‘Operation: Clear. It. Out.’ is a series of guest posts by my friend Katie on using up what you have in the cupboards to help keep the monthly grocery budget. To check out the rest of the series, click here. If you have an idea for a series or a post you would like to see or write, please contact me.
I am still feeling strong. Husband is vocalizing some cravings. We have a scheduled, budgeted date night of Chinese takeout later this week. Remind him we can do this.
You have to be all in. In our house I am in charge of the meal planning and cooking. Husband and I are in open communication and agreement about our budget and often run errands together. We have favorite dishes and tweak new ones to our tastes, but when it comes to putting the marker to the dry erase board and sliding the casserole in the oven, that’s part of my contribution to our household. So I knew first that we had the stock to attempt this challenge and with only a little motivation and sacrifice we could pull it off.
But I needed him to be in with me. Two people, each with access to the money that you share and the ability to make their own decisions need to be on the same page. So, when I approached him with the idea I literally asked, “Are you in?”
This doesn’t mean one – or both – of you aren’t going to want to crack at some point. That will come.
But we need support, optimism and the added bonus of enthusiasm here.
God’s gift to me is that I have a laid-back, go with the flow man. There is minimal risk in Operation : Clear. It. Out. Scenario A : You try. You fail. You stay within your average budget regardless.
Scenario B : You try. You Succeed. You come in under your average budget and waste less food.
Scenario C : You try. You go crazy. You spend more money than you ever imagined possible on things you have never wanted or needed before in your life.
Scenario C is very unlikely. The statistics were in our favor, hubby was in.
Part of our goal was that we would treat ourselves once. It gave us something to look forward to, which you need. Even Dave* acknowledges the power of small victories. Our tradition for Valentine’s Day is to order Chinese, have a glass of wine and catch up on our current Netflix obsession. Simple. Lovely. Us.
Pick something that works for you and work it into the budget.
Week 2
Day 8 : Lasagna (freezer meal)
Day 9 : Breakfast (eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast and OJ)
Day 10 : Sausage & Spinach Penne. Another household favorite. One-skillet dish with minimal ingredients. We needed bread, milk, bananas, spinach, etc. Spend = $17.75
Day 11 : Leftovers
Day 12 : Beef stew. Frozen leftover. Reheat and serve.
Day 13 : Frozen pizza.
Day 14 : Chinese takeout “Date Night”. Spend = $15.45
Total spending for the week = $33.20
Ya know, this is a great thing to add to the homemaking schedule every year! ‘Operation: Clear. It. Out.’ and this FREE video ecourse (available until Thursday) on homemaking have really inspired me to get out of some of my ruts and try some new things.
That is why I’m so excited about this bundle of books. Seriously. The gems in this 100 pack of books on everything a homemaker might need are incredible. And it’s only available for 6 more days. Don’t miss out.
*The Dave referenced in this post is Dave Ramsey. Check out his book here.
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