Once upon a time, I was a frugal shopper. I treated budgeting like a game, proud of when I saved more than half my grocery bill. We rarely spent money, hoarding it like miserly hermits. Then we had kids...
I got lazy. I admit it. While cheap food seemed fine for my husband and I, I wanted my children to eat better. I started spending more. Then we had to go dairy free because my oldest was allergic. I started spending more. Even when my oldest outgrew her allergy, I was still spending more. Until I finally awoke to the reality last month that my food budget had grown to $800 a month for a family of 4. Yes, we live in a high cost of living area (SF Bay Area) and many people feel thats reasonable, but I refuse to believe that I can't eat well on less.
Moreover, it wasn't just the food budget that had grown out of control. As a stay at home mom with young children, I found myself often going to Target just to get out of the house. And that lead to buying things because we "could use" them. Not to mention Starbucks runs, or clothing for the kids, or activities for the kids, or ..... I was out of control.
So join me as I try to reign my finances back under control. My number one goal for now is to only spend $450 a month on food, toiletries, and diapers. Well that, and getting my youngest out of diapers.
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