Snackuary 2025: Food Budget Challenge šŸœ

Final Check in.
I stayed within the three times eating out.
I bought chips and bakery goods both two times. I count that still successful as it was so much less than the months before.
Freezer is looking better, I stayed with the goal.

These goals will be ongoing ones, my overall food budget is looking pretty good. I tread meat already as its own category due to buying always in bulk and only add minced beef/turkey from a different source.
Thank you all for your stories, it is really encouraging to read about our common challenges :grinning: :kissing_heart:

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Jan recap: we did really well in eating down the 2 cup prepped meals that were in the freezer. Condiments I didnā€™t finish a lot, but weā€™re close on the harissa, mango chutney, mirin, doenjang, and preserved lemon

Final tally

Commercial bags
frozen mixed fruit x1
frozen blueberries x3
frozen mango x3 x2
frozen peaches x1 (partial)

frozen kale (partial)
brussel sprouts (partial)
frozen corn (partial)
frozen cauliflower
frozen green beans x2 x1
frozen broccoli

Ziplocs
roasted peppers (small)
roasted cauliflower (medium)
roasted tomato (large)
melon pops (medium) (small)
garlic chives (medium)

Meats
added: chicken thighs x4
bacon 375g x1
chicken breast strips (large) (small)
pork belly x6 x4
pork tenderloin pieces x3 x1
steak x1 / x2 (added) x1
ground beef 1lb x3 x2
pork chops x4 x3
bacon 1kg x2
shrimp x2

2 cup meal prep
cauliflower coconut red lentil x2
onion soup x2
butter chicken sauce x2
carrot red lentil x1
cauliflower coconut x3 x1
beef stew x2 x1
curried tomato soup x1

1 cup meal prep
beef curry x2
beef rendang x1
curried tomato soup x1
shredded pork shoulder x4 x3
butter chicken sauce x3 x2
white beans x2 x1

1 cup ingredients
stock x2
roasted pears x1
coconut milk x1
blood orange juice x1
stock x2 x1

random ingredients
pomegranate seeds
chopped celery
hot peppers
chipotle paste
ginger
chopped lemongrass
tomato paste

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Final Check-In! I hit all three of my goals:

  1. Track all food spending :white_check_mark:
  2. No food delivery during January :white_check_mark:
  3. Spend less than $450 on food for the month :white_check_mark:

I spent $413.93 total, $102.76 on takeout (pickup only) and $311.17 on groceries.

Next month I hope to maintain my takeout spending and lower the cost of my groceries.

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I didnā€™t set really measurable goals for the month but I think I did okay with packing food for work! Pretty sure I only bought one mid-day snack from the snack shop this month. Was also doing really well with packing a lunch every day I was in the office up until the past week when life blew up and I ended up buying lunch 3 days in a row whoops :woman_shrugging:t2: Although the easiest lunch option at the office is a plate of tasty Ethiopian food that costs ~$1 so Iā€™m not too upset about this.

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Last check-in:

-gas because I was feeling anxious not having my tank full for ~reasons~ $20
-signing up for local food co-op membership $25 and $27 for a small staples (and treats tbh) shop while we were there
-burger king $8 because friends were going (not an ideal reason)
-winter season CSA membership first payment $39 because ~reasons~

I came in under my grocery budget by $100 even with the CSA, and under ā€œfunā€ budget where fast food/restaurants/coffee shops usually go, after a months long pattern of blowing both of these out of the water. This was aided greatly by the various gift cards, but also because I was tracking and aware of every expense.

Goals next month are tracking alongside mindfully restocking the pantry because ~reasons~

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Final check in:
All good! Definitely want to keep these habits going forward. Still have some eating down of te freezer to do, but definitely making progress

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Final check in:
So I went even further over on eating out. Our cat got really sick and I spent a night sleeping at the pet ER, so I ended up getting some takeout just to make myself eat.

Groceries: $290/300
Eating out: $481/400 (WAY over my already larger budget)

My overall budget balanced fine, but yeah. Definitely had a run of not great luck this month that meant I ate out a lot for morale. Also Kitty is doing better, and hopefully that will continue.

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$395 eaten out.
$147 groceries

$542 total.
Sounds about right.
Take Aways - I eat out A LOT. My dumpster diving saves me a lot on groceries.

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Finished the month spending $80.61 in groceries, which is about 50% of our usual rate. Did not spend any money on restaurants or coffee (thanks to stocking up on coffee from work trips).

We are continuing the eat down the pantry challenge in Feb because we still have like 8 cans of kidney beans and even more quinoa to eat down in the pantry. I appreciate we are well-stocked. Only a few years ago there is no way we would still have food after a month of only buying fresh foods. Itā€™s a great abundance. I do think we will take notes for the future pantry, though - maybe fewer kidney beans.

I am looking forward to buying corn tortillas and popcorn though, both of which we have run out of it. I prefer corn tacos to flour tortilla burritos as I have been doing.

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As another corn tortilla person, I feel that last sentence.

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final check in:
stayed at 2 meal deliveries!
spent $503/600 budgeted! I didnā€™t go out to eat much so I think thatā€™s why it stayed well below.

managed to do a small pantry clean out on the 31st and have a better plan going forward. Iā€™ve been watching people cook on YouTube and somehow that is inspiring me to cook more. so hopefully things will get used up.

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Total grocery spend for the month:
$405.82

Feeling great about the status of the freezer. Defrosting was long overdue - there were areas with almost an inch of ice - and between the defrost and rearranging everything I have a much better sense of what I have in there. I was also able to sort and make more freezer meals in advance of some upcoming busy times.

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Late checking in for the final one, sorry!
Overall spending goal: spend less than $475ā€“yes, it looks like I spent $469.53
Goal 1: cook dinner 3x/week: not so much this week
Goal 2: donā€™t buy booze for the homeā€“accomplished
Goal 3: grocery shop with a list: kind of went out the window, but I spent the last week of the month v sick so I didnā€™t do much shopping or eating. Great for the budget!

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Yā€™all, due to ~~ all this ~~ snackuary stickers wonā€™t be shipped til late this week. That means if youā€™re behind on filling in this form you get a little reprieve!

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