We all know what a great job I do of sticking to plans so you might be asking . . why does she even do it? I love planning and despite what normal folks might think, it doesn’t bother me at all when I have elaborate, well conceived plans and they only last for a day or two. What I’m trying to say is this: Do NOT remind me that I was not going to buy yarn in 2015! 🙂
Here’s what I’m thinking about for 2016:
- No fabric purchases – I think I’ve mastered that one but I’m keeping it on the list.
- Only purchase yarn for specific purposes – I don’t think I’m going to do Camp Loopy this year. It’s too hard on my hands trying to knit so much for three months straight. I will plan to do Loopy Academy so long as the yardage requirements don’t go up too high. I’m pretty sure I’m not doing the ESK Yarnathon next year. I had great fun but there were too projects I knitted that I really had no interest in knitting but did it in order to do all the projects. I have no idea what they’re doing in 2016 so I could change my mind. I would love to use up a good chunk of the yarn I have so I can empty out some tubs in the sewing room.
- Grocery budget – I keep quoting Dave Ramsey . . “beans and rice; rice and beans!” There are three main reasons for wanting to do this. First, we have three freezers full and lots and lots of canned food – either food we’ve bought or food I’ve grown and canned. Second, there are a couple of things we *really* want to do before Vince retires and we want to use “found” money . . not take money out of savings and continue to put money in savings so any “found” money has to come from us cutting back on what we’re spending now. We spend way too much on groceries so I think if I’m careful, we can save about $500/month on groceries. Third, using what we have will empty out the “old”, make room for new food stock or just having less will make it easier to move if that’s what we decide to do when Vince retires.
My plan is to spend $100 per month on groceries! Can I do it? I don’t know! There’s a slim chance we can spend $25/week on groceries but I can try and if I find I need to spend $200 per month, I can do it and still be saving quit a bit. Could you do it if you had 3 freezers full and lots of canned goods? A whole lot will depend on the garden and yes, there are seeds to buy and plants to buy but that cost doesn’t compare to buying groceries. I’ve been thinking about it and I won’t include paper towels, toilet paper, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, dog or cat food — only the things that we actually consume.
Anything you’re thinking about doing in 2016?
Guess I need to get out to the garden to replant the lettuce that the grasshoppers ate! 🙂
Patricia says
2016! I’m not ready to think about it! Love Dave Ramsey!
JudyL says
Ready or not, it’s going to be here before we know it.
Patricia says
2016! I’m not ready to think about it! Love Dave Ramsey!
Tina in NJ says
I highly recommend Budgetbytes.com if you haven’t com across it yet. Beth lives in New Orleans and writes a blog on eating well for less. Her weekly budget for one person is about $30-35. And her recipes are yummy!
JudyL says
Thanks! I was not familiar with that blog. It should help a lot!
katie z. says
You can totally do it! We spend $3-400 for seven people, with two full deep freezes and not nearly as much canning as you do. Plus, if you’re motivated, you can do anything.
JudyL says
Thanks! It’s nice to know that it CAN be done. When I think about what we spend on groceries now, I wondered if I could do it but if you’re doing it . . I can do it too. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Beth C in MA says
I thought I was the only one thinking about 2016!!! I am a list maker: yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily!! I am not upset when things are not finished. It’s life and life can get in the way. I didn’t accomplish all I had hoped for ESK Yarnathon this year. And I will wait to see what they have in store for next year. My Loopy Academy fell by the wayside this year but I may pick it up again. I really want to focus on Custom Fit sweaters in 2016 and would like to work on Master Knitting certification. I miss hand applique and want to get back into it. As for food, I live in a condo and freezers and gardening are out of the question. But I want to concentrate on a fresh food diet–Mediterranean style.
Joyce says
Lists are always good–even if not everything gets done! I was thinking that 2016 needs to be a “no spend” year for me. In other words, concentrate on only purchasing essentials. If I want something that isn’t a “need” then I need to find a way to earn the money to pay for it. (sell some knitting/weaving/spinning stuff or get an extra job for a while). We’ll see if that happens! Right now I’m waffling on the garden for next summer. It’s been a whole lot of work recently and I’m not sure it has been worth the effort this year.
Jen says
I am surprised that you spend so much on groceries now. I have been making 1 trip to the grocery store weekly and picking up just what we need for the week. I pretty much cook from scratch, so that saves money. (I don’t count my electricity!) ha Now with 2 teenage boys playing sports….that has become very detrimental to my grocery bill! I caught one of them eating leftover steak as an appetizer before supper!
JudyL says
I usually go to the store once every 2 weeks and Vince picks up whatever we need in between my trips but I rarely get out of the store without spending about $200. A package of chicken breasts is $8. A package of steak is $14. It adds up quickly.
I never track it but just thinking about it, I’m guessing breakfast costs us about $2 (oatmeal or cereal if we don’t eat eggs, fruit, orange juice, toast); lunch maybe $3 if we aren’t having leftovers (sandwiches, chips, sometimes a salad, cookies, fruit); dinner is probably at least $8 (meat, two veggies, bread, salad) and then there’s usually some kind of snack – either yogurt, ice cream, fruit. That’s $13/day so that’s about $400/month and add in a few extras (coffee, soda) and I’m at $500.
Fruit and stuff to make salads, along with meat is so expensive. In the summer, we grill a lot and that meat costs more than what I can stick in the pressure cooker.
I know I can do better though.
Susan says
With three freezers full, yes, I think you can do it. I don’t spend much at all, sometimes nothing but milk, butter and bread, as I rotate things from stored to table. I’m only one, sometimes two with a child coming to eat, but I think I eat a lot differently than you do. I eat healthy, but meat is something I don’t have at every dinner, for instance. You can do anything you set your mind to, so it depends on how much YOU want to do it. I love that site someone gave you. It’s a good one, and you know about others, I’m sure. Dave rules!
Bev Gunn says
Might consider leaving Vince in the car as he is such a good “bargain” hunter! That is what always ran up my grocery bill-the impulse buys and prepared items. Now I just get enough for a couple of days so my 16 yo doesn’t eat everything in one night!
Joyce G says
Judy, I think you shop a lot in bulk/quantity, so maybe your grocery bill isn’t as high as you think once you figure out how many meals you’re getting out of that $200. I’m guessing with all your canning you could eat for quite some time, only adding fresh fruits/vegetables and any dairy products you need. My 2016 plan is beginning to take shape as well… you’re a great encourager. Keep up the good work!
Linda in NE says
With all that food on hand I’m sure you can do it. You’d only have to buy a few fresh things, dairy, etc. and what you need to complete recipes that you either don’t have on hand or ran out of. Oh yeah, and when you go to the store leave Vince at home…you know he can’t resist a bargain of any kind whether you need it or not. 🙂
sharon says
You can do it. There are a lot more foods besides just beans that are loaded with proteins. We eat a plant based organic diet. I do freeze about 300# of blueberries and 100# of strawberries in the summer and when bananas are on sale, I freeze about 200# of them. I buy from Azure company – who delivers in the area the beans, graisn and other such in 20# bags for the winter. The rest is garden produce and canning. Potatoes, carrots and onions are staples here. I have 2 freezers full and the canning I did this summer. Including the paper goods, I spend about 35/ week. This week it was fresh Brussel’s sprouts, tomatoes and paper goods. Honestly, if I didn’t enjoy the fresh foods, I’d not need to go to the grocery.