Friday, June 3, 2016

June 2016 Grocery Budget Challenge

   


Pears growing on one of our trees.

   June is a month where our garden starts producing for us.  I have already harvested some strawberries and lettuce from the garden and the rhubarb is also ready now.  The cherries and raspberries should be ready by the end of the month, along with the peas, more lettuce, kale, and radishes.  We may even have some ripe cherry tomatoes too.

   Between the gardens and having a full pantry and 2 full large freezers, we should be eating really well and not have to buy all that much this month.  Thankfully, this comes at a perfect time for us to do another much needed grocery budget challenge.  We are looking at some unexpected additional expenses and the money has to come out of our budget from somewhere.  We also really do need to use up a lot of the older produce and things in the freezers to make room for the newer things that will be put in there during this year's harvest.

   That being said, my husband and I decided that $150 would be a very reasonable amount for our food budget this month.  There are a few things that I know we are going to need like apples, bananas and some milk along with hot cocoa mix that we buy in bulk because hubby uses it in his coffee.  I would love to be able to only eat fruit from our garden but my hubby is not a fan of raspberries, strawberries and cherries.  He will eat rhubarb though if it is made into a cake or bread. ;)  I will also be picking up more carrots, celery, tomatoes and avocados since we use those in salads and I will get more potatoes.  I'm sure there will be other things as well but I am determined to stay at or under $150.  I have already spent some of the budget on 2 bottles of club soda so I am now at $148.20 left for the rest of the month.  Wish me luck!

   

12 comments:

  1. That will be quite a challenge. Do you need to pay for laundry supplies, paper goods, and toiletries out of that budget?


    Please drop by and say hello!
    ஐღLauraღஐ
    Harvest Lane Cottage
    ...doing what I can with what I've got where I am
    on a short shoestring budget!
    ~~~~~

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    1. Hi Laura! I will need to buy some paper products with that budget but I am stocked up on laundry making supplies at the moment. I'm also well stocked, like for the rest of the year, on antiperspirant, shampoo, conditioner, feminine products, etc. I stock up when things go on sale and have coupons where I can get them for free or close to it. We just bought a huge bag of dog food and cat food, so our fur babies are set for awhile also. :) I'll be stopping by to visit your little home on the web!

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  3. Wow what a challenge! We don't have coupons here in Aus so we don't get the deals you get. Even though it's our Winter, being sub tropical, it's actually the best time for growing most veges. The majority of veges on our plate each night come straight from the garden. We have more passionfruit than we know what to do with. I have to admit to being sick of passionfruit. However its what we have and its what we eat.
    Good luck with sticking to your challenge.

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    1. HI Jane :) What a blessing to get most of our veggies fresh from the garden. It really does sound like your climate is very similar to the area of Hawaii that I grew up in. I had to laugh about your comment on the passionfruit because that is one of the things I miss most. My grandmother used to make the best passionfruit meringue pie (like lemon meringue but made with passion fruit). Oh it was so pretty and yummy! I suppose I would be sick of eating them too if I had to eat them all the time though. ;)

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  4. Hi Debbie, I found your blog through Mama Wolf in Kentucky. $150/month used to be what I budgeted for groceries (food only; no toiletries, paper/household products, pet food, etc.) on a regular basis for 2 people when my daughter lived at home. These days, I budget $75-100/mo. for myself, depending on how much time daughter spends at home with me (I'm undergoing cancer treatments, so she visits me often and I send food home with her).

    I am sure you will be able to keep to your June grocery budget without any problems, especially with your full pantry, freezers, and garden. Looking forward to reading your updates on the grocery challenge. :)

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    1. Hi Bless and welcome to my little blog home. :) You have done and are still doing amazingly well with your budget. Praying for you as you continue your cancer treatments and for total healing for you!

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  5. Love your challenge to yourself!
    I do that a lot in the summer. Most months we spend just a minimal amount do to the garden.
    Don't you just love it?!

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    1. Hi Cheryl. YOu and I do sound so much alike. ;) And yes, I do!

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  6. One of my favorite things about the summer garden is finally getting to save some money on produce! Not to mention garden grown tastes better! Good luck with the budget this month! :-)

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    1. Thank you so much Jessica! Yesterday I snacked on strawberries and radishes from the garden. :)

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    2. Thank you so much Jessica! Yesterday I snacked on strawberries and radishes from the garden. :)

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