Grocery Spending & Budget Review- What We've Been Spending on Groceries, Personal Items & Eating Out
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- Опубліковано 25 кві 2024
- This is our budget round-up for our spending from March 12- April 9. I go over each spending category, what percent of the budget it is, how it compares to our old budget, and talk about our new budget based off of this spending. Come crunch some numbers with me!
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I have to say I love and have loved your videos for a long time, but it’s nice now that you’re working that you are spending more money because of the time trade-off. I always felt that because I’ve always worked full-time. It’s nice to see that even you, the expert saver, run across this problem.
Honestly, I never realized how tough it was. I am exhausted! And finding time for everything is impossible. I am 100% convinced that being a wife who stayed at home was the best financial move. I could make extra money and save at the same time. Now that the kids are gone, I find being at home too lonely. The extra money is nice, but it’s a lot to keep the house up and work at the same time
It sounds like you all are pleased with your budget. That is all the matters. You all are at a different season of life. I am so glad you are posting videos again.
Thank you, friend 😊
I just watched this again and I want to thank you for sharing and being so transparent. I have learned a lot from you over the years. Congratulations on the Bachelors🎉
Thank you so much 😊
We’re empty nesters as well with one hosted Family Supper night each week where all the kids come back to eat. I cook Monday thru Thursday, have leftovers on Friday, go out on Saturday, and something quick and easy (grill hot dogs, egg salad sandwiches, breakfast foods) and leftovers for lunch and supper on Sunday. I cook the same portions as when everyone was at home and that also provides enough for leftovers for lunches throughout the week. We have a lot less food waste and less spent at the grocery store. We also fast for breakfast so we only have two meals each day. We also don’t snack much between meals.
I wish my children lived close enough for regular family meals 🥰 You are blessed!
Woooot BA is such an accomplishment! The little ones will be so blessed to have you as a teacher 🍎
Thank you 😊
Congrats Amanda! 🎉 Great job staying on budget! 😊😊😊
Thank you😊
Congratulations on finishing your new degree!! I used to feel so bad, because I would watch your channel and try to do the same - but I was working at the same time, so cooking everything from scratch was really hard and it was easier to spend on convenience. Its reassuring to see that its not crazy to have to accommodate for convenience in cooking when you also work outside the home. I really enjoyed watching your food diaries - I always need ideas for what to eat!
Thank you! Honestly, I was surprised at how hard it is to juggle everything with a job. If Rick cooked it would be easier, but I’d rather not go there 😂 I’m hoping if we can make our commute shorter, which is a huge stressor, it will get easier
@@TheBealles LOL, maybe its time for Rick to acquire some new skills! I actually remember a video long ago where he made dinner -and he did such a good job filming it!
@@arthrodea He has 1 or 2 recipes and jumps in with those in a pinch, but it won’t ever be his regular gig
I love your sophisticated graphic design and potholder. Congrats graduate!
😂😂😂 I have high standards
Me too. I do the same thing. I use my kids old composition books from school.
@@lynnhager7763 old habits die hard 😉
Thanks for always sharing. No judgement here.
Each of us have to set our own priorities. No household is facing the same situation. I make like 80% of our food from scratch. Maybe some weeks more but currently my health is struggling because of my lupus. My capacity isn't the same as a week were I'm not in a flare up. My favorite thing about you is your drive and hustle❤
Thank you 😊 I had to same drive when I was stay at home but my priorities were different. I do miss my homemade food, though 😉
Congratulations Amanda 🎉. Thank you both for sharing a piece of your lives.
Thank you 😊
Congratulations Amanda! Something I never accomplished. So happy for you. ❤
Thank you 😊
Congratulations on earning your degree!!! That's awesome. You have so much love and enthusiasm to share, there must be a good place for you. I taught for 24 years and loved it! All the best to you.
Thank you! I am so excited!
In college I was spending 25.00/wk on groceries just for me (100/mo). When I met my husband I started spending 50.00/wk (200.00/mo) and making my fiancees lunches and dinners ( we weren't married/living together so he covered his own breakfast).
When we were married, had 3 kids and weren't making much money our budget was $60.00/wk. (249.00/mo). I'd spend 10 dollars on each category; breads/cereal, dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit, and paper/cleaning products. For years we had access to Aldi's which kept it that low. So far so good. Not at all unreasonable.
Fast forward 15 yrs. we have 5 kids still living at home, one toddler and 4 teens, no Aldis on the west coast and I was spending 300.00 - 450.00 every two wks(600.00 - 900.00).
YIKES!
Now there's only 3 of us and I shop twice a month. I spend anywhere from 150.00 at Walmart to between 300.00 and 400.00 on the wks we buy things in bulk at Costco. If I average that out we spend about $600.00/month now. It's crazy! We're trying to eat healthier being selective of what we buy, getting organic eggs, uncured meat, grassfed beef, limited cleaning products like Hydrogen Peroxide instead of bleach and buying soaps and stuff at Dollar Tree.
From $200.00 to $240.00 to nearly $900.00 and now down to 600.00 - SUCH BIG JUMP over the last say 25 yrs than from when we were first starting out in the 80"s.
We're spending about 1/4 of our income on housing, 1/4 on utilities, 1/4 on groceries and the other 1/4 on tithing, clothing, gas for the cars, etc. The only way to get out from under the large grocery budget is gardening, getting chickens again, and hunting or buying part of a cow and/or pig for meat. We have bees for honey already.
Times change & prices go up. Preferences change. Families change. And budgets tend to increase with every change. Self sufficiency is a great goal. I’d love to be there myself, but it’s not practical for us at the moment
you're amazing Amanda! Congratulations on getting your bachelor's degree!!! I'll pray for you to get a great teaching position close to home!! May God continue to bless you and your beautiful family.
Thank you so much ❤️
Yes ,so good to know where it's going ,tfs your budget ,blessings to you and your family T Teresa in Mn
Thank you 😊
Congratulations 🎊🎈🎉🍾
Thank you😊
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! It is tough to go back to school. Good luck on finding a teaching position!!🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much!
Congratulations on graduating soon🎉.
Thank you😊
2 people. Spending between $65 and $75 a week total for both of us. This includes non-food and personal items. We don't eat out. Yes, it's still possible with careful planning and dedication. Walmart pick up with the 5% cashback rewards helps a lot.
That’s great! Never eating out would be impossible for us 😂
Congratulations, Graduate!
Thank you 😊
I agree with your statement of the fewer people you buy for the more expensive. A loaf of bread marked $5.99 is the same price whether the person buying it is single or has a family.
In fact, if the single person does not eat it up, put it in the fridge or freeze some of it, that loaf will cost them more than the family. For the simple fact if not eaten it will spoil and that money will be wasted. Whereas, a family would eat the loaf before it spoiled.
🎉 Congratulations on your upcoming graduation 🎉
Makes perfect sense
I guess I don't understand because a family would go through more loaves of bread than a single person so the cost would be more
@@debbieframpton3857 it’s the cost per person.
You spend less per week than we do in Eastern Europe, where it’s supposedly cheaper to live…but our prices more than doubled. We do our groceries once a week and from a week to another you see prices going up by 10-30 %.
I’ve been following you since you started youtube pretty much and we followed a lot of your tips (especially when it came to groceries and meal planning) so at least we managed to save up on the food bills, build a house and move in just before the lockdowns started and the prices started to shoot higher and higher. Few months left of paying off the house (technically the finishings not the house itself, that is paid off) and it’s now manageable but I kept many if not most of the good habits I learnt while saving.
So thanks for sharing❤
PS Congrats on graduating!
Thank you! It’s wonderful that you are so close to paying off your house! So happy for you! Prices vary so much depending on where people live
@@TheBealles The wages here are pretty low, depending on the region you live in (like in big cities the incomes are sometimes 10x higher than in remote rural areas). I am guessing they are on the lower side in your state too compared to other states. That’s probably the most important part when it comes to budget, the income is different depending on the region of the country but prices are pretty much the same
@@minime7375 Well, prices vary within each state similar to how they would vary in each country in Europe. For reference, North Carolina is about the size of Great Britain. They each have their own economy, cities, and rural areas. Wages are higher in cities like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Asheville in North Carolina. They are lower in the area we live in because it is more rural, but the cost of living is lower here. Food prices vary from state to state. There was a time when I was paying $3 a gallon for milk, and my friend in Kentucky (not far from me) was paying under $1.
@@TheBealles For us prices are about the same no matter the area, because of EU regulations (the price of fuel is equalized and that dictates the price for pretty much everything else), either you live in Germany (high income) or Bulgaria (low income) when you go to the grocery store you pay about the same. So either your wage is high or you have a tiny pension, the grocery stores have about the same prices and they stock about the same brands. There are no such high variation like you have between NC and Kentucky.🙂 I think you have more variety when it comes to stores too, we have a few big chains (5-6) throughout the country and within the EU (Aldi, Kaufland, Penny, Carrefour, Auchan) and they don’t change prices based on location or local incomes, they simply buiild less stores or none in low income areas. The only thing is that in rural areas people grow some of their food themselves.
I live semi-rurally (a town close to a big city) and I grow some veggies and fruit (mostly because they’re much better than what’s in grocery stores) but in more remote areas people keep pigs, dairy cows, chicken, etc. on top of the veggie gardens. Otherwise they couldn’t afford to eat.
What about making a batch of breakfast burritos for the freezer and some freezer meals for days when time is short?
I make egg bites alot, but I tried a freezer batch of breakfast burritos awhile back. they were yummy! 😊
We don’t usually eat breakfast, but we do some freezer meals. It’s just about the time.🤷♀️
Congratulations on graduating! How do you keep track of what you've spent?...do you just save receipts? Since becoming empty nesters and having a little more wiggle room in our finances, I have no idea what we're spending! We have a very basic budget for bills and savings but the rest just goes 💸
I keep up with my spending with my online bank statements and receipts. We rarely use cash except for our pocket money
Great job Amanda 🙏🏻✝️☮️🌹🌺🍀💙💗❤️💜💐🌹
Thank you😊
Congrats on ur graduation.
Thank you 😊
I LOVE Asian food too. I've learned to make a really good sauce. it's better than the takeout place near me. I also love watching Flo Lum on youtube. thanks for the video ❤
I’ll check out that channel. I make some things really well but there are others that I have not perfected. I’m always open for great Asian recipes.
Agreed. She is good, too. In Faith.
Also, at our regional grocery chain, prices are outrageous. A fresh watermelon costs approximately $ 22 and a fresh pineapple is about $17.
Yikes! In SC I can get a pineapple for $2. Watermelons aren't in season yet so I haven't even looked at those.
Wow! Pineapple here is $5. Watermelon was $13, but it’s down to $10.
Kroger in Central Illinois has had pineapples for 88 cents recently
You cut the spending down by about $200; that's great!
Thank you 😊
You’re a grandma wow lucky grandkid❤
Aw 😊 Thanks!
I made ends meet better in the 80’s at 3.35 a hour then I do now
The prices were so much better then!
I do better now I have more time to bargain shop for meat and other items. Most what I buy is markdown or clearance
I like Asian and Mediterranean foods and Other ethnic foods. We are trying to watch what we get to stretch out our food.
That’s great, Karrie!
Congratulations on your graduation! What grades are you going to teach?
PreK or Kindergarten
Awesome
I think also you and Rick are eating a little bit more healthier we all try to do that when we get a little bit older
That is definitely a consideration😉
WHat was the total a year for food??
I haven’t done a yearly total
Are you doing early childhood education?
In North Carolina it’s called birth to kindergarten education and I’ll be a licensed teacher for preschool or kindergarten. I’m still going to be working on additional schooling to get my certification up to six grade.
@@TheBealles That is great! I’m soo happy for you 🙂
Congratulations graduate 🎼🎵🎶🎶🎶
Thank you😊
Of course you guys could do on less BUT you don`t have to! Our lives have different seasons! We all live so rich earthly speaking the important thing is ge thankful and give God thanks!
LORD JESUS IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
Thank you 😊 Very true.
Seems high for 2 people to me but I'm not paying for it.
Well… Like I said, it’s a lot more convenience, but that’s our life right now