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There are only nine days left in the month of January. I had originally set my grocery budget for this month at $300 for my family of six. How am I doing?

As of today, I have spent $224.70 on food this month for my family of six! I am really proud of myself! And I did this WITHOUT couponing! Yes…it can be done. More on that later. I have tried very hard to stick to my budget. And I have a feeling I will meet my goal!

Here is what I have done so far this month to not spend so much money on groceries:

1. I made a menu plan for the entire month of January. I planned my menu around my food storage and what I already had in my freezer. I have stuck to my menu plan like glue and it has made a huge difference!
2. I make a weekly list of perishables that I need to buy and only buy those items. I don’t put any extras in my cart (like crackers, ice cream, etc.)
3. I have been cooking from scratch most everything I can (except bread. I am working on my issues with bread. I may need therapy.)
4. We haven’t eaten out…at all! Whoo hoo! (Except for date night but we had a gift card for that one from Christmas.)

At the end of the month I will highlight some things that I have learned along the way that may be helpful to you. I will also let you know more specifics on how it worked for my family.

As for today, I wanted to share some budgeting information with you. If you are wanting to stick in a budget, it is imperative that you keep track of your money and know what you are spending.

1. Objects won’t buy happiness. No matter what you think, that certain toy or that certain pair of shoes will not make you happy. I promise! I find that when I give my house a good cleaning I love everything I have that much more and don’t feel the need to buy more.

2. Pick a day once a week to go over your budget with your spouse or significant other. Decide how much you will spend and don’t go over it. Period. This way you can both know where you are and if changes need to happen you can discuss it. Make a plan of how you will stick to your budget (like using cash envelopes, for example). Not everyone will use the same system. What IS important, however, it keeping track of your money and your spending. I use Quicken and have for 12 years. I LOVE it.

3.Pay yourself first. Before you spend any money you must pay yourself. Decide how much money you will put into savings, IRA’s or whatever and do that…THEN you may spend. Don’t spend anything before you pay yourself first. Even if it is only $20 a month.

4. Only buy what you really will use. This includes food storage and other items for emergencies. Not only does this help with the budget, but keeps clutter down. Couponing can feed this addiction. But I promise you that if you stick with buying ONLY what you will use, I promise you that you will end up spending LESS!

5. Don’t use your credit card for purchases unless you know you can pay for it in full the next month. I have really strong opinions about this. Your life will be so much better if you don’t get into debt with credit cards! If you don’t have the money for it, don’t buy it. Period. My life is worry-free because we don’t have ANY credit card debt.

6. Plan for big purchases or expenses ahead of time. Not only do we save ahead for vacations or other large expenses, I also save ahead for dental, auto insurance and emergencies. We don’t have dental insurance so I figured how much we spend per year, divided by 12, and I save that amount every month. When we go to the dentist every 6 months it is already paid for. It is such a nice feeling! Work this into your monthly budget plan.

7. Don’t buy something just because it is on sale. There will always be another sale. Believe me. Unless you need that item immediately or you have a specific purpose for it later on, don’t buy it.

8. Don’t tempt yourself. If you find yourself spending money when you go out, stay home! Don’t go to the mall if it will make you want to spend. Find free activities to do in your area. Take the kids to the park, or on a bike ride. You don’t have to spend money to have fun! The PYP forums are a great place to start to find these things out.

Other posts in this series:
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning Binder
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Monthly Check-in