Major Budget Change For September!

Sunflowers in my garden beds - adopted 2 garden beds in my neighborhood! 

I am sure when some of you read this you will be like...how in the world?! Haha. I have been thinking of how we can save more money in the next few months - for birthdays, christmas and potentially the opportunity to pay more on my student loans. 

I have been re-working our budget for the past month and I thought I had it where I wanted it. This is totally not the case. I am changing things around again. Nathan is in agreement with me, as well. I was really glad too. Some of you will probably think I am crazy. lol

The majority of the budget will stay the same - the main area that will be changing for at least September and October will be our grocery budget. I have talked with some people already about this and they think our budget of $150 - $160 per month is low enough. 

This really isn't about getting it lower...it is about using what we have in the house. I have a deep freezer full to the top, cupboards filled to the max and our kitchen freezer stocked. 

Our goal is to eat from our pantry. I will be purchasing milk and fresh fruit and veggies as needed. We really shouldn't need much though. Plus I received eggs yesterday and will be picking up farm fresh eggs on Wednesday - I already paid for the a few weeks ago. 

We have grains (quinoa, couscous, barley, rice), pasta (gluten free, whole wheat and regular), canned veggies and fruits (applesauce and peaches), bread (sandwich and buns), chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts, hot dogs, bacon, and fish. I am also stocked up on coffee, baking supplies and our CSA box that comes every other week. Oh and we have lots of cereal and waffles...oh and snacks! 

Now having all of this does mean we went over our budget this month. We went on vacation the week for this past week so we made a trip to Sam's Club. And when we got back we went on another one. We were out of pretty much everything in the fridge - dairy, fruit and lunch items for Nathan. What we did have was frozen. 

I estimate we spent about $250...maybe a little less. But this has helped us by lowering our grocery budget drastically. Drum roll please! 

Ready...

Here is our monthly grocery budget for September and October (hopefully!)...

$50 - $60 

No more than that...I will be getting it in cash so I will not be tempted to spend over by using our check card. 

This does mean some major planning on my part. I cannot slack on menu planning for the next couple months. I will not slack! 

Nathan said he is going to support me and help me however he can. I am sure by the end, I will need to get creative. I am super excited though. 

I love a challenge and this is a huge one. So on September 1st, I will be going to the bank to withdrawal our money - place it in an envelope...and probably head to the store to at least pick up milk for Hailey. 

Plus, I will not be babysitting for September, October, November and December so we will be losing some income. Thankfully, I do not have to find another job.  I can still stay home full time! Praise the Lord. 

Not only will we be keeping our grocery budget low, we will be keeping our general spending to a minimum. This month was my birthday so I now am set with clothes and items that make my house look great! I will put pictures up soon! 

I will be keeping you updated each week on my spending and what meals we will be eating. I may even need to have you help me get creative with what I have. 

Thanks so much! Let me know if you would like to join in eating from the pantry and/or lowering your grocery budget. I hope you will!