Today is where the readers that are also doing this challenge can check in and let us know how they are doing. Leave a comment stating where you are at on day 4 with your budget. If you are also blogging about your progress be sure to leave your blog link.Yesterday I paid our phone/internet bill which was $51.56. I gave hubby $10 to buy a lunch ticket at work for the week. His workplace offers hot lunch for $2 a day and he prefers that to bagging a lunch. I also had to run to the store to buy toilet paper, because somehow the package which we had that had three rolls left just disappeared. Seriously, it's gone. We've searched high and low for it and can't find it anywhere. I know that in a few weeks, or months, we will find it hidden away somewhere by little Joe but for now it is gone. While at the grocery store, I saw a lot of fruit and vegetables that looked good and were on sale so I picked up a lot. I purchased:
3 tootsie pops for 38 cents total
Scott toilet paper $3.49
Package of cinnamon rolls which were on clearance for 99 cents
8 oz. mozzarella cheese 99 cents
margarine 89 cents
2 packages cookie mix $2.19 each (minus $1 coupon off 2) I like these for when I am in a rush but everyone needs a snack. Much cheaper than buying a package of cookies, and a bit healthier, and not too much more expensive than homemade
Oatnut bread $1.99
8 ears of sweet corn $2
1.11 lb. peaches (5) $1.65
2 mangos $1
3 green peppers $1
3 cucumbers $1
1.83 lb. strawberries $2.71
1% gallon milk $2.79
Total: $24.53 Which means I have about $50 left to spend for a week's worth of groceries; I will pick those up on Saturday. Our total left for the month is $612.83
Food is one of the biggest areas that you can cut costs from your budget. No eating out (or at least, less frequently) and making cheap but wholesome meals can shave at least $100-$200 from your groceries a month. I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot by purchasing a lot of fruits and vegetables as I all too often hear that you can't eat lots of fresh foods when on an extremely tight budget. I hope to prove that wrong. I'll be highlighting some of my recipes this month that are both good for you and good for your budget. One of our favorites is Tacos.
I was introduced to "homemade tacos" by my mother-in-law. I grew up with tacos from an Ortega box and liked them but the homemade are unbelievable! My mother-in-law often makes her own tortillas from scratch as well but it is a tedious process and since corn tortillas are cheap and taste almost as good as the homemade I skip that process.I also skip taco seasoning. I crumble a pound of ground beef into a sauce pan, cover with water, sprinkle in some dried onion, salt, and garlic powder (or dried garlic) and boil for about 35-40 minutes or until done. Then I drain the water (the dogs love this broth poured over their food!) and season a bit more with salt and garlic powder.
For the tortillas I buy the small round corn tortillas. I heat up a little oil in the skillet and throw a tortilla in, then flip over and then fold and heat up on both sides. By throwing it in and letting it get warm before turning it over and folding it doesn't tear in the middle. Heat up until each side is just barely crispy. About 30 seconds.
Pile on the toppings, fold and enjoy. We like sweet onions, lettuce, cheddar cheese (though we occasionally buy the taco seasoned cheese), and tomatoes.
Last week when we served them the kids ate three tacos each (yes, even Joe!) and Ben and I had at least 5 each. We were able to make 24 tacos for about $8. This week almost all the ingredients seem to be on sale (lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and onions) so we will be having tacos again and should be able to make 24 tacos for $6 or less. That is a fairly decent price for a meal for five people. We find that we don't need any side dish as we like to just stuff ourselves with the tacos, though occasionally I will make some Spanish rice as well. Tacos will be even cheaper to make when the garden produce is ready...free onions, tomatoes, and lettuce means that it may just cost $4 for the whole meal.
Be sure to check out the comment section to see how those taking the challenge are doing or to leave your own comments.
I admire your challenge as we live on a similar challenge every month. That is due to the fact I stay at home and homeschool my four girls and my husband is a truck driver and sole provider. We survive because we live very simple and do not have a lot of wants or needs.
ReplyDeleteThere is just one issue I have to disagree with. It is cheap food. Cheap food will lead down the path to future health issues and expenses. That is not being thrifty or wise in my book. Because we have lived through terrible health and the costs associated with it is the only reason I mention it. I do not want to see that for anyone.
I believe you can still live very thrifty and eat very healthy. Just stay away from processed foods, make everything from scratch, waste none of it, and keep it simple.
If you want to read our story, you can here:http://amysmamaonamission.blogspot.com/2010/02/our-story-to-good-health.html
I was trying to prove that one can eat healthy while still on a budget. I wonder which part of the tacos you find to be unhealthy? The meat is not organic or grass-fed, so maybe that part? I looked at the ingredients of the corn tortillas and there was nothing unnatural in them so I figured they had to be as healthy as homemade. Maybe the oil to heat/fry them in? But that was just a teeny amount.
ReplyDeleteI have read your story but will read it again to get more ideas and the readers will probably want to read it as well. I do wish we were able to grow our own eggs, meat, and dairy as that would save a lot and be 100 times better for us. I do wonder, how much do you typically spend a month?
Thanks for the tips, Amy. I hope that by the end of the month our diet is improved more as well.
What an interesting challenge. I am having a no spend month myself. I also like your idea for taco meat.
ReplyDeleteI am right on track for the month (so far). I have been making my own tacos for a long time. My meat recipe is to brown 1 lb. ground beef with a diced onion and drain. Add 1 tsp chili powder, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1 can (8oz) of tomato sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes. It's delicious. I do the corn tortillas and pan fry or sometimes I cut them into triangular chips, sprinkle with oil and bake to make taco salads. If I want something very filling, I make a fry bread that is kind of like a pita pocket that you stuff with your taco fixin's. It is made with Self Rising Flour, powdered milk and warm water. Super easy!
ReplyDeleteAnother easy and very inexpensive ground beef meal is hamburger strogenoff (sp?). I can give you the recipe for that, too if you'd like (just contact me on Mary Janes Farm forum - I'm Reereebee). Good luck with your progress! I still have a few hundred dollars left for the month, too. I feel like we're doing OK.
Amy-
ReplyDeleteLooking back on my shopping list, I think you may have been talking about the cookies and cinnamon rolls? I agree, store bought versions of those are "cheap" foods. I'm going to gradually cut those out in our family diet.
Reereebee, so glad that you are on track for the month thus far!! I'll be contacting you for the recipe you mentioned!
ReplyDeleteI add refried beans to the burger when I make tacos
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth, for being so gracious about my comments. This is very personal for me and I appreciate your positive response. I do not want to sound angery or harsh and sorry if I did. That is not at all how I meant it.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the cookie mix and cinnamon rolls. They most likely do not have much good in the them. But also I wanted to comment on margarine. There is nothing good in that either. I believe we have to bite the bullet and purchase real butter. And that is a girl who grew up only knowing Blue Bonnet!
Also, I never buy conventional produce. This past December, my seven y/o was tested for toxicity. I was very shocked and upset about the high levels of chemicals in her system. The sad part being how many were from produce. We no longer buy much produce from the store. If I do, it is organic/chemical free.
My solution is to grow all my vegetables in my garden. I will only get fruit in season from friends or family that I know have not sprayed and put it up. We also started our own strawberry patch and planted many fruit trees this spring. I am hoping to be able to provide all our produce needs in the future.
I'm doing the challenge! Today was payday so it was time to pay bills and pull out the cash.
ReplyDeleteI even found $10 on the ground yesterday (woot!!!) and am so hardcore that I'm counting *that* as part of my $1200 :P hehe!
I'm keeping a tally of my challenge in the sidebar of my blog...if you want to check it out:
www.happyatheisthomemaker.blogspot.com
P.S. I just passed up some really delicious ice cream...darn tight budget ;P