Groceries on $60 per month
Or
Why I am starting a personal finance blog
I was chatting with a group of friends a number of months
ago, when the topic of my love for personal finance came up. Almost immediately, one friend announced “I
remember that you were the one that taught me how to grocery shop!” Suddenly, a distant memory resurfaced in my
mind. I could clearly picture us both
with hand-held baskets in hand, as we had just entered Fred Meyers. I was a cute, 19-year-old blond, and she was
an equally cute 18-year-old red-head. We
were standing in the produce aisle when our first lesson began.
“Are you sure we
can really do this for $10?” She asked. You see, I rarely spent more than $10 per
week on groceries in that day. It was
the late 90’s and groceries weren't exactly cheap, but I liked to eat healthy,
live on a budget, and most importantly, I had a system.
I was also a vegetarian.
According to my system, eggs were priority #1. They are cheap protein and very
versatile. Next up is produce. Fruits and veggies are not to be ignored for
fear of their expense. Heart surgery is
more expensive than an apple. Remember
that! Quickly scan the produce section
for sales. Sometimes seasonal items are
on a killer sale. If not, default to a
bag of baby carrots, a bunch of bananas, or a few apples. That should be about $5. Half of the budget. Now, decide on the “starch of the week.” For a couple of bucks, you can choose a bag
of rice, a box of pasta, or some potatoes.
Then, I would always buy the generic English muffins that cost $1 for 3
packages, an 8 oz. block of generic brand cheese, or a condiment to tie some
things together. That could be marinara,
canned tomatoes, sour cream, butter. I’d
choose one on sale based on which starch I selected, and what I was running low
on at home. This totals $10. This budget assumed two things, no sales tax
in Oregon, and that I had some typical things like condiments at home. About once per month I’d spend another $10-20
to replenish some things like oil perhaps that had run low.
So there it was, my $60 per month system for groceries for
one. It had been years since I had
thought of this, though my frugality and attention to money hasn't faded.
Someone once told me that they were amazed by what I could do
financially with very little. I had to
really stop and consider what they meant.
I did not come from money. So, I
started from nothing. On an annual
salary of $25,000, I bought a house in Portland, OR, paid off my credit card
debt, and took a trip to Mexico. I am
proud to say that my salary has shot up considerably since then, but I am still
very much on a journey with my personal finances.
I am still learning, though I
must admit that I am very knowledgeable about matters concerning money. Because of this savvy, I have decided to
start a personal finance blog. Please
follow my blog if you are interested in short articles on a variety of personal
finance topics, in addition to updates on my own journey to financial freedom.
