You know how I like to challenge myself, right? Well this year I have been trying crazy hard to spend only $100 a month on groceries but as you know, I’ve been running a little over each month by about $5-$10. At this rate, I’ll be over my budget by the end of the year if I don’t so something about it lickety split.
So I’m ready for a new challenge, and I think this is my hardest one yet.
One month. No grocery shopping: Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I’ve got this, right? Deep breath.
How I Feed My Family on One Hundred Dollars a Month will change to How I Feed My Family on Zero Dollars a Month. Well at least for April anyway {I’m not completely crazy!}. I really want to see if all those years of canning and freezing and preserving will get us through a full month without having to hit the store. I’ll report on my progress every Monday in place of my grocery tally.
I have a decent pantry and a full freezer, so I might have to get creative with my meals, but I should be able to do this! Can you think of anything I need to go out and buy TODAY before this challenge starts?
Of course I’ve set some rules:
1. Groceries only. I’m not going a month without buying toilet paper, because, hello!
2. If at any point during the month I feel like my family is malnourished in anyway {which I totally can’t see that happening!}, I’ll throw in the towel.
If you want to play along, I’d love the company! Just set a few rules for yourself and keep me posted.
You think I can do it? You think I’ll like the challenge so much I’ll try for 2 months {ha!}? Are you with me? What do you think is going to be the hardest part? I’m guessing, milk.
Peace Out Girl Scouts,
~Mavis
American Dreamer says
I did this challenge in February. I was surprised at how easy it was. It saved us a lot of money.
Kimberly says
I would say if you feel like one thing would be your sticking point-milk would definitely be mine-then give yourself a weekly “allowance” for just that one item. You will feel less deprived and more likely to be able to stay on point with the rest.
Mary Campbell says
I was going to say milk as well…and it does freeze for the upcoming weeks.
Carrie says
I agree. I eat a banana and a salad everyday. I’d have to go once a week to pick up those things.
Heidi p says
I agree with Kimberly. Milk is one of Monkey Boy’s staples and unless he is in on this challenge and willing to purchase his own milk in the month of April I’d say let milk be the one April grocery exception.
connie says
I think your son should buy his own milk for the month of april,he needs to see how much money he is spending on it, well you all spend on it, a good teaching lesson:)
Stephanie says
Love this idea! If he can buy Mc D lunches, he can buy his milk 😉
Helen in Meridian says
He’s got a full time job and free bed at home, so let him buy his own milk and doritos etc.
GardenNut says
I actually really like this idea. It would be a solid grounding for him.
coleen says
fresh produce would be my trouble spot. It’s just starting to be garden season here, so the only thing sprouting in the garden is green onions, garlic and some spinach.
I’m the only one that uses milk, so I could buy a half gallon and that would get me through the month.
I’m in! I could use a good challenge!
Marcia says
Me too. I don’t garden. I’m a week in on my vacation with no salads, and I’m dying!
(I am eating veggies, just ones easier to transport, like carrots, snap peas, cucumber, peppers, broccoli).
Cher says
I’m eating from my freezer and pantry this week…was gone two weekends (grocery shopping days!) in a row…we are a family of 6-including 4 teenage boys! plus I have 2-10 daycare kids here for most meals…I did run to our local (more expensive!) market for enough milk to see the kids through the week, and I have a pretty good pantry and freezer stock, but it’s going to be a stretch to have varied and balanced meals even for this week, it will be a total of 3 weeks between shopping trips…now, we could go several more weeks without starving, but I wouldn’t be able to meet USDA meal guidelines for my daycare kids by the end of that time…counting down the days til this weekend when I have time to shop again! (Unexpected bonus…I cleaned out and organized my freezers so I know what I have now!)
Karen says
I read this post thinking there is no way I could do this as I run a home childcare! I’m impressed you have made it as long as you have! I do not keep a lot stocked or on hand, mainly always ship for the week so that doesn’t help in a situation like this. I am inspired by your response to see what I could come up with for this next week without shopping, except for milk of course!
Kayla says
Milk. It freezes too and can last through the month. You might consider checking your butter storage too. I think you will be just fine with everything else. You will rock this!
Kathy says
Yes, milk. Just may accept the challenge of no grocery shopping for a month as my freezer and pantry, small as they are, are well stocked. I’ve even got a huge box of powdered milk as the drinkers in my house can handle it…in the drying process, a protien that most people cannot digest is removed (or so my allergist says) and one of them can tolerate the milk without getting sick.
I will let you know if I go for it! Good luck, Mavis, I know you can do it!
Lynn says
Can you barter or trade?
Mavis Butterfield says
No.
Nichole says
I haven’t figured out how to handle co-workers from out of town who come to visit. They ALWAYS want to have lunch, dinner, and drinks, most days they are visiting. I think I could do this for everything except those days. It would be a challenge though. I get take out a lot. I might have to start with one week. That would be a major change for me.
Tracy Tidwell says
Oh wow – This may be harder than it sounds, but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Use up absolutely everything in the pantry and the freezer. I will do my absolute best to make it the whole month of April. Good luck Mavis. You rock!
JJ says
The first time I did this challenge I thought I would miss milk so I had pre purchased a couple cartons of almond milk. I haven’t gone back to regular milk since. I thought the vegetable issue would be hard too, but i had plenty in the freezer. Good luck. April is my month of no eating out.
Andrea says
I would have to have a few exceptions. Things like Milk and fresh veggies. I have made it several times spending just $50 a month on groceries due to unexpected expenses. I found out our biggest issue is looking at what we have to fix when coming home from work and nothing “sounds” good. So I am going to try this with you with the exception of milk. We don’t have a large freezer to store milk. But we really need to have a clean out of our canned and frozen food to make room for this year’s garden.
Carrie says
I was going to try a no spend February but I got so excited planning my meals in January that I started two weeks early. My down fall was being invited to go out to eat with friends and not saying no.
I find it funny that people can’t give up milk. The only time I have milk is with cookies or if I am having major heartburn. I am not a big cereal person though – I eat eggs (from my hens) every morning. Good luck!
Andrea says
I do a lot of baking and milk is usually an ingredient. Sometimes I will stock up on dry milk, but with the kids, milk is a requirement. Starting to wonder if it is cheaper to buy a dairy cow – if I had the room for one.
Kayla says
Amen to the dairy cow. We go through 4 gallons a week and I don’t have any teenagers yet.
Lynda says
Can you buy enough milk to get you through April, and freeze it ’til you need it? (I pour it into containers with enough head room so it won’t burst the jugs it comes in.) Hmm, maybe I learned that from you!
Jennifer says
You can set whatever rules work for you, as would I, but the hardcore answer is probably no. It defeats the purpose of no spending money if you buy ahead to stock up.
Jaynie says
I would say Milk like everyone else. We don’t drink a lot of milk so it always goes bad and I am to cheap to pay as much for a pint as I would a half-gallon. I buy a quart of 1/2 and 1/2, it will last me all month and I just dilute it with water. So I want 1/2 & 1/2 I use as is, if I want milk I dilute it with 1/2 to 2/3rds water, depending on what I’m using it for.
My other thing would be any fresh produce . It would be hard for me to go a whole month without something fresh.
If anyone can do this, it is you Mavis, I have confidence in you.
If you do good you can always do it again in the fall when you have your gardens bounty and give yourself a little wiggle room for the holidays.
Dena says
Need. Fresh. Fruit.
vanessa says
Go out and buy some morning moos. It is the best tasting powdered milk I have found. Also, do some research on substitutes. For instance, dry Knox gelatin can be mixed with warm water and used in place of eggs in baked goods.
Patty from the NW says
Good morning in this beautiful NW~ the mountain is glorious today~
Sounds like a fun challenge… I would like to see if I could do this as well. The only grocery items I see that I must buy is salad food. Since my lettuce is not producing yet in the garden, I would need to purchase this. I can make my own almond milk for the month. I have meat in the freezer , leftover freezer foods and panty is stocked… I’m giving it a try to see how little I would spend for April. 🙂
Have a great day~
Patty from the NW
connie says
couldn’t do it. fresh fruit and produce have to be included weekly!!!
Amy says
I would love to join you, but I’m afraid my husband would revolt without his yogurt and cottage cheese. Maybe if I super stocked up tomorrow on those items we could do it, but that almost defeats the purpose vs. only buying those items in April (like your milk).
Good luck, can’t wait to hear about your progress!
Sharon says
Agree with the milk issue, but might also need to add eggs – at least once. Is pet food and kitty litter excluded? Audrey, our 20 lb cat, gets mighty cranky if her bowl isn’t filled to the top everyday!
Jean says
If you have almonds, you could make almond milk.
sindy says
Yes, I would say milk, too. But I bet you could find one of your friends that would gladly take some of your yummy jam or frozen berries in exchange for a gallon of milk or two. It would be a win win I think.
Melissa says
Buy Organic Milk, it has a longer shelf life. I two cartons yesterday and it has a use by date in May!
Emily B. says
Agreed! It’s doubly worth it to spend the extra on it because it’s good for you and I never have to throw it out because it spoiled before I could get to it all.
Kristina says
Here’s why it lasts longer.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer/
It’s not how the cows are treated, but how the milk is pasteurized after.
jennifer says
Get some powdered milk. I personally like to keep it on hand to make up small batches of milk for recipes. Of course it’s not exactly the same but it’s doable. One thing I have learned is to make up some and put it in a milk container so as to fool the eye.When ready to drink ,put it in the blender with just a couple ice cubes to get it super cold and add a splash of vanilla. It’s a good way to stretch your regular milk.
Debbie N says
I would say milk like the others. I would also make sure you have enough flour,yeast,eggs and butter so that you could bake things to go with your freezer and pantry stock. Good luck!
Leah says
I did this once and it was actually very satisfying to realize how much abundance was already hanging around my house. The biggest things for me were dairy products – cheese and something to put in my coffee. You could always switch to something canned like coconut milk or condensed milk that could last the month.
Pauine says
You might consider checking in with HH and Monkey Boy to see what’s on their can’t-live-without-it list and then flexing to accommodate a few items. You don’t need to risk serious family mutiny for this. We all know that YOU can do it, but we want you still married at the end of the challenge!
Karin says
I’m in for the challenge! My biggest issue will be sandwich meat and cheese for my husband’s lunches. He eats 2 sandwiches plus a baked potato and/or leftovers for lunch every day (and he’s not even overweight)! I go through at least 2 lbs of sandwich meat and 2 lbs of cheese a week (mostly my husband but my 2 kids and I eat a little of it). I have a full freezer and pantry that should keep us fed for dinners, no problem. My husbad was blessed with a great metabolism but it sure is challenging to keep him fed!
Rosaleen says
I agree with stocking up on milk, eggs, and bread as projected to be needed for the month. Not extra, just what you NEED. You already know that milk and bread can be frozen and the eggs should hold hold if kept reasonably cool. You DO have tea in your pantry, right?
T.J. says
I would have to make sure that I have flour, sugar, butter on hand to be able to bake breads, rolls, etc. As long as I have those items on hand and lots of milk in the freezer I think we could do this. It wouldn’t make my hubby or little man happy but we could do it.
bobbi dougherty says
yes, I was going to say milk. Y’all seem to drink a lot of it, lol. I am doing this as well, but I will be buying a few things. I have set a limit of $15 for fresh veggies, cream (coffee), cat food and (God forbid) Wine, lolol. I should be ok with all the pantry and freezer options I have though. 🙂
That said, I AM going to Epcot for a couple of days but have set a limit for that too. The hotel is paid for by a rich Aunt, lol. We will keep food in our room and eat at the little stands, cheaper than going to a restaurant, and of course take snacks and drinks. (My daughter is a whiz at these parks and plans so well for them).
I am having a garage sale this month also, so that will help with Epcot, lol.
Thanks for the challenge.
Lisa Millar says
haha – was about to say BUY TOILET PAPER, when I scrolled to your number 1 rule…
This is going to be fabulous to follow!
Good luck
(Altho I think batering food from your garden for milk would be perfectly acceptable!!) 🙂
Have fun!
Patti says
Hmmm…interesting challenge! I’ll have to see how many meals I can make with what I have. Maybe I will shoot for 2 weeks and then reevaluate.
Eileen says
I did a no spend challenge in January. I was not supposed to purchase anything. I’m just curious, Mavis, why no bartering? I wish I had had that option, especially with all of the milk that my punks drink.
I found the first half of the month to be rather difficult and the second half to feel more of a challenge that I just had to win. It also made me hyper-aware of how mindlessly capable I am, of spending money on items I think the family “needs.”
I was going to do it again in June but I will do it in April with you. That gives me tomorrow to do a grocery run, right? Thank the Lord tomorrow is payday…
Debbi Atkinson says
Really anxious to see how it goes.
Brianna says
You are inspiring! I am spring cleaning the pantry and freezer this week and next. If it is more than six months old in the freezer (we don’t have a deep freeze, just side by side) then it gets used up into a meal or something else. Same thing with the pantry, if it is more than 1 year old it is getting used up. I have some odd items I purchased for recipes that didn’t get made for whatever reason. I feel like I am on “Chopped” this week. We had our smoked turkey from Thanksgiving last night in a concoction from the pantry. It is a fun challenge to make do with what you have on hand and be creative.
I would say besides milk or cream, eggs, sugar, oil, whole grains and flour, to add peanut butter or nuts to your before April 1st shopping list. You need a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Try to make sure you pantry is well balanced. Apples and citrus can last most of the month if stored properly, so that might be your best bet on perishable fresh fruit.
You are going to miss a few Friday freebies at Fred Meyer, that could possibly take away from your Christmas stocking stuffers.
lilylou says
Have you tried milk in the boxes like almond milk comes in? They also have regular milk packaged that way. It is shelf stable. I would buy a couple of gallons of organic milk with longer use by dates and a few boxes of milk for backup.
Julia says
I’ve been sort of doing this for about 3 weeks. Our deep freeze was pretty full so I decided to not buy any meat until I use up what is in there. I’ve also been shopping in the freezer and pantry and making most of our meals from what is on hand. So while I’m not doing a zero spend I haven’t had to spend much on food lately. I think you can do it! You can get shelf stable milk by the way.
Em says
I need to consider this. I had a lot of expenses this month.
I know if anyone can do it, you can, Mavis, with your freezer meals and having done the survival food challenge. Any cheesecake still in the freezer? 😀
Sherry in Sumner says
I’ve been actually trying to do this on an abbreviated scale because my cupboards, fridge, and freezers are quite full. But then I see a good sale on meat or other items I use (pasta, etc.) and buy it. But now that a lot of your readers are up to this challenge, I will chime in too. So I guess tomorrow, 3/31, I’d better buy some ultrapasturized milk because it does last a long time. This is going to be fun. And then I will finally be able to defrost my big chest freezer downstairs!
GardenNut says
If it was May or June I could probably do this. But with snow still on the ground and nothing but garlic growing, I’ll have to hold off until then. We just eat through too much salad to go without. Really neat challenge idea. Best of luck to you!
Wynne says
I agree, later in the year would be an easier time to try this. Good luck, Mavis!
Lori says
I just finished a month challenge of $20 a week with $5.50 left in my pocket. What I learned from it is that I have a grocery store habit that needs to be broken. Milk would be an issue for me too. Good luck, I’ll be playing along with you doing my $20 a week challenge that I want to keep going.
Marcia says
I’m going to jump on the milk bandwagon!! Definitely go buy it and freeze it!!
No way I could do this challenge. I could maybe do a challenge where I go from my ~$425 a month to half that. But not in April. We are returning from vacation this week. I did a pretty good job of eating up the fresh and frozen foods before we left, so we have one lonely bag of edamame, and half a bag of mixed veg.
I don’t can or freeze or garden really. (Have done all 3, but only a bit here and there.) I do have a weekly produce box at $40, so with that, the $213 a month challenge my budget would be almost completely gone!
Jennifer says
I’ll do the challenge, with these changes for family sanity: I’ll buy fresh fruit and veggies from the farmers market only (we keep hardly any frozen or canned), I’ll buy milk, and I’ll buy my son’s favorite bread for school lunches. We have plenty of staples and condiments as do most folks, and I raise chickens for eggs (I’ll continue to buy their feed!). We have a spring break trip planned, and those meals will come from a vacation budget. Otherwise I *may* allow one dinner out during the month, using a gift card.
Molly Jo says
get some boxes of shelf stable milk or buy gallons of fresh and freeze it. also butter can be frozen. you got this i have total faith in you!
Kara W says
Have you looked at goodcheapeats.com? The lady who runs it does some version of this twice per year. Anyway, she has a lot of good advice for this kind of thing. She calls it a Pantry Challenge.
Diana says
Mavis–FYI, toilet paper is NOT a necessity. There are diy reusable fabric TP ‘systems’ that I could see you embracing. I can’t guarantee that the HH or your other household members will embrace it, but I know it would fit well into your zero waste and zero spending goals. It is sanitary and zero cost (except laundering), while the dirties are zero smell, and zero touch. You can even leave a roll of actual TP hanging in the bathroom for guests, who would never have to know about your reusable system. TP is absurdly expensive, compared to other groceries and paper products.
Jennifer Meyer says
I totally think you should wait until like June when you are up to your ears in free produce from your garden. It would make it a lot easier to not spend anything for a month.
Carmen says
Good luck Mavis!
I briefly considered joining you, dreaming about how to spend the £400 or so that I’d ‘save’ and then realised there’s no way it would work. I don’t have a stocked pantry or garden, and of course how much food you have in the house is a major success factor.
In terms of meat, we have one chicken breast in the house (lunch.) I also have some rice and enough pasta for one meal. A few tins of beans; cereal. A variety of fruit & veg that could see us to/through the weekend. And 4 portions of soup! But I base evening meals around veg and protein and add carbs as/if necessary so there’s not much to work with.
I shopped yesterday, but will probably go again tomorrow.