Eat from the Pantry - Week Four

Well, it is February and the challenge is officially over. I am proud of how we did overall. And whether anyone has been reading this or not, it helped me stay accountable knowing that I had committed to blog about it.

Here's a recap of my goals and how I made out:

1. Shop at the grocery store only 4 times in January.

Officially, I had 7 trips to the grocery store, but two of them where in the same day (forgot one crucial item). My fifth trip was due to a caveat that I didn't include in the original post, but I forgot that I would need to buy groceries for E's birthday party on the 31st. Overall, I did stick to shopping once a week and that was HARD for me. I think that it did help me keep the costs down, and it forced me to plan ahead. That is one thing that I want to take away from this experience - shop less & plan more.

2. Only buy dairy (milk, eggs, cheese, etc.) and produce (fruits/vegetables).

I did stick to this rule very well. I had some free after coupon items that I'm not counting (they were FREE after all!) and one box of pasta that I confess I purchased... But that's it. I passed up two $0.19 packages of pudding snacks that were calling my name and was very proud at my self-control. Until Doug said, "isn't pudding considered dairy?" I almost went back to the store, but that would've broken goal #1, so I let them go. This goal helped me use up a number of items that have been in the freezer/pantry for a LOOOOONG time and may have never been used otherwise.

3. Spend a total of $200 or less on groceries and household items (i.e. toiletries and Pull-Ups, etc.)

My total amount spent on groceries/household items came to $187.24 so I definitely met this goal! This includes two meals I made for our small group of 12 and most of the food for E's birthday party (14 adults and 4 kids). I surprised myself on how little I spent, seeing as this category of my budget is usually $440 a month and it is ALWAYS hard to keep it within that amount. Hopefully I don't go out and spend $800 this month to make up for it...

4. Put the extra $220 leftover (or more) that we would usually spend on groceries/household into our savings account.

While we originally planned to put all the excess into savings, Doug and I felt led to give to Haiti instead, through our church. I'm not saying this to brag, but just to be honest and say that God has always provided for us - more than we need. It is a privilege to be able to give to others and recognize that all we have is God's anyway. In the end I know we will only be accountable to Him and I want to make Him proud.