Helloooooooo Boogerbutts. Is it nice there? Sunny cool morning here with all windows open. I'm lovin' it.
In other news, I'm swinging my feet at the kitchen table as Italian-herbed tomato sauce cooks in the 3qt Mini Instant Pot and the last of the laundry swooshes down the hall. After this, I'm headed out to mow.
Delightful.
In other news, we're closing in on 11 soon-to-be 12 weeks of spending $300/28 days on groceries and I'm THRILLED. We have a budget of $400/28 days and so far haven't needed the extra 100. Smoochie Face no longer eats out for work lunches unless he has to, today he has to and that's okay. It's the overall spending less money on food, that we're after.
It's not about perfection.
It's about spending better AND having fun with it.
In other, other news, a girlfriend pointed out that at $300/28 days we spend $10.71 for two people to eat, which is a little over 5 smackers for each person, per day.
Not too shabby.
We also turned the bottom shelf of the fridge into the what needs eaten next, shelf. When we ask what's for dinner, the answer often is, "Whatever's on the bottom shelf."
Love that!
And that my Boogerbutts is all that's fit to print. I skipped Wordless Wednesday this week as I've enjoyed life unplugged. Be around soon to catch up on your adventures. Until then, Happy Friday and boogie boogie!
Good for you! That's pretty impressive. I should try and track our grocery spending a little better. I need to work to keep up with you!
ReplyDeleteHey Mari. It is fun to hit the money/savings goals. Wishing you a fun week. Cheers.
DeleteThat is good, I really need to work out how much I spend on our shoppings too! :-D
ReplyDeleteHey Ananka. Thanks for stopping in. It is fun to see what we spend on what and when. Wishing you a fun week. Cheers.
DeleteLove the bottom shelf idea; will be stealing it, lol ♥
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Steal away! It's been working well for us. There are some times when things still slip through. On the whole though, works well. Cheers! Happy Week to you! Hope it's a great one.
DeleteGreat job and I love the bottom shelf idea. I'm glad you enjoyed being unplugged, that is my plan for the weekend as well. Have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteHow did your weekend of unplugged go and have you been able to read outside yet? Yesterday I ate breakfast and lunch breaks outside and wow, wow, wow. So nice. Didn't read though. Wishing you a wonderful week. Cheers and boogie boogie.
DeleteVery good budgeting! And the tomato sauce sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. It was lovely. Do you have an electric pressure cooker? Heaven sent, they are. Wishing you a yummy week.
DeleteI used to be on track with a solid food budget and then I started to get bored and sick of food. So, you posting this comes at the right now. It's time that I get back to how I used to be more organized and thoughtful with my food budget and recipes. I'm in a rut.
ReplyDeleteHi Debby. What made you get bored and sick of food? Sometimes I get food moody however since the bottom shelf thing, that's gone away because whatever is there, needs eaten even if I don't want to. Pretty cool.
DeleteI can understand being in a food rut though. I wonder if that's the same as food moody? I'm not sure. Either way though, excited to hear about you getting back into the groove and having fun with food.
Not too shabby is right. Good job. I am just trying to stay out of the store - staying home helps a bunch. I refuse to have groceries delivered.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheryl. I get that about delivered groceries. I see how it's helpful for one friend as she lost her car however on the whole, the extra money and then I don't fancy people picking out my produce. Plus, ingredient shopping is one of my fave hobbies. Wishing you a good yummy week. Cheers.
DeleteGreat job!! And I love the bottom shelf idea!!
ReplyDeleteHey Ginny. Much, much thanks. Wishing you a wonderful week. Cheers.
DeleteI have a firm food budget and I like seeing just how interestingly I can eat while saving.
ReplyDeleteI love that, Boud. It is interesting to see how we do this as we go. What's your best tip to share with us?
DeleteThat "Bottom Shelf, Eat First" idea is terrific! I bet it really reduces food waste!
ReplyDeleteHey Debra. It helps a great deal. Sometimes .... sometimes ... things still slip through. On the whole, the bottom shelf works great and we both look to see what's there and what needs eaten. It's pretty cool. Wishing you a groovy week. Cheers.
DeleteThat is impressive! We definitely spend far more than that with our family of 5 but none of us each out much (unless we're on vacation). I do pick what to make for dinner depending on what needs to be eaten before it goes bad though.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable with more folks in a house. I like about 50 per person per week however we've stayed under that. What do you average per person? Excellent on the eating the food before it goes bad. An excellent way to save mooolllaaaa.
DeleteCongrats on all that and we do this too and it can be a lot of fun making a budget. I can almost smell your Italian-herbed tomato sauce, and it's going to taste incredible I know. I also like that idea of using what's on the bottom shelf. My challenge is not to throw anything away as it's such a waste of money. My phrase seems to be before we go shopping, let's use that up first :) A fun post to read with some great ideas I am taking note of.
ReplyDeleteHey Denise. Love that you're into it to. Really makes it fun to hit goals. I also like that we group ours by 28 day units. Helps balance out a week that's higher and one that's lower.
DeleteThe sauce was soooo good. Do you have an electric pressure cooker?
Love that your goal is to use up what needs to go first. It really makes a big difference. Thanks for sharing that with us. Wishing you a yummy fun week ahead. Be around soon to catch up on blogs. Been unplugged and omg ... soooo nice. Nice to be back though too.
I always feel good when I feel like I'm not wasting and making the most of my money. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI so much agree, Judee. Waste not want not really comes into play here. Wishing you a great week!
DeleteWow Ivy...I am very impressed...Fabulous idea of the "bottom shelf." I do not like throwing food away, but sometimes it ruins before we eat it again. This is not good and it actually is like throwing money out of a window. Grocery shopping is probably a lot easier for you and OH, OH,...putting them away too. This is one of the things that gets me when purchase a big buggy of groceries...having to put them away. Well, congratulations on your accomplishment of cutting the food budget..
ReplyDeleteHey Shug! So true. Even with the bottom shelf method, I do have some things slip through. Far less though. Which is groovy.
Delete100 percent agree. To waste food is the same as cash in the trash. Right there. Gone. Whoosh. Money and time lost.
What's your biggest challenge when it comes to putting groceries away? I'd love to hear more.
I applaud you, dear Ivy. Very impressive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. This is the longest we've gone sticking with a budget. Feels good. Having that extra 100 also helps too. Wishing you a wonderful and fun week. Be around soon to catch up.
DeleteKudos to you!!!!! I admire your ability to stick with the budget.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle. This is the longest (as of this comment we are in our 13th week), that we've gone doing this. Feels good. Wishing you a yummy week!
DeleteAwesome! when we were much younger over those years we raised most of our food-including beef, pork, ducks and chickens and a huge garden-that I canned-froze and dehydrated. good to stick with a budget-congrats
ReplyDeletehugs happy weekend
Hey Kathy! How great that you did all of that. Very cool. Would love a HUGE garden. What fun. What work. But what fun too. Happy Week and huggs back.
DeleteI recall in the 1960's my mom spent around $100 for the four of us. Her father in law thought that was to much.
ReplyDelete100 a week for four sounds wonderful. I mean at 25/per person. That's just lovely. Thanks for sharing that with us. Happy Week!
DeleteThat's a great idea about the lower shelf being the 'what to eat next' catch-all. Love it! You did really well. My hubby, because of all his bouts with cancer and health issues, insists on eating all organic foods. It's crazy how expensive they are and he eats all these 'off-the-wall' items that are harder to find-some come from the health food store. Me, on the other hand, human garbage disposal...will eat most anything -except anything with MSG or anything that is more than mildly spicy. You did good this month. I am envious! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThat's understandable about the cancer and foods. I'm sorry he had to go through that. Do you have an Aldi? We get a lot of good organic stuff there for a fair price. I also get some of my harder to find stuff online. There's a certain organic mung bean I like, is an example. Online for that.
DeleteUnderstandable about the MSG. I don't fancy it either and don't get Braggs Aminos anymore because of that. Instead I use the MSG-Free Coconut.
True on how expensive some of the oddball ingredients can get. For sure.
Wishing you a good week ahead. Cheers.
We too waste a lot of food and this might be a solution for that. Thanks. Also this: I remember mowing grass...sigh...still snowing here.
ReplyDeleteWe had snow too not long ago. And the heat on yesterday morning and then the air on in the evening. But I tell you, I actually enjoy the back and forth of spring. Great on a solution. Would love to know if it's working for you. Though some stuff still slips through on the whole, this works well for us and I love that as I sit here and type, I know what needs eaten next without going back to the fridge. Pretty cool. There's a grove that falls into place.
DeleteMy budget is slightly different, we get our pension payments fortnightly, so I buy whatever is on the list, then count what I have left and divide by 14 to get the daily allowance amount until next payday. If I don't shop/buy for one or more days that money is "savings" and not added to the next day's allowance. Usually I have plenty left by the time payday rolls around and it gets locked away in the safe for emergencies.
ReplyDeleteThat's neat, River. Sounds like you have a good setup that works well for you. Very, very cool. Happy Week!
DeleteYou are doing well not spending so much on food. You also have been busy It seems.
ReplyDeleteIt's the longest we've stayed on budget for sure. Wishing you a fun week!
DeleteI like the bottom shelf idea. I have plenty in my cupboard that keeps getting pushed to the back but should be used.
ReplyDeleteHey Ann! I get that about the pantry. Yes, loving the bottom shelf thing. Some things still slip through however far less. Happy Week to you.
DeleteFor years, we were able to keep our weekly grocery shopping bill at $100 or less, which included not only food, but household items and while we still try to maintain that figure, prices have gone up and sometimes we go over. That said, we also try to not waste and use leftovers for a second meal usually adding chicken or seafood to a salad. Also checking cupboard expiration dates helps in not wasting anything.
ReplyDeleteVery cool that you were able to do that. I don't like to mix household cleaning items with ingredients. I like the separation because this works best for my kind of cooking and baking. But I do hear a lot of folks that enjoy lumping the lot. Makes sense for some for sure.
DeleteExcellent tips from your kitchen. Always fun to toss stuff into a salad. Love that.
Do you have a pressure cooker? It's a fun way to mash up leftovers for soups and stews.
Thanks for popping in. Happy Week to you.
Well done on the groceries! And it sounds lovely there. Yesterday was like that here today -- today? Jury is still out!
ReplyDeleteHey Jeanie. Hope it's a wonderful day there for you today. That day was nice here. Today is a little rain but ... I don't mind at all. I dig some of that lovely spring rain. It's like magic to the flowers and trees. Happy Week!
DeleteHave a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne. You toooooooo!
DeleteI read this so I added up my March groceries. I spent more than double. That does include freezer items and other things that won't be immediately used. I tend toward wanting every shelf full or I get uneasy. I don't waste food but I do collect it!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra! Nice that you have a freezer for extras sales. Love that.
DeleteI used to over-buy and adopt ingredients similar to what you mentioned here, back in the day when the land was flat. I was afraid we'd run out of food. These days, I like when we have far, far, far less food. I feel a calm when I open the fridge and see open spaces.
I understand though your unease as I was there myself, when the land was flat. Took some work to get me out of that thinking.
Wishing you a fun week ahead.
I love spending under budget on food. That's one area where we have improved, and it helps that the hubby is now more receptive to left-overs. I mean, who doesn't like left-overs? A big pot of soup, chili or something good is usually better time 2. Have a super week ahead. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteMe too, Erika. There's something fun about being under. Love that your hubster is enjoying leftovers. I love 'em too. OMG. Right? Chili and soups are soooooo good the next day and then some. For sure. Do you have an electric pressure cooker? Fun to toss leftovers in there to make soups and stuff.
DeleteWishing you a fun week! Huggs!
I love your spending goal! I think that people often don't realize how much more it is to eat out than to prepare meals at home, but it really adds up!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. The cost to eat out plus the asking for tips for even things like, self-checkout and pickup. Big fat NO for me. Wishing you a great week, Abby. Cheers.
DeleteI'm sure I can smell that Italian-herbed tomato sauce cooking :)
ReplyDeleteWith everything getting more expensive it's always good to keep a close eye on the budget.
We've recently had some beautiful spring days ... such a joy to be out and about in the sunshine.
Sending good wishes across the miles ... have a great week ahead.
All the best Jan
Hi Jan! Great to see you. The sauce was great. Do you have an electric pressure cooker? Great way to make your LC goodies. So easy and fun.
DeleteI love that you had some beautiful spring days. That's fun!
Sending good wishes from across the pond. Happy Week!
A couple of comments have gone through today, so I am hoping this will, too. I spent $27.84 (USD includes tax) on groceries at the beginning of the month. I went out to eat on my birthday and it was $23.13 which included tax. I was nearly blown away. The good news is, I still have a few meals before I have to go to the grocery store again. I don't see how people can go out to eat nearly every night and not blow their entire paycheck on them. I realize US and Canada have very different spending rates, so I must assume you are living the cheap life. Nice idea about the bottom shelf.
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! This one went through. Hot dog. Happy Birthday!
DeleteWe are actually eating really nice foods with this budget. I hope that continues ... it's a bit of work but we're in the groove. This is the longest we've stayed on budget. For cheaper deals, I shop at ALDI. Such a great store. Do you have one near you? Sounds like you're doing well with foods at home.
Wishing you a wonderful week.
Congratulations on your budgeting success! And I absolutely love the bottom shelf idea. Going to start that this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeanna! As I type this we are in week 13. The longest we've been able to maintain a budget. I LOVE the bottom shelf. Now, some things still slip by and that's okay. The overall goal is what I'm after and it just works. Would love to hear how you like it. Cheers to you and happy week.
DeleteKudos to you and your budget. We are on such a fixed income that never gets bigger even though the groceries prices do. This month we have had to be very "bottom shelf creative" and we have managed. Totally ran out of everything so the sale of an eBay item that was cash came in handy yesterday. Now our pantry is full of the essentials and we can" Boogie on "...(:0)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day.
Sue
Glad to read that your pantry is filled back up and sorry that you have no Aldi. Being creative for sure helps. Are there any discount stores in your area? Like a Grocery Outlet? Though I will say, ours closed and there was more than a few things I had to toss from them. Then there were some things that were excellent deals. Very hit and miss.
DeleteWishing you a wonderful week, Sue!
I don't know how much we spend on food, but a lot of produce comes in and it's been going up in price. However, I can't remember the last time something went to waste so I feel good about that.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy. Do you have an Aldi? I great great produce deals there and I'm shocked that ALDI still does produce picks. So good.
DeleteLove that you don't waste. That's the best! Happy Week!
great idea but since I order Amazon and Walmart and have everything delivered, there is no way to know what I spend on food. the total spent is everything from toothpaste and dawn to burger and pasta and lawnmower and blower.
ReplyDeleteI can understand that for sure. Nice that you don't have to leave given everything going on with Bob. Nice that you can have the food delivered. Done and dusted. Wishing you a good week! PS: love the blower and mower add to your life. So fun.
DeleteAbsolut wunderbar - es wegzuwerfen kommt nicht in Frage!
ReplyDeleteHerzliche Grüße an Sie.
Much, much thanks. Wishing you a great week!
DeletePS: Are you sewing anything fun?
I LOVE to see youngsters learn how to save money! You are doing a good job of it! Retirement will be here sooner that you know and you'll need to be ready for it! Save Everything you can...invest wisely, as well! So when you are 70, you'll be living comfortably and thanking God you made good choices!
ReplyDeletehugs
Donna
Thanks, Donna. I'm not a youngster though. I'm just a goofball. I've been unplugged for a bit so I haven't seen yet what you're sewing. I hope you're having a blast with it. I'm gonna pop over to your sewing page to see what you've been up to. Cheers and boogie boogie.
DeleteHi Ivy. It has been good to come back and visit. You always have something to make me smile and I need that right now. Decluttering 2026 seems to have gone well for you and it's a great idea to have that bottom shelf in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteBack soon.
Hi, Beverley. Great to see you. Thanks. The bottom shelf is working great. Some things still slip through here and there however on the whole, winner, winner. Thanks for stopping in today!
DeleteThat's a good idea to have a bottom shelf in your fridge to eat those foods first. Food is so expensive, isn't it? Your Italian herb tomato sauce sounds delicious. You know, Italian food is my favorite, with Chinese coming in a close second. ; ) Also, I have to say that I think it's great that you mow your lawn. I have mowed, weedeated, raked, gathered, and bagged, until recently I have a landscaper out there helping me out. ; ) It's a lot of work, isn't it?
ReplyDelete