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$200 Frugal Food Budget For April!

By Frugaling 36 Comments

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vegetables on cutting board

We all need a catalyst, this was mine

On January 1st, I set out to reduce my monthly food budget. Quick estimates of previous spending were atrocious. I was embarrassed and it was definitely the weakest part of my monthly spending. Frequently, I’d be away from home — overcome with hunger — and get whatever I could find.

For anyone who’s struggled to restrain themselves from eating out, the convenience can be captivating. Busy lives offer a perfect excuse for spending the extra money, as there’s less to clean up and a quicker time to satiety. The gratification of fast food, restaurants, and quick junk feels good when you’re always on the go.

Those moments of, “Oh, just this once” or “I better get a quick something to eat,” add up. At least, they did for moi. In some months, every lunch was “out.” $6, $7, $10, and $12 here and there. $500-600 later, I felt horrific guilt. Everyone knows that eating out is expensive, and I was failing at this part.

Finally, I lit a fire under my butt and started the $200 frugal food budget experiment. At the beginning of the year, I was renewed with a sense of purpose to this test. I wanted to push my limits and find a way to hold myself accountable. Frugaling was the perfect place to share that journey.

fruits on cutting board

April food budget breakdown

As in previous months, I’ll share a complete list of days and spending. Everything food and drink-related is included — nothing gets spared. That means that if my good friend has a birthday party and I treat him to a drink, I’m putting it in here. My hope is to illustrate where much of my money goes each month, and to highlight obvious problem areas.

One thing you’ll notice about this month is a hefty increase in sweets and pizzas. From candy bars to donuts here and there, you might be shocked to know that I’ve been plowing through food — good and bad. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly is “causing” the cravings, but it might have to do with exercise levels.

I bike around 30-45 minutes per day and lift weights about 2 to 3 times per week. Together, the calories burned and needed muscle repair seem to be affecting my nutritional needs; in turn, my restlessness for certain carbs.

april-food-budget

Noticing emerging patterns

I have failed to meet the $200 food budget experiment every month thus far. This April I spent over $240 on food and drink. I feel embarrassed that I keep saying that, and I struggle to lower it much further. Even though I haven’t reached this goal, I’ve noticed consequences, which is often necessary before change.

Life’s ups and downs are directly correlated with my budget

This month was challenging for me personally. The first week of April often serves as a remembrance for someone who died by suicide. As I navigate that period every year, I try to honor that person’s life in whatever way I can. Interestingly, during this period of April, I was eating healthier options. Later in the month, some of the spending faltered as the stresses of school mounted.

Greater raw food intake

After listening to The New York Times’ columnist, Mark Bittman, speak about the importance of raw foods, I definitely incorporated more. From fresh fruits to vegetables, I sliced and diced my way through the month. While it certainly helped me save here and there, the time it took to prep all that food was challenging when graduate school’s demands heated up. That’s when I turned to more processed foods. Ugh!

Becoming a lazy vegetarian/pescatarian

Meats tend to be expensive. As a consequence, I tended to avoid buying any meats and made a lot of vegetable stir-frys with rice. The combination is frugal, and probably a healthier choice. Although, every now and then I defrosted a piece of salmon for some omega-3s and protein. A secondary reason for this lazy vegetarianism centers on this concept of eating animals. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy eating another lifeform — something that feels pain.

Exercise undeniably affects mood, food cravings

As much as I try to “be prepared” for the food/mood cravings associated with lots of exercise, I can’t seem to carry enough. I’m on the go all day — from school to work to the homeless shelter. I run and bike everywhere. Moving around all day necessitates a greater caloric intake, but also limits how much I can comfortably carry around. I’m not particularly interested in sacrificing my physical health and back for a frugal month.

Hundreds of dollars added to savings

This portion is the greatest consequence of the entire journey. Over the last four months I’ve socked away cash. In fact, I’ve been able to save about $1500-2000 this year already! While much of these “savings” are artificial, as I’ll need to spend about $1600 on on a summer graduate course, I wouldn’t have had that money if my old eating-out habits were still active. That’s revolutionary for me! I’m happier than ever about my ability to save.

Where do I go from here?

Looking forward, I’m concerned about the $200 food budget experiment. I want to reach this value that’s escaping me. At the same point, we are entering summer in Iowa and farmers markets will be opening up. I’m eager to support locals who are kicking butt and raising terrific produce. It tends to be more organic and cared for, as opposed to grocery store options. If I shop more frequently at the farmers market, I’ll cut down on waste, support local farms, and have better food, but I will have a harder time reaching $200.

At the heart of this internal struggle is a desire to be greener, healthier, and kinder to my environment. I want to care for the earth around me. From my increasing interest in vegetarianism to farmers markets, I want to assimilate these hopes into a frugal food budget.

But Walmart’s (insert your local big-box retailer here) big, bright lights are calling. The stores have “always low prices,” and the produce can often be cheaper than in small co-ops and shops. But what are the consequences? Does frugality compete or cooperate with socially and environmentally responsible choices?

My hope is that if I can prepare even more meals at home, I can justify the farmers market purchases. Additionally, I’m concerned about the amount of treats and sweets I take in. My goal in May is to find more foods that can fill me up, while also providing glucose (more rice, perhaps?).

As always, I’d love for you to join in! Your contributions, comments, and questions certainly help me reflect on my goals. If you’ve done it before and met the $200 food budget, how’d you do it? If you haven’t, why not try it this month?

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Budget, eating out, fast food, Food, food budget, Frugal, Monthly, restaurants

$200 February Food Budget Results

By Frugaling 36 Comments

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Food Budget Meals Salmon

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?

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Budget, Food, groceries, market, Monthly, Shopping, Store

Piracy And The Rise Of Subscription Services: Are They Worth It?

By Frugaling 4 Comments

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Spotify Premium Subscription Service
Screenshot of Spotify, a popular music subscription service

Problematic piracy, answered by private corporations

Subscription services have become a popular way to access media content ranging from books, magazines, television, and films. Before analyzing what subscriptions might be worth your time and money, I wanted to give a little historical context for their popularity. For many content creators, the rise in subscription services was scary, as they were linked to declining revenue growth. But increased interest in subscription models was actually an answer to something that’s been seen as even more malicious by copyright holders: piracy.

In France, if you were caught pirating digital (i.e., downloading a film, book, magazine, etc. without consent from the copyright holder) material three times, the 2009 HADOPI law (French acronym for the policy) would restrict your access to the Internet. Suspension of Internet services, depending on the level of piracy, would vary from 2 months to one year. Opposition groups argued and protested the law, arguing that it restricts a human right to knowledge.

In recent years, France curtailed the targeting of individuals’ copyright infringements, in favor of prosecuting major corporations and hosts of pirated materials. Today, TorrentFreak, a popular news source about pirating, reported that the organization now had five years of data to share. HADOPI has given warnings to 3,249,481 people, which suggests that about 9% of French Internet users are participating in possible copyright infringement (French report, PDF). That’s a staggering number, and it’s likely greater because some people can circumvent basic detection of copyright infringement.

Anti-piracy groups like the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have lobbied for greater Internet restrictions for infringers in the U.S. and around the world. The MPAA has suggested that if piracy were “properly” dealt with, revenue to the film industry would subsequently increase (researchers and scholars at the London School of Economics have suggested otherwise). It’s no surprise that the trade organization for content creators would like more control over copyright concerns. But the answer to their calls for action actually came from private companies starting subscription services.

What do subscription services offer?

They usually provide a simple, monthly fee that gives users access to everything. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet for digital content. Subscription services offer somewhat ancillary but important benefits to copyright holders and consumers, too: they manage and lessen the cost to enjoy content. It even attracts those who would otherwise be pirating content! Effectively, as Kevin Spacey suggested, when users are given an affordable product and given complete control over when they’d like to listen, watch, and read, piracy will naturally decline.

In this article, I wanted to analyze three popular subscription services: Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Netflix, and Spotify. Each offers a different selection of content and unlimited access for a fee.

If you join Netflix’s subscription service, you’ll gain access to thousands upon thousands of movies that can be instantly viewed. Similarly, Spotify provides “premium” users access to millions of songs, playlists, and radio without ads. Amazon Kindle Unlimited is the newest platform and offers frequent readers access to a tremendous library of ebooks for Kindle (or Kindle apps).

Should you pay for a subscription service?

I’m not going to answer that, as everyone’s preferences are different. Instead, I want to provide you with some straightforward questions to consider before purchasing any service.

  1. How much does it cost?
  2. Are there any student discounts and/or free trials?
  3. Can I share my account with other people? Could I split the cost with someone?
  4. How much will you use the service?
  5. Are there other ways to get the content without the cost?

Amazon Kindle Unlimited (Link)

  • Cost: $9.99 per month
  • Access: 600,000 books
  • Student discounts and/or free trials: No student discounts. Yes, there is a 30-day free trial.
  • Sharing: There are no reports that you can share this subscription.
  • Usage: Are you reading all the time and traveling a lot? Then this really stands out as one of the best subscription services.
  • Review: It’s by far the greatest collection of books in an unlimited, checkout service. By paying for the subscription fee you also get unlimited audiobook listening, too. If you are reading and then hop in your car, you can continue the story at exactly the point you left it! That’s a pretty incredible benefit if you frequently travel. One caution: there’s no information about how many books you can checkout at once. My guess is it functions on a one-at-a-time checkout basis — meaning you’ll need to “return” the ebook before you can get another one.
  • Other ways: Libraries are free and increasingly offering ebooks for electronic checkout.

Netflix

  • Cost: $7.99 per month
  • Access: Netflix doesn’t publicly list all the films, but a popular site that catalogues the digital store says there are over 10,000 titles.
  • Student discounts and/or free trials: No student discounts. Yes, there is a 30-day free trial.
  • Sharing: You can share your account with up to 2 people when you upgrade to the $8.99 per month subscription model. This could effectively reduce the cost of Netflix in half.
  • Usage: For the frequent TV or movie buff, Netflix is an easy first choice. Watching a movie could not be simpler and the bandwidth is impressive. You can easily stream HD-quality content on multiple devices (i.e., tablets, smartphones, computers, and televisions).
  • Review: The instant, on-demand collection that Netflix has built is impressive. Although, keep in mind that they have stiff competition from Amazon’s Prime media service. Netflix is a steward in the media distribution industry. They noticed that accounts were frequently being shared between other people and didn’t stop the practice. Instead, Netflix instituted a reasonable sharing and account model to allow members to split the costs.
  • Other ways: Hulu, Crackle, and YouTube all offer vast media stores where you can find tons of free content.

Spotify Premium

  • Cost: $9.99 per month
  • Access: Millions of songs, and offline access.
  • Student discounts and/or free trials: Yes, there is a student price of $4.99 per month. Yes, there is a 30-day free trial.
  • Sharing: Spotify explicitly states that you are not to share the service. If two users begin streaming at the same time, one user will be cut off. Spotify only allows one person at a time.
  • Usage: This is best music subscription service out there. Tons of companies have started their own, but Spotify leads the way. If you are listening to music everywhere you go and on multiple devices, no service is easier.
  • Review: It’s important to note that Spotify has a free, base level of usage. You can make playlists, listen to music, and start special Pandora-like radio stations at this ad-supported level. Once you pay for Premium, the ads are removed and you can save songs for offline use. This definitely comes in handy for the frequent air traveler or the ad averse.
  • Other ways: You can always keep the free level or use YouTube to listen to nearly any song.

For a price, the content world opens up and becomes an amazing buffet of entertainment. Over the years, premium services have become more affordable. But frankly, there’s still more progress before the prices are easily affordable for everyone across platforms. To enjoy the benefits of each platform to the fullest, you’d be spending about $30 per month. While not an exorbitant sum, this may not fit within a tightly constructed, frugal budget. The choice is yours, but it’s never been easier to go without pirating copyrighted material. That’s progress.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Amazon, Books, cost, Fee, Films, kindle, Monthly, Movies, Music, Netflix, Premium, Prime, service, Spotify, Subscription, Unlimited

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