May-day May-day - Grocery Emergency!

Whew, I am sure glad it is May. April has been a super busy month for us and I feel like I am just barely hanging on. I would say that I completely failed at meeting my monthly grocery budget but I don't even know that for sure because for the first time in a long time, we didn't do cash for groceries. We just got busy and let it slide the first week, then a week and a half and then it wasn't even worth it so I just finished out the month buying whatever. It was actually very distressing to me to not know how much I was spending on groceries. On top of that, I was feeling very bleh towards cooking and health. I ate a bunch of sweets right after Lent ended and I could really feel the difference after being away from refined sugar but was too lazy to do anything about it or we were traveling and didn't have the option. So overall, April was just very very yucky.

But I did keep seeing an idea bopping around the blogosphere (see here and here) that sounded interesting and kept telling myself... maybe next month. Well next month is here and since I need a boost to get me started again I am giving myself a challenge - buy as little as possible.

I want to empty out my freezer and pantry. Mostly freezer as our pantry is quite little so I don't stock up on much there. But I do have a lot of frozen meat and meals in the freezer that I want to use up before summer - it is way to hot here in Texas to be cooking casseroles all evening.

It will also (hopefully) force me to be creative. Hmm, I have a old can of french onions and two chicken legs, what can I make?

Third, I hope to save a little money from our grocery budget for a special upcoming purchase. Craig thinks I am weird for wanting to do it but is willing to go along, but I would rather take the money from our budget than have to scrounge for it elsewhere. I don't have any grand illusions of making it through the month without grocery shopping or even cutting our spending in half. My special purchase is $25 so that is what I want to save. Our monthly budget for groceries is normally $200 (that includes cleaning supplies and papers products but we don't actually buy much of that or if we do, we get it free/dirt cheap from CVS/Walgreen) and I'm normally using every penny of that so even saving that much will be a win in my book.

So this month I will try to post my meal plans and grocery lists, more for accountability and entertainment than because I think I will be creating anything special. First one should go up Monday. Anyone want to join me?