I have to say, I'm getting really good at this No More Grocery Shopping Thing. I've been going once a month for major groceries along with one stop in at the Sunflower Farmers Market and one stop at the Egg Lady's and I have been feeding my family of 6 for under $500 a month. I'm saving hundreds when I compare my current budget with my previous buying habits. And, at a time of economic uncertainty, hundreds of dollars makes the difference between being prepared for a rainy day and being stuck out in the storm.
This months No More Eating Out plan has also been a success (though I have had one stop for pizza and one for french fries at a local deli). The other night Don and I had a date with another couple. We taught them to make bread from start to finish. They provided dinner, we brought all the bread fixins and dessert. When we were discussing what to make for dessert Don had a fabulous idea, a molten chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Who could pass on that the catch was it required a bunch of stuff from the store. So, on reexamining the question we decided not to break our No More Grocery Shopping streak, but to find something at home that we could make. We ended up with the following dessert that came from food storage and the freezer. The eggs came from the cold storage as well. Also, I'm including the fabulous salad dressing that our hostess made to accompany a lovely lettuce arrangement we had with our dinner. I've modified it a bit, of course.
Before I do that I have to thank everyone for their comments this month. I especially liked Kristen's idea. Kristen is very pregnant and has had enough of running around with little kids and a belly, so she just quit. Wanna know how to do No More Grocery Shopping, just do it. Give yourself a time table, say a week or ten days, whatever may stretch you a bit and stick with it. Start with the time limit that is just beyond your comfort zone and then make it longer next time.
I did our major shopping for February today and spent under $300. With that I got several items to restock my pantry and food storage. I have past successes that build my confidence in our ability to stick to our financial and simplification goals. Thanks for keeping me accountable. look for those recipes in the next post.
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4 comments:
Thank you for doing this experiment. We are near the end of our first month of no-grocery-shopping and have done pretty well for our first time. I can't wait to do it again for February.
You and I need to talk. We spend $650 a month. I'm sure that could be lower. We don't buy meat either!
You're sweet to mention me. And my quittingness. =o) I've kept that streak alive (although I can't quit picking Jonathan up from Kindergarten). And we've been eating just great still.
Of course I'm grateful for the food storage we have. And the husband who is willing to pick up milk at Costco each week! One of these months we may eat salad again, but in the meantime, home grown carrots, beans, and corn are yummy and doable. That's why we grew them, right? Keep it up!
Still not buying groceries... I'm in hibernation. DOES ANYONE DELIVER CANS OF PORK & BEANS?!?!?! That's all I've run out of so far. =o)
(I just realized how gross that sounds, we're not living off of pork and beans - it's an ingredient in my enchilada recipe.)
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