Somehow, as a bit of a surprise to me, I came in under budget!
Money spent this week - $48.29
Bringing my total so far to - $381.09
Remaining budget - $18.91
I only have time for a quick check in and to say thank you for joining me this month. I'd love to hear how things finished for you, if you have a moment to visit the comments.
I did what I set out to do. I spent less, and we still ate really well.
There was careful planning and lots of time in the kitchen, it all worked out. Though if we were to operate on a budget of "half" on a more regular basis, it would have to be a vegan diet with the exception of meat that is hunted (something my family has done for generations). We lean heavily towards a plant-based diet to begin with so it wouldn't be much of a departure, but the cost of quality animal food adds up fast. There is no way to include the purchase of raw dairy and pastured meat on a minimal budget in our area. For me, vegetables come first.
At this point, I am in need of a market trip, but not to the degree one might expect. Basically, I need produce... but I always seem to need produce! We're out of honey. After plenty of cocoa from the weekend snowstorm, Emily sure would like me to pick up some milk. We are out of that. I still have plenty of beans, nuts and grains that I stocked up on earlier in the month.
The coffee still has not been replaced, which is really fine. Nettles in the morning have been a wonderful replacement.
My daughter has been eating a lot more oatmeal which isn't usually her first choice in the morning, so that has been nice to see.
This was a great month for me. Aside from it being my favorite month of the year, I've spent some time reflecting on many things - finances, scheduling, priorities, this blog. All from a grocery challenge! The energy that has moved in and out of my life over the last several weeks has been a wise teacher, indeed.
I feel a change on the horizon - though it isn't perfectly in sight yet. My family, this blog, me personally... we are all growing and evolving. Sometimes I wonder if what I have going on here best reflects that. These are wonderful things to think about as this year slowly comes to a close.
It's nice to be back here at the start of November, another favorite month of mine. The break was quite good too. I need to remember that.
Thanks again for joining in this month, and for supporting my own quest to save money while still feeding my family well.
