This meal planning on a budget post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Meal planning is one of two major game changers when it came to our family once and for all sticking with our budget. It is what helped our family go from spending over $1,000 a month on food down to $400!
Follow along in our monthly meal planning and grocery shopping to get tips and ideas to help your family do meal planning on a budget.
This is going to be fun! I am so happy to introduce you to a brand new series here on Pennies Into Pearls where you get a look into another Pearl’s real life budget strategies and life lessons that they have picked up along the way.
Learning how other families are making it work is always a top way to keep our own motivation. When working through your own financial rescue for your family, I want these Pearl spotlights to offer you encouragement to keep going!
As you watch these real life budget talks, pay attention to strategies and tips that you can try out with your own family finances. Is there something our Pearl has done that you could adjust a bit to customize for your own family budget?
Are you one of our lucky Pearls who is getting a refund from their taxes this year? Lucky! I bet you are so excited! I am excited for you! Do you already have plans on different ways to spend your tax return?
There is so much that you can do with that cash!
Would you mind me offering a few suggestions as to what you should do with that money? To be sure you are intentional with those dolla bills and don’t end up wondering where it all went!
What if you could use that tax return to help your family by actually starting to gain traction on your goals?
Think of all the stress it will lift from your shoulders! Think of the excitement and hope you could provide!
Do you have the spring cleaning fever like I do? We just got our carpets cleaned and it’s heaven on earth! But we aren’t talking about cleaning your house, let’s take it up a notch on the importance scale and talk about spring cleaning your budget!
This meal planning on a budget post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!March 2019 Meal Plan
March seems to be that time of year where you start to crave some more springy, yes springy, type meals but it’s still a bit cold outside. Talk about confusion for our taste buds!
Well that is the confusion in my brain but I feel very confident that I will set all our confused minds at ease with this months meal plan on a budget!
Not only does it have an array of lighter dishes, I also left some hearty comfort meals in there to keep us warm!
Man it’s been a minute since we share our family budget update and holy cow a lot has happened since I last took you into our bank account! I have a lot to share with you this month!
I also really want to know what information I can share that would be most helpful for you and your family. So stick around and we can chat!
With all the extra holiday spending and budgeting behind us, it’s exciting to look to the New Year with new financial goals! Hubby and I in the process of sigging down with our Financial Unity Workbook and and planning our 2019 goals around what we currently value most for our family finances.
Starting a family budget doesn’t have to be restrictive! Look at it in a way that you are actually telling your money what to do rather than wondering where it went. Then not having enough to pay the bills… Stressful! Make sure to continuously check out my Instagram Stories for helpful budgeting tips!
This setting financial goals post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Hey Pearl! 2019 is here and it’s a GREAT time to sit down and really get your goals set for this year. We could set all kinds of personal goals, but I am here today to help you set your money goals for 2019.
Let’s reflect on 2018 first, shall we? What were your financial wins and loses last year? Is there something that you are doing particularly well, and areas that could use improvement?
Write them down! Now, let’s dive into the 6 best tips I have for setting financial goals for 2019!
Make sure you also follow me on Instagram where I often share stories talking about creating a budget, like these. 🙂
What is valuable to you in your life right now? It may be spending time with friends, getting outdoors, working out, cooking meals? Once you know what you value, you’ll be better equipped to set your financial goals to help facilitate those values in your life.
Brainstorm Your Dreams
I want you to list out ALL of your dreams, whether they are fiancial or not. Once you know what dreams you have for your future, you can create financial goals that lead you in the right direction! Make a list of 5 dreams you have for the next year, 5 dreams for 5 years from now, and 5 dreams for 10+ years.
Prioritize Those Dreams
Now that you have a big “brain dump” of your dreams, let’s narrow it down. Prioritize and get down to the 3 most important dreams for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Pick 3 dreams for each time period. From here, we are going to start to make a list of actionable steps to take for each dream you have. Where do your goals and values align? Make sure every goal you choose reflects what you value most.
Top 3 Life Goals
Now we are going to dive in even deeper. Let’s narrow it down to your top 3 goals for your whole life. Don’t focus on anything else but three at a time. I know this is a hard step, but its so important to help drive you towards making financial choices that help you get to your dreams the fastest.
Get specific
For each of these 3 top goals write down:
What the goal is
Why it’s a priority and why it makes the cut and deserves your attention
Write down any potential obstacles that might stand in your way
What financial baby steps will help you achieve your goal. Write them down.
Give it an ideal due date
Reevaluate Regularly
Now that we have these goals, and steps to reach them, you’re going to reevaluate every 6 months to see where you’re at with achieving them. You’ll be able to readjust at this time. For example, lets say your top goals were getting better at meal planning, saving for a vacation and spending more time outside, but then you had a baby. Now you may shift to saving for college for that child in the future. Our priorities change from time to time so make sure you’re adjusting as you go.
Setting big, lofty goals can be really challenging. I expect this to take you some time to work through. But having these goals laid out is going to give you an excellent starting place for building a goal based budget. Another thing that will help is taking one of my FREE webinars coming up this week and next!
This grocery haul post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Welcome to 2019!! Whew, what a whirlwind last year was. We’ve had so much happening with our family, and this Pearl Team keeps growing and growing, which is so exciting! Today, lets talk meal planning and grocery haulin’!
This month, we are going to review how month two of this fun little experiment is going. If you’re interested in snagging a copy of Seriously Good Freezer Meals (the cookbook I used for my freezer meals), click this link!
Don’t know where to start? Pearl! I got you! Make sure you read this article on how to meal plan for beginners. In there you will find all the tips you need to make sure that you plan to the best of your ability and stay on budget!
If you are new here, hi! You are probably interested to know what we set for our monthly grocery budget. This is how it’s broken down.
When I first started kicking bootie at the grocery budget game we only spend $300 in our monthly grocery haul. That covers all groceries that can last in the fridge, freezer, or pantry for 30 days or longer. We also budgeted $25 each week for fresh produce and milk. All that takes is a quick 15 minute trip once a week! Lastly, we budgeted $160 for all other household needs that are not food.
Things over the past few months things have changed a bit and we are experimenting with bumping up our budgets and honestly, I think we will lower them back down soon. When you are figuring out your grocery budget, it’s all about trial and error.
The key to sticking to monthly meal plan on a budget is to use cash! Remember that stuff? Seriously, cash is T-H-E single tool we use that has helped our family cut our food budget from $1,000 to only $400 a month!
It is statistically proven that when you use cash you spend less money. It is such a powerful visual reminder that the dollar number you are spending is coming from your pocket and not an imaginary never ending bank account.
Using a cash envelope system is exactly what keeps our family on track with our budget every single day! When using this system every dollar you pull out of your wallet is coming directly from a categorized budget. You visually see money leaving your pocket and that gets you thinking twice about your purchase.
“If I buy this now, I won’t have enough to buy _______ later.” You have to weigh your wants with your priorities.
My Favorite App for Grocery Shopping on a Budget
No mom has the time to spend continuously scanning apps over the holidays looking for the best rebate offers and sales. Which is why I have minimized my rebate strategy to help maximize my savings in the smallest amount of time.
Then once I get all my groceries home, I will quickly open the app and search the two stores that I just went shopping at to see if there are any rebates that apply to my groceries. There are usually 3-4 that I can claim. This saves me around $5 each time I use the app.
If that doesn’t sound like much, trust me! The three minutes that it takes me to save $5 is 100% worth it! These small savings add up quick and once you hit $20 you can cash out in PayPal or Venmo, or choose from a bunch of really awesome gift cards! I usually choose Target and treat myself to a well deserved “mom’s only” snack!
If you are new to Ibotta, sign upusing this link and you will automatically get $10 after you claim your first rebate! So easy!
January 2019 Family Meal Plan on a Budget & Grocery Haul
Made double freezer meals last month so I don’t have to cook at all this month!
You can download this month’s budget friendly meal plan here.
January 2019 Grocery Haul
This month’s grocery haul is very different from normal! Because I made and shopped for all meals last month, I don’t have any meal prep groceries to buy this month (other than fresh).
You won’t believe how much money we saved by prepping our freezer meals this way! You have to watch the video to find out! What should we do with the savings? I’m thinking about using it towards stocking up on meats next time I see a good sale!
So really all that is left for this month’s grocery haul is to replenish any needed kitchen staples, snack foods, breakfast, and lunch supplies. That’s about it. Take a look at the video to see what we bought this month plus the number breakdown!
I’d love to hear any questions you have! Leave them down in the comments below!
Our Pearls write me about it ALL the time and I know exactly how it feels. The complete hopelessness that comes when trying to figure out the first steps to starting a budget.
There are so many factors that play into the giant web that builds your family finances. The never ending expenses, your family income, emergency costs, and bills to name a few. Just thinking about it all quickly gets your head spinning!
Where in the world do you start? What numbers do you look at first? Right now it might feel overwhelming trying to decipher where to begin, but by the end of this article you will have a clear picture on what needs to happen first when it comes to starting a budget for the LAST TIME!
