Spring Fever

I don't know about you, but this warm weather has me itching for Spring! I'm even wearing open-toed shoes today. Not only is the warm weather begging my toes to peep out, but it is encouraging me to try my hand at gardening. With plans underway to begin a garden Saturday, I am already excited about the prospects of having fresh veggies around for the Spring, Summer, and Fall! Not to mention the gorgeous flowers my yard will soon boast.

Over the last several months my frugalness has branched out from just toiletries at CVS to full fledged grocery bargaining at Publix and Bi-Lo. Now if I can include gardening in this equation it should cut my grocery budget down even further. While being frugal is fun and often challenging, one of the biggest challenges I face is using everything I've worked so hard to get for free or close to free.

My goal for March is to only buy items that are free while grocery shopping. This will force me to depend on my overflowing pantry to meet our food needs, and try to clean out my freezer at the same time. I am also in the process of creating a weekly meal plan for our family as I often struggle in the "what's for dinner" department. I know I'm not the only mom out there who feels this way! It is a constant battle, but one worth fighting so we are eating better and being budget friendly at the same time.

Of course this will not include things like milk, eggs, fruit, and veggies...I'll have to continue purchasing some fresh veggies until the garden starts producing, but this should allow me to cut our grocery budget from $30 to $40 per week to $10 to $15 per week. The excess will pay for gardening supplies and add to our budget for savings next month.

Over the next month I will update periodically on our progress...hopefully with pictures, and as March draws to a close I will report our successes and shortcomings as we continue to strive for more frugal living.