The January Financial Experiment - No Shopping

With the new year, hubby and I sat down and took a hard look at our finances.  Like many of you, we didn't much like what we saw.  We decided that each month we would set a financial goal for ourselves and do an experiment to see what impact it would have on our everyday family living.  For example, early last year hubby decided to start taking lunch to work, both to save money and eat healthier.  After a month we realized what a huge money saver it was.  On top of that, after a few months, he had lost 10 or so pounds.  He's not overwieght at all (in my opinion), but he was thrilled with the results!  So, he kept on taking lunch to work.  It was a positive change all around.

For January of this year, we decided to do an experiment relating to the amount of money we spend on food.   The rules of the experiment are:

1. No grocery shopping, unless something comes up that would be free with a coupon or something like that.  Eat completely out of pantry, freezer, and food storage.
2. No eating out... period!
3. As a bonus challenge, no filling the car with gas.  Hubby's truck gas is paid for by work, so it's just my car this applies to.  The plan is to go anywhere requiring distance in his truck.

We are half way through the month and so far, I've learned a few things.  I'll save my full report for the beginning of January.  Luckily, the grocery stores have been helping me out, their sales have been less than stellar so there hasn't been much temptation to go grocery shopping.  I'm only really tempted when there are good deals to be had. 
My prediction for the end results?  It's not actually going to have a huge impact on us.  We have a lot of food storage.  My kids like powdered milk - I call it "special milk" and they think it's cool.   And my average spending on groceries is only about $250/month since I'm slightly crazed about coupons.  We shall see though.  Maybe I'll be surprised in the long run!  My hope is that, the true result of the experiment will show me what holes are in my food/home storage.  That way I can plan better for the future.

One thing I can't help but say though... there really isn't an acceptable substitute for toilet paper. I'm considering begging hubby to bring a roll home from work today. Hahahaha! Just kidding... really... Maybe I can borrow from the neighbors.



Jan

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