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My September Grocery Challenge

Well here it is. My big idea for staying afloat in our finances for the month of September:

I am only buying fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy the entire month. That's it. Nothing else. I also intend to do it for around $100 (max. $150). That works out to feeding the three of us for $25ish a week.

Seems a little crazy though, huh? I think so. Like, really think about it. How much do you spend on your groceries every month? I'm slightly ashamed to say that I spend between $400-$500 a month on food and household items! For two adults and a toddler...and that's not including any eating out we might do. So, I've set myself on this challenge out of both necessity for our budget and my curiosity as to whether I can actually stick to the plan. I'm hoping that this will help break me out of some of my grocery buying habits.

I've come to realize that I'm actually a bit of a grocery freak. I have trouble using up something in my fridge or pantry unless I buy a new one first. The idea of using it up and having none left leaves me in a small panic for some very strange reason. Because of this, however, I tend to sort of hoard groceries. I go out once a week to buy groceries when I have a pantry stocked with all sorts of good stuff. So for the month of September I have vowed to buy nothing but the perishable stuff. I need to work my way through everything I have stocked up on and squirreled away. I need to use up the food items that have been sitting in my freezer for months and months. Will my meals be a little odd this coming month? No doubt about it. Will it get my creative juices flowing so I can come up with yummy ways to combine not so complementary ingredients? Absolutely. I'm feeling up to the challenge!  

If any of you would like to join me in one way or another, I would love to hear from you! Perhaps you will vow to cut $100 off your grocery budget for the month, or try buying only perishables for two weeks instead of the whole month as I will be doing. Try anything that saves you some money and causes you to become a little creative in using up the things stashed away in your cupboards :)

Stay tuned!

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