Last month, I was going to try the Food Stamp Challenge. You figure out what your food stamp allotment is, and try to live on that amount for a week or a month. It's supposed to make you thankful for what you have and encourage thrift, I think.

Hurricane Ike messed up my plans. I actually think I spent less than I would have otherwise, because the grocery stores weren't open. I made more things from scratch, like tortillas, because I couldn't buy them. (Readers, I could use a good tortilla recipe. I used Masa Harina and they were OK but not great.)

Then again, we had family stay with us for a couple of weeks and had to replace the contents of our fridge and freezer. At any rate, I didn't keep track at all.

The USDA has updated their food plans for August 2008, to reflect the rising cost of food. According to their plan, my family should spend over $1100 on the thrifty plan! $1100! And that is not taking into account the fact that I'm pregnant.

Here's the breakdown:
1 yo - $90.00
2 yo -$95.70
4 yo- $100.10
6 yo - $126.80
7 yo - $126.80
9 yo - 147.20
10 yo - $147.20
Husband dear - $174.00
Me - $154.90
=$1162.70

My goal is $750 a month, including diapers, soap, and other non-food household items.

I actually thought $750 was a high number. There are many, many ladies online who spend much less. One prominent example is a lady who spends $45 a week for her family of 4. Doubled, it's still under $400 a month! So not gonna happen here.

We are two weeks into the month, and I've spent just under $300 so far. I'm doing better than I thought!

Through the month, I'll try to share little bit of how I am making it work. Truthfully, I haven't really changed my habits any. I am not baking our bread from scratch, but I'll only buy the 100% whole wheat stuff. We still eat pounds and pounds and pounds of fresh fruit.

How much do you spend on groceries?

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge