How much do I really spend?

Elliehmltn

Fact is, I haven't been keeping track. I'm going to start. I need to see where I am on this, and get organized about it. Matter of fact, I need to do that about what I'm eating, not just what I'm spending. I log my exercise but my food, not so much.

It's totally possible I've been thinking, "I don't want to know."

But I do. I think it will help things get better.

frugalafterfifty

I don't keep track of what I spend either. My spending fluctuates though. I'm fortunate to live in an area that I can drive out into the country and stop at farm stands. I buy bulk. Lots of times the stands will have a large basket of items that may be a day old - beets, eggplants, tomatoes, onions, etc. These can cost as little as a $1. I'll buy them and bring them home and process them by canning, freezing or dehydrating. IT'S A LOT OF WORK. I can buy boxes of 30 bunches of banana's for $6.50 and then I'll freeze them all. If I drive 40 minutes I can buy huge boxes of apples for $12.00. There must be over 100 apples in a box. So sometimes I may spend $100 in a weekend but the back of my SUV will be bursting.

There are lots of stores out there that sell things at a discount. You just have to pay attention to costs and expiration dates. I don't plan meal menus before I shop. I'll shop and get discounts and then create meals.

When I first started this 3 years ago, I did have start up costs. I bought a canner and lots of jars. I also bought 2 raised garden beds and made two. That was an expensive year.

It's worth all the work in the summer and fall to have food in the winter time when the heat bills are higher. I just have to keep checking my freezer to make sure it doesn't defrost on me like it did last year.

Cyclingbonnie

I do think the spending is much like the eating ... simply being aware. You can't have strategies without being aware. I think I'll start tracking the spending too.

Elliehmltn

I do think the spending is much like the eating ... simply being aware. You can't have strategies without being aware. I think I'll start tracking the spending too.

Yeah, I realized that as I was writing. How can I cut back and make money/calories go farther if don't know where I'm starting from, or worse, spend/eat but pretend I didn't? Can get away with that in the eating department (just gain weight!) but with money, when it's gone, it's gone.

Goldenbast

I try to keep track, as in, keep on budget, but I currently feed 2 families, my own with me and my hubby with 3 kids and my 22 year old daughter and her boyfriend....our food budget would be a monster if I didn't do stuff from scratch, and even then I still buy like top ramen and hamburger helper...but mostly because lately I have been having total heat intolerance and so cooking has gone right out the window since our AC unit is on the fritz...so our food bill has gone up.

BUT we are moving! Then it will just be me and my four....budget will go down a bit, don't have to make quite so much and will go back to buying in bulk and prepping ahead of time.

Maybe we should have Challenge Weeks on here? Might be fun! I will make a new post about this idea.