July - Third Fiscal Quarter $25 Grocery Challenge

It's fast approaching a new month and the end of the second fiscal quarter of the year.  This year, as my own personal challenge to boost our budget, I've been practicing a Pantry Freezer Challenge at the beginning of each fiscal quarter.  The first two quarters, I proposed we use the majority of our usual grocery budget for stocking up only while keeping new purchases for immediate use low.  For July, my challenge is a bit different: $25 or less per week per person in the household and no more.

All You magazine ran such a challenge last year and I found it quite helpful mid-summer to practice that month of thrift.    Did you know that the cost of living has risen 40% over the last four years? Did you know that there is a prediction that beef and dairy costs are about to skyrocket upwards?   Let's compare those statements with the fact of NO raise in pay for the past five years in our household.  Our income is the same as it was five years ago.  It's no wonder that the stretching and pulling and tugging to make ends meet has been such a challenge and we're apparently due still more 'exercise'!

So for the month of July, I mean to try to spend no more than $50 a week.  This total is roughly 45% of my usual spending allowance.  Honestly, I can't think of a better time to do such as this, with all the fresh summer produce flooding the markets.  I will not use the remainder of my grocery budget for stocking up as I've done the past two Pantry Freezer challenges.  This time the savings is going to go into savings.  I mean to use it to pay for a second vacation in the autumn months.  In John's line of work he needs that respite at least once every six months and I mean to see that he has it.

Who wants to join in?  Please let me know if you are...

$25 Week Grocery Challenge

And if anyone out there can tell me how to create a linky so you can link to my blog posts each week about the challenge, gee I'd really appreciate it!  It would be so much more fun to know who was joining in and see how they managed.  I am sure we could all learn something new from one another.