Mr. BFS and I have instigated the Great Food Fight of 2013 to stay on track since we tend to go a little food crazy. We are aiming to spend $500 or less every month. That sounds really high for 2 people (because it is, lol), but we enjoy eating out with friends and cooking for them at home. So it is what it is. 
Food Expenditures from January 13 – February 12, 2013
In order to track our spending without logging into our credit card account every day, we keep a running tally on a sheet of paper stuck to our refrigerator. Between the two of us (and by double checking ourselves by logging in to our credit cards), we write down every food expense diligently throughout the month. It’s not the prettiest method ever, but it works great to keep our eyes on the prize.
Let’s see how we did…
I forgot how hard it is to get back on a plan, lol.
Eating Out – $321.86
Groceries – $174.44
That comes to $496.30 total.
Yay! We ate out more than I was hoping, but that’s what happens when you meet at restaurants twice a week to hang out with friends and play test developing board games. Meetup groups are awesome, but we may have to eat before we leave at least on the days that we have time before hand…
What We’ve Been Eating
Mr. BFS and I have started adding some healthier options to our diet (like carrots as snacks) but generally were not very healthy this month…
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Sandwiches
- Value Menu Items
- Frozen pizzas
- Bananas
- Chicken breasts
- Green beans
- Steak
- Carrots
- Desserts
- Burgers
- Fruit and yogurt
Overall, yay! At least we stayed under $500. I believe we are actually shooting for $450 or less for February through March…let’s see.
Did you hit any specific goals lately? How is your food budget coming along?
You guys did great! I love the idea of writing it all down, we need to do that also.
You guys need to quit eating out. Chinese food is the worst thing for you.
@Michelle, thanks!
@pumpkin, I was expecting a comment about my McDoubles and Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits at McDonalds, but was not expecting to hear about Chinese. I usually have the house special – white rice with chicken, beef, shrimp and vegetables. No fried anything. What else is bad about Chinese?
Pumpkin is absolutely right. All of the sodium in Chinese food is really bad for you. Eating out less = savings and better health and that’s a rare win/win. Keep that plan going Crystal.
@JW, I’m giggling over here mainly because I just looked…we only had Chinese food twice. Seriously, I doubt it will do us in…
I mean, yes, eating out is generally unhealthy overall, but I doubt the Chinese food was worse for me than Waffle House or Steak and Shake. 
I love your very sophisticated way of tracking expenditures. Sometimes a good ole notebook is the best way!
You squeaked in there at under $500 – but it’s under budget nonetheless! Great job! I think keeping track of expenses is half the battle.
If you were to take turns eating at friends houses and play board games there, then you could probably save a lot more. I just feel that $321 is too much to spend eating out. You could always share meals and order waters, whatever it takes. It’s just good to see that you’re setting a goal, and meeting it with your budget.
I love seeing what other people eat. Oh my, you spent a lot on eating out, but if it was worth it to you, then it doesn’t really matter!
My wife and I were able to save enough money from not eating out last year that it helped us take a trip to Europe. If you could get your budget down to $250 or $200 from $500 per month that would be $3,000 to $3,600 that you would save for the year FYI.
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