Frugal February Week 3 Update

This past week has been almost identical to Week 2.  I have only bought groceries and avoided the thrift store all week.  My pantry and freezers are still mostly full, which is surprising because I have not really bought much meat/pantry staples this month.  I think this is because I had a really, well-stocked freezer to start the month. (My dad raises cows and chickens, so I had over 150 lbs of beef and 4 whole chickens in my freezer to start the month) 

Things we have run out of (We were only out of these items for 3-4 days until I went to the grocery store)

Spinach

Apples/Pears

Sliced cheese

Crackers

Mustard

Things learned this week:

1. We eat a lot of fresh items.  I have hardly bought any freezer items or pantry items this month. So I guess this is a good thing??

2. We spend a lot of money on food, especially if we buy convenience type items. In the past, I have just accepted that I am going to spend more for certain items that make the way we choose to eat more enjoyable.  Low spend months really help you to realize what you can live without…

3. Every Frugal February, I remember how cheap Aldi is compared to other stores.  I tend to go to Kroger(which is still pretty cheap) for my weekly grocery trips because they have everything in one stop, while Aldi is missing a few items we regularly need. So I am thinking after this month is over, I am going to try to shop at Aldi first and then make a Kroger run to fill in the gaps.

4. If I stay out of stores….I spend no money!  A lot of times, we get bored and end up going to a store to just look around and more times than not, we buy something that we “think” we need.  When I have a low spend month, I realize how much I overspend in other months due to mindless spending habits. I really hope that I can continue this habit of avoiding stores because it makes living on a budget so much easier!

*My Frugal February ends next Wednesday and have just completed my final grocery shopping trip for the month.  I have $10 left to spend on random grocery needs/wants for the next five days, so let’s hope we make it!