I am pretty good (or pretty bad depending on your perspective) at making decisions that have a major effect on my family. Joining the Compact was a big one. Now I’ve decided that we are limiting our meat intake (at home) to what is healthiest for our bodies and our planet. Namely organic. Needless to say, we aren’t eating a lot of meat anymore. I was vegetarian for years so this doesn’t really bother me, the husband on the other hand has been adjusting. More because I had gotten into the habit of cooking meat with almost every meal than because he was a die-hard fan. I could make plain spaghetti every night and he would be pretty happy. Now that meat is no longer a habit (and that’s really what it had become, strange I know), what will we be eating?
Saturday – spinach and rice
Sunday – buttermilk french toast
Monday – yellow curry with cauliflower and tofu
Tuesday – brown rice salad with tofu
Wednesday – pizza (still doin’ but requires more thought as I am off dairy until Baby S has better digestion)
Thursday – pork fried rice (last piece of pre-organic pork in the freezer)
Friday – brats with homemade buns (I love that I have homemade buns – sad and geeky I know, but true)
Using a system that is somewhat based on $80/week for grocery and non-edible and the $50 a week budget of $125 we are well and truly overextended this week. It’s amazing how it adds up at the end of the week. I wasn’t really paying attention this week as I knew we weren’t buying meat (although I did buy almost 3 lbs of organic ground beef for an upcoming party). I thought it would be easier to stay under budget without that expense. Not so much apparently. We did go to Costco as I needed vanilla, yeast and apple juice – all great buys there. We also had several fun events, including major league and minor league baseball games, that hit our eating out budget.
eating out – $116.13
grocery – $120.87
grocery non-edible – $7.65
All in all a bad week. But a good reminder that we need to pay more attention as the week progresses. And make the shopping list early and stick to it. And spend less money.
In other news, I’m having a great time planning Toddler L’s birthday party. I can’t believe he’s already 2.
I am probably more Martha Stewart than Edith Bunker when it comes to throwing a party but I am loving the challenge of doing it on a budget, with thrift store finds and in an eco-friendly manner. Since we don’t have a backyard we are hosting at a wildlife preserve, so we’ve got that part of the green theme covered. If all goes well I may post some pictures when it’s all said and done. More planning and thrifting and crafting before we’re there though.
