June Savings!

At the beginning of June, I put myself on a mission: to only spend $100.

My goals were twofold. First, I wanted to prove that it was possibly to eat cheaply (while also being a veggie!), and second, I wanted to see if I could.

Today, my like-minded and budget savvy vegheads, I bring you the results...

In June, I spent...

$116!

Yes, $16 over budget. Oops. But check this out...

Here's where that $116 went, dollar for dollar:

Food: 76: three grocery trips, only ever bought fresh fruits and vegetables, tofu/soy
Coffee: 16
Drinks: 24

So...

TIPS FOR SAVING MULA:

1. Always have a healthy supply of canned/dried beans, lentils, etc. They are so, so, so very cheap –and having them around in bulk makes it easy to turn any combination of grain and vegetable into a full meal.

2. Shop often, but in small quantities –as mentioned above, if you have a supply of protein/grain around, it’s easy to pick up fresh stuff every couple days. Shopping this way means A) nothing goes bad (such a waste of money!), B) you don’t get locked into food choices you made weeks ago, and C) you’re less likely to eat out, as it’s just as convenient to pick up fresh produce as it is to pick up a meal.

3. Keep track of what you spend your money on! This month has been enlightening for me. I spent a quarter of my original budget on alcohol (and I hardly even went out?), and 16% on coffee that I just as easily could have brewed at home.

While I think it’s –great- to be aware of your purchases, I think it’s equally important to know what, to you specifically, is worth wasting your money on. For example, coffee. To say I’m a coffee drinker is a horrid understatement. I am a coffee addict. A coffee enthusiast. A coffee… believer! Come out to breakfast with me, and you will see. I can drink cup after cup without the slightest feeling of a fuzzy brain, while my poor friends watch in awe and worry about my nervous system. To me, that’s a worthy cost. Eating out for dinner when I’m just being lazy/don’t want to bike home to make lunch/whatever… not so much. Think about what brings you joy, and don’t feel guilty about spending a little cash moneyz on that.

What a month.

I almost feel like I should go out and spend a fortune just to make up for all the saving I’ve been doing. But that would be a little counter-productive... right?