Week 8: $25 in groceries

This week we had some traveling to do, so we wanted snacks for part of our budget.  So far, we bought:

Sweets & Beets chips: 2 bags for $5
Coconut oil (for both body use and cooking): $5.84
Potatoes (with coupon): $.99
Apples: $1.71
Parmesan cheese: $3.29
Kefir: $2.79


We're at $19.62 and that leaves us enough for onions and bananas.  Since we were over a couple of times and under other times, I figured what we actually spent for the total amount, and after 8 weeks we should be at $200.  I want to make it so that we are at or under that $200 figure.  That means I have $3.74 to spent for this week yet.

[We totally busted our budget this week.  We went to Milwaukee and there are a lot of cheese shops along the way to and from.  As everyone knows, WI has the best cheese.  We stopped at a cheese shop and got a brick of 4-year-old cheddar (not the kind with artificial orange coloring) for $9.56 and a small brick of Swiss cheese for $4.55.  They totaled just under $15.  We also bought sorghum for $6.99.  All of it was local. I know there's the feeling you get, just like when people say they get when losing weight, that, since you went overboard that you just feel like going way overboard, but I will reign in that feeling and get back on track for next week.  I do realize that with a $25 a week budget we really can't afford really good aged cheese, so that's one thing I'll be looking forward to again when we're done with our challenge.]

[Onions and bananas were $1.20.  Jaimie then bought Fair trade organic Ethiopian coffee for $6.99.  We are so over budget this week.]

Week 8 total:   $48.91.  Since we were already $1.64 over when we started the week, we certainly went a bit overboard.  Even without buying any groceries week 9, we would start week 10 with a budget of $24.45 for the week.  I am uncertain as to whether we want to go without this coming week (I do love fresh fruit), or whether we're just going to call this week a bust.  We'll see what the coming week brings.  Honestly, over the past several weeks, I have thought that we don't even need all $25 in groceries and was buying stuff we already had just to stock up.  This week, though, was the first time I was irritated at the challenge because it's nearly impossible to buy something I really look forward to getting on rare occasion (the good aged cheddar).  Then I told myself to get over it.  It is a challenge after all.