LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING.....A VERY GOOD PLACE TO START

Back in April 2010 our income took a big hit.  After the initial shock, we regrouped and made a plan.  We had our fixed bills that would stay the same.  Then the expendable bills, most of those would go.  Finally the variable bills were reviewed.   We decided that the grocery bill would be slashed!  $50 a week to feed our family of five.  In the beginning we had some help.  We already had a pantry and a closet stocked with food.  Though it wasn't quite a complete years supply, it was quite a bit.  This would prove to be a huge help in those first months.  Not only was the pantry stocked, but so was the kitchen.  Nice pots and pans, pressure cookers, wheat grinder, stand mixer, mandolin slicer, juicer, food processor, rice cooker, blender, crock pot, hand mixer, immersion blender and too many gadgets to mention.

As I started out on this mission (that makes it sound better....and makes me think of Mission Impossible....and that makes me think of Tom Cruise..........) I kept my eye peeled on good deals, new stores, outlets, and INFORMATION!  I spent lots of time on the internet trying to find someone doing what I was doing.  Looking for tips on how to make this work.  I was disappointed.  I found single people or couples living on $50 a week.  Occasionally I would find a family, but many of the tips didn't apply to our situation.  I didn't have my yearly budget in my hand, I had $100 every two weeks.  I couldn't, as one person offered, go buy a side of beef to feed my family for the year.  I wanted help in taking $50 cash in hand to the store and coming back with food to feed us for the week. 

Over the past two years, I've made this work.  I've fed myself, a husband, and three sons (two teenagers and a seven year old) breakfast, lunch and dinner on our budget.  We have recently added to our budget and now I have $60 a week to feed my family.  I want to share how we've done this....and are still doing this.  I hope that this blog will help others as they venture out in their own limited grocery budget missions!  I realize that your budget may not be as low as ours, but these tips, store reviews and recipes will help you curb your budget to where you want it to be.

One final thought.....GRATITUDE!  I can't live without this.  I'm thankful for our $50, now $60 a week.  I'm grateful for living in a city with competitive grocery stores.  I'm grateful I can cook.  I'm grateful for the internet.....lots of information, recipes, blogs.  While it's true that gratitude didn't change our budget, it sure helps me to live with it.  Finally, I'm grateful that I have an outlet to share this information.