying life with a dinner out. We are here for you! I appreciate your honesty and all the best figuring out how to responsibly feed your animals. I’ll private message you on what we spend monthly on groceries. Here in Canada -it is NOT cheap.
Hi Lori, as you know we run beef cattle so raise our on hay and grain, that we dip from to feed milk cow. However, I stopped keeping laying hens years ago. I found its no cheaper than buying farm eggs from my neighbor. It's very smart to keep recalculation feed costs
That is a great point…..one that hits a little closer to home than it should 😂. I think I need to revamp my chicken game somehow…..maybe not get rid of them but definitely get new layers and smaller numbers
@@amykirby9607 I'm in zone 5b. No heating as long as draft free. No lighting. Once they were in a temporary shed snd lid blew open they roodted outside in 12 degrees and survived. Have since built a proper coop. Blessings.
Thank you so much for all you do. Right now things are about to change financially for us. My husband is working, and hes getting his retirement. But, they over paid him $6000 So hes having to pay that back in 30 days. Or, they'll hold is check for 6 months. That's a 1,000 a month that we won't have for awhile. That's going to hurt. im a big worrier. Im so worried about everything. Im the type of person who won't eat so they'll have enough. We're doing ok. I'm trying to learn and be more frugal. Just keep us in your prayers, please.❤
We spent $501.8 on groceries in January (including household products and diapers) and we are a family of 3: myself, my husband and our 17 month old son. In addition to this we ate out once ($80) and I did an extra food run of $33. Both these extras were on a weekend when a friend of mine was visiting from abroad, so its more like entertainment budget and not food budget. We are located in Houston TX and I shopped at Joe V, Aldi, Fiesta, and HEB. Im tempted to see if I can make it in February for $400 all included since I still have some staples from the January runs.
I have two 50-lb dogs and over the last month I’ve spent $300 on their food, medicine (one has bad allergies and joints), and accessories/toys. I can definitely cut down on that by eliminating the nonessential items I buy for them, but I am super impressed that you spent less than me with the huge amount of animals you have! I will say though, I don’t have children, and treat my dogs like my kids, so that’s a big reason I spent so much too haha
Its nice to hear a similar story when it comes to spending. I do love the piint you made about separating food items from household and animal expenses because i lump them together and try to spend only $100-$150 a week but that was including that stuff and then wondering where all the food went i bought. I also need to be more mindful of what we need to eat through and what we have so im not buying repeat items. Some ideas maybe to save on your animals is a trade situation where someone who has money but not space wantscto home a horse maybe they cpuld pay you with hay for your animal in return for housing their animal that they care for. Or after Halloween some local farms asked on the free sites for peoples left over pumpkins and gourds for their animals. I always try to find the deals for fast food like wrndys $5 biggie bag, reward points, at chipolte i get 2 burrito bowls and use our own tortillas at home and feeds our family of 4, chinese buffet sometimes has a certain day or time they have a reduced price just knowing those things helps so you can still wat out but do it for less. Or not order soda just water and lemon that alone saves $10-$12 for 4 people eating out. Or if you know something big is coming like a holiday a trio just say we doing other things this month so we are doing less of the extras that month so kids know up front and understand like yeah we arent goingbto go eat out this month butvwe get this other fun thing instead.
Me too. I order all my cat supplies online and pay for it with PayPal from all my rebate apps. I havent paid a cent out of pocket in years. I use anything above and beyond, from our rebate apps, to buy discount gift cards to eat out for date nights with my husband. Im hoping to have enough to go out the week of Valentine's Day (doesnt have to be THAT day) at Outback Steakhouse. We just need about $20 more so we can have a few drinks and a dessert! lol
I budget $160-180 every paycheck (paid every other week). This month I did $350, I included tp, laundry detergent, etc. as needed in that. Ate out more then I would have liked, I'll admit (twice one day, I so didn't want to figure meals that day). I figured maybe should look at planning what my mother and I eat each meal, with some extra if i can for changing of mind or need (something coming up that I didn't forsee).
Look at it this way dear lady, I spend more than that ( im sure im not alone) on my house hold pets. Your animals give you something. Eggs, milk , meat (if you raise for that). So in my humble opinion you are DOING GREAT!
I budget $130 for two adults. My "pantries" are full, and i shop to replace. That being said, in 2024, im tracking for the 1st time my other streams of food money. Credit card reward $$$, CVS care pass and exrea care bucks, grocery store "shop n earn" dollars, free items loaded to my digital store loyalty card, etc. In Jan, i earned $99 in free money to spend on my "wants" and i used my $130 on my needs. Since the free money fluctutes month to month, i can't count on it for our needs.
It is so interesting to see how much other people spend per month! Food really has gotten expensive! I haven't sat down and wrote down everything we spent, but for our family of 8, going on 9, I would say $600 for groceries (more than half of our kids are 5 and under), $45 for toiletries/household goods (excluding diapers), and maybe $100 for diapers and wipes. Ouch! That hurts typing that!
I am leaning more on using the cash system myself the past couple months funny how you rethink those purchases when using cash. I take out $300 a month that has to cover groceries, toiletries, eating out ( I rarely do that maybe once a month with my friends) we are all 3 frugal so lunch out is usually $10 for each of us. My sister and I get together each Wednesday at her house along with her husband and 2 adult kids if they aren't working we have lunch which is usually leftovers from her house that her husband saves and we watch a movie together ( her kids have streaming so we usually rent a movie for about $5 each time). It all just takes mindful spending and menu planning. Anna In Ohio
It is just me and my husband but I spent right around $300 this month. But that was with us eating out of freezer and pantry. I usually spend at least $400 or more every month. You did great with a family of 5.
I’m new to your channel, thanks for the honest video! I have goats and chickens and yes, goats waste a lot of hay! I collect it and use it as mulch for my garden paths. Their manure goes into the compost. Both of those products I don’t have to buy for the garden. I track my chicken expenses and I have a line at the bottom to subtract how much equivalent pasture raised eggs and meat would cost, and last year that would have been over $1,000. It makes the chickens look more cost effective! 😂
Hi Lori! We unfortunately had some very expensive and unexpected expenditures this month (I'm looking at you new heat pump and emergency surgery for our cat, doctor and dentist!) I was determined to eat out of our pantry/freezer and do as little spending as possible. We spend $40 a month for a milk share so I couldn't cut that but I did us my MyPoints rewards for a $25 gift card to Sam's Club where I was able to get fresh produce for 2 weeks and a rotisserie chicken I utilized for about 6 meals. Other than the milk I spent $60.37 on food and $20.03 on household items which included toothpaste for .31cents using my CVS rewards and $1.04 for packing tape again using my CVS rewards. I am definitely utilizing all my rewards. Fetch and Upside on top of the others I mentioned. No eating out, we have to get this debt paid off and no extras at the store. Everyone in our household understands the importance of paying off this debt thankfully. I can make homemade treats but I will not buy juice, candy, bread, anything I can make myself basically or that we don't actually need. I'm right there with you regarding animal feed. We do buy organic chicken feed so it is more expensive and I always pick up about 5 bags because it's a bit of a drive and we don't want to run low. That will run us about $140 😮 more than I spent on our food! I should be able to start selling some eggs though to offset that cost and I also bake sweet breads and sell them locally. I can't wait til garden season to help out even more! Keep on going Lori, you got this! ❤
I looked at my budget and was totally shocked too. I know I spent more having visitors and hosting my husbands burial meal but the amount was shocking.
Great video. TY 🎉🎉😊❤ I always seem to spend more money on groceries 😩if I use a credit card. I have NO self control!! I buy more than I need and even if my card gives cash back rewards, if i can't pay it off by the due date, I'm paying finance charges. Then I'm definitely paying more than I planned. I find, that when I meal plan, use what I have in the fridge, freezer and pantry, shop sales and pay cash...I only buy what I need. It cuts my grocery budget in half for the month.. 😊❤
Going into February I want to stick with my budget and cut down my spending in nonessential items. This is especially at Aldi. I have a good stocked pantry where I want to start planning my meals and cooking. When I get home from working/school I don’t feel like cooking or that I’m hungry. I even want to stop buying snacks while I’m as the retail job or budget in how much I can spend there.
We spend $300/mo for hay and another $300-$500 on grain and milk replacer/mo. Our daughter has 3 steers for 4h and 2 are just babies and veal projects.
Yes, sometimes my husband will pick up some cereal for the kids or chips that look good. He does that just a handful of times a year. I simply cannot fuss at him. If he did the same to me, it would feel emotionally abusive so I refuse to do it to him.
You gotta count eating out in that grocery shopping budget. Next month you may spend more at the grocery store, but actually ate out less… so if all you tracking is grocery food specifically, you may not account your success that you actually saved more because you ate out less. Small steps, become more aware each month… something i think will help you from becoming lazy with this is to require yourself to figure/find a way to save a little more each month. What trick did you think of, what did you hear someone else do and you put into practice. If you include this in your videos tallying up the end of the month, maybe it will be motivating to stay on top of this if you make this promise to yourself.
@@homemadesimplewithlori Sorry! I didn’t realize it would add a generic response with the donation… it’s much more than that… you make a huge difference in our lives by sharing these moments.
It's just hubs, me, 2 dogs and a cat. We're full time rvers, so I don't have a big pantry like some do. We spent 500 on groceries, household, and pets. There's more room in our cupboards and fridge, so I guess we did okay. Though propane costs were abnormally high since we had so much snow and ice.
I keep a log and subtract from each budgeted category. Groceries is always my toughest area eventhough it is only the two of us. My budget is $300 but I spent 399.56
Do you ever watch Appalachia Homestead? Patara is a homesteader who lives in Tennessee. Shes great and knows all about livestock. Please check her out! Love your channel.
We are a family of four and I spend between $400 and $500 a month on food and household items, not including pet food. I currently have three cats, three dogs, 6 chickens, and I feed the birds, as well as just taking on a day feeding community cats. This month I spent about $160 on pet food, cat litter, treats, and pine shavings for the chickens. Next month I'll have the added cost of a bag of dry cat food for the community cats, but I did take advantage of an offer Chewy had and ended up with a $30 gift card to put toward the extra cost. Pet food has gone up significantly (like everything else) over the last few years. I'm paying $10 more for the same cat food, and about $8 more for the same dog food. No real solutions there since my pets aren't going anywhere.
I spent so much money December and January. I put $2500 in credit cards. We had to clear the septic tank, pay college fees, fix a laptop, buy a plane ticket, get the car fixed plus gifts. Once I started using the credit card, I didn't really care too much about the little expenses at the grocery store but once I checked I so much food on the credit card. Even yesterday, one of my kids asked for cheese to make cheese bread and we went to the store. He offered to pay for it. But I saw oranges on sale. I wanted a squash. We bought ice cream to go with the pie we were making. Somehow we got to $17 minus his $5. I put $12 more into my credit card. It was so hard to say no, when he had been so helpful baking bread the day before. I will start using cash as soon as I get paid in a week. I will leave my debit card at home. I will use my taxes to pay off that credit card and start fresh. I need to spend at most $700 for our family of 5. I am hopeful that I can do it if I am extra careful...... I will watch your channel and keep up with you.
I’d love to see you do a collaboration with Christine from Frugal Fit Mom- she might have some ideas on other ways to save money, and it would be fun content. You are doing great! I just decided to be tougher on no food when we’re out “just because”. Once I figured out how much we spent on coffee or French fries, I said we needed to cut way back.
Let me also say I reward my kids once a week with fast food and on Saturday it's our family time and we go out to eat. I am a stay at home mom and I have a small income that comes in so I pay for my gas, household items, clothes, groceries and cell phones. On Saturday my husband pays for out to eat. I am saying all this to say it's OK to reward yourself and family with fast food. We don't spend on entertainment so I think eating out is filling and also an outing.
You did great on your grocery budget! Our hay bill is around $300 each month for our animals. We will be downsizing some in the Spring. I started tracking our grocery spending last January and for a family of 4 in Washington state we are right around $650 a month. This doesn’t include eating out but we rarely eat out. Not because we don’t want to but a 2 hour round trip to a crappy restaurant just isn’t appealing to anyone. And I only shop once every 2-3 weeks. Again because the stores are so far and during Winter I drive even less.
I’m embarrassed to say what we spend on food. I only have family pets, wild rabbits, crows, and a crazy young squirrel that I feed(they get the scraps). My son has a school project where we have to dissect our family budget. Not looking forward to this.
What is your budget per person for your groceries this month? We are running about a hundred per person and I know that may seem like a lot to some, but I feel I am feeding them well. Do not feel anxiety about sharing your budget, you are real people and life should be enjoyed within boundaries.
We are pretty close to the same per person! These calculations didn’t include when my other people went to the store on their own and bought things not on my list…maybe we can work together better in the future but for now we will just take baby steps ❤️ So if I included those costs in it might be a little over $100 per person.
Another RUclipsr suggests a separate amount in your budget for non-nutritional items such as foods and drinks. Do you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE a pkg of Oreos and a 2 ltr of Coke? Well, OK, but you only get $15 for the month! Make it work. Those “luxuries” DO NOT come out of the HOUSEHOLD food budget!
I spent $620.79 in January on groceries, household goods, dog food and diapers for my 3 year old but we only ate out once for $10. Family of 5 and my husband takes his lunch to work every day. I am so proud of that! We went from spending $1200+ and unfortunately wasting a lot of food to spending much less because I learned how to cook from scratch and be more creative in the kitchen, and freeze leftovers to combine into new meals/soups etc. your channel has been a great inspiration to me!
Wow! $10 for an eat out!?! That is great!
And what a wonderful transformation to your budget! Great work!!
@@homemadesimplewithlori split pizza with extended family 😆 we will probably eat our some next month but we were on a full spending freeze for this month to save as much as possible!
Family of 5 here also! Spent $800CAD ($595 USD) for a family of 5! Used to spend $1200CAD easily ($890USD).
I’m going to try to reduce even further- maybe get down to $500USD since we’ve still been buying chips etc.
Once you potty train the 3 year old will save over $100/month. That is a lot of savings.
Wow so educational thanks for sharing hun.
We have 9 people in our home and our grocery budget is 1000, our oldest just moved out but we have not changed the budget. Our home budget is 100 monthly. We have children from two to eighteen still living here at home, and have a small kitchen garden that I can a bit from. I have found canning beans, vegetables, and sale meats allows us to have more of our favorites and still be within budget.
I wish I could meet your family! How wonderful to have so many people!!!!
When I think about going out to eat, I think about these things… we have $200,000+ left on the mortgage, $90,000 of home maintenance on the back burner, 3 kids to help go to college, 2 potential future weddings to pay for. If I cook some fun food here and there, hubby is just fine eating all meals at home and packing a lunch when we need to eat on the road. Friday I wanted burgers and onion rings. I stopped in at Aldi and spent an extra $10. Family was ecstatic. It wasn’t quite Red Robin onion rings but it was great nonetheless!
Thank you for always being authentic, vulnerable, and intentionally forthright in your videos. It really is rare this day & age. You are amazing and such a gift to us. ❤❤❤
Family of 5 - we did a pantry challenge and only bought what we had to and items that were really discounted that we knew would be needed in future months.
277.34 on groceries
$12.16 on eating out
$35.90 on household supplies
$31.77 on winter food and extra bedding supplies for our pet rabbit. Those will last months.
Just as of this month, we increased the grocery budget from $350 to $400. We feed 2 adults and a 3-yr old. However, this number includes all the paper products, toiletries, pullups, etc. We also host a monthly group Bible study for about 30 people and I have been furnishing the meal, but have recently gotten others to help with some parts of the meal. So the bump in the budget has give me some breathing room, which is really nice!
I'm trying to spend less, and one of my strategies is to shop for groceries (big trip) twice a month instead of weekly, if possible. Then just filling in if I need more perishables between trips. Fewer trips = fewer temptations = learning to make better use of what's in the pantry. Also, fill out those surveys on the Aldi receipts. I've said for years that I never win anything, but I won an Aldi gift card this month!
You did?????? That’s so good!
I think twice a month is a good plan. I tried that a while back and it didn’t go great but maybe I can do better now.
You’re right. The less trips in the less money goes out!
@@homemadesimplewithlori back when my kids were all home, I had a Sam's membership and a freezer and shopped once a month, just filling in as needed. The kids are grown now and the 30-plus-year-old freezer died. I don't have the freezer space I once did, so I'm trying twice a month, but it would be great if I could get back to that monthly plan!
I don't shop Aldi's
Thank you for being so transparent. I need to start separating the household items also. We have a lot of animals also, but not large animals. I keep a list of all animal expenses; food, litter, medicine, supplies.
This may be too personal but I’d like to see how you do your budget. I love how you lean toward simplicity without being extreme.
I'm a mom of 2 teenagers and when they go to the store with me oh my. I agree with everything you said. Cash is better for me and big shopping just by myself. I am a couponer so I do add household with my groceries. Some people I know have a snack food budget that might be an idea I use for this year.
Lori, food budgeting is hard. You are so right about taking people with you to the store.
There is a big difference between just feeding your animals and not using them in the end game and feeding them for processing them for consumption. ie...eggs from the chickens, milk from the cow and goats and meat from them all. Also there is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while. Just not every day. You def need separate categories for groceries and household goods as well as the animals. Make as many as you need for your family. It is hard to shop with others when they want everything they see. LOL Do the best you can and don't stress over it. Work on long term storage of things you and your family eats that last forever. ie.. beans, rice, pasta that sort of thing. You're doing great!!
what i do to save costs is to run down my pantry and freezer , then make a list and fully stock them again , after that only buy what you need like bread and milk and small things.
Lori, you did awesome on your grocery budget. I have a budget of $700 with 5 adults/teens 2 of the teens are boys and they eat more than my husband and I put together. My husband goes with me shopping all the time because he has late stage dementia and can't be left alone but with taking him with me he does pick out things that he will eat he is picky and pretty much only wants processed freezer foods and even if I makehim some homemade convenience foods he doesn't want it he wants the stuff from the freezer section part of it is he has paranoia at this stage and he doesn't trust people cooking for him. I think i might try to cut the food budget in other areas I just have to figure out what we are going to cut the other thing is my husband and I eat all meals at home and my teens eat all breakfast and dinners at home during the week they get free lunch at school and on the weekend we all eat at home. I got 6 pounds of chicken breast for $6.01 so that was one good deal but i also got the walmart family size frozen sausage patties 20 in a bag for $2.50 a bag i bought 4 bags we already cleared a bag out of the freezerbecause last week we had breakfast sandwiches 3 or 4 days because we had 8 inches of snow in Tennessee one other good deal I got today was jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches 8 count in the box for $2.75 a box I got 2 boxes and I also got big bags of temptation cat treats for 99 cents they are close to $5 for the big bags got 2 I figured the cat would have treats for a while. Lori you got this and i will help motivate you and hopefully make some changes in my budget . Take care and stay safe friend!
You crushed it on groceries! I can relate to several of your points: cash spending this month helped us save so much. Also, animals are so expensive! We had to let go of our goats when we realized what we were spending on them Va the little bit of milk we got. It was a fun season, but I’m glad it’s over!
I can relate to that. If you are looking for new goats…..I have an idea where you can get 4 🤪
@@homemadesimplewithlori 😂🤣
We are a family of 5. Right now our teenager is staying with my parents while we are rebuilding so I purchased $128 worth of convenience foods for him that I normally don't buy. In total I spent $431 on groceries in January. We also ate out twice for a total of $40 that isn't included in the grocery budget. Also, $78 of the above amount was spent at biglots on clearance snacks and cereal. Right now we are still working on rebuilding our house so I am not able to cook from scratch as much as I usually do. I am trying to get back to my normal cooking routine. All we can do is try our best and make improvements as we go. Thanks for the content.
Good for you! Thank you for being honest. Because eating out is important, make that a separate line item. Put that amount in cash, in an envelope. When it has been spent, you are finished for the month. Make provision for special meals that you know will be needed.
You are on the right tract, be deliberate and steady. Each month is new! Don’t be discouraged, learn from your monthly journey. God bless you and the family.
Good tip!
First of all I am so proud of you for making a conscious effort to Keep within your budget. At the first of every month I buy all of my household items such as shampoo, batteries, soap, shaving cream, toothpaste, laundry detergent, hand soap, razors, aluminum foil, parchment paper, toilet paper, trash bags, over the counter pain medication generic Tylenol, etc. The cost is 150. For groceries I spend $400 for a family of 3. I try to limit paper towels except washing hands after handling raw meat. My hubby & MIL are not so conscious. We use cloth napkins. I try to limit use of foil & plastic wrap & try to use glass containers for leftovers. I have a separate budget for dog & cat food, cat litter, pet treats, pet vitamin supplements, vet visits.
I think you did great for the month of January. Your non food budget was really great. Listening to you actually makes me want do better too. And I like to eat out at least once a week. It gives me a break
Great job on your budget! 👍🏻 Don't beat yourself up on the area where you feel like you need to improve, though. Remember... it's only January and we're all here to help and to hold each other accountable. Many blessings to you and your sweet 💞 family!!
Yes! So far to go!
I started saving my receipts from going out and I had 8 hundred dollars in just coffee (not Starbucks) in one year ! I don’t buy coffee out anymore. You need to add your eating out in with your monthly groceries. If you keep track of what you spend eating out you’ll probably be shocked. 💰💵💰
Lots of homeschool moms without access to farm animals would probably love to make a feed donation in exchange for a tour around your homestead. I was homeschooled and we went to a few mini farms growing up.
For a family of 5 I am so proud of you, Lori. I am here to make sure March and April won’t slip! I live alone so I don’t spend nearly as much as that but I also have a huge pantry so spending 118 on produce and a few meats is all I spent. I also stopped buying bread in January. But you did great!❤
I forgot. I have one small dog that cost 36.00 a month in food and snacks. But since her food has almost doubled in the last 2 years I am okay with that.
It doesn't matter whether we are at a toy store or at the grocery store, I tell my son that he can take a picture of it or add it to the list and I will get it when it goes on sale or he can save his list for Christmas and his birthday. He knew that it would work out better to get more later when they were cheaper. It was too hard for me to separate household goods from groceries but I have heard that it helps some people. Interesting information about the animal feed cost because many people don't talk about that cost to get their milk and eggs because it isn't certainly free. Currently $145 spent on groceries and $20 for takeout both for family of three which are within budget. This was super interesting!!
In January I spent $450 on groceries for myself and my 20 year old grandson who eats dinner at my house 4-5 days a week. I also hosted my children and grandchildren for dinner one time in January for my grandson’s birthday but most months they eat dinner at my house twice a month so I may spend a little more most months. I cook mostly from scratch and shop BOGOs as much as possible; for instance, I made three homemade chocolate cakes in January for special occasions. I think I am doing pretty well with food prices the way they are.
So, I’m gonna be honest also. I actually had to do a huge stock up of my pantry. I actually spent very little for groceries in December and budgeted $250 towards my pantry and some of that included all my laundry supplies. I spent $335.38 at the grocery store and $59.27 of that for laundry/trash bags. Still, thats a lot for a single person. However, what I am ashamed of is how much I ate out/convenience items, etc. Am I really going to put this out here….$252.59. 😳🥺 Like I had no idea I was spending that much. This was the first month I have ever written down every dollar I have spent and it was really eye opening. It’s so easy to just go through a drive through when you are single and have no one to cook for. Also, singles often socialize over dinner so I probably eat out more than most. Next month, I am going to try and do a no eat out challenge, allowing only for the monthly eat out my church does. I will try to rein it in otherwise.
I get the idea of treats being hard. How about having the kids agree a list of favourite treats - maybe 30 of them and pick one of those each week depending on sales or a new item that is on sale - 1 per week. Everyone deserves a treat once a week. As for husband, he makes the money so I get it. Even he can be on a budget. Have him make a list too and give him the things he likes based on the sales. A kind of menu of all the things he likes that you can choose from based on this week’s specials. Would that work?
Good idea!
We ran into the same problem with keeping animals. It was sad to get rid of them all at first but very freeing financial and chore wise. I just stop at farm stands now and get goat's milk and eggs. Good luck!
Some local groceries here will give food scraps from the veg department to local farmers who ask for it. Also, I remember when I was a child our school had food scraps from lunches that a local farmer picked up for their pigs. Maybe you can find something like that?
I am have a very limited income and there are six of us also 2.doggs 3 cats.i spend about that much and I do like you with making every thing at home as well any extras are homemade .
Winter is always a higher cost season for feeding livestock. There isn’t enough stuff growing for animals to forage on. The higher costs balance out as the weather improves and you aren’t having to buy as much hay and feed.
IF you intend on keeping the cow and goats then invest in the hay feeders. Or try to build something that will help cut down on the animals wasting the hay.
If you are possibly going to get rid of the cow and goats then start actively looking for new homes for them now.
I have a small flock of chickens (5 hens and 1 rooster). I also have 1 dog who I am now cooking food for due to his health problems. He was on an expensive dry kibble that I am no longer purchasing. I do need to purchase some vitamin supplements for him now to ensure he is getting the proper nutrients.
I tend to stock up on my chicken feed in the Fall so that I don’t have to deal with moving 50 lb bags of feed in the snow and ice.
I have metal trash cans that I keep the feed in inside of my garage to keep it rodent proof.
I try to purchase a 6 month supply of feed and supplements for the chickens at a time.
You are doing well adjusting to being mindful of your budget each time you go out to shop.
It takes time to establish a new routine. You have to train yourself to keep doing the things you set as goals for yourself, like using cash, reducing impulse purchases etc.
As long as you have the money in your budget, eating out as often as you and your husband decide to is fine. That decision is best made between you and him, not with the children having a say UNLESS the children will be pitching in to cover the costs.
I realize that you have adult children and a toddler so it makes it harder for decision time on certain activities and spending.
That said you and your husband have the overriding say of how your budget and money are spent.
It may benefit the girls if you allow them a small portion of your monthly budgeted money for their personal necessities.
That way they learn how much money it will cost them to provide for their daily personal care needs.
It is a huge shock to many young adults who leave home for the first time at just how expensive providing for every single need can be.
When you provide everything like toilet paper, Kleenex, toothpaste and tooth brushes, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and softener etc., it hits them hard when they now have to buy all of these things along with their food and pay all of their other bills.
Thank you so much for all of this insight!
You make so many good points! Thank you thank you thank you!!
I spent $250 on groceries, just 2 of us but, I bought some stock up items
Household: Spent $5.99 for on 90 ounce Ajax dish soap, $2.99 on 12 pk. Scott comfort toilet tissue, dishwasher tabs$1.99, 4 body washes for $6 after digital store coupons
I have plenty of toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoos, laundry detergent, razors, face wash, deodorants and etc.
my husband has an electric razor and it is SO worth the money$
Last for years for about $30 after coupons
I really enjoy this video and it sounds like you have a solid plan. Sticking to a budget on anything is a learning process from week-to-week, month-to-month...taking stock, like you have, of what's gone before and planning ahead with what you learned this month. I think you'll do well this year, just keep learning.......
We have a 400/month grocery budget that includes paper products and shampoo etc. We only have 2 adults, however we feed more than that every week. My adult children are here several times a week. Im going to make a new line item of household/misc of 100/month. Great video
I will agree that taking cash helps for me too. Last time I went to the store I did take cash and I ended up having $17.++ left over. This was amazing because to be honest I was spending $200+ over each time I went to the store (twice in one month). It was much easier to ask myself do we need it or can I go without this item. I really thought it was because of prices going up but I have always kept track, it was mostly my choices. You are doing an wonderful job!!! I know that we are working on things that can help our families in different ways. Way to go
I started something a few months back- I ask everyone at the dinner table one night for any suggestions of meals, snacks, or desserts for the next two-three time (I shop for this length of time). I try to ask that each person request one thing. We do a dessert once a week and a cookie once a week. Meals I can be a bit flexible. I try to make their requests happen within reason but will look at prices of things and try and make a wise choice. We don't eat out at all so I do try to keep the ideas of how to keep everyone working on the same goal in mind. We are paying down debit and we all are working together. I enjoy setting the table with our table clothes, dollar store candles every night, and we have a few nights a week where I like to play different types of music. We do our cookies on Wednesday night to help people feel loved on and then our dessert on Sunday nights. These things have helped take the focus off the "food" and help us to focus on one another.
My husband and I decided to do a “no-eat out/no extra spending” for the month of January and it went pretty successful. We had one cheat day here this past week…:P But it is just us and our toddler and baby. I could see no eating out being more difficult with teens. I think I tried to keep our monthly budget for January around $450 but that did include house items that you listed (detergent, diapers, etc…) so I need to break these apart to get a better idea how much we spend on food. -Holly
You did so great on your grocery budget! We are a family of 5 with two teenagers and a preteen. I've chosen to keep groceries and all household items under one budget category but I do keep a separate out the dog and chicken feed. We spent $575 on groceries/household ($600 is the budget) I'd still like to try and get that expenditure down even though I budget for $600. Animal feed was $100 for two dogs and a few chickens and is pretty steady at that number. We previously had 3 cows and 4 dairy goats but decided to sell them for a season. It wasn't really a financial decision at the time. We sold them because my husband was diagnosed with cancer for a second time and was doing chemo and radiation and we decided that our energy wasn't going to spent on taking care of livestock. PtL he is finished with treatment and healthy again but we have still decided to hold off on buying new animals. The extra money that we would have spent on animal feed is now going towards 3 kids in braces and inflation. We went over our eating out budget of $100 and spent $160. I'm bummed about that but historically eating out has been our biggest budget buster and we've made huge progress in getting that number down so I'm trying celebrate the improvement and not beat myself up too my about it. Keep up the good work. I really appreciate your transparency and sharing what you're doing to cut expenses. It really helps to hear how others are making ends meet, especially on one income.
I feel your pain on trying to keep to a budget and enjoying life with a dinner out. We are here for you! I appreciate your honesty and all the best figuring out how to responsibly feed your animals.
I’ll private message you on what we spend monthly on groceries. Here in Canada -it is NOT cheap.
Hi Lori, as you know we run beef cattle so raise our on hay and grain, that we dip from to feed milk cow. However, I stopped keeping laying hens years ago. I found its no cheaper than buying farm eggs from my neighbor. It's very smart to keep recalculation feed costs
That is a great point…..one that hits a little closer to home than it should 😂. I think I need to revamp my chicken game somehow…..maybe not get rid of them but definitely get new layers and smaller numbers
Try fermenting feed to reduce costs.
@@lauriekerze3461 that might help Lori, I'm in northern canada so we also have heating and lighting costs plus a longer laying break to factor in
@@amykirby9607 I'm in zone 5b. No heating as long as draft free. No lighting. Once they were in a temporary shed snd lid blew open they roodted outside in 12 degrees and survived. Have since built a proper coop. Blessings.
You’ve done a great job!
I’m sorry you had to let the horse go and I know you all love the other animals. That’s hard. Blessings to you Lori. ❤️
Thank you so much for all you do. Right now things are about to change financially for us. My husband is working, and hes getting his retirement. But, they over paid him $6000
So hes having to pay that back in 30 days. Or, they'll hold is check for 6 months. That's a 1,000 a month that we won't have for awhile. That's going to hurt. im a big worrier. Im so worried about everything. Im the type of person who won't eat so they'll have enough. We're doing ok.
I'm trying to learn and be more frugal. Just keep us in your prayers, please.❤
We spent $501.8 on groceries in January (including household products and diapers) and we are a family of 3: myself, my husband and our 17 month old son. In addition to this we ate out once ($80) and I did an extra food run of $33. Both these extras were on a weekend when a friend of mine was visiting from abroad, so its more like entertainment budget and not food budget. We are located in Houston TX and I shopped at Joe V, Aldi, Fiesta, and HEB. Im tempted to see if I can make it in February for $400 all included since I still have some staples from the January runs.
I have two 50-lb dogs and over the last month I’ve spent $300 on their food, medicine (one has bad allergies and joints), and accessories/toys. I can definitely cut down on that by eliminating the nonessential items I buy for them, but I am super impressed that you spent less than me with the huge amount of animals you have! I will say though, I don’t have children, and treat my dogs like my kids, so that’s a big reason I spent so much too haha
Its nice to hear a similar story when it comes to spending. I do love the piint you made about separating food items from household and animal expenses because i lump them together and try to spend only $100-$150 a week but that was including that stuff and then wondering where all the food went i bought. I also need to be more mindful of what we need to eat through and what we have so im not buying repeat items. Some ideas maybe to save on your animals is a trade situation where someone who has money but not space wantscto home a horse maybe they cpuld pay you with hay for your animal in return for housing their animal that they care for. Or after Halloween some local farms asked on the free sites for peoples left over pumpkins and gourds for their animals. I always try to find the deals for fast food like wrndys $5 biggie bag, reward points, at chipolte i get 2 burrito bowls and use our own tortillas at home and feeds our family of 4, chinese buffet sometimes has a certain day or time they have a reduced price just knowing those things helps so you can still wat out but do it for less. Or not order soda just water and lemon that alone saves $10-$12 for 4 people eating out. Or if you know something big is coming like a holiday a trio just say we doing other things this month so we are doing less of the extras that month so kids know up front and understand like yeah we arent goingbto go eat out this month butvwe get this other fun thing instead.
Rebate apps have helped me, along with using coupons
Me too. I order all my cat supplies online and pay for it with PayPal from all my rebate apps. I havent paid a cent out of pocket in years. I use anything above and beyond, from our rebate apps, to buy discount gift cards to eat out for date nights with my husband. Im hoping to have enough to go out the week of Valentine's Day (doesnt have to be THAT day) at Outback Steakhouse. We just need about $20 more so we can have a few drinks and a dessert! lol
I think you did well. Catching grocery items on sale helps a bunch.
I budget $160-180 every paycheck (paid every other week). This month I did $350, I included tp, laundry detergent, etc. as needed in that. Ate out more then I would have liked, I'll admit (twice one day, I so didn't want to figure meals that day). I figured maybe should look at planning what my mother and I eat each meal, with some extra if i can for changing of mind or need (something coming up that I didn't forsee).
I think you should be proud, any money saved is great. ❤
Look at it this way dear lady, I spend more than that ( im sure im not alone) on my house hold pets. Your animals give you something. Eggs, milk , meat (if you raise for that). So in my humble opinion you are DOING GREAT!
You've done well on groceries this month! Good job!
Thanks!
I budget $130 for two adults. My "pantries" are full, and i shop to replace. That being said, in 2024, im tracking for the 1st time my other streams of food money. Credit card reward $$$, CVS care pass and exrea care bucks, grocery store "shop n earn" dollars, free items loaded to my digital store loyalty card, etc. In Jan, i earned $99 in free money to spend on my "wants" and i used my $130 on my needs. Since the free money fluctutes month to month, i can't count on it for our needs.
It is so interesting to see how much other people spend per month! Food really has gotten expensive! I haven't sat down and wrote down everything we spent, but for our family of 8, going on 9, I would say $600 for groceries (more than half of our kids are 5 and under), $45 for toiletries/household goods (excluding diapers), and maybe $100 for diapers and wipes. Ouch! That hurts typing that!
I tried a low spend January and did fair. Not great, not bad.
That’s a good start!
I am leaning more on using the cash system myself the past couple months funny how you rethink those purchases when using cash. I take out $300 a month that has to cover groceries, toiletries, eating out ( I rarely do that maybe once a month with my friends) we are all 3 frugal so lunch out is usually $10 for each of us. My sister and I get together each Wednesday at her house along with her husband and 2 adult kids if they aren't working we have lunch which is usually leftovers from her house that her husband saves and we watch a movie together ( her kids have streaming so we usually rent a movie for about $5 each time). It all just takes mindful spending and menu planning. Anna In Ohio
It is just me and my husband but I spent right around $300 this month. But that was with us eating out of freezer and pantry. I usually spend at least $400 or more every month. You did great with a family of 5.
You did great!
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I’m new to your channel, thanks for the honest video! I have goats and chickens and yes, goats waste a lot of hay! I collect it and use it as mulch for my garden paths. Their manure goes into the compost. Both of those products I don’t have to buy for the garden. I track my chicken expenses and I have a line at the bottom to subtract how much equivalent pasture raised eggs and meat would cost, and last year that would have been over $1,000. It makes the chickens look more cost effective! 😂
I haven’t totaled January yet but I tried a no spend month so I’m excited to see my totals.
Hi Lori! We unfortunately had some very expensive and unexpected expenditures this month (I'm looking at you new heat pump and emergency surgery for our cat, doctor and dentist!) I was determined to eat out of our pantry/freezer and do as little spending as possible. We spend $40 a month for a milk share so I couldn't cut that but I did us my MyPoints rewards for a $25 gift card to Sam's Club where I was able to get fresh produce for 2 weeks and a rotisserie chicken I utilized for about 6 meals. Other than the milk I spent $60.37 on food and $20.03 on household items which included toothpaste for .31cents using my CVS rewards and $1.04 for packing tape again using my CVS rewards. I am definitely utilizing all my rewards. Fetch and Upside on top of the others I mentioned. No eating out, we have to get this debt paid off and no extras at the store. Everyone in our household understands the importance of paying off this debt thankfully. I can make homemade treats but I will not buy juice, candy, bread, anything I can make myself basically or that we don't actually need. I'm right there with you regarding animal feed. We do buy organic chicken feed so it is more expensive and I always pick up about 5 bags because it's a bit of a drive and we don't want to run low. That will run us about $140 😮 more than I spent on our food! I should be able to start selling some eggs though to offset that cost and I also bake sweet breads and sell them locally. I can't wait til garden season to help out even more! Keep on going Lori, you got this! ❤
I looked at my budget and was totally shocked too. I know I spent more having visitors and hosting my husbands burial meal but the amount was shocking.
So sorry about your loss. There’s a lot more important things to think about than grocery costs, aren’t there? Sending love to you❤️
You guys have done a wonderful job.
Great video. TY 🎉🎉😊❤
I always seem to spend more money on groceries 😩if I use a credit card. I have NO self control!! I buy more than I need and even if my card gives cash back rewards, if i can't pay it off by the due date, I'm paying finance charges. Then I'm definitely paying more than I planned. I find, that when I meal plan, use what I have in the fridge, freezer and pantry, shop sales and pay cash...I only buy what I need. It cuts my grocery budget in half for the month.. 😊❤
Wow! I spend a minimum of $1,200/mo and I don't even have kids! I guess I really did need to subscribe to your channel LOL 😃
The cash made all the difference I think!
Do you only eat out, or have deliveries?
Do you only eat out, or have deliveries?
Going into February I want to stick with my budget and cut down my spending in nonessential items. This is especially at Aldi. I have a good stocked pantry where I want to start planning my meals and cooking. When I get home from working/school I don’t feel like cooking or that I’m hungry. I even want to stop buying snacks while I’m as the retail job or budget in how much I can spend there.
We spend $300/mo for hay and another $300-$500 on grain and milk replacer/mo. Our daughter has 3 steers for 4h and 2 are just babies and veal projects.
Yes, sometimes my husband will pick up some cereal for the kids or chips that look good. He does that just a handful of times a year. I simply cannot fuss at him. If he did the same to me, it would feel emotionally abusive so I refuse to do it to him.
You gotta count eating out in that grocery shopping budget. Next month you may spend more at the grocery store, but actually ate out less… so if all you tracking is grocery food specifically, you may not account your success that you actually saved more because you ate out less. Small steps, become more aware each month… something i think will help you from becoming lazy with this is to require yourself to figure/find a way to save a little more each month. What trick did you think of, what did you hear someone else do and you put into practice. If you include this in your videos tallying up the end of the month, maybe it will be motivating to stay on top of this if you make this promise to yourself.
Thanks!
Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️
@@homemadesimplewithlori Sorry! I didn’t realize it would add a generic response with the donation… it’s much more than that… you make a huge difference in our lives by sharing these moments.
It's just hubs, me, 2 dogs and a cat. We're full time rvers, so I don't have a big pantry like some do. We spent 500 on groceries, household, and pets.
There's more room in our cupboards and fridge, so I guess we did okay.
Though propane costs were abnormally high since we had so much snow and ice.
I keep a log and subtract from each budgeted category. Groceries is always my toughest area eventhough it is only the two of us. My budget is $300 but I spent 399.56
$550 for a family of 4. 1 dog so we don’t spend too much on pet food. Home products I purchase mainly from Sam’s.
Do you ever watch Appalachia Homestead? Patara is a homesteader who lives in Tennessee. Shes great and knows all about livestock. Please check her out! Love your channel.
We are a family of four and I spend between $400 and $500 a month on food and household items, not including pet food. I currently have three cats, three dogs, 6 chickens, and I feed the birds, as well as just taking on a day feeding community cats. This month I spent about $160 on pet food, cat litter, treats, and pine shavings for the chickens. Next month I'll have the added cost of a bag of dry cat food for the community cats, but I did take advantage of an offer Chewy had and ended up with a $30 gift card to put toward the extra cost. Pet food has gone up significantly (like everything else) over the last few years. I'm paying $10 more for the same cat food, and about $8 more for the same dog food. No real solutions there since my pets aren't going anywhere.
I spent so much money December and January. I put $2500 in credit cards. We had to clear the septic tank, pay college fees, fix a laptop, buy a plane ticket, get the car fixed plus gifts. Once I started using the credit card, I didn't really care too much about the little expenses at the grocery store but once I checked I so much food on the credit card. Even yesterday, one of my kids asked for cheese to make cheese bread and we went to the store. He offered to pay for it. But I saw oranges on sale. I wanted a squash. We bought ice cream to go with the pie we were making. Somehow we got to $17 minus his $5. I put $12 more into my credit card. It was so hard to say no, when he had been so helpful baking bread the day before.
I will start using cash as soon as I get paid in a week. I will leave my debit card at home. I will use my taxes to pay off that credit card and start fresh. I need to spend at most $700 for our family of 5. I am hopeful that I can do it if I am extra careful...... I will watch your channel and keep up with you.
I’d love to see you do a collaboration with Christine from Frugal Fit Mom- she might have some ideas on other ways to save money, and it would be fun content. You are doing great! I just decided to be tougher on no food when we’re out “just because”. Once I figured out how much we spent on coffee or French fries, I said we needed to cut way back.
I have 1 dog. I spend 200.00 on her food and treats per meal nth. Her meds are another 130.00 per month.
Let me also say I reward my kids once a week with fast food and on Saturday it's our family time and we go out to eat. I am a stay at home mom and I have a small income that comes in so I pay for my gas, household items, clothes, groceries and cell phones. On Saturday my husband pays for out to eat. I am saying all this to say it's OK to reward yourself and family with fast food. We don't spend on entertainment so I think eating out is filling and also an outing.
Cash 😊
The grocery store I go to does not take credit cards, only cash or debit.
Have you thought of only having the cow and chickens? You are doing great!
Yes. Actually this is my plan. The rest are on their way out.
December January one adult two cats my two adult daughters live with me have spent $788
You did great on your grocery budget! Our hay bill is around $300 each month for our animals. We will be downsizing some in the Spring.
I started tracking our grocery spending last January and for a family of 4 in Washington state we are right around $650 a month. This doesn’t include eating out but we rarely eat out. Not because we don’t want to but a 2 hour round trip to a crappy restaurant just isn’t appealing to anyone. And I only shop once every 2-3 weeks. Again because the stores are so far and during Winter I drive even less.
Great job
Thanks!!
I spent $1800 on groceries and household items in January 😳
I easily spend 1000 a month on groceries and household and pet food ... its taking every penny and getting worse
I’m embarrassed to say what we spend on food. I only have family pets, wild rabbits, crows, and a crazy young squirrel that I feed(they get the scraps). My son has a school project where we have to dissect our family budget. Not looking forward to this.
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What is your budget per person for your groceries this month? We are running about a hundred per person and I know that may seem like a lot to some, but I feel I am feeding them well.
Do not feel anxiety about sharing your budget, you are real people and life should be enjoyed within boundaries.
We are pretty close to the same per person! These calculations didn’t include when my other people went to the store on their own and bought things not on my list…maybe we can work together better in the future but for now we will just take baby steps ❤️
So if I included those costs in it might be a little over $100 per person.
Another RUclipsr suggests a separate amount in your budget for non-nutritional items such as foods and drinks. Do you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE a pkg of Oreos and a 2 ltr of Coke? Well, OK, but you only get $15 for the month! Make it work. Those “luxuries” DO NOT come out of the HOUSEHOLD food budget!
Spend