Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 8, 2014

If there is one budget category that can quickly get out of control for me, it is GROCERIES. Over the holidays, I wasn’t as diligent with my meal planning and our grocery bill went over what I budget for food. Plan for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks. My husband and I made some serious financial goals for 2014.

Meals 186

Meals Simple Menu Planning Menu Plans 186

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 26, 2016

You can only cut so much from a budget, so to fill in our shortfall, we’ll need to also earn extra income by growing our small business and growing my blog income. This will also be the year that we clean out our clutter. We will continue to save for travel and it is already part of our budget. Earn Additional Income.

Financial Goals 100

Financial Goals Goals 2016 Debt 100

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 19, 2014

We ate at home a lot and watched our food budget carefully. We still allotted a lot of money for food, but we were careful not to go too far over budget. Daniel cut some of his business expenses by cutting out a monthly fee for a co-working space and cutting out monthly charges for services he didn’t need anymore.

Debt 245

Debt Debt Free Finance Friends And Family Sale 245

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

If you still want to catch up without spending much, suggest a breakfast or lunch arrangement instead. If you prefer eating out, see if you can get your hands on any discount vouchers before you make arrangements and then base your plans around it. Related posts: 5 Ways to Trim Your Budget For Your Child’s College Fund.

Bills 208

Bills Budgeting Budget Entertainment 208

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 14, 2013

Create A Budget. Maybe you don’t want to cook at all during your vacation or maybe eating out for every meal is beyond what your budget can handle. Before your trip, calculate the number of meals during your trip and decide how many will be eaten in and how often you will dine out. We will be gone for 7 days.

Vacation 153

Vacation Saving Money Money Food and Drink 153

Coupons Do Work

MAY 28, 2016

Eating out? Free Snapple or Nantucket Nectars with purchase of any breakfast or lunch sandwich. off any two adult lunch entrees through 5/30. Here are Restaurant Coupons + Deals This weekend 5/27 – 5/29. Buy one get one free Slurpee through 5/30. Applebee’s. off your first online order over $25.00 Baskin Robbins.

Restaurant 124

Restaurant Gift Cards Baskin Robbins Cinnabon 124

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 12, 2014

Having a routine keeps me scheduled so that I don’t forget to prep something and end up tempted to eat out. By having a schedule and knowing what we usually eat, I can save money by buying many foods in bulk. After all, the goal of eating is to fill the tummy and nourish the body. Here’s what it looks like for us.

Grocery Spending 246

Grocery Spending Groceries Grocery Food and Drink 246

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 28, 2022

Groceries is one budget category that can get out of control very quickly, and that’s before inflation. However, it can be an easy budget category to manage, but it takes some planning, skill, and organization. These are strategies I use weekly to help keep my grocery bill in line with our budget.

Saving Money 130

Saving Money Groceries Grocery Money 130

Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 1, 2021

Make it a game and be creative when looking for money within your budget and finding new ways to earn extra money. Groceries is the easiest budget category to overspend. 5 – Brown bag your lunch. There was a time (pre-pandemic) that I ate lunch out almost every day with friends. 6 – Eat dinner at home.

Emergency Fund 130

Emergency Fund Money Finds Friends And Family Sale 130

Couponing 101

JUNE 14, 2019

Since our budget doesn’t increase just because we are traveling, here are a few things that we can do to keep to our monthly budget while traveling so much: Water. Packing your own cereal, fruit, lunch meat, cheese, peanut butter, and bread can save you TONS of money when traveling!

Travel 85

Travel Frugal Hotel Food and Drink 85

Saving Everyday

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Set a Budget Spending adds up quickly on any vacation, and overspending can add unwanted stress when all you should be doing is relaxing! Some people prefer having an overall budget, while others prefer setting a daily budget. Some people prefer having an overall budget, while others prefer setting a daily budget.

Saving Money 52

Saving Money Money Travel Hotel 52

Family Balance Sheet

JUNE 1, 2011

Create A Budget For Your Trip. Maybe you don’t want to cook at all during your vacation or maybe eating out for every meal is beyond what your budget can handle. We include breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks in our planning. Brainstorm all of the expenditures that you will have and make a list.

Vacation 178

Vacation Saving Money Money Food and Drink 178

Coupons Do Work

MAY 20, 2016

Going to eat out this weekend? Free Snapple or Nantucket Nectars with purchase of any breakfast or lunch sandwich. off any two adult lunch entrees through 5/30. Weekly Restaurant Coupons. Here are some restaurant coupons for this weekend: 5/20 thru 5/22. Applebee’s. off your first online order over $25.00 Baskin Robbins.

Restaurant 124

Restaurant Baskin Robbins Gift Cards Cinnabon 124

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JANUARY 26, 2011

Here are some examples: Stop eating out on the weekend. If you’re lacking on equipment front, check out Amazon for some great deals on appliances. Stop buying lunch every day. Instead, do a bit of planning and bring a lunch to work. And don’t worry, lunches don’t need to be complicated.

Bills 124

Bills Money Insurance Saving Money 124

The Coupon Game

MAY 12, 2011

I notice I tend to desire to eat out more when the menu isn't planned, which in turn causes a higher cost in our food budget. That needs to get nipped in the bud! So, here's my Menu Plan for the week: (We start on Thursdays because it's always been my grocery shopping day.)

Menu Planning 49

Menu Planning Menu Plans A&W Homemade 49

Fashion Without Guilt

AUGUST 10, 2009

Appointing a Day for Buying Lunch - Eating out is one of the biggest expense on everyone's list, including mine. Guilt as Charged) Designating a day to buy lunch out will cut down on your unnecessary expenses and build towards a more financially stable future. Check out Frugal Tip Monday- Online Grocery Store.

Frugal 40

Frugal Lunch Lunches Budgeting 40

Coupons Do Work

JUNE 11, 2016

Going to eat out this weekend? Free Snapple or Nantucket Nectars with purchase of any breakfast or lunch sandwich. off 3 lunch entrees or $5.00 Here are some restaurant coupons for this weekend: 6/11 thru 6/12. Applebee’s. off your first online order over $25.00 with coupon code 50OFF25. in gift cards through 7/3.

Restaurant 100

Restaurant Baskin Robbins Gift Cards Cinnabon 100

Family Balance Sheet

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Groceries is one budget category that can get out of control very quickly. However, groceries is also an easy budget category to control, but it takes some planning, skill, and organization. Personally, if I don’t make a shopping list and plan my meals, my grocery budget is toast. According to the U.S.

Saving Money 113

Saving Money Groceries Grocery Money 113

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Introduce budgeting concepts by talking about how much you allocate for groceries. Compare what was spent to what you budgeted – with the kids and explain what happens if you spend more or less than you planned. While you are eating supper. Let them count their lunch money. Food Related. While you are planning meals.

Money 187

Money Parenting Kids and Family Gasoline 187

Family Balance Sheet

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

The segment was so inspiring that I reached out to her to see if she would participate in the Debt Free Stories series. She hosts a You Tube channel, The Former Mrs. Jones , where she vlogs about budgeting, debt free living, and family life. We started cooking at home more, a big issue for us was eating out.

Debt 100

Debt Debt Free Bath and Body Works Gas 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 2, 2011

Groceries are the one area in our household budget that I feel like I have the most control over. The weeks were I don’t menu plan are the weeks that I’m at the grocery store multiple times or we get take out multiple times, leading to an out of control grocery spending. Plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Menu Planning 138

Menu Planning Menu Plans Economical Kitchen 138

Coupons Do Work

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Eating out today? Cracker Barrel has a Weekday Lunch Specials Monday through Friday featuring meals starting at $5.99. Cracker Barrel has a Weekday Lunch Specials Monday through Friday featuring meals starting at $5.99. Here’s a list of restaurant chains that feature special daily deals for Friday – TGIF : 12/16.

Fridays 100

Fridays Restaurant Subway Cracker Barrel 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

OCTOBER 5, 2014

It’s absolutely nuts the amount of people who will complain about having a hard time saving money, who are living hand to mouth, who still eat lunch out every single day at work. Let’s say you are eating lunch out 4 days out of five per week. At $7 per lunch out, that sets you back by $28.00.

Budgeting 245

Budgeting Budget May Lunch 245

For the Mommas

JULY 24, 2016

Eat out less. One of the biggest expenses you probably incur is eating out. The average person spends over $2,000 a year on eating out. And as an added bonus, leftovers make a great lunch the next day. Instead of eating out, pack your lunch. Save money by preparing your own meals.

Frugal Lives 49

Frugal Lives Frugal Living Frugal Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions 49

Family Balance Sheet

JUNE 8, 2018

During that time, I started to budget for everything. Every aspect of our lives was included in our budget. When people hear the word budget, they think “restriction” and “no fun”, but honestly that couldn’t be further from the truth. Another way to think of a budget is a spending plan.

Budgeting 133

Budgeting Budget Financial Goals Goals 133

Saving Everyday

AUGUST 1, 2022

Reducing your food expenses is one of the best ways to reduce your overall spending and find extra money in your budget ! After looking at what I have on hand and what’s on sale, I come up with a few ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Limit dining out and pack your lunch. I pack his lunches in containers like this.

Groceries 52

Groceries Grocery Food and Drink Saving 52

Saving Everyday

AUGUST 1, 2022

Reducing your food expenses is one of the best ways to reduce your overall spending and find extra money in your budget ! After looking at what I have on hand and what’s on sale, I come up with a few ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Limit dining out and pack your lunch. I pack his lunches in containers like this.

Groceries 52

Groceries Grocery Food and Drink Saving 52

Family Balance Sheet

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Look for money within your budget and find creative ways to earn extra money. How much can you save just by cutting out non-essential spending? 5 – Brown bag your lunch. Not enough time in the morning to make breakfast AND pack a lunch, one word: leftovers! 6 – Eat dinner at home.

Emergency Fund 100

Emergency Fund Money Finds Friends And Family Sale 100

Family Balance Sheet

JUNE 22, 2020

Home and auto expenses are two big budget categories and by keeping these expenses low, we were able to put more aside to our debts. SMALL changes add up to BIG results: With our home, auto, and medical expenses low, we nickel and dimed the rest of our budget and found some extra funds each month to send to our debts. Groceries.

Debt 130

Debt Health Insurance Insurance Budgeting 130

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

One of the moves we made, out to Seattle, the only way we could make our budget work AND have me be home with our young kids, was to not own a vehicle at all. I’m not – I’m more of a spender, and struggled with budgeting as a young adult. That covered 2 breakfasts & 3 lunches plus snacks for the 2.5

Kids and Family 192

Kids and Family Parenting Cars Car 192

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 16, 2016

Imagine saving your family’s budget $1500 a year just by being more aware of your food waste and taking action to stop it. Freeze leftover meals in single portions for a quick lunch. Brown Bag lunch. You’ll save money by reducing your food waste at home and avoid eating out on your lunch break.

Food Waste 165

Food Waste Kitchen Leftovers Food 165

Family Balance Sheet

JULY 9, 2015

When you have tracked, analyzed, and cut your budget to bare bones, there is only one other way to find extra money to put towards debt and that is to make more money. Dave Ramsey says, “a budget is telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went.” That would keep you on budget!

Debt Free 100

Debt Free Debt Budgeting Budget 100

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 17, 2018

You can only cut so much from a budget, so to increase our cash flow, we’ll need to earn extra income by growing our small business and growing my blog. I’d like 2018 to be the year that we clean out our clutter. However, there are a few things that we will not give up so I will need to include them in our budget.

Financial Goals 113

Financial Goals Goals 2018 Debt 113

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

But there is no way you are going to give up cable, the cell phone, eating out or your gym membership. Perhaps a walk with a friend instead of lunch. You have no budget. You spend until the money runs out and then you put your purchases on your credit card. Try a simple budget. Or making your own coffee.

Money 203

Money Debt Finance Credit Cards 203