As we gear up for a busy food shopping season over the next couple of months, one BCP Reader shares tips on how to make a food budget and stick to it.
First of all, I think it’s important for women to be aware (at least somewhat) about their families finances and to understand how much they have to work with each month. In my house, I handle all of the “shopping” and errands so if I’m not aware of what we’re working with I’ll just buy whatever I “think” we “need” and not even have a clue if it’s too much.
We often complain about how expensive everything is–but groceries and deciding what we cook and serve to our familia is actually something we actually have control over. It’’s super empowering to be able to manage that aspect and make decisions that help my family achieve our financial goals (or at least pay tuition!).
I also find it’s amazing for shalom bayis. When you are aware of what your groceries are supposed to cost each month and you keep to it, you will find that your husband is very appreciative.
So why, then, do we focus so little on budgeting, especially when it comes to food, one of our biggest, most variable expenses? So few of the women in my neighborhood know how to budget. It terrifies me. And there are so many ways to feed your family on a budget, yet there are very few resources that teach a woman how to do it.
But really it’s very simple…
- Compromise is necessary. That might mean ‘No,’ to individual yogurts with crunchy toppings attached each morning (save them for special occasions).
- Menu plan!
- Do inventory before you shop. Before I shop I look at my pantry + freezer and see what I already have, and then I create my menu around what I have and see what I need to fill in.
- Making a list and actually sticking to your list (we’re all guilty of messing up on this one).
- Don’t assume we “need” everything. I think a common thread I hear amongst people when I talk about budgeting is that they’re never ever willing to give anything up because they “need” it or their kids “need” it…but actually they don’t.
- Delay your shopping. I find this to be a fun and very helpful tip. The longer you can go without walking into a grocery, the more you’ll save because we all know about the $50 bottle of milk. So sometimes, when I want to go, I’ll challenge myself to see if I can come up with a meal to tide us over using things I already have…so that’s actually fun.
- Even if you will extend yourself or go the extra mile for Shabbos, doesn’t mean you can’t make a budget there as well and decide what you will spend/splurge on for Shabbos.
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Love the yogurt with toppings one! Brings home a great point. We don’t “need” these things, and you can’t complain about your grocery bills if you’re not even trying. I make my kids gorgeous fun and yummy yogurt “parfaits” with a big tub of yogurt and homemade granola and fruits…
Yes all kids bring individual snack bags… but at least have some snacks that are Costco/Ziploc… like veggie straws, cape cods… there’s no reason kids can’t be explained to… some snacks are individual ones because mommy understands, but you also need to understand that some snacks will be Ziplocs (and you get more this way!). Same for individual packs of olives and pickles… there’s so many ways to get creative. Have fun budgeting and passing on a great skill!!
Here are a few more ideas:
– make salads just for shabbos (think bodek lettuce, mini bell pepper… pricey veggies)
– no lebens
– no yogurts
– no cheese sticks
– limit snacks to just for school
– stick to apple and orange for fruits and baby carrots for veggies
– shop on online Walmart plus. Free shipping membership is 40 a year
– milchig twice a week (homemade pizza, and eggs and bread)
– oatmeal for breakfast (cereal is so pricey)
– swap baguettes and challah rolls for wraps cuz healthier and cheaper.
– side dishes: pickle salad or can of corn.
– bake easy dessert, easy dips
– frozen veggies just for shabbos
Lettuce/green salad is very affordable if you check your own lettuce/greens. If you want to save money, check your own vegetables and stop buying prechecked. No need to skimp on nutrition to stay on budget.
Love this post!! To add some ideas…
We do lettuce salads just for Shabbos. During the week we do cut fruit, tomato salad, chickpea corn pickle salad, Israeli salad, etc.
When I do lettuce salad I often mix it with purple cabbage to make it last longer.
Once a week I do tuna sandwiches or eggs for supper – it’s a perfectly fine source of protein, and a lot cheaper than chicken!
I’ll also do a yummy pasta with a cheap homemade smoothie (think national brand frozen fruit from Walmart etc, mixed with milk or yogurt) or with a protein bean soup or barley for supper – again, much cheaper and my kids like it more!
Breakfast – Yogurt is always from a tub, no individual portions. We sprinkle in chocolate chips or craisins or frozen blueberries (national brands).
No soda or soft drinks, much healthier anyways!
Dips and baked goods (challah and cake) = super expensive if store-bought. Homemade is much yummier anyways.
Aldi shopping is a great saver!! Vegi’s , ceareals, frozen fruit, salmon… prices are super low. Not much to buy not on your list to. Helps greatly with budgeting.
Never go shopping when you are hungry!!!
Love these articles!!! Target has colored ziploc bags which makes it a bit more exciting… Food Storage Bags Assorted Colors – 64ct – up & up™
Any other protein ideas for suppers that are not fleishig but will actually fill up the men?
Tuna or salmon patties in a wrap or bun. tuna melt in sourdough. Serve with a soup with a grain in it.
Anything in a sandwich automatically is more filling!
Scrambled egg/ Omelet (add cheese/toppings to make it more filling), toast (any bread/pita… sometimes we use up all those strange end pieces and toast them). Can add a salad guacamole and/or leftover dips from shabbos for the bread. Very filling. Add a veggie soup as a starter and its a full meal.
Check your own lettuce 🙂
Baby spinach can be checked as well.
https://crckosher.org/videos/how-to-check-romaine-lettuce-and-other-leafy-vegetables/
https://consumer.crckosher.org/consumer/fruitsvegetables/
I use Walmart Plus for most fruit and veg, non dairy milk/yogurt, all baking, cereals, oil, seltzer and really almost anything is cheaper there.
I buy Pretzilla burger buns there for a great price.
1. We do sushi once a week for supper…1 slice salmon, mashed can work for a family of 7….we do pickles and avocado as well. Homemade spicy mayo and sweet sauce..
2. Homemade mayonnaise saves a lot. Homemade marinara sauce.
3. Omelets and vegetables for supper on Sunday or leftover challah turned into French toast and vegetables/fruits.
4. Cholent for supper…buy beans in bulk
8. Falafel balls, cabbage salad,homemade chummus and techina. Filling and cheap
Homemade baked goods also save, as opposed to the bakery. I do simple no mixer brownie (comes out yummy), easy muffins, choc chip cookies, choc chip sticks from BCP… simple cakes/cookies that taste delicious. Buying from the bakery is very expensive. Occasionally we do it if we didn’t have an opportunity to bake that week and we want to have for shabbos. But baking most of the time does come out less costly.
I also do Homemade pancake dry mix that can be frozen. Recipe from the “Recipes Unplugged” by Rivky Manies. I keep it in a Ziploc in the freezer. When we have pancakes for dinner (kid fave), all I need to do is take out as much dry mix as needed that day. Less waste for sure. Buying the Yitzy’s mix is great in a pinch, but if I want to buy less prepared foods, I make my own.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the importance of women being aware of their family’s finances, particularly when it comes to budgeting for groceries and managing expenses. It’s great to see that you take an active role in handling the shopping and errands in your household.
love this and all the budgeting articles! I so agree how empowering budgeting is! I actually created an excel spreadsheet where I log all expenditures, credit and cash, and categorize them (i.e. groceries, shabbos, tuition, transportation, medical, pharmacy, housekeeping, phone, cleaners, going out, etc..). The categories have formulas so everything is added automatically, and each month gets its own tab. It helps us compare month to month at a glance and know exactly where our money’s going, which feels amazing. Extras are listed as the month goes along so we know exactly what contributed to more expenditures.I know there’s software that does this too, however I have a small, young family so right now it’s doable on excel, and I love it. My husband and I have a meeting each month to go through the expenses and it feels so good to be transparent and open about finances. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if something like this was taught in high school/kallah classes?
A big problem with this is kosher supermarkets don’t have prices on their shelves so you have no clue what you’re spending till you’re by the register…
This is my pet peeve!
Instead of buying squeezie yogurts or applesauce, buy reusable squeezie bags
https://amzn.to/3UUqoyq
I find grocery shopping online a huge money saver, you avoid impulse shopping and you can see your total as you go. If you’re above your desired “allowance” it’s easy to adjust quantities vs at the checkout in a store . I find I save, even if I pay a $5 delivery fee
Very nice article, I just don’t agree with the part about limiting Shabbat expenses… Chazal say that one doesn’t need to worry about spending for Talmud Torah, Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and Yom tov (acronym תשרי) because whatever you spend for those is not counted in the amount of money allotted to you on Rosh Hashana for the entire year. As a person who normally budgets groceries, it always feels so good to buy whatever I want for Shabbat without looking at prices. Try it!
love that acronym and that idea! thank you! great post thank you!
Thanks so much, often when come home from doing a big stock up (at the cost shop – my towns shop that’s at minimal prices without a mark up) my husband quizzes me on why it cost so much etc and I find myself defensive because it’s for food which is necessary, it can all be quite stressful so I appreciate guidance and normalisation of the struggle on this and other people’s ideas in the comments.
Split Pea soup is super healthy, filling, and economical! Add tons of veggies and even tiny pieces of chicken cutlets. Serve with baugettes for a full meal.
The Bais Yaakov cookbook has a great recipe.
If you don’t want it to be the full meal, you can also just serve as a first course. It’s a great way to fill the family up so that they don’t eat as much chicken etc. Split Peas are a protein…