Oh, SNAP!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've updated this blog. Holy moly!

I've been paying a bit more attention to my spending lately, as I want to be more aggressive about saving money. After a surprise plumbing disaster, I've become more aware of just how important it is to have some good savings. Thank goodness I also have good insurance, let me tell you. I downloaded Mint and learned that food is a huge expense for me. (Mint says that I spent about $540 last month, but I know that's not quite right. Some of the transactions that were logged as grocery were gas and pharmacy expenses. Still, I probably spend at least $400 on groceries. Lots of that is snacks.)

I've decided to try the SNAP challenge as a way of cutting back on my grocery and food expenses. The basic theory is that I should set my grocery budget to what it would be if I were on food stamp benefits. Benefits have decreased recently, putting my monthly grocery budget at just under--get ready--$130. Basically, if I can pull this off, I probably stand to save around $300 a month, which will help me add to my emergency fund and my "my sister is getting married next fall" fund.

(For more on the SNAP Challenge, see: http://feedingamerica.org/get-involved/hunger-action-month/snap-challenge.aspx)

I went grocery shopping today to get my food for the next week. Some people who do the SNAP challenge assume that they are starting from scratch, but I'm going on the assumption that most people, even those who receive food stamp benefits, have got some pantry basics on hand. I'm not getting rid of any of my sundries, like flour, sugar, and oil. I'm also not going to forego my precious carbonated water or Dr. Pepper TEN. I have a small supply of both, and I will need to replenish them sometime this week. I am allowing for this in my budget.

My weekly budget for groceries is around $30. I do have some wiggle room on that (technically, I have $32.50), but I'm hoping to be pretty close to it each week.

Without further ado, I give you this week's grocery purchases and their costs:
From Grocery Outlet
1 bag of brown rice, $0.69
3-lb bag of onions, $1.99
1 bunch parsley, $0.69
Total Grocery Outlet: $3.57

From Safeway
1 bag frozen veggies (Tuscan Blend) $1.67
2 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes $2
2/3 lb. broccoli $1.31
1 green bell pepper $1
3 Gala apples $2.29
1 red cabbage $2.90
1 bunch of kale $1.50
3 garnet yams $1.89
1 Asian sesame salad kit $2.50
Total Safeway: $18.35

Total for trip one: $21.92



I also already had a few things laying around:
3 very sad green onions
1 red onion
half a yellow onion (also quite sad)
most of a bunch of celery (saddest yet)
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can of white beans (which I don't entirely trust)
1 bag of dry black beans
a few small Yukon Gold potatoes (slightly sad)
3 lemons
1 large can of tomato puree
1 small carton of tomato sauce
1 bag wild rice
part of a bag of dry split-pea/pasta soup
various herbs, spices, vinegars, oils, etc.

These may work themselves into some dishes, as I don't particularly want to waste them.