Happy February! Can you believe January is already over? I hope, for those of you joining me in the challenge, that your first month went well and that your prep work for February is encouraging also. First, I’d like to address an issue that many people feel strongly one way or the other about, and it’s this: organic versus non-organic food.
I decided that this month I would buy only organic food to prove that you can do the $100-a-month budget and still have freedom to eat how you want. To be fair, I already buy organic whenever I can afford it, which typically means our non-dairy milks, our leafy greens, our tomato products, our eggs, and our quinoa, among other things. But this month I also added all of the other items on my list including carrots, peppers, onions, and various other veggies. The results? I spent nearly double on these typically non-organic items, but I still came in under my $100 budget at $89. That leaves $11 to roll over into next month, plus the $15 from last month...which brings me to my next point of discussion.
It may be wise for you to budget a small line of leftover cash each month toward “sale stock-up” items. What I mean is that you can really cut down your yearly food spending when you buy sale items that you were going to buy at full price anyway. If you save $5-$10 a month, you’d have a little extra money after a few months that you can use on those sale items that you may not have budgeted for, yet the price today will save you money in future months. I saw one of our staple items on sale today for nearly 30% off the original price. I purchased two of them, which saved me $8 (a lot when you’re spending only $100 a month), and I won’t have to buy this item again for nearly six months. Saving cash for great sales will save you cash in the long run.
I am excited to make two announcements on the bog. First, a few weeks ago, a sweet friend introduced my husband and me to Working Hands Farm. It is a local farm and CSA (community supported agriculture) that considers itself “beyond organic.” What this means it that they don’t use any pesticides, not even if they’re organic. They use other methods, such as crop rotation, ground covers, and lots of hand care to grow some of the best looking produce I have seen. After checking out their website (www.workinghandsfarm.com), I just knew I had to become a share holder. First- I fully support what these two farmers are doing...like, fully. Second, did you see their produce bins?! Hello three foot kale, beautiful and colorful produce, and small batch canning! It was love at first sight. The difficult part was trying to figure out how I would work this CSA into my budget. So I invited my sister and her family in on the share, and we are splitting all of the produce. We will be rotating weeks to pick up the produce, but I have a strong feeling that my little family will be able to survive on very few groceries besides what we get in our bi-weekly bins. I am thrilled to be a part of this little farm- it is clear that Brian and Jess work very hard and rely on the support of the people in their community, which I am proud to be a part of.
The last announcement is one that my husband and I have been waiting two years this month to be able to share- we have officially accepted a referral for our adoption! We have been matched with a little girl in Ghana, and we hope and pray that we will have her home by summer of this year. We cannot share more details, as she is not yet in our legal custody, but we are overjoyed by the little blessing that she is.
So some big news for our home- a new mouth to feed, and half of our yearly budget for food has been willingly pre-spent on a local CSA. My little challenge just got extremely interesting! I hope you’ll come along with me as we navigate these exciting new adventures. Thanks for reading!
