Many a week you have heard me yackle on about the importance of not starving your family in order to save money. On and on I have gone about the danger of getting so obsessed with saving that your family dietary habits suffer. Blah blah blah, don’t lose the forest for the trees, blah blah blah, it’s nice to have leftover money to go into the fund, but don’t forget your children also need vegetables, yada yada yada.
This week I had to put my money where my mouth is because the last grocery trip of the money is always a little dicey. The temptation to buy only saltines and put the overages in the Disney Fund is strong. Always. And this week it is extra strong because this is our last Disney Fund Deposit week before we leave for our trip.
But you know who doesn’t care about Disney Funds or grocery budgets? My pregnancy cravings. A few short months ago it was impossible to even step foot in a grocery store, and now it’s impossible to leave without gourmet gummy bears or nine pounds of raspberries. And one half of the brain is like, “Go for it, get all that grouper, it’s the end of the month, you’ve been under budget.” The other half of the brain is like, “think of your Disney fund! Stick to the essentials!” The children are no help, because once they sense weakness they go in for the kill. “Mama got a mama treat, can I get something special, too?” Little con artists.
Speaking of groceries and vacations, one of the perks of doing a weekly budget for groceries is that you can allot the money from the week you are on vacation to the Vacation Fund. For example, Kroger does their weekly sales from Thursday to Wednesday, so my shopping day is always Thursday. We leave for vacation on a Saturday. I will not buy groceries that Thursday, but rather we will live by leftovers and our wits. That $75 gets put into our Disney Fund, usually to be used for meals at the airport, incidentals, etc, since it doesn’t go in right until before we leave. We return on a Thursday night, which means by Friday we’re ready to roll with the new sale cycle and a new weekly grocery budget. If you’re the type who orders groceries at Disney, this diversion of grocery budget is an excellent way to cover those costs.
- Antipasto Tray-$4.99.
- Bananas, 1.32 lbs-$.78.
- Blueberries, 1 pint-$3.99.
- Green Beans, .77 lb-$1.15.
- Grouper, 2.5 lbs-$17.44. Manager’s Special and you know how I feel about Grouper.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 4.67 lbs-$9.31.
- Kraft Dressing (3)-$2.97. In store sale at $1.99 each, stacked with *Digital Coupon* for $1 off.
- London Broil Steak, 2 lbs-$8.80. More Manager’s Specials!
- Private Selection Cavatappi (2)-$2.58. In store sale at $1.69 each, stacked with .40 off *Digital Coupon*.
- Private Selection Sirloin, 2.5 lbs-$13.15. You guessed it, Manager’s Special!
- Prosciutto Tray-$3.99.
- Raspberries (5)-$5. A dollar for raspberries?! Gimme all the raspberries.
- Red Gold Tomatoes (2)-$1.78.
- Roma Tomatoes, 1.33 lbs-$1.72.
- Romaine Lettuce, .88 lb-$1.31.
- Yellow Peaches, 2.82 lbs-$1.89. Only .67 a pound. Allll the peaches.
- Apps I’ll Submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta (.25 off Green Beans, .25 off Any Item)
Total Budget: $100.59
Total Spent: $80.85
Total Saved: $26.40
Rolled Over to Disney Fund: $19.74
This is what we call a win-win-win situation. I stayed under budget and was able to roll over money to the Disney Fund: WIN! I feed my family: WIN! I was able to satisfy my crazy cravings: WIN! I am feeling pretty good.
What do you do with the money from your budget during your vacation week? Every have any crazy pregnancy cravings? Gimme your ideas in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!