| | It's 2.46PM...
June has been an interesting month... Some of you remember how Vince and I decided to go on a $25 food budget month in March? Well, that worked out really well and definitely cleared out our pantry and freezer. For the months of April and May, we also went on a reduced food budget to clear up some more room. However, now that June just passed, and I came to analyze our expenses, it seems we were going off track a little in June... Not that it's too bad or anything but it doesn't make me feel good when I look at our budget spreadsheet (just on Excel) and 99% of it is in red... It doesn't matter that we're only a few cents over or even a few dollars, it's the principle of being over our budget that bugs me. Plus, red is not a happy color when it comes to the budget  Again, we're not struggling financially, we're just not staying "on budget" this past month.
One good encouraging financial trend however, is that the past two months, we've been able to keep our monthly credit card bill closer to our goal! I have a goal number for the credit card expenses because I want to be able to pay off the bills without worrying about where the money is going to come from! So, that's a good thing for June. 
I also recognize why our June grocery budget in particular, is way over... I did an unplanned shopping trip to Costco one day because I was getting out of work late, I realized there was no dinner at home, and I was at Costco gas station to fill up my car. I asked Vince if it's alright for me to go get something at Costco... Well, one whole container of grapes (per pound price of grapes at Costco is at least twice the cost of grapes from the regular super market!), one bag of frozen tamales (waaay expensive by the way, good but pricey), one bag of sugar snap peas (again, about twice the price of sugar snaps at 99 Ranch), and we were already spending $25. I realized as soon as I got home and added up my numbers, that for the two of us, it's probably best that we buy produce elsewhere. The convenience factor was definitely there, if I were cooking for 25-30 people, I would definitely use Costco. But, for just our home use, I don't mind the extra work if it means less money out of my pocket! I've learned this lesson before, but I think I need a refresher occasionally! And that bag of sugar snaps? It's been in our bento box lunches for the past 3 weeks and I still have 1/2 the bag!
Another good thing happened in June... One blog reader who happens to belong to the same church we do, came up to me and really encouraged me about my blog. I really appreciate her encouragement because for a while now, I've gotten some rather negative/competitive comments from people who read my blog. It's not a competition of who spends less or whatever. My goal in writing about our own struggles in saving/staying on budget is to encourage others and let people know that living in SoCal does not have to be about having lots of money. I've been inspired by people like Money Saving Mom or SuperCouponGirl that I want to pass on the inspiration they gave to me. If you're interested in reading frugal blogs, please visit the links above (Beeb is busy with an estate sale right now but she's an amazing shopper and she'll be back once she's done with the estate sale).
So... there's nothing I can do about my red numbers in June, but here's going forward to July! We're starting with a little less on the grocery budget (about $90 for the month) because we were over in June but currently our fridge and freezer are very much stocked. I think we'll be OK. Also, on July 13th, I will be taking on this challenge, hosted by All You magazine. The challenge runs for a month and I'm not sure what I have to do yet (supposedly the magazine will send an e-mail with instructions and rules) so I will have blog entries on the All You Grocery challenge blog. Once it starts, I will make sure to link it to my Xanga account I'm hoping I can win, but it'll be an interesting challenge either way! The grading is based on 50% staying on budget ($25 per person, per week so for Vince and I, we get $50 per week to spend on groceries which is quite a lot!), 25% creativity (I'm assuming it's what we do with the food?) and 25% healthy-factor. The thing is, we're allowed to use stockpile items too, which is wonderful! I'm excited to see what other families do with their budget! 
Until next time...
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| | Posted 6/28/2009 3:08 PM - 14 Views - 2 eProps - 2 comments
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