Groceries were crazy for me this month. By crazy, I mean amazing. And by amazing I mean, money for the Disney fund!
You may be asking, “Kristen B., where was your weekly Kroger brag last week? Did you not feed your family?” Don’t worry friends, my family is fed. We had some company in town and I don’t know about your company, but mine sure loves to buy food. A meal at the local restaurant here. A quick trip for some grocery essentials there. The next thing you know, the week has flown by and we haven’t touched our grocery budget.
That starts me with $65 that goes straight into the fund. Then I add my rollover from my last grocery trip, which was $10.09.
Speaking of grocery budgets, are ya’ll meal planning? It is one of the topics in Saving to Disney that has transformed my shopping. Which in turn has saved my family money. Meal planning can seem daunting. What if I’m not in the mood for the meal I planned? What if the ingredients I need for my planned meal are way more expensive this week than I planned? What if I can only cook chicken one way and I get so bored of it?
One of the golden rules with Saving to Disney is to adapt the principles to your family. You’re not in the mood for the meal you planned? No sweat. Switch it with a different one on your plan. Ingredients not going to fit into the budget? Easy peasy. Swap out pricey items for more cost friendly options. Only know one way to cook a chicken? Get recipes from friends and family that you know you will enjoy.
The important thing about meal planning is that you are setting yourself up with guidelines, so that when you go shopping you don’t blindly throw things in the cart that you’ll eventually have to throw into the trash. Saving food saves money. Saved money becomes fund money. Fund money becomes memories with your family.
Total Goal: $3500
Deposit: $75.09 (From Grocery Budget Rollover)
Still Need: $3112.03
Have you had any great budget roll overs? Has meal planning changed your shopping habits? Tell me about it 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!