Budgeting Tips from Luxe Boulevard

Hello Ask Anna readers!  I'm Stephanie from Luxe Boulevard.

I'm really happy to be here. I'm going to step out of my usual blog zone and enter Anna's world. I want to share a little about budgeting your groceries and the wonders of the crock pot! 

We're always so quick to DIY everything. But what does that mean? 

Do-It-Yourself.

We do this all the time in crafting and renovating, why not in our kitchens?

Shop for your family of five for under $50 a week.

How?

Your crock pot and simply doing it yourself.

Seriously. My crock pot is a must have for me. My son once broke it, and I swear I nearly died for the brief period of time I was without one. It does everything, cooks everything, while you watch, and for so cheap.

I have the cookbook Fix It And Forget It and that is probably my most loved cookbook. If you don't have it, get it! I go through pages and pages of recipes and select meals larger than my family size. Don't be afraid of the leftovers. After all, not only did you spend your (and your husbands) hard earned money on the food, but you took the time to prepare it all.

This was my pantry after I went shopping. So very full, right? I had originally come home having spent $86 for two weeks worth. I did have to go back for more butter (after I wasted a ton on a botched cake) and eggs. I think there was an extra loaf of bread in there too. So like I said, under $100, or $50/week.

Now truth be told, I don't always shop this frugally. I should, I know, this is just so you know it is possible. Money was really tight this particular week. I had $90 total to spend on groceries--for two weeks. I counted every penny with each item I added to my cart.

My husband and kids go with me, we make a family affair of it, and I immediately told my kids before entering the store that they could not ask for anything. If they did, they would be disciplined for disobeying. Nip that in the bud sooner rather than fighting it later, you know?!

You can see I did not shy away from the store brand. There are a few items that I really don't like the generic brand of, but some things it just doesn't matter. Pasta is pasta, canned goods are canned goods. 

For breakfasts, we had eggs and bacon. (I had a few extra dollars to spare, so I splurged on bacon. Yes, I splurged on bacon.) We also had oatmeal. The less expensive home style kind you make in a saucepan. We picked up some apples for it. Slice up some apple pieces, throw in a little cinnamon and brown sugar, and you've got tasty, flavorful oatmeal. One large container will last all five of us about a week and a half.

For lunches, we had peanut butter and honey sandwiches with saltine crackers. Two boxes cost less than two dollars, and my kids enjoy them every now and then. Put some peanut butter on them, perhaps some cheese slices ... They make a nice healthy snack. One thing I have to remember, while carbs may not be so great in quantity for you and me, they are wonderful for our kids and their brain development. I struggle with this. I love carbs!!!!

You can see I planned for lots of meats. I also used some fish and shrimp I already had on hand in the freezer. I don't really make much of anything that doesn't have meat in it. If I do, my husband will tell me, "I'm a man, I need meat." If and when I can, I like to substitute ground turkey for ground beef. It is cheaper and better for you. It also contains way less fat. I substituted one pound for a chili recipe I had planned.

Why buy a ton of soda? It's summer, make your own sun tea. My husband and I make ours unsweetened. Like my coffee, I like to taste it! Soda is more of a treat in my house, even for my husband and I.

Same thing goes for juice. The concentrate cans are so much cheaper. Just take a minute and stir it on your own. $1.28 & two minutes of your time or $4? Hmm ...

 

Weeks earlier we splurged on a Brita filter as opposed to bottled water.  $17 for this one that attaches to the sink and has a filter that lasts about six months, or $5 for a case of bottled water each week. For those savings, I will fill my own cup. Oh, and did I mention my iced tea and coffee taste tons better!

Produce!

My kids snacked on those pears. I think we even put some in the oatmeal. My husband takes leftovers to work for lunch (see, don't be afraid to eat them), and he also took carrots for snacks. Lemon zest will add flavor to ANYTHING. If I'm unsure how best I want to season something, I use three main ingredients: Salt, Pepper, and Lemon Zest!

And lastly, make your own desserts. You will spend about half what you would buying something pre-made in the bakery. And usually the flour and sugar will last for a while. Now, I did mess up that cake. It was not supposed to be crispy. What can I say? I'm a lousy baker. So I went with the next easiest thing: sugar cookies.

I hope this helps, all. Come by and visit me. I'd love to hear your tips.

Thank you Stephanie!  I love your budgeting tips!  I might have to take this as a challenge to see if I can spend only $100 for 2 weeks {I know my husband would love that!}.  Go check out Stephanie's blog and check out her awesome Etsy shop!

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