Food Archives - Page 3 of 5

Frugal Articles of the Week

Every week I like to feature a few frugal articles that caught my eyes. Curl up in your favorite reading nook and enjoy. Hopefully these encourage you to live frugal lives!

The Keurig K-Cup’s inventor says he feels bad that he made it — here’s why by Drake Baer
Mmm… The smell and sound of a fresh pot of coffee brewing is the perfect way to start a day. For many, saving time during their morning routine is important. Years ago, an inventor thought of an ingenious way to make coffee faster, with greater variation, and in seconds. Unfortunately, that invention, the Keurig K-Cup, creates scary amounts of waste — all for about one cup of coffee per pod. What’s worse, the company charges atmospheric prices for the coffee and tries to prevent people from using their own cups with the product.

The slow death of the home-cooked meal by Roberto Ferdman
A frightening decline in home-cooked meals is occurring. Americans are eating out more, buying pre-packaged foods, and eschewing the frugal homemade items for something more. But that something more has a price. This is a trend we need to think about working on immediately. Eating out costs a fortune and many people can’t afford to do it — even if their bank accounts have enough cash.

How To Make Six Figures A Year And Still Not Feel Rich – $200,000 Income Edition by Sam from Financial Samurai
Today, I wanted to include an article that I don’t necessarily agree with. This article from the awesome writer of Financial Samurai analyzes what it means to be “rich.” Fundamentally, he asks, what does $200,000 a year get you and would you feel rich? While I disagree with his conclusions, I think this article illustrates the wide divide between wealth in this country. When someone can afford $8,000 a year in vacations and doesn’t feel rich, there’s likely an internal, psychological mechanism that’s askew.

France wants companies to make appliances that last longer by Associated Press/WashPo
What a novel approach! France is lobbying companies to make products that last longer. Simple, right? Well, companies rely on products expiring in regular intervals to allow for new products, consumption, and spending. This phenomenon is called “planned obsolescence.” We are consuming too much, as a country, people, and world. We need to cut back. One way is to build and buy products that will stand the test of time.

$200 February Food Budget Results

By Frugaling 36 Comments

My food and drink budget was broken

A couple months ago I would’ve been ashamed to show you my food and drink expenses. They were atmospheric. I’d regularly spend over $400, with the occasional $500 or $600 month here and there. It was my one budgetary weakness, but something moveable and malleable. I decided to aim right at it.

In January, both to celebrate the New Year and form a resolution, I decided to set my first hardcore food and drink budget. I wanted to reduce everything: eating out, eating in, drinking out, and drinking in. I wanted to get down to $200 for anything food or drink related. I wanted to prove it to myself, and feel the budgetary benefit; frankly, I needed this change.

As the month came to a close, I reflected on what had worked, what I bought, and how much I spent. I was over budget — big time. My expense tracker showed a glaring total: $362.69.

What I learned from last month

While I had significantly reduced my food and drink budget compared to prior months, I was bummed. Here I was, trying to shape up and save. Heck, I’m the guy who runs a site about frugality and simple living, and even I couldn’t reduce these expenses enough.

Despite overshooting my budget by about $160, January provided some important lessons.

First, go to the store and buy strategically.

If you constantly go to the store and are exposed to new stimuli and purchase options, you’ll spend more. Go when you need to and bring a solid list of must-haves — not wants. This lesson is harder for me to implement, and you’ll notice how many trips are made because of it. I tend to go whenever I can, as I carpool with friends to the store.

Second, reduce date expenditures and eating/drinking out.

I’m a single guy, and in January I went on a few too many dates. Both of these killed my budget, but when decreased, they’d be an opportunity to save in February.

Third, with dietary restrictions, look for common products before speciality options.

I don’t eat entirely gluten-free, but I’m low-FODMAP, which often means less gluten-laden products. In January, I bought gluten-free pretzels and other assorted products that were made to taste and feel like normal foods. Buying naturally gluten-free items would save me a lot.

February’s results are in — drumroll please!

February is the shortest month of the year. I only needed to stay at or below $200 this month for 28 days. As the days rolled on by, I could feel it, I was going to be close.

Day 1: $54.81 (Groceries for self and hosted a party)
Day 2: $0
Day 3: $0
Day 4: $37.53 (Groceries)
Day 5: $0
Day 6: $0
Day 7: $24.52 (Groceries)
Day 8: $0
Day 9: $5.57 (Groceries)
Day 10: $0
Day 11: $0
Day 12: $1.77 (ARGHH, SO HUNGRY! Clif Bar)
Day 13: $28.50 (Groceries)
Day 14: $33.79 (Groceries)
Day 15: $0
Day 16: $3.66 (Coffee drink)
Day 17: $10.47 (Groceries)
Day 18: $0
Day 19: $0
Day 20: $4.32 (Groceries)
Day 21: $0
Day 22: $0
Day 23: $0
Day 24: $0
Day 25: $0
Day 26: $7 (Groceries)
Day 27: $0
Day 28: $0

Today, I’m happy to report I spent only $211.94! While that’s about $12 over the intended budget, I could not be more content. Woo!

Over the last couple years, I’ve cheated and procrastinated away thousands of dollars in food and drink expenses. I’ve rationalized the spending every time (“Oh, my week is difficult, I’m tired, and need some food.”).

Looking at the past, with $400-600 months of spending, I feel guilty and saddened. I was trying to save and build a better future, but one of the weakest parts of my budget stayed untrained. I was spending too much, and needed to do more than admit it — I needed to share it with you all.

Important strategies going forward

1. Get creative with social opportunities

Don’t be afraid to host and create social gatherings! Bring on the friendships — these are too important to miss out. Instead of going out on the town, stay in-house and when possible, make them potlucks. Likewise, game nights and good ol’ conversation doesn’t cost a thing.

2. Bring protein-heavy snacks to reduce cravings in a pinch

This particular strategy was vital to my success this month. If you don’t like protein powder, then I’m sorry, this tip doesn’t apply. For me, it’s a terrific mood and nutrient source. Protein makes you feel fuller, longer. By having dry powder on hand — ready to mix — I was able to stave off cravings, which could’ve led to outsized spending. Nowadays, I carry it nearly everywhere I go.

3. Intentionally cook and plan for leftovers

In past months, I’ve opted to cook for a single sitting. I totally exploded this mindset, and made more than enough every time. The extras went into tupperware to go. Lunches were constantly pre-planned and packed the night before. It made procrastination a difficult excuse, as it was too easy to cook more than enough.

4. Living simply means cooking simply

These days I’m living simply. I don’t have a car, rarely travel, and run to and from work. I’m trying to live within my means. But even greater, I’m trying to embrace these moments. This simple living includes basic meals. I’m not cooking anything fancy or with exotic ingredients — just wholesome, healthy foods. My tummy and budget love it!

5. Wealth can actually help decrease food budgets

Buying in bulk, storing foods, and planning for the store are all privileges. As a commenter noted in January, those in poverty and/or forced to stick strictly to $200 for one month would have it more difficult. I was able to buy more than enough every time, and the average month-to-month allows me to save more money. This is yet another example of how wealth and space can provide unique advantages.

This March I’ll be continuing the $200 food budget, and I’d love for you to join me again! The adventure begins today. Who’s with me?

Frugal Articles of the Week

By Frugaling 2 Comments

Every week I like to feature a few frugal articles that caught my eyes. Curl up in your favorite reading nook and enjoy. Hopefully these encourage you to live frugal lives!

The Stock Market Is No Place for Millennials by Eric Roberge
This article has one of the most controversial headlines, but a more subtle message. Time Magazine and its author, Eric Roberge, highlight a few reasons why the stock market can be unkind to Millennials. But the rules and lessons apply across generations: wait to invest until you have more money. Interesting argument, as media has repeatedly noted that the Millennials are not making much money.

Would You Be Content With Just Enough? by Michelle
Michelle blogs over at Fit is the New Poor, and I must say I’m a big fan of her work. Recently, she wrote about contentedness on her site. It’s a must read for anyone who’s struggling to feel like “enough.”

How Much Of My Income Should I Spend On Housing? by Stefanie O’Connell
Stefanie introduces to one of the oldest personal finance rules: keep housing costs to around 1/4 to 1/3 of your monthly budget. That means that if you make $1500, you shouldn’t spend more than $500 per month on rent. But something different happens in big cities. You can begin to save in other areas, as the rent escalates. Stefanie does a fantastic job outlining why you need to look beyond basic rent costs.

How Big Food Brands Are Boosting Profits By Targeting The Poor by Roberto Ferdman
This week’s roundup of articles includes a nasty one. Turns out big-name brands are packaging their materials in smaller containers and selling them at dollar stores nationwide. Unfortunately, there’s a big catch: dollar per ounce, it’s a fortune. This tactic is pretty nasty, and the poorest members of society are hurt worst.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

$200 Food Budget Failure?

By Frugaling 64 Comments

You spend how much on food every month?!

Last month I ventured into the unknown and created a food and drink budget. Yes, this frugal guy had created a budget in prior months, but time after time, I was over $400 per month. It was ridiculous and hurting my chances to stay out of debt.

Working 60 to 80-hour weeks made me tired, cranky, hungry, and constantly on-the-go. I was stressed, and had all the symptoms of having four positions: counselor, student, instructor, and writer.

I’d frequently feel hungry and be without food, which was a recipe for disaster. Preparing lunches was a mental hurdle, as I would constantly procrastinate to avoid it. I spent way too much money on fast food (i.e., salad bars, Subway, etc.).

Even when I packed snacks and lunches, I blew through it and bought more. I was hungry and I let that natural desire overpower my frugal side.

Individual and social pressure to make a change

Frankly, in the frugal community, $400 per month for a single guy’s food and drink budget is embarrassing. Cue the chortles and disdain. But perhaps I can circumvent and prevent a potential audience-led diatribe by saying, I want to own it.

I was failing to properly save in this domain. Something had to be done.

Then, I saw an article by a fellow personal finance blogger, Laurie, of The Frugal Farmer. She explained how her family of four spent about $215 on food for one month. My cheeks reddened. Here was an entire family doing a better job than this one guy.

After that article, and in the face of a new year, I decided to set my own goal for January: $200 for all food and drinks. If they could do it, why couldn’t I?

This isn’t going to be easy, is it?

So, in January, the month of resolutions, I decided to embark on this new budgetary goal. Like a Messiah warrior preparing to do battle, I wanted to defeat this budget buster.

Pulverize! Demolish! Obliterate!

I thought, “This should be easy enough. I’m a single guy, and don’t have fancy meals. Yes, I have some allergies, but that shouldn’t affect my shopping much.”

Four days passed before I went to the grocery store. The trip came in just over $74. I remember my buddy asking me whether I could make it the rest of the month.

“You only have $125 left, then,” he said.

My reply was cool and nonchalant, “Well, I actually spent a bit of money on food while traveling back to Iowa from Colorado, and went on a date the other day. In total, I’ve spent $125.”

He smiled and shook his head. And I stubbornly stayed optimistic. Little did I understand, it wouldn’t take me long to cross that $200 line.

Timeline of my busted food budget

For the purposes of this month experiment, I took day-by-day notes of what I had purchased and why. The following is a timeline of purchases and inside look at how I totally failed.

Day 1: $8.05 (McDonald’s breakfast, drink later in day)
Day 2: $12.19 (Dinner while traveling)
Day 3: $0
Day 4: $103.35 (Breakfast date and groceries)
Day 5: $0
Day 6: $2.28 (Coffee)
Day 7: $5.04 (Coffee date)
Day 8: $0
Day 9: $0
Day 10: $0
Day 11: $52.53 (Bar date and groceries)
Day 12: $0
Day 13: $6.34 (Groceries)
Day 14: $4.92 (Snacks)
Day 15: $0
Day 16: $10.40 (Groceries)
Day 17: $54.38 (Groceries)
Day 18: $0
Day 19: $28.42 (Groceries)
Day 20: $0
Day 21: $0
Day 22: $0
Day 23: $0
Day 24: $45.82 (Groceries)
Day 25: $0
Day 26: $28.97 (Groceries)
Day 27: $0
Day 28: $0
Day 29: $0
Day 30: $0
Day 31: $0

Total: $362.69

What the heck did I buy?

Generally, I have a simple diet. The one caveat is that I’m on a modified gluten-free diet (low FODMAP) for IBS. Let me tell you that if I break away from these dietary restrictions, my intestines quickly fall apart and I’m lethargic, gassy, dyspeptic, and cranky. When I can follow the highly restrictive, plain diet I feel better. The consequence is that I have to buy some more expensive gluten-free items to feel healthy.

Breakfast foods

Cereal (rice or corn-based)
Oatmeal
Eggs
Turkey bacon

Lunch foods

Gluten-free bread
Turkey meat
Sliced cheese
Mustard
Lettuce
Peanut butter
Jelly
Spinach
Carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Bell peppers
Balsamic vinegar

Dinner foods

Frozen salmon
Rice
Frozen vegetables
Gluten-free pasta
Tomato sauce

Snacks

Potato chips
Gluten-free pretzels
Bananas
Grapes

What went wrong with the budget and plan?

After I read Laurie’s article, I was amazed by their depression-inspired goals and budgetary constraints. Even though they weren’t able to keep it under $200, either, they were remarkably close (~$215).

I wasn’t anywhere close to my goal. There were various potholes and hiccups that I never expected when I first started this experiment. Here’s where I got tripped up:

Single, but dating

While I’m a single guy, on occasion I’ve been known to go out with women. I know, mind-boggling! Despite major movements and momentum in the dating world, men are still expected to treat for first dates oftentimes.

I went on a few dates this month, and that cost me $48.81. Ouch! That’s nearly a quarter of the total budget I started with.

There are various solutions to this problem: choose more affordable locations (i.e., coffee shops), stop dating, and/or pay for my own meals/drinks.

Fresh vegetables

After completing this experiment, I looked back at Laurie’s article to see how much vegetables cost her family. All I found was pasta sauce and potatoes. Clearly this had benefited her family’s budget, and reduced their total spending.

Despite vegetables accounting for much of the spend this past month, I refuse to budge on this aspect. Vegetables are low in sugar, high in vitamins, and incredibly fibrous. They’re too healthy to cut down or out.

One solution I could begin to adopt is buying more loose-leaf lettuces to make my own salad mixes. Also, I could likely buy more canned vegetables.

Gluten-free/low-FODMAP

The last problem I noticed was that my special diet restrictions caused my budget to balloon. Whereas a frugal-friendly loaf of bread (w/ gluten) sells for about $1, the gluten-free/FODMAP-friendly Udi’s white bread costs about $5. Additionally, the loaves are about half the size. In total, Udi’s gluten-free bread costs about 750-1000% more.

Similarly, pretzels can be purchased for about $1-2 a bag. But the gluten-free versions cost about $3.50. Over and over again, the dietary restrictions affected my ability to stay under that coveted $200 mark.

The solutions are more difficult to find on this front, too. Ideally, my body wouldn’t react like gluten-laden products were an intruder. Ideally, I could eat tons of legumes (beans) and bread products. I would have far more flexibility in saving and scrounging. The best I can come up with is to plan for meals and try to use rice more often than gluten-free pastas or breads. Rice is always cheap, and just so happens to be the most common food worldwide.

Reframing failure as lessons learned

Have friends and family behind you

When I first told my friends, they all expressed curiosity about how I’d do it. The budget was large in its smallness — it spoke louder than any sentence I could write. Pricelessly, my budget announcement and sharing brought people in and many wondered how they, too, could participate.

Self-compassion for “failures”

During this month, I overspent my budget by $162.69. That’s shocking, embarrassing, and a bit disheartening. I’m disappointed in my own perseverance, resolve, and planning.

Fortunately, I use “failure” casually. Research suggests that when people respond to these “failures” with self-compassion they can better correct future actions. I don’t actually see this month as a failure; rather, inspiration to keep working at my food budget and continue to find ways to reduce the spending.

I want to get to $200.

Sometimes frugality — to the extreme — isn’t healthy

Frugality in food tends to overemphasize the reduction of fresh vegetables and fruits and supplementation of carbs like bread and pasta. While these food choices feel filling, keep budgets happy short-term, and provide the base of many frugal meals, they can have negative health effects. Starches and carbs tend to lead to excess weight, as they are processed comparably to sugar in the digestion process.

Instead of sacrificing my long-term health for short-term financial gains, I look forward to making a truly healthy budget. Don’t get rid of the vegetables!

Food budget challenge — take 2!

January just ended, but I’m already signing up for another month of this experiment. This time I want you to join me!

If you’re already at $200, I’d love to hear how you do it. If you can’t imagine reducing your food and drink budget to $200, let’s try together. If you’re not sure you want to reduce your food budget, why not?

Who’s with me?

Frugal Articles of the Week

$200 February Food Budget Results

My food and drink budget was broken

What I learned from last month

First, go to the store and buy strategically.

Second, reduce date expenditures and eating/drinking out.

Third, with dietary restrictions, look for common products before speciality options.

February’s results are in — drumroll please!