admin For the past years, I have been doing grocery shopping on a monthly basis and always ended up replenishing mid-
month hence spending more money. At the beginning of June, I decided to rehash the way I grocery shop by starting doing it on a weekly basis. I have assigned myself a budget of Eur100 per week and I must say that for the first month I did struggle to stay on budget but considering did not do that bad.
I still meal plan for a whole month, but then I grocery shop for the week, thus giving my the opportunity to adjust the meal plan accordingly and trying to use food we have left so nothing gets wasted.
My son does drink a lot of milk, and although in my grocery I bought quite a number of milk cartons, I still had to replenish mid-week. The same applies for bread….did buy some which could be stored in the fridge but my daughter like to local Maltese bread so that had to be bought fresh from the bakery next to our home.
Week 1 – spent Eur112
Week 2 – spent Eur116
Week 3 – had some food left but still had to replenish items such as milk, bread and fresh fruit.
Week 4 – spent Eur163 but we had run out of most of the things and bought other items from Lidl which I would not normally buy such as meat, ready made sandwiches for when my daughter is home from school and need something quick, more snacks due to a school outing and some ice cream……it’s summer so cannot stay without ice cream at home !!!!
The budget does exclude meat, which we normally buy from our local butcher. This time round I did buy some meat just to get us through until we go shopping for meat. During the week, I try and vary as much as possible such as chicken, pork, red meat and pasta……incorporating vegetables as well. When I buy meat I make sure that I have enough for at least a month and a half. Now that it’s summer, we tend to eat more light food such as pasta salad or salads.
If you wonder how I set my budget, well I spend approximately Eur400 per month……ie Eur100 per person per month. As mentioned this budget excludes meat….if were to include it then it would be approximately an additional Eur100 per month. There is still room to improve because during the month of June, I did spend more on a weekly basis but definitely it is an improvement from when used to grocery shop on a monthly basis. When budgeting do keep in mind that there will be instances that you would spend more on groceries especially if you entertain on a regular basis or if you like baking.
Do not discourage yourself….take it as a challenge…..enjoy budgeting.
Love
Strugglingmum
