Yes, that's 5 kids and 2 adults.
We also homeschool. Which means we are home for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks every single day. We don't eat out, except on the very rare occasion. This helps tremendously with our budgeting, but also means that if I don't buy it, we don't have it.
During our journey of learning to budget these last few years, I have learned that our "Grocery Budget" is an area that I can get pretty carried away in, if I'm not careful. Just to clarify, my "Grocery Budget" is anything I can buy at my local Kroger. So this includes food, of course, but also pet needs, toiletry items, some small office supplies (envelopes, paper clips, pens, etc.). So, the bill can add up quickly if I'm not mindful of each and every item I am purchasing.
I have gotten in the habit recently of doing a good sized grocery shop every week and using the Kroger ClickList to pick it up. This has been a huge game changer for me. I can shop on budget, know exactly what I'm getting, avoid impulse buys, stock up on sale items, and get my groceries and get right back home. Game Changer.
Fast forward to the month of May when I decide I want to buckle down, eliminate all excess in all possible areas, and put all of that money towards debt freedom... I realized that by doing one simple thing I could majorly reduce my grocery spending! You ready for it?...…
MEAL PLANNING!
So simple, but soooo impactful! So I have tried my hand at meal planning all 3 meals each day, as well as snacks for the month of May, and it has drastically reduced the amount I'm spending at the store! The other part of being extremely mindful of where my money goes is I have found that I would rather go into the store myself (don't pass out, Mom!) and see where I can reduce my costs even further by scoping out sales not listed on the app and/or choosing off-brand items. Shopping in-store myself also saves me the $5 fee for the ClickList service.
An example was last Thursday. I needed a few things to get us through the rest of the month. My Kroger List (I just use the one on their amazing app!) said I was looking at around $119 in items, before tax; however, I knew I had $120 to spend. I took a friend's advice and only took in the cash I wanted to spend. No debit card to bail me out if I went over on my budget! Y'all it worked like a charm! So I went into the store, did my due diligence, and walked out only spending $106.11! And I was able to snag 4 things I simply wanted that weren't on my list! Go me!
So, lesson learned here is "Where there is a will....there is a way!" And also I have learned to be much more involved in the day-to-day spending. It makes all the difference!
Now, I have a little bit left over in case we need a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread before our next payday, as well as some major self-confidence that I really truly can do this! And if I can do it, you can too!
Here's to DEBT FREEDOM, Y'all!
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