A few thoughts on the food budget

We aren't poor. We have money that we've saved from when I was working, grants, and Jeremy's monthly (part time) income. There is no panic that our bank accounts will overdraft (mostly because I'm paranoid that if I don't have X amount easily accessible the world will fall apart). But it's pretty safe to say that just about every penny in our bank accounts in spoken for. The next baby fund, the (soon needed) new car fund, the summer/fall tuition fund, the emergency fund  etc. etc. So while I know there is money to our names, I sure don't feel like it. We're on a pretty tight budget.

But that's ok. This isn't a boohoo post. I know (KNOW) we are pretty lucky to have what we do. I know we are better off than so many. I know we have so (SO) many temporal blessings and full bellies and warm bodies to show for it. We're doing just fine. So don't feel bad for us, honestly.

But all that said, the plain facts are we have to say, "We can't afford that" all the time. Just about daily. I started a running tally of the things we may add to next months budget (because if we didn't budget for it this month, pretty much it'll get pushed to next month.) And today, as something else came up, I mentally started crossing things off that list. The list of things I hoped to be able to buy come next Thursday.

I'm not going to lie, it's been a hard thing for me to learn to say, cheerfully, "We can't afford that." Don't get me wrong, I've never been a huge spender. In college I kept a pretty tight grip on my money (especially considering I was responsible for paying my bills and tuition). And I always saved some at least beyond that. But I've always also been able to splurge a little here, a little there and not feel guilty about it. I have always been able to buy things for other people and not feel guilty about it.

Anyway. It's hard, but it's got to happen (and I'm getting more cheerful about it). I keep trying to think of ways and places I can shave back our spending that will allow us to have more money in other places. I know we can't have it all, so what can I give up in order to get something else?

We don't really eat out (unless we have a gift certificate). We don't spend any money on movies or video games or recreational activities. We don't buy ourselves clothes hardly ever (with the occasional exception being for Raymond, as needed).I make most of the gifts we give. Pretty much we pay our bills.

And so every time it comes down to the food budget. Now, when I lived alone, I didn't spend all that much on food. I ate a lot of stuffing, salsa (wal-mart southwest. Mmmm.), frozen peas, and cereal. I was busy and didn't cook hardly ever. I didn't care. I could make due just fine.

But since I've been married and started feeling responsible to feed Jeremy and now Raymond, I have a hard, hard time not spending too much money at the grocery store. Every single month it's a battle. A race to finish under my budget (which to give me some credit isn't huge to start with... but it's doable). But then I'm standing there and want to buy things I know we like to eat. Who wants to eat mac and cheese everyday? What is living if you can't buy fresh strawberries when they're in season? Or some pudding as a weekend dessert?

And not just that: even if I'm only buying things on my menu (and I do have a menu and a list every single time I go), I still over spend. So I've decided I must be trying to make too expensive of food. Too much meat. Too much cheese. Too much of something. I can't really figure out what though. So I've thought about sitting down and figuring out the actual cost of each meal I menu for (as in lasagna: noodles=$X, cottage cheese=$X, can of tomatoes=$X etc). But does that make anyone else want to cry? Although I really and truly am considering doing it.

Or maybe I should be using coupons. But to be totally honest I have absolutely NO interest in it. Nor do I want to be sifting through them every time I'm at the store. So I just need to be better at shopping the sales? (which I do for the store I shop at most) Or going to three or four different stores and shopping all their sales?  (Again, make me want to cry.) Or making more vegetarian meals? (although, fresh veggies can be just as pricey as the meat... Jeanine, I'm still thinking about Bountiful Baskets) Plant a garden? (Which I really, really want to do. A few potted tomatoes and herbs are in the plans)

Or eating beans and rice every day. (If only I had a live-in Honduran cook.)

Thoughts?? What do you do to cut back your grocery bills?

Practical Question: Food Storage

cSo I've been seriously thinking about our progress on having a three month supply of food storage. I have no doubt that we need to have at least a three month's supply... the question is more how to go about it. When we got married, we were given as gifts a few starter kit boxes number 10 cans of beans and rice, oats and wheat. We have a growing number of such cans. As well as a shelf of canned foods courtesy Jeremy's mom (thank you! We love your canned food!). All this is mostly considered to be part of our longer term storage (although we do eat regularly from home canned goodness... we just can't help it).

Anyhow, long story short, we started (oh, 8 months ago or so) to designate a certain (small) amount of our monthly food budget towards a three months supply. I tend to buy things at random, and so we have a growing shelf of random "everyday" foods. You know, bisquick, peanut butter, cans of corn, etc. Nothing organized or systematic. Just food.

On Monday for Family Home Evening we decided to inventory said shelf of foods. I was disheartened to discover that although we have started relatively recently, food was already going bad. It about broke my heart to throw some things away. (Confession, a few things I just have not been willing to get rid of despite the expired date... do think that's dangerous? I put them on the "eat now" shelf.) I also was reminded that the food we have there is random. And so far away from being a three month supply. So. Far. Away.

I've been following a blog with all kinds of food storage motivation and direction giving. I've been following it long enough that I've decided it's time to really act. I've particularly been pondering on how to get started on the three month supply. And yet it's all so overwhelming. You know?

But we've got to start somewhere, right? I'm trying their method of outlining rotatable menus of all nonperishable and then creating a master shopping list of what I would need. You know, just how many boxes of spaghetti do I need to buy? I've been working on my menus since Monday. They still are a bit sparse (fact: we eat a decent amount of perishable foods around here). And every time I think about working on it... somehow something else seems more important (aka I'm putting it off).

So, I know this is a HUGE topic (whole blogs, books, and websites are devoted to it)... I'm just wondering if you have any ideas for where to start. You know, to make this a little more systematic. Should I keep on with what I'm attempting? Or have you found an easier way? I'm ok if there isn't an easier way. Not all commandments are easy. But I'd like to simplify things if I can. Any words of advice?

Shmorgisbord

I have been trying to start a new post all week. I have so many different things floating around in my head, I haven't been able to pin one down into a full post. So here's a smattering of things from the Christiansen household...

• Tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary. I'm a happy, happy girl. I can't believe it's been a year... and I can't believe it's only been a year. You know what I mean?
• I made whole wheat bread this week. As in, I ground the wheat myself. My inlaws gave us a wheat grinder for Christmas last year and I've been wanting to bust it out for, oh, almost 9 months. Such fun we had! The bread turned out tasty and filling.
  
• Speaking of food, I've officially taken on the oh-so-wifely duty of packing Mr. Christiansen's lunch every day. I'm determined to help him gain back all the weight he's lost since we got married (almost 15 lbs, folks. Too much.). I'm not going to lie, it's been fun.
• Oh yeah, and more on food: my new favorite recipe is for homemade wheat thins. I sure do LOVE crackers. But they've gotten so dang expensive of late... that I can just about never justify buying them. But making them? Well, I can eat the whole batch pretty quick, so I shouldn't make them too often either. But it sure is fun!
• I've decided to get more organized in my house cleaning duties. I love a clean house. Oh how I love it! But get so tired and frustrated with all the picking up that I've had a hard time doing any actual cleaning (beyond the dishes). So, I've made myself a schedule. I have a few "daily" chores and then have divided my weekly chores up. It makes it so much more doable when it's just one or two little things a day (rather than the whole stinkin' apartment in one sweaty, dusty morning). I'll report back in a few weeks to tell you how it's come along.
• Just so you know: I've flossed every single day for two weeks now. It's quite the accomplishment.
• I've been rereading my mission journals (for those who don't know, I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honduras). I had such spunk! Such pizazz! Such enthusiasm and commitment and excitement for life! I'm determined to rekindle some of that beautiful, cheerful optimism that exuded from my letters and emails home. It makes me oh so happy to remember the wonderful people and places of that time in my life.
  
• I would just like to report that I have woken up in my own bed now for a week and a half. We are slowly but surely moving forward in our attempts at scedulted sleep in this house. Oh so happy.
• It's almost fall! I can feel it in the air. A slight something in the breeze (despite the 80 and 90 degree weather). It's cooler in the morning when we go for our walks. Little RayJ has to be bundled up of he gets too cold. I can't wait to bundle myself up! I love sweaters and fall colors and crisp breezes.

ps. Don't be surprised of one if these here bullet points gets turned into a full-blown post sometime soon. Otherwise I've just used up everything I've planned on blogging about in one fowl swoop!