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Is Your Family Budget in The Black?
I think January is a time of financial frustration for many families. A lot of us have all of those holday spending bills coming home to roost. In addition, it is time for many homeowners to cough up money for property taxes. With cold weather, heating bills may also be high. Oh, and Happy New Years to you too. 
Don’t Panic, Just Budget
I’d like to thanks some friends for posting a sample family budget worksheet. This shows a moderate income and moderate expenses, but that the income minus expense figure is negative. This means that credit card debt must be increasing, and that there is no money for savings. These are two very dangerous financial things for anybody.
You can also download a free family budget form for yourself. This way you can document your income, usual expenses, savings, and also some unusual expenses that may strain your finances. The article also explains some simple fixes to help keep your bank account positive.
Sometimes we are just not aware of how much money we spend on things we really do not need. In other cases, we may just be spending more than we have to for services we want and need. The article gives some great examples of comparison shopping we may want to do for fixed bills. It also gives us some tips to reduce our monthly spending without giving up on the quality of our lives.
Do You Need a Budget?
Consider these questions, and the answers may help you understand if you need to do more work on your finances.
- Do you ever use debit or credit cards and then realize you spent more than you think you did? It is so easy to use plastic without thinking, and then to run up bills.
- Have you done comparison shopping for fixed bills? Have you priced car insurance, phone service, etc. lately? You could be paying more than you should.
- Can you save some money for retirement and emergencies every month? If you do not have anything left to put aside, you really need to understand why.
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Can you Find Cheap Health Foods That Fit a Budget?
If you go grocery shopping, which most of us do, you have to know that the cost of food is rising. I remember when I would kick myself for going over $50 on a weekly shopping trip, then for going over $100, and now I’m happy if I can keep the bill under $200! Since my income has not quadrupled in this time frame, it is getting more and more challenging to bring home healthy and tasty foods on a budget.
But you can still bring home some healthy bargains if you just adjust the way you think about buying groceries.
Eggs got a bad rap for high cholersterol for awhile, but now they are back on the Eat This list. You can buy a dozen eggs for less than $2, and that can provide quite a few healthy breakfasts (or dinners!). They are high in protein and other essential nutrients. In fact, about the only important vitamin you cannot find in an egg is vitamin C. Add a small orange, and you are good to go!
Beans are also a cheap source of protein. You can find a low fat can of vegetarian beans for less than $1, and that can be the basis for many meals. We like to do a vegetarian taco night where we used vegetarian refried pinto beans instead of ground beef.
Grab a package of tortillas or taco shells. Simply saute some green peppers and onions, and then sprinkle on a little shredded lettuce and salsa, and you’re all set for a cheap meal that everybody likes! Splurge on shredded cheese and avacodos if you like.
Frozen Berries can be a great alternative to fresh ones, especially when they aren’t in season. They also keep for a long time in the freezer, so they are better for people who like to make weekly shopping tips. Thaw, and add a dab of whipped topping. You’ve got dessert!
Chicken or Turkey Drumsticks make a simple and inexpensive basis for a great meal. Dark meat tends to be cheaper tha light meat, and drumsticks are popular with kids.
Do you have any ideas for inexpensive health foods that are easy to find and prepare? We’d love to see your comments!
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Slash a Couple of Big Ones from Groceries This Month?
You want us to do what? How can we possibly save money on anything in December, the whole month long celebration of consumerism! Well, I know it sounds tough, but you can do what I’m going to do, and you may be surprised how much money you can save!
Make a Skimp Week!
I do my main grocery shopping once a week, not that I never have to go back to pick up something I forget. But one week a month, I try to use what I have. I am not a well organized person, and I’m sure if I was, I would spend a lot less money. I fall more into the creative people are seldom neat category. For instance, I came home with a jar of mild picante sauce, a staple food in our home, only to find that I already had 3 jars stuffed behind other stuff in my pantry. I have done this before with other staples like pickles and tomato sauce. I often spend money on things I already have. Lucky for me, these are usually things that will keep, so if I can just keep from buying them again, I am well stocked to be sure!
So, the first thing you need to do is go through your pantry and fridge and freezer and take an inventory. I am not asking you to computerize it or anything, but just try to take mental notes of the things you have that you tend to overbuy.
Now here’s a word to the wise. If you do have a box of cereal that has sat in the pantry with one serving left for 2 months, it is time to toss it and find out what your kids will eat for breakfast! That box is just making your pantry hard to organize and access, and it is probably just going to get older.
OK, so now you know that you do not need to buy another box of croutons or can of chicken broth because you have’t used up the ones you have in the last month! You probably do need bread, fruit, vegetables, etc. because they tend to spoil. In my house, fruit tends to get eaten, but some weeks we do not get through a loaf of bread. If that loaf of 7 grain isn’t getting eaten, it might be time to replace it with some other source of whole grains that people will eat.
Use What You Have
Take a hard look at what you already have in your freezer and pantry, and try to plan some meals around that. Only buy missing ingredients. If you have croutons and dressing, you probably only need lettuce and salad veggies. Buy things that can do double duty. A green pepper can go into a salad or get cooked into pasta sauce. If you, like me, already have a couple of pounds of ground beef, you probably don’t need to replace them at all!
Here’s My Example To Save Money this Week!
It’s the end of the year, and I have some holiday shopping to do. I also have property tax bills sitting on my counter. This is a good month to be frugal where I can.
So I found 3 pounds of ground beef, 3 packets of flavored rice, a pound of turkey sausage, 2 jars of store brand spaghetti sauce, croutons, fake bacon bits,2 1/2 boxes of pasta, and a couple of bottles of salad dressing, and 3 jars of picante sauce among other things!
We are certainly going to have pasta and tacos a few times this week. I just need to buy taco shells, salad stuff, and a can or two of refried beans. Of course, I also want to buy some fruit selections because my family tends to snack on that. To vary up the menu, I may get a can of sloppy joe seasoning and some hamburger buns.
Even if I toss in a 12 pack of soda cans for road trips, and a few other snack foods, I can probably keep my grocery bill under $100, instead of going over $200. If I can do this for 2 weeks this month, I’ll have saved $200. This is a reasonable goal, and I haven’t even used a coupon yet!
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Do You Have a Strategy to Save Money
It is great to find a sale or cut credit card interest rates. But I find that real long term frugal people have some strategies to help them save money every day, every week, or every month. In other words, if you want to live well on a budget, it really helps to have a starting place, a plan, and a goal. That does not mean you must live like a monk either, but just have a way to spend less on your needs, and yes, on your luxuries.
Automatic Savings – Even if you don’t have an automatic savings plan at work, many banks will let you set one up. You can transfer a set amount from your checking account into your savings or money market account every month.
Another service, like Sharebuilder, sets up an automatic transfer into whatever investment or savings vehicle you choose every month. You can simply build cash in their savings account, or you can invest in stocks or mutual funds. And you have the flexibility to change your investment amounts and plans at any time.
We find that an automatic savings plan is much more reliable than thinking that we will move money to our savings account when we get around to it! If you can save $25 – $50, you can begin. Of course, it would be great if you could set aside more than that.
Find Money to Save!
I know what many of you are thinking. By the time you pay bills, buy food, and hand out cash to the kids, you don’t have anything left. I feel that way myself sometimes. I understand that while it is great to stay on top of bills, it is also important to enjoy the spice of life with a night our, a first run movie at a theatre, or a trip somewhere. Nobody here is telling you to cut all of that out of your lives.
Sell Something – I know one very industrious family who comes up with something to sell every month. This family also has the cleanest closets in the neighborhood, so that may be a side benefit. They use online auctions, like EBay, garage sales, and even pawn shops. Outgrown books, games and movies, gently used clothes, appliances, and everything else that they no longer use seems to have a market. They say it was hard to get started, but once they had set their goal, it began to get easier.
They do not always expect to get a lot of money for their old tvs, outgrown rain coats, or bird cages (poor Tweety), but it helps them come up with some cash that goes right to their emergency cash fund. And having that fund to use when they need to repair their car, visit the dentist, or buy a prom dress saves them money in the long run because it reduces their reliance on credit.
Organize Something – Do you know that when I cleaned out my pantry, I found 3 bottles of olive oil, six boxes of pasta, and 14 cans of tomato soup? Somehow I kept buying the soup because one kids favored it, but had apparently stopped eating it after school started and he ate school lunches. Well, 12 of those soup cans went to the donation box, and I knew to strike some of those items off of my grocery reminder next week. I had been buying some of the same things out of habit, and had forgotten I already had them because they got pushed to the back of the closet.
So here’s my tip from this. One week, only buy things that spoil in the grocery store. You will probably need to get milk and bread. For that week, try to prepare meals out of what you have and see how far you get. If you want to use one of the three jars of spaghetti sauce (yes, I had 3), and you need ground meat, then just run to the store for that.
Frequent shopping trips, for just one or two items you actually want, can save you money. You just have to force yourself not to buy something else that draws your attention, and we all know that grocery stores are cleverly laid out to do just that. Of course, if the store is far away, and the trip will consume a lot of gasoline, this may not be great advice.
My own solution to that problem is to send my daughter on her bike. She likes to get some exercise every day, and she is much less likely to depart from the list than I am. Even if I tip her with an extra $5 to buy herself a magazine, some nail polish in a color that never occurs in nature, or some other treat, she still spends less than I would have with my debit card and impulsive spending habit!
Do You Have Strategies to Save Money?
We would love to hear your own money saving ideas. Simply register for free and enter them in the comments to this post!
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What is Poverty in the US?
According to government statistics, poverty is defines as a family of 4 people making less than $22,000 a year. If you have any idea of how your family budgets and spends money, you can imagine that you would feel poor on far more than that amount. How do familis survive on less than $2,000 a month in the US? I would imagine that it would be incredibly tough to pay for living, food, and insurance expenses, much less save a dime.
Where is Your Poverty Line?
Every family or individual seems to have their own personal poverty line. We see celebrities who go broke when their incomes are reduced by a few million dollars. Most of us do not have that much to lose, and a thousand dollar reduction in income can break our budgets.
Please use these guidelines to figure out how much money you need.
Rent - Even the smallest apartments, around here, seem to go for $600 a month. A 3 bedroom apartment or home would probably cost over $1,000. If you are a homeowners, you probably have some sort of mortgage, plus taxes to pay.
Insurance and Utilities - Renters insurance is fairly cheap, but homeowners insurance will be over $100 a month. Add to that any costs for car insurance, life insurance, and health insurance, and you can see coverage costs families $500 – $1,000 a month. The spread on utility costs also varies. One of us, who lives alone in an apartment, can cover utilities for $100 a month. For most of us, phones, cable, electricity, gas heating, etc. add up to $300 – $500 a month.
Food – We posted before that the thriftiest plan from the USDA would cost a family of 4 over $500 a month, but most of us would have trouble sticking to that food budget. A more average budget reached about $800, and some families spend $1,000 or more. These budgets do not allow for any meals out, and to be realistic, it is tough for most of us to be at home for every meal.
Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone – Of course, your family will need clothes purchased and cleaned, school supplies, personal items (i.e. shampoo, toothpaste, soap), and cleaning supplies. It would probably be fair to add another $100, if not more, to a family budget.
Transportation – Adults must get to work and kids have to get to school. Gasoline, repairs, parking, and tools can eat up $100s of dollars a month. This can vary so much by location and individual needs, it would be hard to estimate. Even bus fairs can add up to $200 a month for once person, and keeping a car with gasoline, parking fees, and tolls, and insurance will certainly cost twice that.
All we are saying is, be realistic about the amount of money your family needs to spend each month. We suggest setting three baselines for this.
- Basic Needs – What is the minimum you need to spend to keep from going in the hole. How much money buys food, a place to live, and transportation?
- Comfort Zone – How much do you need to add to your minimum budget for recreation and some savings for an emergency?
- Luxury Zone - Where would your income have to be to cover your needs, allow for some luxury, plus be able to plan for the future with savings that will cover emergencies, and also start a retirement fund?
So where does that put you? Here at Frugal Mavens, we pride ourselves on our tight budgets. But we reached a concensus that $3,000 could barely get us through a month. A more comfortable income would be $4,500, and we would not really be able to breath unless we brought in $6,000. Those figures are all, of course, considerably more than the US poverty level for a family of four.
We plan to post more articles to help you live better on less money, but this article is just meant to emphasize the importance of knowing how much money you need to live. Believe it or not, many families have no idea until something bad happens. And when something bad happens, it is usually too late!
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Why Bother to Comparison Shop For Car Insurance?
A lot of people figure that all of the top insurers are about the same, and so they do not bother to compare insurance quotes at all. But this is not really true. Insurers do base rates on some of the same factors, like driving history, age, type of car, location, etc. But they all offer discounts and weight these factors differently. You cannot take any 2 random neighbors and say that one company or another is best for them without doing some comparisons.
Experts advise consumers to do some car insurance comparison shopping every 12 months or so. They know that a bit of shopping really can save people money.
In the last year or so, things have probably changed in your life. You have certainlly gotten a year older. Maybe you have purchased a new home or a new car. Or maybe you are just shopping around for a new car. These are all very good times to compare quotes.
The car insurance market also changes all of the time. If company A can offer you a better deal by combining auto / home insurance discounts and multi-vehicle discounts than your old company B, don’t expect company B to call you up and tell you about it!
How To Comparison Shop For Auto Insurance Policies
The easiest way to compare premiums and plans in your local area is to use an internet car insurance quote form. You can key in the details of your own drivers and cars one time, and this only takes about 5 minutes. Then click the submit button and get local, competitive quotes returned to you. You can also do this if you are planning a particular type of new or used car. A different car may make your premiums go up or down, but you really should know this while you are figuring out how much you can afford to pay.
Find the Best US Insurance Quotes with fast, safe, and free online quote forms. A few minutes really can save you hundreds of dollars!
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How Much Does Home Ownership Cost?
When you consider a new home purchase, you always have to balance a couple of very real factors. There is no doubt that home ownership can provide you with a very real asset, family stability, and pride in the place you live. I believe these things are real. And yet, with the recent foreclosure disasters all across the US, we cannot deny that home ownership can also lead to financial ruin. Before you purchase a home, especially your first house, consider the true costs.
We have always been interested in this subject, but this article – Rent or Own : The Real Cost of Home Ownership – reminded us of it again. We ourselves, were renters, then owners, then renters, and then owners again as circumstances changed in our lives. And one thing we know is that frugal mavens must be flexible.
Get Real Numbers on the Cost of Home Ownership
We urge you to do some real calculations. Find out how much your new home purchase will really cost, and do not just rely on some figures a realtor supplies. They are always going to be optimistic, and yes, we have certainly caught them leaving some costs out. Here is an online home ownership cost calculator to get you started.
Before you buy a home, we urge you to consider:
Your Mortgage – is it fixed or variable. If it is variable, what is the worst case?
Your Taxes – Property taxes can cost thousands of dollars a year. Will they be included in your monthly payments (escrow), or must you produce them at the end of the year in a lump sum?
Homeowners Insurance – Proper coverage will probably be required by a lender. Even if you are lucky enough to own a home without a mortgage, you probably want to consider a good homeowners isurance policy. Have you gotten homeowers insurance rate quotes to consider when you are calculating your monthly bills?
Repairs – You can count on home repairs. Do you know how you will pay to repair your air conditioning, heater, or power washing? Have you considered setting aside repair money, or will you purchase a home warranty that can help with some things?
Please keep all of these things in mind before you purchase a home. That $800 a month mortgage your lender is telling you about will probably not give you the whole story. You will probably do better to add another 50 percent or so to that monthly bill with taxes, insurance and all of the extras. If I was told my home loan payments were $800 a month, I would automatically turn that figure into $1,200. That way I would be pretty sure I would have money to cover taxes, insurance, and home repairs (a home warranty and cash for things the warranty will not cover).
Benefits of Home Ownership
Now do not misunderstand this article. Home ownership can be great, and some of the stability it provides will probably save you a lot of money down the road. A home mortgage can be defrayed by interest tax deductions too, especially when the mortgage is fairly new, and most of your mortgage payment equals interest! So in real terms, that $850 a month may work out to $650 a month after you consider the tax benefits. You won’t realize that every month, but when you file it can lower your bill.
If you have any thoughts, we’d love to read them. Register for free, below, and you can comment!
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Can You Buy Food for $150 a Week or Less
OK, here’s the deal. From our informal research, we are going to assume that an average family of four eats somewhere else – at work or school – at least sometimes during the week. Of course, people can take lunches from home, which does save more money. So here are the requirements for the cheap groceries contents.
- Feed a Family of Four – Assume 2 adults and 2 kids.
- Spend a Maximum of $150 a week on food. This amount is well over the most restrictive USDA guidelines for a healthy meal budget, but does not approach the most liberal allowance. Of course, some raters will probably give you more stars for spending less!
- Please assume average cooking skills. Many busy parents will appreciate simple and quick food preps.
- Provide a balanced and healthy diet which includes 5 Dinners, 5 Lunches, 5 Breakfasts, and 5 Snacks! We want to see healthy food that also tastes good!
- Provide a basic grocery list with estimated prices, a weekly total, and some idea how this food can be used to prepare the minimum meals and snacks listed above.
- Don’t agonize over the food costs, but try to be realistic. We know prices vary by season and region.
Have fun and look at previous posts or our example (below) for an idea of how to get started, but please be original! Simply register for free to Frugal Mavens so you can post. These posts will be moderated for appropriate content, but we allow one link back to your own favorite website so its a great deal!
Example of a Frugal Grocery List for the Week!
I am estimating prices fom an average of store prices vs. brand names, and I know that your costs will vary by season, brand, and location. I am rounding prices to the nearest .50, but I think this is pretty realistic. Also note that some items, like oil, herbs, and ketchup, should last for more than 1 week – but to be fair I’m trying to start from zero.
- 1 Bag of Frozen Boneless Chicken (About 3 pounds) – $7.00
- 2 Pounds of Turkey Bacon – $5.00
- 3 Pounds of Lean Ground Beef or Turkey or Whatever – $10.00 (Yes, lean costs more but is worth it for so many reasons.
- 2 Dozen Eggs – Prices vary, but I’m going with $4.00
- Shredded Chedder Cheese – 16 oz – $3.00
- 1 Package Sliced Cheese – 16 oz – $3.00
- 1 Bunch Celery Stalks – $1.50
- 1 Head of Lettuce – $1.50
- 2 Green Peppers – $2.50
- Carrots – $3.00
- 3 Pounds of In season Fruit – Grapes, Apples, Pears, etc. – $6,00
- Average Bunch of Bananas – $2.00
- 1 Jar Peanut Butter – $3.00
- 1 Onion – .50
- Garlic Powder – 2.00
- Italian Seasoning Herb Mix – $3.00
- 1 Jar of Prepared Spaghetti Sauce – $2.00 (Store brands are even cheaper sometimes)
- Pasta – Pick your Favorite – The healthier kinds are about $2.00, but the package lasts our family for 2 meals.
- 1/2 Gallon Fat Free Milk – $3.00
- 1 Bag Tortilla Chips – $3.00
- 1 Package of Tortillas – $2.00
- Salsa – $2.00
- Ketchup – $1.50
- Mustard – $1.50
- BizQuick or Other Prepared Baking Mix – $4.00
- Pankcake Syrup – $2.00
- Margarine/butter – $3.00
- 1 Bottle of Vegetable Oil – $3.00
- 1 Can of Cooking Spray – $2.00
- Salt/Pepper- #3.00
- Carton of Orange Juice – $3.00
- Carton of Lemonade – You can find low sugar options – $3.00
- Coffee (OK, I’m an addict) – $6.00 (Be fair, this lasts me more than a week)
- Salad Dressing – $2.00
- 1 Bag Frozen Potatos (Fries, tator tots, etc.) – $3.00
- 2 12 ounce Cans of Tuna – $4.00
- 1/2 Gallon Ice Cream – Store Brand $3.00
OK Now here are the Meals:
BreakFast -
- Pancakes (baking mix, oil, eggs, butter, syrup) for 2 meals. Note that one morning I make enough for 2 breakfasts, and freeze half of the prepared breakfasts for the next day. I like to slice up a banana or other fruit into the mix for added flavor and health benefits. It is ok to improve upon a mix!
- Turkey Bacon, simple fruit salad (sliced up bananas, grapes, etc.), and toast. 1 Meal
- Breakfast Tacos (eggs, cheese, diced green peppers, tortillas, cooking spray, and salsa to taste). Migas is a popular breakfast too. You simple crumble up some tortilla chips into the scrambled egg mix. 2 Meals
- Orange Juice, Milk or Coffee can be served here.
- 2 Large Cans of Chicken Soup – $5.00 (Sometimes you can find this on sale).
- 1 Pound of Deli Meat (Turkey, etc.).
- 1 Loaf of Bread – $3.00
- Rice – $3.00
Lunch
- Improved Canned Chicken Soup – i.e. start with a can, but add some fresh celery, garlic, carrots, and diced chicken breast (make sure it is cooked well) plus Bisquits (Baking Mix) – 1 Meal.
- Quesadillas – (Tortillas with melted cheese, maybe salsa and onions). These are sort of like grilled cheese sandwiches, and are a family favorite! A can of prepared refried beans (vegetarian) adds protein and taste for those that like it. Heat it up and add a little of your cheese! Serve with milk or juice and a small salad (lettuce, celery, carrots, dressing). 1 Meal
- Tuna Melts (Bread, Tuna, Cheese, Cooking Spray, Butter/Margarine), Fruit Salad, and Potatos.(Half the Bag) 1 Meal
- Deli Sandwhiches (Prepared Meat, Bread, Lettuce, Mustard, Ketchup, etc.) and Salad (Lettuce, etc.) 1 Meal
- Leftover Pasta from Dinner Meals (DONE!) and salad (lettuce, etc.)
Dinner
- Spaghetti (pasta, 2 lb ground meat, can of saucegreen pepper, onion, herbs, etc.), salad (lettuce, etc.), and garlic bread (toast, margarine, and garlic powder). This should make a meal for one night plus have leftovers for one lunch.
- Turkey Bacon Burgers (1 lb ground meat, turkey bacon, lettuce, buns, condiments, etc.) Plus 1/2 bag of your frozen potatos and a fruit salad (sliced fruit). 1 Meal
- Breakfast for Dinner. OK, you may think I am cheating, but my family loves this. You can make pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits, etc. Serve with orange juice or milk and a fruit salad. 1 Meal.
- Stir Fry (1 1/2 pounds of Chicken, frozen veggies, cooking spray, and terryaki sauce make this a great one pan meal.) Make rice on the side. 1 Meal
- Chicken Fajitas – Here’s another family favorite. Simply cook chicken strips in some cooking spray with slices of onion and green peppers. Assemple the fajitas on tortillas with some lettuce, cheese, etc. Again, some rice and beans on the side make this a complete meal. 1 Meal
Snack (We’re Almost There!).
- Celery Stalks with Peanut butter or cheese.
- Fruit of Fruit Salad or Apples Dipped In Carmel
- Deviled Eggs or Egg Salad Sandwiches
- PB&J Sandwiches
- Ice Cream (Ice Cream is Good)
So there it is. I believe I have prepared family friendly and healthy meals that are simple and tasty. If my quick addition is correct, I spent just about $100 if you count tax, and I did use some convenience foods. Now please do your share and add your cheap grocery shopping lists and meal plans! Just subscribe for free!
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Enter the First Frugal Mavens Contest – Cheap Meal Planning Ideas
We posted an article with a meal plan for a cheap and fast chicken meal, and have already gotten enough emails to know we hit a chord with lots of people. Our readers want to prepare healthy meals for their families, but do not want to spend a lot of time or money doing it!
So we decided to hold our first ever Frugal Mavens reader comment contest. The idea is fairly simple, but we think that we can get you to help us help lots of struggling families stick to their budgets while eating well. I know that I have picked up some of my meal planning staple tips from internet posts, and I hope this results in more.
Prizes for the Cheap (and easy) Meal Planning Contest
Continue reading Cheap Meal Planning Ideas Contest
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Fast Budget Meal Your Family Will Love in Chilly Weather!
 Do you need to put a decent meal on the table quickly without spending a lot of money? Would you also benefit from leftovers you could freeze to serve next week too? Here’s a big hitter that will be easy to shop for, and will not take you more than half an hour to throw together.
I love these ideas for a complete and satisfying meal that can be prepared quickly and does not cost a lot. Instead of buying pre-prepared meals or worse yet, taking out food, you can actually cook a healthy meal in about half an hour.
If I could help you plan a meal that takes about half an hour to prepare, and costs about $2 a person, would you say that would help you live better for less money?
Continue reading Cheap and Fast Chicken For Dinner!
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