Staying On Budget!

It was a busy day today!  We ventured out around lunchtime to complete our monthly shopping trip.  We did include several extra stops, but all in all, we just arrived home around 10:00 tonight.  I am limited to a $350 grocery budget for the month, so it takes quite a bit of planning to execute that!

We begin across the mountain at Sharp Shopper each month.  We visit the Dollar Tree there and then head back over to the SAMs in Charlottesville.  Today, we found a great special at Kroger and then finished up at our Walmart.  Overall, prices are up and it was harder to stay in our budget.

We found some great deals today!  Pita bread at Sharp Shopper was half price.  We always get our bread at the dollar store (Natures Own).  We remarked at how people are paying $3.00 for each loaf right across the street when that could get the same bread for $1.00 each.  Also, a great deal for cereal eaters, free milk with purchase of cereal at Kroger.  The worst part of our trip was watching a sample man at SAMs dump a whole container of fruit in the trash can because it was time to clean up. I was devastated!

We normally do not buy meat, but this month we did purchase some chicken breasts.  I am really working hard to bring more fruits and vegetables, and fresh foods in general, into our winter diet.  This isn't a problem during garden season, but harder for us during the cold months.  Most of our purchases though, were the normal things we buy each month.

Planning is the key to staying in my eager budget.  It is a lot of work for one day each month, but then it's done!  It is extremely gratifying to look into my pantry at the end of a long day like this and see it fully stocked and ready for a whole month!

After our big shopping day, we came home to check out our pregnant goats!  They should be delivering any time now!  Walking back through the yard, under the beautiful stars, I was reminded just how much I love my life!