| How I Make Ends Meet on $600 a Month... |
| It started for me when I read a Clarke Howard book a couple of years ago. He stated that by doing as much shopping as you can at a wholesale club, you can save $1200 or more a year. I save a lot more than that... I was already a frequent flyer at Sam's Club so the transition was easy for me. Everything I discuss here can be done at Costco Stores as well. As time has passed and Sam�s Club has continue to increase their quality of goods and convenience of services. In the meantime, I have successfully budgeted my monthly expenditures for grocery goods for our family household of 4 (one in diapers) down to under $400 a month. I have a wife�s monthly household budget of $600. The $200 I have left over I use for gas, washing my car, buying the children�s clothes, etc. But let�s start at the groceries, since they can easily make or break your budget before the month even starts� |
| Groceries Cleaning Goods Laundry Supplies Pet Supplies Infant Formula Diapers and Wipes Paper Goods Vitamins OTC Medications Office Supplies |
| What I buy from Sam's Club: |
| Going into Sam's Club unprepared can be a hit to your wallet... So when I got the kids to sleep, I devised a plan... 1) I honestly don't have the time or patience to really �cook.� I use my slow cooker (�Crock-pot�) like crazy because it saves time and energy and is a delicious alternative. Using the Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cookbook and the Rival� Crock Pot Cookbook, I made a list of the meals that I do "cook." We generally tend to cook a lot of the same things over the weeks, don't we? |
| OH, And I DON'T COOK!!! At least, not really... |
| *My main objective is to serve my family as few additives, preservatives, and processed foods as possible. Therefore, my recipes all use fresh or frozen from fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. **My second objective is to stay within a time and financial budget that meats our needs as a busy family. Therefore, all of the dishes I serve during the week are crock-pot recipes (except for Saturdays) **All dishes may be served over brown and wild rice, couscous, spinach or pastas (Be aware of additives in couscous and pastas) |
| 2) Then I sat down and used my Microsoft Word Calendar Wizard to draw up a monthly calendar that I could plan out my meals in. For us, Saturday's are always spent eating out with one of our Mothers. Sundays are always Pizza Night, Mondays and Fridays are always Pasta Night. The other four nights a week, I applied my list of favorite meals to. 3) I am a pretty simple creature, and we like a lot of chicken in our diet, so I made it REALLY easy for myself and I simply took my meals list, divided up my chicken, pork and beef meals, and applied them to my calendar by using Thursday evenings to juggle my beef and pork and shrimp meals. 4) I shop for items I can freeze once a month and once a week for perishables. I built my shopping list based on these needs. 5) I added in any other monthly items like my infant formula and diapers. I found that Member's Mark Infant Formula was the generic form of Enfamil and purchasing 4 of these 3lb. canisters saved me $160 per month. The Sam�s Club brand of baby wipes are hypo-allergenic and 720 count for $12. BIG SAVINGS!!! 6) I got on Sam�s Club online (and Costco has the same feature I am going to tell you about I think) and registered my family. I created "Click N' Pull" lists for my weekly needs, my monthly needs, and for my occasional needs. I searched online for the items I needed and added them to their respective lists, in the amount I need them--for example, I always buy 4 bags of Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts. 7) Weekly and once a month, I log on to Sam's Club Online and I click "Order Entire List" on my needed lists or browse them for what I need and add them to my cart. Being registered in the �Click and Pull� program, I request the items to be pulled and receive an email when they are ready -- They do the shopping for me and have everything waiting on a flatbed already scanned and calculated up. Generally I shop at night and they are ready the next morning. I go to the club, do any extra browsing I want to, give them my card, they ring me out and help me load it in my car. |
 |
| Look on www.amazon.com for new and used
versions of these books for greatly discounted prices |
| My Favorite Meals�
-Chicken and Shrimp Casserole -African Style Chicken -Asian Chicken -Cajun Chicken & Shrimp Creole -Chicken & Mixed Vegetables -Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya -Chicken Cacciatore -Chicken Provencal -Chicken Stew & Pineapple -Fiesta Chicken -Garlic Pork Roast -Savory Pot Roast -Italian Meat Sauce |
| Now Wasn't That EASY??? |
| 8) Any other groceries I need, I browse for at Sam's or I break down and go retail. I do honestly pick up one or two things retail such as organic peanut butter and wild rice, etc.
9) I also purchase my gasoline, lawn supplies, small appliances, soft white fluorescent light bulbs, and many other items at discount prices at Sam�s Club. 10) You already know that I am cheap� So it will come to no surprise that I have other secrets to getting all that I want and all my family needs for under $600 per month� --Ebay, Ebay, Ebay� NWT (new with tags) or NWOT (new without tags) for clothes, toys, books, whatever! --Amazon.com for used books, music, and videos. --NO EATING OUT!!! Convenience food is packing a sack with fruit and cheese before you leave the house. Fast food is poisonous to our bodies, especially our children, and our wallets. Watch the movie �Super Size Me� if you don�t believe me. It will scare you straight for sure! Plus, it keeps the car clean! --Speaking of keeping the car clean, I am a stickler for a clean car and I actually save money and get a cleaner car by going every other week to the full-service car wash. I pay them $11 for a soft water wash, hand dry and tire shine. --Just say "No" to the media�What we think our family is supposed to wear, eat, play with, whatever. Turn off the TV and talk a walk with your kids. Say no to the latest junk toys and frayed clothes and keep it sane. The reward is in the bank, in security, in a college education saved for and a comfortable retirement. --There is no excuse for credit card use. They are familial suicide. --Own don�t rent or lease. --A fireproof safe is a must |
| The end word for me is that 9 years ago, before I was married, I had a house fire that destroyed everything�everything. I learned that day that no material item is sacred. Only our family and the security of our family is under our control. Simple, conservative choices serve our families well. |
| God Bless You and Your Family
Happy Shopping! |