Judicious January

I wrote yesterday how this year I plan to SIMPLIFY in a lot of areas. One area is MONEY and another is FOOD. So when I came across this post on Money Saving Mom, I knew I was up for the challenge.

After the excess of Christmas, it feels natural to try to scale back a bit in January. Just the other night I was thinking that I would try to spend a lot less on groceries in January and try to use up some of the items I had stocked up on prior to Christmas "just in case". So this challenge came along at just the right time. I need to be held accountable when I take something on and it will be nice to track spending (particularly grocery) etc. here on the blog to refer to. As well, I over spent just a WEE bit on Christmas this year, so the money I save from the household budget will be devoted to making up for my excess in December!

So here's my goals for what I will call Judicious January!

1) Reduce grocery budget by $150 to $350 for the month. Keep receipts and USE CASH to track this!
2) Use pantry, freezer and leftover food when planning meals - thus eliminating a lot of food clutter that would otherwise go to waste
3) Incorporate one meatless/vegetarian meal per week (not so bad for shedding the holiday excess around the hips too!)

Other goals for Judicous January not specifically related to the Eat From the Pantry Challenge are:

4) Reduce fast food consumption (usually midless drive-thru-in-the-car eating) to no more than once per week. Good for my budget, hips and health!
5) Take outgrown kids clothing, baby swing and playpen into local consignment store. Not only will this get these items out of my house, I'll gain space and a little cash and someone else can purchase some quality items for a lot less. Extra money will also be applied towards Christmas bills.
6) No purchases of craft items! I have ordered one item I need for the business, but that's it!
7) Additionally, restrict impulse purchases such as magazines, treats etc.

I'm taking my cue this month not only from the Eat From the Pantry Challenge, but also from no-spend months by Rachel and Lisa. If they can reduce spending and save a little cash, I think I can too!

I will be blogging about this experience at the end of each week in January to keep myself on track and keep you updated if you are interested! Let the saving begin!