Alright, here it is! Our slightly late – but still here – update on our food spending for November. Last month I wrote about how our grocery budget had gotten a little – *a lot* – ridiculous. So, I created a self-imposed challenge to keep our joint spending on food for the month of November to under $500.
Now, this may seem like a totally reasonable, not challenging at all, challenge to many of you out there. I mean we’re only two people! But considering we had been averaging around $950 a month in the previous few months this was a pretty significant cut.
So, the results are in. Drum roll, please…
Our total monthly food spend for November was $447.62!
We hit our goal with $52.38 to spare. Our total spend broke down as the following:
Groceries – $305.68
Dining Out – $141.94
Compared to the previously mentioned average, we saved $502.38! Not too bad, for just paying a bit more attention and spending a little time planning!
Now, I have to be honest – our success does come with one caveat. We spent a week visiting family in Pennsylvania and any food purchased during that week got categorized into the travel category. Plus, it was Thanksgiving, so we spent a few days at my parents’ house where we weren’t paying to feed ourselves. These two things definitely helped us out in reaching our goal.
However, I can feel a little better because $80 of November’s groceries dollars went to buying (and vacuum sealing) many months’ worth of whole bean coffee from our favorite coffee shop. Without this bulk purchase, our grocery bill would have only been $225 for the month. So, I’ll say it kind of evens out?
Now to see if we can keep it up.
Butch On a Budget 